A) Euros are soft. The last thing I want on our team one of these 7 foot Euro "centers" that are scared to bang down low, and prefer to settle for j's all night.
Whoa there. Just because Gasol is "soft", it
doesn't mean all European players are like him.
Last time I checked, Spain won the FIBA World
Championship. That's hardly being "soft", or is it?
Just because they won, it doesn't mean they aren't soft. European players have a well deserved reputation of being soft. Very rarely do you find a Euro who wants to go down low, bang in the post, and do the dirty work on offense and defense. (Mehmet Okur is a prime example)That doesn't mean that they aren't talented, it just means they have grown up in a different style. They also have a reputation for being better outside shooters than American players. I don't think this is a big deal or huge slight on Euro's, rather a determination in whether or not you are in need of low post play. We are. A tall Euro is not likely the right answer.
This is a fair point and you are right when you point the different style. It's a question of basketball culture and rules, not genetics.
There are plenty of European players who aren't soft - Pietrus, Garbajosa, Kirilenko, etc. There are also plenty of European post players who aren't soft, but usually they aren't talented enough to play in the NBA - in all truth, not even in the top European level. Guys like Pekovic are very rare.
I think it all begins with the rules. It's hard to dominate a FIBA game relying on athleticism and individual skills. That's why most Europeans learn the game practicing motion team offense and team zones defense. You don't focus so much on the weight room or on 1x1 scrimmages, but in passing, angles, patterns. This factor is even more stressing when it comes to big men: without the 3 defensive seconds rule, without the no-charge area under the basket and with teams playing zones in defense, it becomes very difficult for a post player to be effective banging. This is why the better post players in Europe usually play a finesse style - that's the way of winning games. I mean, Perkins is a starter for a NBA team, but he'd have troubles cracking the rotation of some European teams. Even a very good basketball player like Josh Smith or some other athletic freak would barely play during his first months in Europe. On the other hand, an average NBA player like Anthony Parker is a superstar in Europe. With the FIBA rules changing, the European and American players will become more similar in the future.
