Broadening Their Horizons

Dimos Dikoudis

Jeff Sheppard. Kirk King. Kevin Salvadori. All three had accomplished collegiate careers, but never quite established themselves with NBA clubs. As a result, all performed for the Celtics in front of NBA personnel at the Shaw’s Pro Summer League in hopes they would catch on to a regular season roster.

Those types of players are still present. But as summer leagues change, so have the names that appear on the summer rosters. The Celtics are leading the way in an emerging trend in which teams bring in Europeans players for week-long workouts. So, roster spots that formerly read Sheppard, King, and Salvadori now read Dimos Dikoudis, Milan Gurovic, and Jaka Lakovic.

Unless you are a devout fan of European basketball, these names are probably Greek to you. But for the Celtics and General Manager Chris Wallace, who has been following the international scene for over two decades, hosting this foreign trio might have more an impact on the club – in both the short and long haul – than bringing in former collegiate stars each year.

“We wanted to bring in some fresh faces to the summer league,” said Celtics General Manager Chris Wallace. “These not only let us have a look at some players we might not have seen, but it also helps us to continue to build relationships overseas.”

The Celtics, who start summer camp on Friday and will hold double sessions each day until Sunday, may be getting a look at a pair of European late-bloomers. In the case of Dikoudis, Boston gets a 25-year old, 6-10 forward who can play both the three and four spots. According to Wallace, Dikoudis was a relative unknown until this past year until he had posted an impressive campaign with Greek league champions, AEK Athens. It was here he played alongside Efthimios Rentzias, a European star center who Philadelphia acquired in a draft day trade. Rentzias is expected to compete for the Sixers this summer.

Much like Dikoudis, Jaka Lakovic also emerged with his club team this past year. Born in Slovenia in 1978, the 6-0 guard averaged over 20 points per game for KK Krka Novo Mesto in Euroleague play. He is currently playing for Detroit’s summer squad in Orlando’s summer league.

Gurovic, who has played for many of the top level clubs in Europe, is more of an established entity. A product of the Yugoslavia, the 6-9 forward has played for Barcelona (Spain), AEK, Pallancanestro Trieste (Italy) and most recently for Spanish club Malaga.

These three, along with expatriates Sonny Watson and Alex Carcamo – players who grew up in the American system and left to test their skills overseas - give the Boston summer roster a decided international flavor. Celtics coaches now have an opportunity to sample a broader spectrum of talent, while fans have a chance to see some of Europe’s best.

“We are taking a chance on some of these guys, if you can call it that,” said Wallace. “It is summer league, but we get 5 guys on our team that we do not know a lot about, so we took somewhat of a gamble. It is also giving some underexposed players an opportunity to be seen.”

“The barriers have been crushed. There is an acceptance of international players by NBA coaches and GM’s. When I was over in Europe watching Tony Kukoc years ago, there were a sizeable number of teams that did not want European players for various reasons. In 2002, to my knowledge, not one of the 29 teams would hesitate to sign a European player.”