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You're saying that 5 years from now people won't be hyped and interested about some 7'1" guy from europe?
Let's test that statement.
Frederick Weis
Are you excited yet??
How about another?
Big Jake! I think he's a free agent this year.
How about another?
Wang Zhu Zhu....
Has that excitement level built up yet?
Now, let's turn the tables Chillz. What if I tell you there's a 7'1 guy coming out of HS. Would you want him? Let's see...
who gets you more excited...
Any of the three that I have just mentioned or Tyson Chandler?
Even with Tyson being Injured, I would still want him over those guys because I know he has what???
MORE POTENTIAL.
How were these three players you mention more hyped than Chandler? Wang didn't even get to the first round.
Tyson was #2 pick. Jake #25, Wang #36 and even the ultimate draft bust Weis was just #15. Would you want Yao Ming (#1) over Soumaila Samake(#36), Jason Collier (#15) or Samuel Dalembert (#26)?
Who then suffered from this "Eurohype" these three got. Let's check the great US centers that got snuffed their rightful draft position:
After Tsakalidis there are Mamadou N'Diaye (Nigerian, but played in US college) Jake Voskuhl, Jabari Smith, Ernest Brown and Dan McClintock.
After Wang there were Obinna Ekezie(also Nigerian and a college player), A.J. Bramlett, Tyrone Washington.
After Weis there were picked Jeff Foster, Evan Eschmeier and Calvin Booth.
Weis was a mistake as everybody knows now, but my opinion is that he was a better player than Foster or Eschmeier in 1999. It was the back surgery he had just before the draft that created the stiff center Weis is now. Weis didn't let the Knicks medical staff to examine his back before the draft and the stupid Knicks still drafted him at #15.
Tsakalidis was maybe drafted too high, but considering Pryzbilla was drafted at #9 the same year and Jason Collier at #15 so were some US centers.
Wang was a second round pick and perhaps more of a publicity stunt. I would also like to remind that if Wang is European then I want Yao too