Wizards notebook
Team's Plans Include Draft, Possible Signing of '06 Picks
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Thursday, May 3, 2007
The Washington Wizards hold the 16th and 47th picks in the June 28 NBA draft and also have the option of signing recent draft picks who have been playing in Europe, including last year's first-round choice, forward Oleksiy Pecherov.
Pecherov, who is playing for BC Kiev of the Ukrainian League this season, was taken with the 18th pick last June and played with the Wizards' summer league team last July.
Believing Pecherov, 21, would benefit from more experience, the Wizards elected to have him play another season in Europe rather than adding him to the 15-man roster for the recently completed season.
In five games with Washington's summer league team, the 7-foot Pecherov averaged 12.6 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 46.2 percent. He impressed Coach Eddie Jordan with his ballhandling, shooting and rebounding skills. Pecherov, who said he patterns his game after Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, recently helped BC Kiev win a semifinal game in the Ukrainian Superleague playoffs by scoring 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 3 of 3 from three-point range.
The Wizards also may bring over last year's second-round pick, Vladimir Veremeenko, for summer league play, which takes place July 6-15 in Las Vegas. Veremeenko, a 6-10 forward, is from Belarus and played in Russia this season.
Thinking Continental
The Wizards also own the NBA rights to one of the top players in Europe, 6-4 point guard Juan Carlos Navarro, who was selected by Washington in the second round of the 2002 draft.
Navarro, who will turn 27 this summer, has starred for Barcelona of the Spanish Pro League for several seasons and was a part of Spain's World Championship team last summer.
Navarro repeatedly has said he wants to take his game to the NBA, but his contract with Barcelona contains a buyout clause of several million dollars that could block him from coming over for next season. Because of NBA rules, the Wizards could pay only up to $500,000 of Navarro's buyout. Several of Navarro's teammates on Spain's national team, including guard Jose Calderon and forward Jorge Garbajosa of the Toronto Raptors and Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies, already are in the NBA.
Prior to a game against the Wizards earlier this season, Calderon said Navarro is eager to play in the NBA and wanted to come over last season but was blocked by his contract with Barcelona.
