Mitnick: NBA “All-Import” Team, Euro-rules style

TEL AVIV –In most European countries, there are separate post-season awards for local players and import players.  The NBA justly classifies all of its players into one category, as passports are a non-factor when post-season awards are up for discussion.

While the approach taken by the NBA is certainly the right one, as the absolute acceptance of foreign players into the NBA has made a big impact on the league in the last two decades, and fans are always looking for more excuses to debate.

While the talent crop may not be as heady as their American counterpart, here are my picks for my first annual “International NBA Awards.”

MVP Award – Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks)

Runner up – Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers)

Dirk is in the conversation for the actual MVP award, so he clearly is the front-runner in this race. As unquestionably the best European player of all time, Dirk should have no problem holding onto a trophy that he would have won handily in each of the last 10 seasons. While he certainly did not appear to be in MVP form on opening day, as he struggled through a 6-for-15 shooting night against Miami, Nowitzki’s track record speaks for itself.

Many may be quick to write off Gasol after he had a shaky playoff series against Dallas, but he has consistently displayed exceptional skill throughout his career and will undoubtedly be a top performer again this season.

He certainly didn’t do much to shed the “Gasoft” label in the opening day match up against Chicago’s front line, but Gasol has consistently been among the league’s top big men since his NBA debut in 2001.

Vassilis Spanoulis Sixth Man Award – Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs)

Runner up – Rudy Fernandez (Denver Nuggets)

Spanoulis gets this award named after him, after the Greek guard won an MVP in Europe in a season in which he came off the bench. Had Ginobili retired, this clearly would be his spot, as he is a top candidate for Sixth Man of the Year every season. However, even though he is plagued by nagging injuries that seem to get worse as he gets older, Ginobili can still take over a game and be the spark that pushes a contender over the top.

Most Improved Player – Nicolas Batum (Portland Trailblazers)

Runner up – Omri Casspi (Cleveland Cavaliers)

With Brandon Roy settling into retirement, Batum will step into an opportunity to showcase his multi-faceted game. The kid has every tool in the toolbox, and should be ready to unleash stat lines that rival AK47’s legendary box scores. While he will be playing next to a similar player in Gerald Wallace, neither needs the ball too often to be effective, so they should be able to thrive alongside each other.

Casspi should perform significantly better in his first opportunity to play with a pass-first point guard in Kyrie Irving. As a player who likes to contribute in the flow of a game, Casspi will enjoy the freedom of playing without a “shoot first, second and third” point guard in Tyreke Evans.

Defensive Player – Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee Bucks)

Runner up – Anderson Varajao (Cleveland Cavaliers)

The first non-Euro to win an award, Bogut gets the nod over Varajao with his excellent size and shot-blocking ability. Varejao is a supurb team defender, but playing for a lackluster team like Cleveland will make him a bit less effective, as he does require a team effort to make the most of his abilities. Bogut’s presence causes teams to change their approach to a game, which is what you should expect from a first overall pick.

The Darko Milicic “Overpayed, Overhyped, Under-producing” Award – Darko Milicic (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Runner up – Hedo Turkoglu (Orlando Magic)

It wouldn’t be an international NBA column if it didn’t poke a little fun at Darko. Since entering the NBA just minutes before the likes of ‘Melo, Wade and Bosh, Milicic has been the butt of more jokes than Isiah Thomas. The big man can rebound and block shots, and has a few decent moves in the low post, but there is no way this guy is worth more than backup level money. Say what you will about Darko, but if I were an NBA player, I would be trying to land with his agent right about now.

The Magic wisely chose to let Turkoglu walk when the Raptors were willing to overpay him in the summer of 2009, but were coaxed into bringing him back when they needed to mix things up after last season’s shaky start. While Hedo is a good player, he is far from an eight figure-a-year guy. With the emergence of Ryan Anderson, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds on 6-for-10 from behind the arc in the season opener against the Thunder, it seems Turkoglu’s role will only diminish as the season progresses.

Rookie of the Year – Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Runner up – Bismack Biyombo (Charlotte Bobcats)

While Rubio hasn’t shown that much development since his standout 2008 Olympic matchup with Chris Paul and Deron Williams, he will find himself more comfortable in the NBA than in the ACB and the Euroleague. This guy may not be able to guard many of the NBA’s quicker point guards, and will struggle with his outside shooting, but he will be guaranteed to be a weekly fixture on highlight reels with his fancy dribbling and dazzling passing ability.

Biyombo is a man of mystery, however, this international rookie class runs pretty thin. Washington’s Jan Vesely may not play over fellow rookie, Chris Singleton, so the big man originally from the Congo hopefully will demonstrate the defense that propelled him from a third division player in Spain to NBA lottery pick all in a year’s time.

All International First Team

G – Tony Parker

G – Steve Nash

F – Dirk Nowitzki

F – Pau Gasol

C – Andrew Bogut

All International Second Team

G – Manu Ginobili

G – Nicolas Batum

F – Luol Deng

F – Luis Scola

C – Marc Gasol

All International Third Team

G- Jose Calderon

G- Leandro Barbosa

F- Danillo Gallinari

F- Andrea Bargnani

C- Nene Hilario

Since becoming a scout and getting the chance to watch endless hours of game film, my appreciation for Tony Parker has grown tenfold. Parker is a master at the pick and roll, his incredible ballhandling skills, the ability to change his speed and direction instantly and an exceptional ability to finish in the paint.

Showing few signs of aging, Nash only barely gets the nod over Ginobili for the first team. While Nash is still a threat to lead the league in assists, this is the first year in over a decade that he will be suiting up for a team that only has a slim chance of making the postseason. Ginobili will certainly be an important cog for the Spurs, who likely will be on the short list of contenders this season, so his exclusion was very difficult.

Calderon and Barbosa’s appearance on the third team shows the international crop’s lack of depth at the guard position. It seems that guards have more difficulty adjusting to the style of the NBA game than big men. While young prospects like Roddy Beaubois, Rubio and Fernandez can certainly help close the gap with more experience, it may be a while before European guards become more common in the NBA.