The Los Angeles Clippers didn't have a lot to worry about in this year's NBA Draft, having just one solitary pick towards the end of the second round. No trades were made, no moving up had occurred, but the Clip Show still managed to nab one of the top European talents as Furkan Aldemir was selected No. 53 overall.
With no penny-pinching tactics in sight from Donald Sterling (yet) this 6-10, 230 pound 21-year old Turkish phenom played for his country in the 2011 European Championship, leading the tournament with 15.9 rebounds a game and averaged 14.8 points along with 1.7 blocks. Obviously the Clippers like what they saw in Aldemir:
"He's long, he's a young kid," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He's good around the basket. He ran good. He's got some length. He's got some upside to him. You want to take the best guy possible at that position. That was the position we were in at that time."
Over at NBADraft.net, Mike Misek has complied his list of 2012 NBA Draft Grades, giving the Clippers a solid 'B' for their efforts.
Here is Misek with the commentary:
Aldemir is big bodied banger who rebounds well and hangs around the hoop. In the TBL, he averaged 8 points and better than 6 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. He fouls too much and does not have much range, but can stay in Turkey for a few years to continue his development. For what it is worth, Furkan Aldemir, Izzet Türkymaz, and Ilkan Karaman all were on the U20 Turkish national team at the European Championships in 2010. The team won four of its nine games. Aldemir is the one that was regarded by scouts as the legitimate prospect for the majority of the season.
Pairing a guy like this with the likes of DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul would be quite the matchup on the floor, especially with the defensive prowess that Aldemir brings to the table. They had the offense, and now have a solid, big defender to go along with it.
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