Wizards top draft pick Jan Vesely has finally made a decision about where he will be in the fall. And the 21-year-old, 6-foot-10 power forward from the Czech Republic is not going to play for Partizan Belgrade -- or any other team in his native continent. Vesely is going to wait out the lockout, so that the next uniform he wears is the red, white and blue of the Wizards.
"He will not play for any club in Europe. He will come to USA by end of September to work out till end of lockout," Vesely's agent, Alexander Raskovic, said in an email on Monday.
Lee later quotes Raskovic saying that he doesn't want to risk injury and because Vesely should "show respect" to the Wizards.
I'm of two minds on this. On the one hand, it seems kind of silly for Vesely to turn down any opportunity to play anywhere. He could have easily secured an NBA out, and real game experience is real game experience. Vesely's game is still pretty raw, and while it's helpful to work out, all the new tools one adds to their game though these means eventually need to be tested in a competitive setting. Vesely has turned down his chance to experience that.
On the other hand, we need to keep a few things in mind. First of all, Vesely's been playing in Europe since he was a teenager. I don't really blame him if he's dead-set on getting out of there for good. More importantly, the style of play is so different, and frankly, Vesely' role with the Wizards could be very, very different. Now, he can work on things the Wizards want him to work on instead of things his club team wants him to work on.
Since I can't make up my mind, here's a poll so you can make up your minds!