I don't really follow basketball but I understand some of you do so I thought I'd post it for ya...
Quote:
2003-07-22
Gordan Giricek - the Magic Croatian
CROATIA. There is little doubt of that Gordan Giricek will be a key component in Croatias attempts to come back from Sweden with a podium finish to their names.
There is little doubt of that Gordan Giricek will be a key component in Croatias attempts to come back from Sweden with a podium finish to their names. The 25 year old shooting guard underlined his pre-eminence on the national team during Eurobasket qualification, averaging 22.5 points in 4 games. Why only 4 games? The answer to that question is a simple one, the NBA.
From Grizzlies to Magic
Giricek was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1999 and finally decided to make the step to the NBA for the start of the 2002/2003 season. However, it was the Memphis Grizzlies for whom Gircek suited up, after they had acquired his rights from Dallas. Following in the footsteps of famous countrymen, Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja, Giricek began his NBA life on a high, scoring 29 points in the opening game of the season. Since then, the season has been rather tumultuous and on 19th February, Giricek was traded to the Orlando Magic. After moving to Orlando, Giricek showed that he belongs at the top level, averaging 14.3ppg and playing a key role in his teams run to the play-offs.
Five national championships
While Giricek has to prove himself all over again in the USA, he is very muck a known quantity on this side of the Atlantic. Despite his rookie NBA status, the Croatian shooting guard has played 5 seasons in Europe before going stateside. He began his career with Croatia Zagreb in the 1996-1997 season where he stayed until 2001, winning 5 national championships in the process. He then moved to CSKA Moscow (RUS) for one season, before going to the USA.
National team leader
In this time, Giricek has also emerged as one of the leaders for his national team. Unfortunately for Croatia, his move to the NBA coincided with their qualification games for Sweden. Fortunately for them, they have a deep team and despite Giriceks absence, they qualified comfortably for Eurobasket. While the emerging stars absence allowed the Croatians to give some of their younger players valuable playing time (notably Roko Ukic, who led the Croatian junior team to gold at the 2002 European Championship), Giricek will command a leadership role in Sweden.
Committed to his country
His commitment to his country has been a solid one, his first major contribution being in 1994, when he won a silver medal at the European Championship for Junior Men. He made his senior national team debut during the 1997 European Championship and has since represented Croatia at the 1999, 2001 competitions. A quick glance at the stats shows a player growing in confidence and responsibility. Giricek averaged just 2 points per game in 1997, increasing those numbers to 9.3 ppg in 1999 and 15.9 in 2001.
Croatia is waiting for a medal
Croatia is still viewed as a top European basketball country, but at the same time the mens national team has not won a medal since the 1995 European Championship (a bronze), back when Giricek was a junior. A medal in Sweden would not only be a great result for Croatia, but a sign that they are back among the European elite. Whether they can achieve that or not, may well be heavily influenced by a certain young shooting guard in his rookie NBA season.
Published: 2003-07-22, 16:23
Author: Jon Ingram
If a woman tells you she's twenty and looks sixteen, she's twelve. If she tells you she's twenty-six and looks twenty-six, she's damn near fourty.
Giricek, Kukoc and soon Planinic is the only reason why I watch basketball. When they play I watch, other than that I haven't seen a full basketball game in over 3 years becuase I think its very boring.
He was a good player with both the Grizz and Magic but when he got traded to the Magic I was afriad that he wouldn't get much playing time, but he did. He had a great season but in the play-offs he did ok, could of done better but you can say that about the whole Magic team in the play-offs.
"If Boris Pandza plays one second in a World Cup match, not only will it eliminate all credibility from the World Cup, but I will stop watching the sport."
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