The Nets don’t publish the itineraries of Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson on their European scouting trips, but occasionally word gets out. Oscar de la Fuente of El Correo Gallegos in Santiago, Spain, reported Monday that Atkinson (at least) was in his city the night before to watch an ACB — Spanish league — game.
¿Quién me hubiera dicho ayer que iba a poder hablar con el entrenador de los @BrooklynNets? https://t.co/eAjfeTJdzj pic.twitter.com/e9pp427HfB
— Óscar de la Fuente (@oscardlfg) April 24, 2017
No one was saying who Atkinson was looking at, and he wouldn’t say, citing NBA rules. But the speculation in Spain was he was there to scout at least one player from each team, UCAM Murcia and Obradoiro: 25-year-old Facundo Campazzo, a 5’11” PG who plays for Murcia, and Shayne Whittington, a 6’10” PF who’s 26 and plays for Obradoiro.
"I cannot say who but in this game there were players with NBA talent. The ACB is the second best league in the world. We have Justin Hamilton who was in Valencia. So we are always attentive to Europe and the ACB to find good players, " Atkinson explained.
"It was a great game. I love Spanish and European basketball," said Atkinson who De la Fuente reports is a dual citizen from his playing days.. "There has been a lot of tactics, a lot of fouls, but as a coach I always try to learn new things.”
Campazzo is an Argentine point guard who’s best known for his play in FIBA tournaments. Various reports over the past six months have Campazzo looking to give it a shot in NBA. He’s accomplished just about everything he can in Spain, being part of Real Madrid teams that won the Euroleague and Spanish League titles in 2015.
In the Rio Olympics, he averaged 15.8 points and 5.8 assists, and he competed favorably against NBA players.
Luis Scola said of him following the Olympics, “He’s an NBA player, I believe. He’s good for today’s NBA, the pace is very fast. He needs to work on some areas of his game, but he’s getting better year after year and I think it’s a matter of when he takes the chance to come here. It’s going to be difficult for him to come in a very good situation like a three-year guarantee — a good contract.”
Campazzo has indicated he’s willing to play in the summer league if necessary to prove his worth. David Pick reported on Monday that the Rockets are among NBA teams gathering information on Campazzo.
Source: Houston, several other NBA teams gathering intel on Argentinean PG Facundo Campazzo. He prefers not to reunite with Real Madrid.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) April 24, 2017
The Bucks are also reportedly interested.
Whittington, 26, is a product of Western Michigan. He played two years with the Pacers and a year in the D-League before heading to Spain in 2016. Whittington appeared in 27 games for Indiana, averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He played 40 games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, averaging 11.9 and 7.8 in 2015-16.
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