With the 53rd pick in the draft, the Clippers selected Furkan Aldemir, a power forward from Turkey. Aldemir is the first foreign player the Clippers have selected since 2005, so it was a bit of surprise.
The most important thing to know about Aldemir is that he has no NBA out clause in his contract until 2014 — meaning the Clippers will use him as a “stash pick” and keep him overseas until at least 2014. Although the Clippers have some holes in their frontcourt depth, Aldemir won’t be the guy filling them for at least another two years.
While he won’t provide immediate help due to his contract, Aldemir is highly regarded as an NBA prospect. ESPN draft analyst Fran Fraschilla praised his rebounding ability in a manner that would make Reggie Evans himself blush, but made it pretty clear that was his calling card. Fraschilla does believe that Aldemir is an NBA big, so there’s that.
Here’s more on Aldemir from Jonathon Givony of the always excellent DraftExpress.com:
“Aldemir stands somewhere between 6-9 to 6-10, with a strong frame, good length, and average athleticism by NBA standards. He doesn’t run the floor or elevate off the ground exceptionally well, but plays with toughness and intensity and is effective in the simple, but important role that’s asked of him.
Aldemir rarely touches the ball outside the paint, with virtually all of his offense being created for him by teammates around the rim. He’s utilized heavily as a pick and roll finisher, showing good hands and the strength to power his way up around the basket through contact, sometimes with a dunk. While not incredibly explosive with his finishes, he’s not afraid to take a hit in the paint and get to the foul line, where he converts 65% of his attempts.
Not showing a very high skill-level on the perimeter, Aldemir doesn’t possess much of a back to the basket repertoire either at this stage, displaying average footwork and touch. He’ll likely need to develop some type of jump-shot later in his career if he’s to evolve into a more significant role than the one he currently plays, but for now he looks very content simply setting screens and finishing anything his teammates are able to create for him around the basket.
Aldemir’s main virtue as a prospect lies in his rebounding ability—ranking 2nd in the Euroleague on a per-minute basis in the group stage in that category. He boxes out well, is extremely physical, has soft hands and anticipates well. His strong frame and intensity-level pursuing loose balls would likely translate to any level of competition, and there is certainly value in that from a NBA standpoint.”
As for the Lamar Odom-Mo Williams swap with Dallas and Utah, nothing is official quite yet. Mo Williams technically has until Saturday to decide on his option — but tomorrow (Friday) is the deadline for the Mavs to move on Lamar Odom. We’ll make sure to add a more updates as they come. Aldemir…Add a more…it’s late. Stay tuned for more soon.
UPDATE from the past while I was making bad puns: According to David Aldridge, the Clippers are likely to trade Furkan Aldemir. Furkan, we hardly knew ye.
MORE IMPORTANT UPDATE: According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Clippers are moving Aldemir to the Houston Rockets
