Now here's something we didn't expect to see: a second Minnesota High School
player has asked to be released from his letter of intent: 6-9 Ben Coleman
had
committed to B.C. but is no longer interested.
Incidentally, speaking of Minnesota big men, Rick Rickert has signed with
Krka,
a Serbian team (scroll down).
His agent, Bill Duffy, told the Star Tribune that "[t]hey are the reigning Slovenian
champions.He'll play in the Euroleague, which is the top league in Europe, the Slovenian League and also the Adriatic League, which is the top league in Yugoslavia. He'll have about 70 games. It's a great situation. He left Wednesday. It's a two-year contract [at $100,000 per year]. He has an out after the first year for both the NBA and for Europe."
Rick says " I think it's going to be a great opportunity to expand my
skills. I'll get a different view on how basketball is played over there. It will help get me prepared for the eventual goal of the NBA. It will be great to get a lot more playing time than I would in the NBA my rookie year. I think this is a great opportunity overall, getting an opportunity to play overseas."
So, rather than wait a year for a likely first-round contract, he's playing
in Serbia, for (relatively speaking) peanuts, and calling it a great
opportunity? Be honest, Rick: you overestimated your market value,
and you are paying millions of dollars for hubris. Its not an opportunity;
it's a punishment.
Note: we get questions about the term "smoking leagues." In Europe, not only do the fans smoke in many leagues, but even the players sometimes light up.