Simone Sandri Co-Host of Basketball International With Andre Aldridge, Simone is co-host of Basketball International, a weekly show airing live on NBA TV at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursdays. Simone has been working since 1997 as the United States correspondent for Sky Italia, Italy's sports television network. He also writes a daily NBA column on Gazzetta.it, the online version of Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. Simone can also be heard weekly on Italian news radio -- Radio 24. Simone graduated with a degree in communications from Seton Hall University (1990-94), where he attended on a soccer scholarship. Simone, born and raised in Novara, Italy, now lives in Manhattan.

Joaquin Henson :  Nov 26 Martin comes of age Plenty of international talent in this Draft Only a few things are certain in this year draft. It will be held in New York and it will be, as always, extremely interesting. After that it's anybody's guess which player really slipped in workouts and which players improved their stock in the past few weeks. Predictions are certainly not easy especially when talking about the international group. There was supposed to be a huge contingent of international talent, but at the last minute many intriguing prospects dropped out. It was no surprise that Martinas Andriuskevicius, Kosta Perovic annd Tiago Splitter decided to put their NBA dreams on hold, but I was more surprised when Peja Samardziski, Damir Omerhodzic and Roko-Leni Ukic pulled out. Still there is plenty of foreign talent left; and it's each teams top decision makers who must determine which players are ready for the NBA and which ones need a bit more seasoning. In my opinion the player most ready to impact the league is 7 foot 5 inch Siberian star Pavel Podkolzine. He's just 19 and didn't get too much playing time with Varese in Italy, but if you talk about that famous sports phrase "upside potential", well that is Pavel. I have never seen such mobility, agility and coordination in such a big man. He can and should be a dominant force in the paint, and as far as a sweet stroke, well he's got that too. He does need some work with his post moves, and defense, but in the right system he could become something very special in a few short years. Where do I think he will go? Toronto at 8... Phoenix at 7... Washington at 6... certainly he won't pass Seattle at 12. And if I were an NBA GM (that would be pretty cool, by the way?) I would snag the big man at 5 or 6. I feel strongly that the gamble would reward me down the line (and maybe I would be voted GM of the year as well). Latvian teenager Andris Biedrins is an interesting prospect too. At 6-11 he's a good defender (although he thinks he can block anything and everything), has great hands and a nice offensive package. He put up good numbers for Skonto Riga (Latvia), but he certainly didn't face great competition. On draft day he could even pass Podkolzine but I see him getting drafted more in the 10 to 14 range. Sergei Monia is another top talent. He's a versatile guard who started and starred for Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow. Monia is in my opinion the most NBA ready player of the entire international crop. He plays great defense and is pretty polished on the offensive side too. Some experts pencil him in at 14 for Utah, (the Russian connection with Kirilenko) but I think he could go even higher. Monia's teammate in Moskow, Viktor Khryapa (a Kirilenko type player with long arms and great versatility) should go in the first round too, probably a bit later. I also like Sasha Vujacic, an athletic 6-7 combo guard who had a solid season with Snaidero Udine (Italy)...he possesses great passing ability and is capable of making the big shots...He could go as high as 17...There's also 7 foot 3 inch Peter Ramos of Puerto Rico... Brazilian forward Anderson Varejao and his teammate at Barcelona Christian Drejer. All these players have received publicity, but one player who hasn't gotten as much "shine" is Slovenian guard Beno Udrih. I saw him playing in Italy for Breil Milano a couple of times in March and he improved so much recently, that I was convinced I was watching his twin brother when I saw a week ago at the pre draft camp in Chicago. I wouldn't be surprised to hear his name being called at the end of the first round. Posted by Simone Sandri - Jun 22 2004 11:25AM

Dumars does it right Don't dis Darko, the Pistons do their homework I know a lot of people right now are saying: "Imagine if the Pistons would have chosen Carmelo Anthony (with the second overall selection)?". Well don't put me in that group. No disrespect to Carmelo of course, but in my opinion the Pistons did a fantastic job on draft day last year. First of all, basketball is not math. You can't just assume that adding a 21 points per game scorer would automatically put a team over the top. Who's to say that team chemistry wouldn't be affected in a negative way? What about team defense? Don't forget rotation; somebody must sit down in order to give minutes to a new player. But even if after taking all of this into consideration and you are still not convinced, the bottom line remains that the Pistons are playing for the NBA title with Darko Milicic on their roster. Detroit not only is representing the East in this years Finals, but with the combination of their savvy offseason, and regular season moves, this team is stacked and should be contending for the trophy for years to come. With long-term success in mind, the choosing of Darko Milicic makes so much sense. Not many people had the chance to see this teenager play last season, but those who did are convinced that Darko is the real deal. I have no doubt that this 18 year old, (let me stress again his age ...18) in two or three years will become one of the most dominant centers in the East. He didn't see the court too often this year, but knowing his potential, it is difficult for me not to envision him playing in an All-Star game in the near future. Darko Milicic was a great pick, but Joe Dumars, my executive of the year, also may have struck gold by selecting a standout guard of the future, Carlos Delfino. If Delfino, a versatile Argentinean who plays for Skipper Bologna was in this year's draft, he would be a lottery pick, no question about. The bottom line is that the Pistons do their homework. This is why they are in a position to capture the league's ultimate prize this year, while still keeping an eye on the future. Yes they raised a few eyebrows by passing on Carmelo Anthony, but with the brains and blessings of Dumars and international scouting guru Tony Ronzone, there's no doubt in my mind that Darko and Delfino will shine in Detroit for years to come. Posted by Simone Sandri - Jun 4 2004 5:07PM