Croatian point guard Zoran
Planinic is playing to enthusiastic reviews wherever he goes. Planinic, a
21-year-old, 6-foot-8 (he recently measured 6-foot-7 in bare feet) point guard
has wowed teams like the Nets, Spurs, Sonics and Bucks of late.
What gives? Planinic was considered a potential lottery pick early in the
season, but a car accident wrecked most of his season. When NBA teams came
calling this winter, Planinic was out of synch, spending lots of time on the
bench and struggling when he did get on the court. His stock dropped into the
second round. However, a string of impressive performances the last month in
Croatia, where he averaged nearly a triple-double, put him back on the scene.
But it has been his workouts that have impressed teams. His surprising
athleticism, lethal outside shot and knack for finding the open man have teams
scrambling to get him in for a closer look. When you're 6-foot-8 and considered
a "pure" point guard, teams are going to
Wednesday, Planinic replaced Marcus
Moore in the Bucks' big point guard workout and wowed
the team with his athleticism and handle. Planinic outplayed
both Reece Gaines and Luke
Ridnour on Tuesday. It's not inconceivable Planinic
could work his way up to No. 14 to the Sonics, but it's more
likely that, with more strong performances, he'll end up at
No. 22 to the Nets or No. 28 to the Spurs.
