If we pick this guy, we can probably spy on other teams and steal their gameplans or sumthing. He could also hurt people. Check out his report. College: AEK Athens Height: 7'-2" Weight: 218 Class: N/A Birth Date: Position: C HomeTown: Georgia NBA Comparison: Rik Smits Clutchcity.net Notes on Iakovos Tsakalidis Where do we start on this guy? There isn't a whole lot of info out there and frankly we are a bit dubious. From all the info we can gather, he is a big guy with solid defensive skills and not much else. NBA.com said, "One of the top young centers in the world, 7-1 Iakovos Tsakalidis has blocked 26 shots in 19 games. Tsakalidis is 21 years old and is reported to be about 225 pounds." Other than that, this is a mystery man. In addition to his weight being in question, he seems to be a Georgian who somehow has residency in Greece and even managed to win a spot on the Greek national team that played Rudy T's USA Mens Team a couple of summers ago. Even stranger than that is the fact that he apparently has an alias: Iakov Tsakalov. He is even called that name in a French article that Jeff's wife translated to say that Tsakalov has wanted to play in the NBA for "many seasons" and expects to go in the lottery. On top of everything else, his age seems to be in dispute with some sources saying he was born in 1979 while others claim it was 1977. This is just bizarre! What is he, a former KGB agent or something? Strengths of Iakovos Tsakalidis Who knows? He can obviously block shots and we think he can escape a Russian prison with only gum, a toothbrush and a pair of shoelaces, but that is just speculation. Weaknesses of Iakovos Tsakalidis Sounds like he needs to add bulk (7'2" and 220 are Manute Bol-like numbers!) and footwork as well as some offensive skills. It would also be a plus if he would settle on one name. Tsakalidis on the Rockets? We hope the Rockets don't opt for 007 at number 9 if for no other reason than the fact that he could be a Russian hit man or something. Seriously, though, he seems more like a project than a lottery pick but with so few centers available, we assume that at least our neighbor to the north will be interested. God love ya' Nellie! ------------------
