Pecherov watched practice for a third straight day, still suffering from a sprained left ankle. He...

Pecherov watched practice for a third straight day, still suffering from a sprained left ankle. He said he will miss the first two summer league games, but hopes to get some action in later in the week.

Unfortunately, no Stewie for the first few games this week, but at least we'll get a look at the other guy from the '06 draft.

12 months ago JakeTheSnake Comment 5 comments 0 recs |

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What Are Our Plans For Veremeenko?

No chance that he’ll be assigned a roster spot, right?

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by cuppettcj on Jul 14, 2008 11:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm pretty sure

I don’t think he can opt out of his contract in Europe without a hefty buyout at this point, but I could be wrong on that.

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by JakeTheSnake on Jul 14, 2008 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I doubt very much that he is ready. I don’t think the NBA has any role here but I would just like to see him playing in a better league. I doubt his current league would be consider D-2 college level here. Its certainly not D-1. If he could get transferred to a 2nd league French or Spanish team he might actually develop against better competition.

No room or need for him this year.

by Jheiser3 on Jul 14, 2008 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't know

I really don’t know much about Veremeenko…. but I thought I read somewhere that the buyout on his Russian contract is not that bad (half million?)

I also read that he’s 6’10” (or 6’11”) , athletic, and pretty quick for a big guy… AND that he can play both SF and PF….

All the talk on these boards has been about the Wizards needing to find a SF to backup Butler… (assuming that McGuire is still not ready this year) – Well… what happens if Vereemenko comes to the Summer League and proves that he DOES belong…?

His salary would be less than $500K …..

DraftExpress says that he’s 6’11”, but I doubt those figures. They also say he has a deadly mid-range shot; very good handle, and a quick first step. Athletic enough to possibly play SF, but would probably find a role as a perimeter PF.

NBADraft.net says that he’s one of the top Russian Prospects. Athletic player. Great rebounder, great scorer with a nice touch. Great leadership as he was elected captain of his pro team. Weaknesses: His shot mechanics must improve. Has the athleticism but lacks the ball skills to play the SF position right now. Needs to develop a better 3-pt shot. (that was from 2003 – he’s played 4 seasons since then)

by Rook6980 on Jul 14, 2008 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Odds

The odds of him being the back-up SF we need to defend off the bench are very slim, nearly zero. So instead of wondering what might happen if all the stars align and he blows up in summer league I focus on whats likely to happen. McGuire played at a higher level than he did, is more athletic and played very well last year in Vegas. And he clearly needs more time before he can contribute in more than spot minutes.

Unfortunately for Vlad there are much better odds that he is taken aback by the pace of the game and that of his opponents. He’s played at a low level internationally and has not exactly lit up that league to begin with. Its nice that some people have scouted him and liked him. That doesn’t make him a NBA player. Nor does it make him NBA ready physically, mentally or emotionally. Its one thing to expect an immediate contribution from a vet coming over from Barca, Maccabi or CSKA Moscow. Those are the elite programs in Europe. He’s not playing anywhere close to that level. There is little to no reason to expect this kid to be NBA ready now. If that happens its a great problem to have. You don’t put a plan in place for that less than 5% chance though.

by Jheiser3 on Jul 14, 2008 6:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs