Happy Birthday
 |
| "Lipofsky-JDražen Petrović" by Cavic = Steve Lipofsky - http://www.basketballphoto.com/NBA_Basketball_Photographs.htm. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons. |
Drazen Petrovic was one of the best shooters ever who had his life cut short due to a tragic accident. He will go down a an NBA legend and will always be remembered.
Petrovic was a great international player. He averaged 22 PPG during his international days, and he usually filled his stats with 50 point nights. Other nights he would have 20 assists. He was one of the better passers around and he was known to do the trickiest of passes. He would help lead Yugoslavia to many victories as he would play alongside Dino Radja and Vlade Divac.
Petrovic was drafted by Portland in the 1986 draft in the 3rd, 60th overall. However, he would not play in the NBA til the 1989-90 season, because he went back over seas to play with Spain and Yugoslavia. When he came back to play with the Trailblazers, he was played only 12 minutes, due to the fact that head coach Rick Adelman had so many point guards to play. He averaged 7.6 PPG, and 1.5 APG.
His second season, he would play 18 games with Portland, averaging just 7.4 minutes per game, and would end up being traded to the New Jersey Nets. Petrovic would average 20.5 minutes with the team and would also contribute by averaging 12.6 PPG.
The 1991-92 season is when Drazen Petrovic was recognized in the NBA. He averaged 36.6 minutes and gave the Nets 20.6 PPG, 3.1 APG, and 3.1 RPG. He also shot 44.4% from the 3 point line, and was recognized as a sharp-shooter. The Nets would do well enough to make it to the playoffs and Drazen would lead them. In the playoffs, he would average 24.3 PPG, but the Nets wouldn't win 1 game.
Drazen Petrovic's last season in the NBA was a memorable one. He averaged 22.3 PPG, 3.5 APG, and 2.7 RPG. He would shoot 44.9% from deep and 51.8% from the field. Even though he was snubbed from the all-star game, he would end up making the All-NBA 3rd team. The Nets would again make the playoffs and lose in the 1st round.
That summer, Drazen went over to his home of Croatia. His girlfriend was at the wheel, while he was sleeping in the passenger seat. The car would end up crashing into a semi-truck and Petrovic would end up dying in the fatal accident, and it was found that he was not wearing his seatbelt. His number would end up being retired by the Nets and he would be inducted into the basketball hall of fame in 2002.
Petrovic was a great international player. He averaged 22 PPG during his international days, and he usually filled his stats with 50 point nights. Other nights he would have 20 assists. He was one of the better passers around and he was known to do the trickiest of passes. He would help lead Yugoslavia to many victories as he would play alongside Dino Radja and Vlade Divac.
Petrovic was drafted by Portland in the 1986 draft in the 3rd, 60th overall. However, he would not play in the NBA til the 1989-90 season, because he went back over seas to play with Spain and Yugoslavia. When he came back to play with the Trailblazers, he was played only 12 minutes, due to the fact that head coach Rick Adelman had so many point guards to play. He averaged 7.6 PPG, and 1.5 APG.
His second season, he would play 18 games with Portland, averaging just 7.4 minutes per game, and would end up being traded to the New Jersey Nets. Petrovic would average 20.5 minutes with the team and would also contribute by averaging 12.6 PPG.
The 1991-92 season is when Drazen Petrovic was recognized in the NBA. He averaged 36.6 minutes and gave the Nets 20.6 PPG, 3.1 APG, and 3.1 RPG. He also shot 44.4% from the 3 point line, and was recognized as a sharp-shooter. The Nets would do well enough to make it to the playoffs and Drazen would lead them. In the playoffs, he would average 24.3 PPG, but the Nets wouldn't win 1 game.
Drazen Petrovic's last season in the NBA was a memorable one. He averaged 22.3 PPG, 3.5 APG, and 2.7 RPG. He would shoot 44.9% from deep and 51.8% from the field. Even though he was snubbed from the all-star game, he would end up making the All-NBA 3rd team. The Nets would again make the playoffs and lose in the 1st round.
That summer, Drazen went over to his home of Croatia. His girlfriend was at the wheel, while he was sleeping in the passenger seat. The car would end up crashing into a semi-truck and Petrovic would end up dying in the fatal accident, and it was found that he was not wearing his seatbelt. His number would end up being retired by the Nets and he would be inducted into the basketball hall of fame in 2002.
No comments:
Post a Comment