by Conrad Brunner || Caught in the Web Archive
January 19, 2011
The Pacers knew this would be an important year in the development of European prospect Stanko Barac. But it looks like the blossoming big man is exceeding expectations.
Barac has earned high praise in the European media for his performance with Caja Laboral (in Vitoria, Spain) and is now considered one of the top prospects in the EuroLeague.
"Long considered a promising center prospect, the pressure was on this year as Barac was inserted into the starting lineup," wrote Euroleague.net on Jan. 12. "But if there were questions, Barac answered them quickly and emphatically. Barac, 24, has posted some of the best statistics in the competition and was a rock in the middle for Laboral as it rallied from a rare losing streak to reach the Top 16 as one of the hottest teams around!"
The 7-1 Barac, 24, was drafted No. 39 overall by Miami in the 2007 NBA Draft and acquired by the Pacers in exchange for an '09 second-rounder. In his first full season starting in Euroleague competition, he was the only player to rank in the top 10 in scoring (14.1), rebounding (6.7) and blocked shots (1.3).
Barac was also the subject of a recent feature by Netscoutsbasketball.com, which described him as "a big-man with legit size for the NBA, good lower-body strength and shot-blocking ability to fight the athletes that attack the rim in North America. He has good shooting ability to hit long-twos in pick-and-pop sets and good passing skills of the post."
Sounds like Barac just might turn out to be worth the wait.