FC Barcelona’s Croatian forward Mario Hezonja (R) is a coveted player in Thursday’s NBA draft. Photo: JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images
It’s not exactly John Elway telling Baltimore he’d play for Yankees instead of spending a single second with the Colts, but Mario Hezonja’s father, Ronald, wasn’t giving the Nuggets a full stamp of approval, either.
Recently, Bleacher Report talked with Ronald Hezonja about places his son could land in Thursday’s NBA draft. “Super” Mario’s stock has been rising as the weeks have gone on.
This is what Ronald had to say in assessing different situations his son could find himself in. From his response about Denver, it’s clear that the Nuggets have some educating to do with the elder Hezonja on the quality of their coach if he’s rating Derek Fisher better than Mike Malone.
Hezonja’s agent is the powerful Arn Tellem, who was just recently hired to the Detroit Pistons front office.
From the article…
“We would like a situation where Mario would get 25 minutes a game. What number he is picked doesn’t matter; our focus is where he can play and win,” Hezonja’s father, Ronald, told Bleacher Report.
Hezonja’s father broke down a few scenarios for B/R:
New York Knicks, No. 4: “New York would be fantastic under Phil Jackson, who is accomplished, and Derek Fisher, because he played with Kobe Bryant and knows what is required to win.”
Orlando Magic, No. 5: “Orlando are serious and could be a good landing spot with Scott Skiles as coach and Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton as rising stars.”
Denver Nuggets, No. 7: “Denver have been chasing Mario for the past two seasons and can take him as a wing. But we’re looking for the right environment.”
Detroit Pistons, No. 8: “Detroit would be great because Stan Van Gundy is a great coach.”
Tellem, who is now consulting for the Detroit Pistons, would also be hard-pressed to pass on his soon-to-be former client.
Follow Chris Dempsey on Twitter @dempseypost or email him at cdempsey@denverpost.com
