A free agent PG: Pablo Prigioni

by meru on May 18, 2009 6:20 PM PDT Comment 46 comments

Did you know that Ricky Rubio was not a member of the All-ACB (Spanish League) Starting five? That's because the PG on that team (and leading vote getter) was Pablo Prigioni, the PG on the Argentine National team. Both Gabe Muonokeand Luis Scola say he could play in the NBA right now. He's famous for defense and running the pick and roll, both things we want, and shoots 43% from 3. Check out these videos. Apparently he's a free agent, and currently only earning 6K 600K Euros (after taxes)so should be affordable. He was 32 yesterday, so is 14 months younger than Andre Miller, 4 years and 2 months younger than Kidd and 3 years and 3 months younger than Nash. I remember thinking he was good in the Olympics, but the only game I can find is the USA-Argentina semi-final where he doesn't look so great. BUT: I'd be more interested in him than any of the above-mentioned older American FAs, if only because he'd come cheaper, he's younger, and he's noted for his pick and roll (Greg should like) and defense.

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hmmm...

So many names out there, so many hoopsters.

Maybe KP oughta bring him in for a workout. Is he going to enter the draft? Does anyone have draft rights to him? These are questions I wish you had answered in your post.

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable, superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.

-Albert Einstein

The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet.

-Lao Tzu

by MT Suit on May 18, 2009 6:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

nobody owns his rights...

…and he’s too old to be drafted. Think of him like Garbajosa for the Raptors a couple of years back – he was just signed as a FA. I do know that supposedly Houston was interested in signing him last summer (perhaps because of his long-standing connection with Scola, both for the Argentine team and TAU Ceramica).

by meru on May 18, 2009 6:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't understand

what you mean by too old to be drafted?

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 7:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

there's an upper limit as well as a lower limit

(Or at least I think so.) It makes sense, otherwise you would be able to “draft” free agents (like LeBron in 2010) because their rights aren’t owned by any NBA team.

Now, presumably you could also fix this by saying somebody can only be drafted once, and Prigioni hasn’t yet, but think about it: what’s the oldest player you’ve ever seen drafted? And wasn’t he just somebody who took a long time getting through college?

by meru on May 18, 2009 7:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That is what I was thinking

that if he has never been drafted, and declares for the NBA draft, that anyone can draft him.

Storyteller and others, where are you? Inform please!

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 7:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Looks like he could be signed

The way I read Coon #48, once a player is eligible to be drafted during a draft, and is not drafted, he can be signed by any team. A foreign player becomes eligible just by reaching age 22 or playing professionally. So in theory he could have been drafted a long time ago, and because of that, anyone can sign him now. (The reason this doesn’t apply to e.g. college seniors is that they aren’t “eligible” before graduation unless they declare as early entry.)

by pualo on May 18, 2009 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Are you sure?

I don’t know at all, but didn’t Ricky R have to announce this year that he wants to be in the draft? It’s all confusing… But, if he never entered the draft with a verbal, then maybe if he does now he is on the draft board.

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 10:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If a player isn't drafted by the time he's 22

You just sign him as an undrafted player.

Every player is elegible after his senior year, thus becoming undrafted and signable by any team.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

by DaniBCN on May 19, 2009 1:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rubio had to declare because he's under age

You can only declare and withdraw a set number of times. I think (for example) Rodrique Beaubois declared at least twice before, so he’s in it to stay now, even though he might be under 22. But this is Rubio’s first declaring, so he could withdraw. Once he hits the right age, though, he doesn’t have to declare to be eligible (and can’t opt out from being drafted, even though of course he doesn’t have to come over).

by meru on May 19, 2009 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

good research

It seems hard to find a good PG, looking outside the box is great.

by twggyy on May 18, 2009 7:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

nice work looking outside the box

Offseason:
Trade For Mike Conley Jr
Sign Antonio McDyess & Othello Hunter
Draft Kevin Seraphin/Edwin Jackson(Eurostash)

by TheGreatDane17 on May 18, 2009 7:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Germany's point guard is only turning 28, ca. 6'4'' and better at driving to the rim than anyone except Roy and Bayless on the Blazers (57% FG in Euroleague) :)

http://www.blazersedge.com/2009/5/17/877920/who-do-y-ou-wantehz-to-see-start#15835700

But ideas like that are probably a bit too outside of the box if you search for real solutions for the future and not just for stop-gaps. But I wouldn’t put it past the Blazers international scouts to have a profile on top players like Prigioni to discuss every once in a while. And it’s not a worse idea than taking on a ton of salary to have Kidd or Nash play here.

by Norsktroll on May 18, 2009 8:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know

the Blazer’s scouts have profiles on all these guys…. :-)

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 8:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Go to Dallas & play with Dirk already fool.

Offseason:
Trade For Mike Conley Jr
Sign Antonio McDyess & Othello Hunter
Draft Kevin Seraphin/Edwin Jackson(Eurostash)

by TheGreatDane17 on May 18, 2009 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I say lets check him out

why the heck not right?

C*mcast sucks!

by Blazermaniac77 on May 18, 2009 7:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

very interesting....

thanks for the post

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 7:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks,now on my radar

by southern oregon on May 18, 2009 7:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

he could be a good option

to fight with Bayless for the backup position.
I’d even overlook the fact that he’s argentinean
:)

by Falcao on May 18, 2009 7:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

does he even want to play in the nba?

if he hasn’t come over yet i wonder if he ever wants to

"Howard, he know me" Rudy

by phillyduck23 on May 18, 2009 7:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He's 32

and cheap, he could be looking for the big final payday by playing in the NBA….

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 7:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Define 'big'

I would hope we don’t sign him to a large contract.

by Sabonis4Ever on May 18, 2009 8:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

he would be cheap

I think, not big by NBA standards, but big for him.

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 8:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think he meant big compared to the 6,000 Euros

Offseason:
Trade For Mike Conley Jr
Sign Antonio McDyess & Othello Hunter
Draft Kevin Seraphin/Edwin Jackson(Eurostash)

by TheGreatDane17 on May 18, 2009 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Currently Pablo Prigioni is making 600000 euros

That is the 809,640 dollars. so we could Offer him a little over a million to 2 million to motivate him to come over over, with a big maybe.
He would be a low risk high reward player
His first year in the NBA rookie 32 year old point gaurds are not a good idea
But why not if he works out it would be great if not you lose a roster spot and hopefully not more then a couple million

"Knowledge will get you from A to B. Creativity will get you anywhere." Einstein

by Garden of ODEN on May 18, 2009 10:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you!

exactly what I meant, sorry for any BIG confusion guys! :-)

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 10:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought the Euro's were exempt from income taxes.

It might take a little more than 2 million when you consider that,

by Escrote on May 19, 2009 9:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Currently Pablo Prigioni is making 600000 euros

809,640 dollars after taxes, If Obama starts taxing the rich like crazy then we might have to pay him over 2 million just to cover what he made his last year. 4 million for this guy seems too high to me.

"Knowledge will get you from A to B. Creativity will get you anywhere." Einstein

by Garden of ODEN on May 18, 2009 10:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You think he doesn't pay taxes on those Euros?

Spain has a base rate of 45% for people making his kind of change. Add on to that the tax they have on assets held, plus whatever he pays back to Argentina. The tax rate in the U.S., like it or not, is low – even for the wealthy.

by Ami on May 18, 2009 10:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The article says it's 600k€ after taxes

that’s almost 2Mill$

He’s a great player, but I’m not sold on bringing him because of his age

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

by DaniBCN on May 19, 2009 2:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

nice find

Rubio will obviously be better in the future, but if the Blazers can’t trade up for him, they should at least look at this guy.

I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

by haildablazer on May 18, 2009 9:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I am loving Oregon

No sales tax FTW

Offseason:
Trade For Mike Conley Jr
Sign Antonio McDyess & Othello Hunter
Draft Kevin Seraphin/Edwin Jackson(Eurostash)

by TheGreatDane17 on May 18, 2009 11:27 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

You can also get it in Washington, too on a lot of purchases.

I bought a bike up there, no sales tax.

I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

by haildablazer on May 19, 2009 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If you show them your Oregon ID, that is

I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

by haildablazer on May 19, 2009 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm Not Sure

His passing looks really good. Some of those passes he was making were extrordinary. On the downside, his shot technique looked weak and I doubt his D is great. He won’t be able to jump straight into the NBA. That will take a year or two just to get up to speed in the NBA and by then he will be 33 or 34. Not to mention he will hit that wall, similar to what Rudy hit. But Rudy is young and in his athletic prime, while Prigoni is over the hill in basketball terms. All that said, I would still give him a shot. Nice find.

by rip city coming alive on May 18, 2009 10:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

All my research tonight

says he is a pretty good defensive player, really good. Just what I read….

Brandon Roy, 'nuff said.

by johnv59 on May 18, 2009 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ok

I was just speculating I don’t really know. The D of Europeans can often be weak. No one is confusing Rudy with Bowen

by rip city coming alive on May 19, 2009 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice find man.

I like him.

by BlazerBen on May 18, 2009 10:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Never heard of this cat...i'll have to do some reading.

"Whatever...I heard Bayless uses a pillowcase as a wallet." --TiH

by prezofdeath on May 19, 2009 12:16 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Prigioni

One of the two best pick and roll passers in Europe, as the videos indicate.

Range on his jumpshot goes well beyond the NBA three point line. He often gets the ball back late in possessions and has to make a play in a hurry. He makes those shots from five, six feet behind the NBA arc on a remarkable percentage. Doesn’t elevate a lot, but a quick release.

Defensively, smart and and great hands to disrupt the offense. Gets not only steals, but also a lot of deflections.

Weaknesses: Will not take it to the basket a lot. Under 30 percent of his shots this Euroleague season were two pointers, and he had only 22 free throw attempts in 21 games. That’s also a result of his role, he can be more aggressive when he’s asked to, but he’ll never be a great slasher.

Defensively, difficult to say how he will handle quick and strong point guards.

Contract: Spanish source
He signed a 1+1 contract in 2007 as reported in that article, then pulled the option to extend it for one year in 2008.

He’s been with TAU for a long time and enjoys it there, so there is a good chance he will stay there until retirement. On the other hand, maybe he wants to try a last adventure, like other established Euleague players in their late twenties to early thirties have done before him.

by in-the-game on May 19, 2009 3:00 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

thanks for the info

I wonder if watching Scola’s sort-of-coming-out-party in the playoffs would whet his appetite?
I think it would help if TAU won it all in the ACB this year. Also is this the year that Tiago Splitter finally comes over to the Spurs? That might affect his decision. And hey, maybe Sergio could take his place with TAU?

by meru on May 19, 2009 6:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Splitter, Prigioni

Difficult to say what Splitter is going to do. He has a four-year contract with TAU but can opt out this summer. Guys like David Andersen [2mio after taxes] and Splitter [about 1.4mio a.t.] make huge money in Europe, and they have a lot of respect for the European game. For them to come over they would have to be sure they are put into the right situation [money and playing time wise]. I’ve no idea how this summer is going to look like with the financial problems on both sides of the atlantic.

Sergio Rodriguez, I’d expect him to be signed by Barcelona or Real Madrid if he came back. TAU usually do very good scouting and makes very good, almost overlooked signings each summer, while the others splash out all the money.

I agree with you, if TAU broke up their core of Splitter and Rakocevic [free agent too] this offseason, Prigioni would jump off as well. But not only NBA teams might be interested, the European powerhouses would surely love to have him in their rotation.

by in-the-game on May 19, 2009 7:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Real Madrid has Raul Lopez

doesn’t it? And Sergio Llull. Is Llull likely to come over to the US if drafted?
Who’s the PG for Barcelona? I know the SG is Navarro – does he do the majority of the ball-handling too? (I love Navarro’s game – he gives slow small white guys everywhere hope.)

by meru on May 19, 2009 8:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lopez, Llull

Yes, they have Lopez. But he’s had a rather disappointing year. Real is rumoured to invest heavily next season, and Lopez isn’t a PG to lead a team to the Final Four. They will try to go for a top level PG surely.

Llull has made serious strides this season and should be ready to go. He has his weaknesses, but could be a nice tool off the bench in the NBA. High energy type of player, not an above average passer, but he’s a good slasher and can shoot the ball. Suits the NBA game, imo.

Barcelona has Slovenian Jaka Lakovic, a score-first PG who can do some damage, but he hides in clutch situations. 2nd PG is Victor Sada, pure pass-first PG with great defense and decent size, one of the revelations of the season in ACB – don’t look at his stats, they don’t tell anything about this player. 3rd PG is Andre Barrett. But it’s true, Navarro is like a playmaker on the two spot there. It’s not sure yet what their plan for the offseason is going to look like. A lot will rely on their decision which coach to go with. If Messina signs, he will probably look to make some changes on the PG spot.

by in-the-game on May 19, 2009 12:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good post

I doubt it would happen, but definitely a much better idea than, say, signing Andre Miller.

Always interesting to hear about new Euro-league prospects. They used to all be severely overvalued, but now the pendelum has swung the other way and they’re undervalued again (hence, Batum at the 25 spot).

Sounds like Pablo may be a little old to adapt to the NBA game, especially with a young team just entering their window of championship contention, but you never know.

One thing I do know: I would enjoy rooting for somebody named Pablo. Pablo is fun. Go Pablo! I could get used to this.

Sounds like he would’ve made a ton of sense for a team like Phoenix last year – their back up point guard (Goran Dragic, or something?) seemed like he would’ve been cut from a few high school teams.

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on May 19, 2009 7:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs