The San Antonio Spurs have a ton of either players and prospects playing in Eurobasket, but perhaps the best player not on the Spurs current roster isn’t a sharpshooting Latvian or the British big man who reminds this writer of Robert Horry, it’s Slovenian big man Erazem Lorbek.
Lorbek, who’s rights were acquired by the Spurs as part of the George Hill trade, might be the most accomplished player in all of Europe. Lorbek is Euroleague champion, two-time Euroleague finalist, EuroBasket semi-finalist and U20 European champion, not to mention a host of individual awards. However, as FIBA.com reports, Lorbek doesn’t consider himself a leader for the Slovenian team.
“No, we have some guys who are more experienced than me. I just feel myself as a guy who is just happy to play for the national team,” Lorbek said.
Turns out, Lorbek wasn’t part of the 2010 and 2006 FIBA World Championship teams, which would explain why he would feel like he doesn’t have seniority on the team. While he may not feel like a leader in the huddle, Lorbek is certainly one on the floor and in the box score. In their victory over Bulgaria, he had 18 points and nine rebounds, both team highs. With Goran Dragic running point and Lorbek in the post, Slovenia is in that upper echelon of teams in Europe that could make a run in Eurobasket. I would lump them in that group with Russia, Greece and underachieving France as teams that could challenge Spain for the Eurobasket title.
