Germany comes calling

[bigparb]

So, I'm checking things out on ESPN tonight and I see that Germany's own Lucca Staiger is leaving Iowa St and heading back to Germany.

I read the story in a flash, as I was imagining some pretty serious concern breaking out on The Board, when much to my surprise I find not a word or even comment about this.

I only bring this up because I know the German National Team coach was here to see Elias and it was reported that he was then off to Iowa st to see Staiger.

Now, I know that the GNT coach indicated he was happy with Elias here and with the progress he's making, but I wonder about the level of influence he has on Elias. He obviously cares about the GNT first and foremost---which is to be expected. That said, let's remember that he CARES ABOUT THE GNT FIRST AND FOREMOST, not Gonzaga and our hopes of riding Elias for a couple of deep tournament runs.

Will he "summon" Elias back to Germany at some point? I don't see this happening personally because Staiger made a comment in the article along the lines of ---"I came her to pursue my NBA dream but it now doesn't appear possible" and we know that Elias is NBA-bound, so I would assume the GNT coach would leave him here.

My question or worry is more along the lines of will he "recommend" Elias go pro after one year? I hope not, because the reality is that Elias is a 3 in The League--not a 4....another year developing his handles and his outside game would be ideal fo him. Personally, I see Elias as a Carmelo Anthony type player.....he can do it all from the 3....post up/shoot 3's/rebound (esp on offense end) and nice mid-range game.....sky's the limit for Elias.

Wow....did I get off topic.....I don't know....I'm tired and rambling......

BTW--saw Richie Frahm at South Hill Oz Fitness the other morning.......looked like he was doing his thing.....grinding it out at 5am

[Nevtelen]

Let's not make a moutain out of a molehill here. We have no real understanding of Staiger's situation or what kind of relationship he may or may not have with Bauermann. Let's calm down on the rabid speculation today. Everyone take a deep breath.

[Steffen_Germany]

No worries...

Good afternoon from Germany,

I also read the the story about Lucca today. No worries about Elias, it's a complete different situation. Lucca is a good player, but very one-dimensional. He is one of the best 3 pt-shooter in the NCAA, but in terms of other abilities it's not enough to become an NBA Player. Lucca recognized this by himself as he mentioned in the interview and of course it's the reality. His future will be a Pro-career in Europe and it's expected that he has an offer of Alba Berlin, which is by far the most successful team in Germany for many years and last year one of the Top-16 teams in Europa with the highest attendance.

For Alba Berlin, Lucca is an interesting player because of his citizenship, since new rules claims more german players in the league and the teams. Actually an offer of Alba Berlin is the best option for Lucca and I am sure they pay good money for a young player. Nevertheless I am a little bit concerned that he cannot establish himself in such a strong team. Even in the german basketball-league he is not a starter in many teams, especially Alba Berlin. We will see...

Elias is different, he is already a more or less complete player, which doesn't mean that he can't improve anymore Complete player in terms of he can do everything on the court and doesn't have any obvious weaknesses. Elias dream is the NBA and this is now more realistic than it has ever been. There is no way that he will return to Europe...now!! ...ok maybe if Barcelona, Madrid or Panathinaikos open their moneybag.

As far as I know (I read an interview recently) our national coach Dirk Bauermann supports the opinion that Elias needs to stay longer than this one year in Gonzaga. He said that he is on the right way and he surprised everybody but he is not ready for the NBA and needs to improve on some things and Gonzaga is the right choice therefore. And Bauermann also want Elias as an NBA Player because he knows that the days of Nowitzki are counted and we need new leaders. Other situation for Lucca Staiger and possibly Lucca's decision has something to do with recommendation and good contacts of Bauermann. But I would be very surprized if Elias will not play for Gonzaga in next year...

[Crazy]

As far as I know (I read an interview recently) our national coach Dirk Bauermann supports the opinion that Elias needs to stay longer than this one year in Gonzaga. He said that he is on the right way and he surprised everybody but he is not ready for the NBA and needs to improve on some things and Gonzaga is the right choice therefore.

he also said that he like to see him more in germany then in the nBA for it, but think Gonzaga was a good/best choiche for the college way E has choosen.

And Bauermann also want Elias as an NBA Player because he knows that the days of Nowitzki are counted and we need new leaders.

Won't think that Elias will be a the leader just because he plays NBA, we had in the past european leaders and will have them also in future

Elias is different, he is already a more or less complete player, which doesn't mean that he can't improve anymore Complete player in terms of he can do everything on the court and doesn't have any obvious weaknesses. Elias dream is the NBA and this is now more realistic than it has ever been.

i still see some, but i also think that college is the best way to get the NBA and also to develop skills, when Few let him makes some faults in learning you ways to score(i don't think his 3pt is currently a strength, he only have taken few wide open three pointers for that i don't think his percentage says a lot)

[Steffen_Germany]

As far as I know (I read an interview recently) our national coach Dirk Bauermann supports the opinion that Elias needs to stay longer than this one year in Gonzaga. He said that he is on the right way and he surprised everybody but he is not ready for the NBA and needs to improve on some things and Gonzaga is the right choice therefore.

he also said that he like to see him more in germany then in the nBA for it, but think Gonzaga was a good/best choiche for the college way E has choosen.

not exactly . He said:

"Grundsätzlich ist es mir lieber, wenn deutsche Spieler auch in Deutschland ausgebildet werden, aber Gonzaga ist eine ideale Alternative"

which means for our american friends: "Basically I prefer that german players are developed in Germany, but Gonzaga is a perfect alternative."

He never said that he likes more to see his player in Germany than in the NBA.....it was only about developing of players. I am sure that Bauermann whish only the best for every player and even when I am not the biggest NBA Fan, the NBA is by far still the strongest league.

And Bauermann also want Elias as an NBA Player because he knows that the days of Nowitzki are counted and we need new leaders.

Won't think that Elias will be a the leader just because he plays NBA, we had in the past european leaders and will have them also in future

Whom you see as a leader in next years after Dirk (ignore Kaman)? For me it is very clear at this point (nobody know what will happen in future), that the future leaders are Elias and Robin Benzing. Of course we have other interesting young players like Staiger, Schaffartzik, Jagla, Ohlbrecht and Pleiss, but the first mentioned are my clearly favourites. And if Elias would play in NBA I am sure he will improve much more than the others. Of course our former leader were european, because nobody of them played outside Europe (except Dirk). Nobody was strong enough to play in NBA...

Elias is different, he is already a more or less complete player, which doesn't mean that he can't improve anymore Complete player in terms of he can do everything on the court and doesn't have any obvious weaknesses. Elias dream is the NBA and this is now more realistic than it has ever been.

i still see some, but i also think that college is the best way to get the NBA and also to develop skills, when Few let him makes some faults in learning you ways to score(i don't think his 3pt is currently a strength, he only have taken few wide open three pointers for that i don't think his percentage says a lot)

of course he has weaknesses compared to many NBA Players, but I put it on comparison to Staiger or other players at this point (freshman). Of course Elias still needs to improve his shot, his passings skills, Defense and so on....but there is nothing on Elias where you can say: "Uff, there is something really bad on him and I have doubts that he is able to improve on this". What I mean is, that he is a very complete player for his age with no strong and obvious weaknesses.

[Crazy]

which means for our american friends: "Basically I prefer that german players are developed in Germany, but Gonzaga is a perfect alternative."

He never said that he likes more to see his player in Germany than in the NBA.....it was only about developing of players. I am sure that Bauermann whish only the best for every player and even when I am not the biggest NBA Fan, the NBA is by far still the strongest league.

oh sorry id on't want to write nba there, i wanted to write college/ncaa there As a counter part to that Bauermann first choiche for his development is the college.

Whom you see as a leader in next years after Dirk (ignore Kaman)? For me it is very clear at this point (nobody know what will happen in future), that the future leaders are Elias and Robin Benzing. Of course we have other interesting young players like Staiger, Schaffartzik, Jagla, Ohlbrecht and Pleiss, but the first mentioned are my clearly favourites. And if Elias would play in NBA I am sure he will improve much more than the others. Of course our former leader were european, because nobody of them played outside Europe (except Dirk). Nobody was strong enough to play in NBA...

Leading ability isn't all about playing ability, it is pretty much about personality i recognized Elias more as a calm guy who is maybe a "glue" factor and not the leader. Maybe he grows faster in it when he is the goto guy of his team, which get you in the focus but i didn't believe that this will happen in NBA with him(for this Gonzaga is the best place). Steffi would take a role as a leader, and i could imgaine some of the other veterans too. Ohlbrecht seems to be the most capable of it from our youngsters.

of course he has weaknesses compared to many NBA Players, but I put it on comparison to Staiger or other players at this point (freshman). Of course Elias still needs to improve his shot, his passings skills, Defense and so on....but there is nothing on Elias where you can say: "Uff, there is something really bad on him and I have doubts that he is able to improve on this". What I mean is, that he is a very complete player for his age with no strong and obvious weaknesses.

i think for a three is shoot is definately a weakness, the defence maybe(at least i am not that impressed from his last game but i saw him also with more "power" there), his size if he stays at the four is the other big weakness. Also his game is still based a lot on his athletics, which makes it easy to score and rebound on college level, but i think this won't work that good in the NBA. He definately has the potential to learn it, but not everyone get this done(hopefully he is one of them).

[CDC84]

The good news is that Elias in the coming years will likely get a lot more time at the 3 for Gonzaga. This year it's kind of tough because the Zags have so many talented wing players. They also have a lack talented post depth. Elias is filling a void which I don't feel will be as much of a void in the coming years.

[Kiddwell]

"Ich bin ein Berliner." Translation: I am a stein of "lean beer" (at Jack & Dan's). A Deutchland figure of speech signifying, Kiddwell's pretty sure, "B'ball ist besser im der 'zehr gut' U.S. of A."

:]

[bigparb]

Let's not make a moutain out of a molehill here. We have no real understanding of Staiger's situation or what kind of relationship he may or may not have with Bauermann. Let's calm down on the rabid speculation today. Everyone take a deep breath.

Nev...Easy there old boy.....I'm not trying to yell "FIRE" in a crowded theatre here.....I just thought looking into the influence of the GNT coach on our prize frosh was worth some discussion.

It seems my concerns are unfounded with regards to the GNT coach, but the NBA is another matter---especially in light of what happened with Daye.....Detriot tells him they're picking him at #15 (I assume)....he's got guarenteed millions looking him in the face.....hard to turn down when a fluke injury the next year could derail all of that........

I will be very curious to watch the relationship between how high Elias ends up projecting in the 2010 draft (1st rd now) and how likely he is to stay.....selfishly this is my worst nightmare, but I can't begrude a kid taking his shot when its there....

I also wanted to thank our German friends for weighing in here.

[Angelo Roncalli]

It seems my concerns are unfounded with regards to the GNT coach, but the NBA is another matter---especially in light of what happened with Daye.....Detriot tells him they're picking him at #15 (I assume)....he's got guarenteed millions looking him in the face.....hard to turn down when a fluke injury the next year could derail all of that........

There's no Darren Daye involved in this scenario, and that's a good thing.

[bigparb]

There's no Darren Daye involved in this scenario, and that's a good thing.

perhaps...

[SLOZag]

Another writer weighs in echoing bigparb's concerns

Mark Kieffer from SBNation just released this thoughtful post:

http://www.clonechronicles.com/2010/1/20/1261867/new-details-about-luccas-situation

Does anyone know if the staff has ever been willing, in order to recruit a player or to keep a player for another year, to commit to use that player solely at one specified position on the team? (I realize such a promise would, of course, somewhat hamstring a coach's ability to flex the lineup to meet all circumstances.)

[ZagNative]

Interesting stuff, SLOZag, especially the comments from Christophe. I hope that Elias and those advising him feel that his play at Gonzaga is beneficial to his development and that it is in his best interests to stay with us for a while.

[LynetteG]

There's no Darren Daye involved in this scenario, and that's a good thing.

DOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

lol