CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Denver's No. 1 draft pick Nene Hilario talked with coach Pete Newell during yesterday's workout at Newell's Big Man Camp.
Kiki Vandeweghe is a man of patience, someone who believes that good things come to those who wait. It's part of the reason that the general manager of the Denver Nuggets went with a youth movement in the June NBA Draft, picking up two 19-year-olds and a 21-year-old. Savo a good fit in NBA
Denver's GM, in town for the
Big Man Camp, has good things
to say about the UH alumBy Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.comBut he also has the luxury of having one of the oldest rookies in the NBA in 26-year-old Predrag Savovic. The former Hawaii guard signed a free-agent contract last month and "I'm very pleased that he's with us," said Vandeweghe, one of the coaches at this week's Pete Newell Big Man Camp. "I was very surprised when he got passed up in the draft and I think a lot of people are going to be upset when he's out there for us.
"He played well in the summer league for us. He's someone who knows how to play the game, how to move without the ball. He's also very mature, has that maturity that our other rookies don't."
That maturity is going to help bring the other rookies along, said Vandeweghe, particularly 6-foot-11 Brazilian Maybyner "Nene" Hilario and 7-foot Nikoloz Tskitishvili of the Republic of Georgia. Both players worked out hard in the heat of Kekuhaupi'o Gym yesterday.
"Those guys are young and willing to work hard," Vandeweghe said. "Savo is someone who, through sheer hard work, is going to get to play. He can serve as an example, be a bit of a leader for that group."
Savovic, back in Hawaii for a brief vacation, said the makeup of the Nuggets reminds him of the Rainbows.
"It's a great group of guys," Savovic said. "And we have players from all over. It's like our Hawaii team."
Savovic, a Yugoslavian who already speaks several languages, said he's now working on his Portuguese.
"I've picked up a few words," he said. "And I've been working on things they've asked me to. It's exciting for me and Kiki's been great."
"Great" has already entered into Hilario's limited English vocabulary. He's added a new phrase -- "Get that trash out of here" -- when interviewed by Fox Sports yesterday.
"I'm very content, very happy to be with the Nuggets," Hilario said through an interpreter. "The workout today was great. It ended hard, but that was good.
"The adjustment will be to the players; they are bigger and faster. I need to learn their movements, learn my position and learn from them. I think I am ready for the NBA. If I didn't, I would not be here right now."
Hilario, who turns 20 next month, has only been playing basketball for five years. He averaged 13 points and 10.1 rebounds for Vasco da Gama of the Brazilian league and also helped his country to a bronze medal in the 2001 Goodwill Games.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Denver GM Kiki Vandeweghe (in white), is in town teaching young NBA post players.
In a 106-98 overtime loss to the eventual gold medalist U.S., Hilario had eight points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots in just 18 minutes.
"He hasn't played a lot, but he is big, quick, can run and has a willingness to work hard," Vandeweghe said. "That's a good combination."
Hilario, 19, was selected with the seventh overall pick in the draft by the New York Knicks. He was acquired by the Nuggets on draft night along with Mark Jackson and Marcus Camby in exchange for Antonio McDyess and the draft rights to Frank Williams.
"Nene has a great attitude," said former Rainbow guard Jarinn Akana, the Nuggets' player development/Asia scout. "He has long arms, is strong defensively and will be a force."
Hilario's manager/interpreter said his player should succeed.
"He's a 19-year-old kid in an unbelievable body," said Joe Santos, a Canadian national whose parents are Portuguese. "Originally, I tried to convince him to go to school, learn English before he took a step like this. But when he came to the U.S. in March, gained 15 pounds of muscle, he got a lot of attention and we decided to put him in the draft.
"What people will see is a 6-11 guy whose coordination is unbelievable for a guy his size. He doesn't look like he's 6-11. He moves like a point guard."
Hilario has already been compared to big men Hakeem Olajuwon and Shawn Kemp. He dismisses the comparisons while staying true to the Brazilian concept of sports stars being known by a single name.
"I don't compare myself to those two because they are stars and I'm nobody right now," he said in an interview last month with Suns.com. "It's very flattering and it's a lot of responsibility to be compared to them. But I really want to be known as Nene, which is a mix of all those (comparisons).
"The key is to always play hard every night and the consequences of playing hard is me having an impact. So that is what I will try to do."
Former UH coach in town: Watching the workout yesterday was former Rainbow assistant coach Jamie Dixon, currently the associate head coach at Pitt. The Panthers went 29-6 last year, losing in the Sweet 16 to Kent State in overtime. Pitt is opening a brand-new facility, the 12,500-seat Peterson Events Center; some 12,000 season tickets have already been sold. "It's exciting," said Dixon, who has five starters returning. "We should be good again this year. But we miss Hawaii." Dixon is married to Jacqueline Corteway, whose parents still live here. Two-month-old son Jack also made the trip "and I gave him his first ball the other day," said Dixon.
