Tag: the NBA

Enes Kanter: ‘I am the best player in this draft’

Despite not playing at Kentucky last season after an NCAA rules violation, Turkish center Enes Kanter apparently isn’t lacking in confidence that he can make it big in the NBA (Hat tip to Pro Basketball Talk.com)  

Kanter was set to play for the Wildcats last season before the NCAA declared him permanently ineligible as a collegiate athlete because he received approximately $33,000 from the Turkish professional team Fenerbahce Ulker in excess benefits.

“I believe if I could have played [at Kentucky], I would go with the No. 1 pick,” Kanter said in . “I believe I am the best player in this draft…”

That lack of playing experience last season has made Kanter the mystery player of this draft. He’s only 19 and is considered physically ready at 6-feet-11 and 260 pounds. Most mock drafts have him as one of the top five picks of the draft.  

Kanter said that not playing last season will not hurt his value to an NBA team.

“I’m not worried about anything,” he said. “Even if I could have played, I would have just played like, 22-24 games, because we’d have won many games by 30. I don’t think I missed anything.”

After being ruled ineligible, Kanter remained around Coach John Calipari’s program as a student assistant. The Wildcats dropped a 56-55 loss to eventual national champion Connecticut in the national semifinals.

That disappointing defeat has convinced Kanter that his presence would have changed how his team finished.

“We would have won the national title,” he said during one point of Wednesday’s interview.

A reporter followed up. “Easily?”

“Yes,” was Kanter’s immediate response.

He’s not lacking in motivation or ego, which only adds to his appeal for many teams with top draft picks in tomorrow’s lottery as the most NBA-ready center prospect in the draft.

Parker says he saw Hill as his ‘little brother’

By Jeff McDonald and Tim Griffin
jmcdonald@express-news.net

Speaking to a French website Monday, point guard Tony Parker said he would miss backup George Hill, who was traded to Indiana on draft night for a package that included Kawhi Leonard.

“I have confidence in (the front office’s) ability to make good choices,” Parker told 20minutes.fr. “It was still very difficult to separate from George Hill, because everyone loved him. Personally, I considered him my little brother. But the NBA is a business.”

In the same interview, Parker reiterated his desire to join the French national team for the ?EuroBasket tournament in Lithuania in August, but says he will not play if a lockout prevents him from obtaining insurances against injury.

“If there’s no insurance, I won’t play, because the Spurs are No. 1 on my list,” Parker said. “But if I’m insured, I’ll definitely play.”

Earlier this month, Parker said in San Antonio that he was looking forward to playing for the French national team for the first time in his professional career.

“Playing with the national team is always something I wanted to do,” Parker said. “I’ve never been to an Olympics. In talking to Manu (Ginobili), I know it’s a great experience.”

Pop’s many digits on his telephone call tricked Hill about the trade

It was a tough decision for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to trade his self-proclaimed “favorite player,” George Hill.

Popovich has frequently mentioned over the years that he loved Hill’s outlook on the game and life and his unselfish nature. The fact that Hill grew up in Indiana also gave him a link with Popovich, who shared his home state.

But when Popovich called Hill Thursday night to tell him he had been traded to Indiana, it came as a surprise to Hill — particularly when he didn’t recognize the incoming number with one he would have associated with his coach.

“I think if he called from his actual real number, I probably wouldn’t have picked up,” Hill said, chuckling. “Because I know, they normally call with bad news.”

It was a strange call that had multiple numbers when Hill picked up.

“He called from another line. I didn’t know who it was,” Hill said. “It was like 20 digits, so I thought it was TP  (Tony Parker) calling from France or something.”

Hill said he’s leaving the Spurs franchise with no grudges to management and no regrets after the surprising trade.

“For what? The Spurs gave me the chance to play in the NBA and I’m thankful for that,” Hill said. “They gave me a chance to move on to another organization to better myself and my family. I’m grateful for that.”