The Reebok Eurocamp is going on these days in Treviso. Featuring a multitude of talented European players, Eurocamp is the place to be for NBA executives interested in drafting any kind of European player.
And this year’s edition is one of the best, if not the best, according to most observers in attendance. And if you’re talking about attendance, there’s so much quality gathered here that you might think you’re at the Euroleague Final Four. But it’s only a camp for young players, and the best are even not there.
Today, Nicolas Batum came to Treviso for one day only. And after pretty interesting workouts in the morning, Batum also played a game in the afternoon where his entourage was probably not that thrilled with what he showed. During the game, the NBA executives saw one guy among the others trying to show he can play basketball, but did all the things in which he isn’t particularly proficient and forgot how to play in his own style. Personally, I was disappointed in what I saw from Batum, and I can understand his agents not wanting to let him play here because of the risk of injury. But with the decision to let him play just one game in which he did not perform well, the impression was mediocre.
On the other hand, you could see various agents, scouts and GMs discussing nearly everything and how some tried to “sell” their players in every imaginable way. The Blackberrys were heating up and cell phone batteries doing some incredible work these days.
All in all, however, I don’t think a lot of new stuff has been seen by the European actors, but for NBA personnel, this event is really a good place to check out the talent available on the European market. And of course, it is the best place to see “everybody.” One day remains in the Eurocamp before we can say “Arrivederci, Treviso 2008!”
