As the 2016 NBA Draft progressed, more obscure and strange sounding names were called. Sir Winston Churchill once famously said: ‘Everybody has a right to pronounce foreign names as he chooses’. Although Churchill’s quip wouldn’t fly in today’s ultra-pc culture, you could see many NBA fans embodying that zeitgeist in the advanced stages of the draft.
In every draft, most NBA fans have the “who?!” reaction to many of the picks in the 40s and 50s. This draft was so weak that the reflex started happening in the 20s and 30s.
One of the softest classes of college basketball players in recent history meant that more and more NBA GMs looked overseas, and hence fans made humorous Tweets such as these:
https://twitter.com/teamziller/status/746169865891766272
When the Chicago Bulls drafted Paul Zipser, a 6-8 small forward from Germany, FC Bayern Munich, at pick #48, I just couldn’t help but make a joke myself:
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/746188769523531776
To be fair, adding the big Polish striker would be kind of an odd fit in Fred Hoiberg’s system. Of course, Paul Zipser is a name that is very easy to pronounce.
“We think he’s very talented, he’s got some size and athleticism,” Bulls GM Gar Forman told the media after the draft.
“He’s got a skill level, really good tools, a strong kid, good size for the wing position, pretty well rounded, he can handle, shoot the ball from three point range.”
Zipser, 22, is a little bit older than most of the internationals selected in last week’s draft. Most of the players in this group were only 18 or 19.
Forman said that the Bulls’ Head of International Scouting is extremely high on Paul Zipser and that they knew him pretty well.
Due to his commitments with the German National Team, Zipser won’t be with the Bulls for their Summer League “season” next month, but he will be joining the team this upcoming season.
For more on Paul Zipser check out this Draft Express scouting report. It describes Zipser as a tall athletic combo forward, who can both shoot and defend. His contract buyout is $600,000. On Friday afternoon, the Bulls formally announced the Zipser signing. The press release includes many of his stats, including the following:
“the 22-year-old Zipser appeared in 20 contests (EuroLeague and EuroCup combined) and posted 6.7 points, 3.6 boards and 1.3 assists in 17.9 minutes. He also shot .495 from the field, .378 from behind the arc and .958 from the line.
“A native of Heidelberg, Germany, Zipser has also represented his country at the 2010 U16 European Championship, 2011 U18 European Championship and 2012 U18 European Championship. He owns career FIBA averages of 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram