Hello basketball fans!  First...I want to congratulate Spain on winning the European Championships in Poland.  It's amazing to watch how well they play together.  In my mind, a picture of Spain's National Team should be in the dictionary under the word TEAM.  
 
Playing the last three seasons in the ACB, I have played against and witnessed first hand the remarkable talent of Ricky Rubio.  I am a big fan of Ricky, but I want to focus my first blog on another Spanish young talent.  Victor Claver of BC Valencia has become the forgotten Spanish star in the summer of Ricky Rubio.  One person that has not overlooked Claver is Portland Trailblazer GM Kevin Pritchard.  Pritchard and Portland took Claver with the 22nd pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.  While Claver is definitely worthy of being the 22nd pick, I'm sure the success of Rudy Fernandez in Portland made Portland's decision pretty easy.  At the very least, the Trailblazers will add many more Spanish fans with Fernandez and Claver running the 2/3 position for years to come!
 
Not too much unlike Fernandez, Claver's athleticism is above average and he will put you on his trading card if you aren't careful(he has won the ACB Dunk Contest).  His 6'9" frame with long arms will allow him to step in and play the 3 position immediately when he decides to make the jump to the NBA.  I do think he is making a wise choice by continuing to play in the ACB for another season.  It will allow him to continue to work on his perimeter shooting and ball handling skills.  More importantly, I think he needs to improve his confidence and ability to take over a game despite being a young player.  
 
Most basketball fans in the United States will continue to talk about Ricky Rubio and their excitement for his arrival to the Timberwolves and the NBA.  While all of this talk and excitement about Ricky is well deserved, I know that Claver will gain many fans throughout the basketball world when he puts on his Blazer uniform!

 

Photo: ACB