As Tony Parker dueled the NBA’s best point guard, Jason Kidd, during the NBA Finals, he was playing for more than just himself and his San Antonio Spurs team. In addition, Parker carried on his remarkably broad shoulders the weight of the aspirations of point guards around the league.

While foreign players have made great inroads in the NBA in the last 15 years, point guard remains the final frontier. Not counting Canadian Steve Nash, who played college basketball in the US, there has never been a foreign point guard on the All-Star team, despite the heavy foreign feel of the last few years’ squads. Not only that, Parker is already – after just two years – quite possibly the finest foreign point guard in NBA history. Who would get picked ahead of him? Sergei Bazeravich? Igor Rakocevic?

There are a number of reasons why foreign players have not had the same impact at the point as they have at other positions. One oft-overlooked reason is the dominance internationally of soccer. Many NBA foreigners, like Hakeem Olajuwon, started their lives in soccer before outgrowing the sport. There aren’t many 6-10 soccer stars. An athletic 6-0 to 6-3 player, on the other hand, has historically been far more likely to take up soccer than basketball. Parker defied this trend because his father was a former NBA player playing overseas; the next crop of foreign point guards will probably come largely from Eastern Europe, where soccer is not as dominant. But sometimes guys just slip through – witness Brazilian prospect Leandrinho Barbosa, who grew up in a soccer hotbed.

The language barrier is another problem, and something Nash certainly didn’t have to worry about – despite the clever American Express commercial where Dallas Coach Don Nelson calls Nash a hoser – but Europeans, Asians and South Americans do. It might not be a big deal if a power forward can’t speak a lick of English. If a point guard, who has to call plays and get the team into its offense, can’t, then there’s big trouble. English difficulties are reportedly a major concern of teams interested in Barbosa, the highest-touted foreign point guard prospect in history, and Barbosa’s agent has him in English classes two hours a day.

Despite these problems, as many as three foreign point guards could go in the first round of this year’s draft. Barbosa is a lock and possible lottery pick, as is 6-9 Frenchman Boris Diaw. Croatian Zoran Planinic, listed variously at anywhere from 6-6 to 6-8, is considered a possible late first-round pick.

The foreign point guard prospects in the 2003 Draft are also oddities because of their size. After years of increasing importance of height for point guards, the play of undersized players like Golden State’s 5-5 Earl Boykins seems to have swung the pendulum in the other direction. With Marcus Moore returning to Washington State for his senior season, only Louisville’s 6-6 Reece Gaines is left as a tall point guard from the NCAA’s crop. The top three American prospects – Texas’ T.J. Ford, Kansas’ Kirk Hinrich, and Oregon’s Luke Ridnour – are no taller than 6-3, and Ford has grown to a generous 6-0 after going at 5-10 in college.

Conventional wisdom has the Sonics taking a point guard with one of their two first-round selections, assuming they hang onto both, but the issue is likely not so cut-and-dried. In Brent Barry and (unrestricted free agent) Kevin Ollie, the Sonics found a successful point guard duo over the season’s final 30 games. As a result, if the Sonics do take a point guard, they may not expect him to contribute immediately, instead looking to have him take over when the 31-year-old Barry moves into a bench role. With the depth at the point position this year, the Sonics might choose to wait until the second round to pick up a point guard. After all, they’ve had great success with point guards drafted in the second round before, picking up Eric Snow and Earl Watson. Unfortunately, both have gone on to make their marks elsewhere, something the Sonics would look to avoid this time.

T.J. Ford
(NBA.com profile)
The numbers: 15.1 ppg, 7.9 apg, 3.9 rpg, 40.1% fg
The measurements: 6-0, 162
The skinny: In just two years at Texas, Ford left a lasting impact on the program and the college game, winning several Player of the Year awards for a sophomore season in which he led the Longhorns to a Final Four berth. Ford is the ultimate throwback point guard. A poor shooter, Ford barely cracked the 40% mark from the field (40.1%) and made just 17 shots from the NCAA’s shorter three-point line. Ford more than makes up for his shooting deficiencies in most eyes with his incredible ability to pass the ball, the likes of which may not have been seen at the college level since Kidd left California. Ford’s height is another strike against him, and could make him a liability at the defensive end at the NBA level, but he is nonetheless almost unanimously considered the top point guard in the field.
Sonics outlook: Barring something unforeseen, Ford will be off the board by the eighth pick (Milwaukee) at the very latest, and could go as high as four. The Sonics could only get him by trading up.

Kirk Hinrich
(NBA.com profile)
The numbers: 17.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.5 apg, 48.4% fg, 41.5% threes
The measurements: 6-3, 190
The skinny: Scouts are very high on Hinrich’s ability to play the point in the NBA despite some ominous signs in his background. With the Jayhawks, Hinrich played shooting guard alongside Aaron Miles, and this shows up in his relatively low assist average. The transition from the two to the point in the NBA can be very difficult, but it’s widely assumed that Hinrich can make it effortlessly. There is no question that Hinrich can shoot, providing an excellent outside counterbalance to Nick Collison as Kansas also got to the Final Four and within a shot of the NCAA’s title. Scouts particularly praise Hinrich’s quickness, and he has solid size for a point guard.
Sonics outlook: Milwaukee is considered a strong possibility for Hinrich, as is Golden State, but he could slip through to the Sonics, in which case they’d probably take him. Another possibility is trading up to get Hinrich.

Marcus Banks
(NBA.com profile)
The numbers: 20.3 ppg, 5.5 apg, 3.3 rpg, 2.8 spg, 51.4% fg
The measurements: 6-2, 220
The skinny: A two-year starter at UNLV after transferring from Dixie College in Utah, Banks established himself as one of the NCAA’s best defenders, winning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year both seasons (he shared it with BYU’s Travis Hansen last season). Banks also led the conference in assists while scoring 20 points per game. His outside shooting is considered a bit of a liability, but Banks has great size and can get in the lane, shooting nearly seven free throws per game. On defense, he is an extremely physical defender who can harass opposing point guards and generates a high number of steals. Banks has shot up draft boards of late, with the rumor being that the Celtics have promised Banks they'll take him with either their 16th or 20th picks. They might not get the chance.
Sonics outlook: Banks is definitely in the mix as a possible 14th pick. Again, his defense would make him valuable to the team, and they've had success developing similar point guards.

Luke Ridnour
(NBA.com profile)
The numbers: 19.7 ppg, 6.6 apg, 3.4 rpg, 43.2% fg, 38.2% threes
The measurements: 6-2, 175
The skinny: Ridnour has already gotten away from the city of Seattle once, choosing Oregon after Washington decided not to wait for him any longer and gave its scholarships to a different pair of point guards (Curtis Allen and now-transferred C.J. Massingale). Needless to say, the decision did not work out particularly well. Ridnour started from the moment he stepped onto campus, became a star as a sophomore, and won Pac-10 Player of the Year as a junior. With little left to achieve in college, he was a natural to enter the draft. Ridnour has valuable experience playing as both a go-to player (last season) and in a complementary role (to Freddie Jones prior to that), and put the Ducks on his back to lead them to the Pac-10 tournament championship last year. His offensive ability is unquestioned, despite a surprisingly low field goal percentage, but scouts doubt Ridnour’s ability to defend in the NBA, which could cause him to drop out of the lottery.
Sonics outlook: Since Ridnour is close enough to a hometown player (he is a native of Blaine, WA, near the Canadian border), picking him would make a great story. However, the Sonics seem to want more defense from their future point, meaning they would probably pass Ridnour if he was left. Golden State could keep them from having to make that decision.

Reece Gaines
(NBA.com profile)
The numbers: 17.9 ppg, 5.0 apg, 2.9 rpg, 46.1% fg, 38.9% threes
The measurements: 6-6, 185
The skinny: The key player behind Louisville’s excellent season, Gaines has switched back and forth between the two guard positions throughout his NCAA career. This season, Gaines made the point his and did it successfully. His size for the position is excellent, and Gaines lacks any glaring weaknesses, but he also is not particularly outstanding in any categories. Nonetheless, Gaines has been climbing draft boards and could even sneak into the lottery.
Sonics outlook: Gaines' size has to be intriguing to the Sonics, and he's a possible 14th pick.

Leandrinho Barbosa
(NBA.com profile)
The numbers: 28.2 ppg, 7.0 apg, 4.0 rpg, 50.3% fg, 44.7% threes (Brazil)
The measurements: 6-4, 190
The skinny: Barbosa has undoubtedly benefited immensely from the success of his countryman Nene Hilario, a rookie sensation with the Denver Nuggets. While the top American point guards in the draft are generally offensive-minded, Barbosa has the size and speed to become a lockdown defender at the point guard position. Offensively, his outside shooting ability remains a question mark – his form, in particular, needs work - and, as noted, his grasp of the language could be a concern.
Sonics outlook: Golden State is the most likely team to take Barbosa ahead of the Sonics. He's a possible pick for the Sonics if he gets to them. They can afford to wait for Barbosa to learn the language and develop, and could use his size and defense at the point.

Boris Diaw
(NBA.com profile)
The numbers: 7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 59.6% fg (France)
The measurements: 6-9, 201
The skinny: Probably the most interesting point guard prospect in the draft, Diaw is like countryman Parker an African Frenchman. That’s where the similarities end. While Parker is a high-scorer, Diaw’s shot is his biggest weakness. His court vision and passing ability are reportedly excellent. When added to his size, that draws a natural comparison to Magic Johnson. Certainly, Diaw isn’t that good, but he has the potential to be a very good NBA player.
Sonics outlook: It doesn't appear now that Diaw will be taken until around the 20th pick or so, well after the Sonics select.

Zoran Planinic
(NBA.com profile)
The numbers: 7.2 ppg, 2.2 apg, 1.8 rpg, 52.4% fg (Croatia)
The measurements: 6-7, 195
The skinny: Diaw’s Eastern European equivalent, Planinic has also experienced a rapid climb in recent weeks, going from off the radar screens of die-hard NBA fans to a possible mid-first-rounder. Similarly to Diaw, Planinic reportedly has strong passing skills despite his 6-7 height, and a superior jumper to Diaw’s. So why is he this low? Probably because you can take that hype down a couple of notches. 6-7 point guards who do it all go top five.
Sonics outlook: Planinic’s draft fate is difficult to predict, but it looks like he should go in the last 10 picks of the first round, which would be between the Sonics first- and second-round picks.

Troy Bell
(NBA.com profile)
The numbers: 25.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 44.1% fg, 40.2% threes
The measurements: 6-1, 180
The skinny: The leading scorer in the Big East, Bell nonetheless is considered a borderline first-round pick at best. At 6-1, he’ll have to play point guard in the NBA, and he is not a natural for this position. At the same time, Bell’s assist average last season was better than Hinrich’s. Bell is possibly the best pure shooter in this draft, and that alone will ensure he’s gone by the middle of the second round.
Sonics outlook: Bell doesn’t seem to fit the mold of the point guard the Sonics are looking for, but don’t count him out with the 41st pick.

Other top point guard prospects:
Steve Blake, Maryland
Marcus Hatten, St. John’s
Paccelis Morlende, France
Maurice Williams, Alabama