With the exception of watching the Cavs blindly bungle their way through another couple of hours of destroying their future, the NBA draft was pretty boring. So I understand if Denver Post’s Mark Kiszla was desperate to find an angle to analyze the Nuggets’ pick of French swingman Evan Fournier. Kiszla, whose recent articles include the unintentionally hilarious ”Professional Athletes Need More Common Sense” and the painfully idiotic, “Let statue of Joe Paterno stand as reminder of wins, and faults,” turned back the clock to 2002 for some good old-fashioned France-bashing. Let’s check out the opening paragraph, an insightful bit that clarifies Kiszla prepared for the draft by watching the “Dream Team” documentary on NBATV.
The legacy of the Dream Team is dead. Evan Fournier, drafted Thursday night by the Nuggets, is proof.
Would the last real basketball player from Europe please turn out the gym lights?
Huh? Well whatever, guy. What else do you have?
The Nuggets must think their roster is so well-stocked there’s no room for immediate improvement. It was a slap in the face to made-in-America basketball when Denver added Fournier with the 20th pick in the opening round. He’s no Kenneth Faried, who made general manger Masai Ujiri look like a genius last season.
Made-in-America basketball? Faried’s dread-locks aside, sounds a lot like this.
Despite a roster full of young, marketable players, Denver management was surprised by the lack of meaningful proposals during what often is an attractive period for NBA trades. It reinforced the idea that the Nuggets were wise to trade Nene for JaVale McGee when they did, rather than waiting until after the season.
Kiszla was probably super stoked about the big extension subsequently given to McGee, the athletically gifted but comically immature AMERICAN! big man. After all, they got rid of that BRAZILIAN 
who steadily averages 13/7 and shoots 56% while anchoring the interior of a defense. Good riddance and get a proper surname!
Has Kiszla seen Fournier play? Well the jury’s out.
Here’s the only scouting report you need on Fournier: He’s a shooting guard who can’t shoot.
The 19-year-old wingman hit 42 percent of his attempts from the field in France’s top professional league, seldom mistaken for the Big Ten Conference, home to Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, the all-American power forward taken by the Boston Celtics with the pick after Fournier.
Yes, and the Big 10 has just flooded the NBA with future Hall of Famers in recent years. All-Stars such as Deron Williams and, um, Devin Harris? I mean, who would take Nowitski or a Gasol brother when you could have Greg Oden or Kris Humphries? Why didn’t the Nuggets trade Gallinari for the draft rights to Draymond Green?!?!
Unlike Kiszla, I’m an NBA nerd who had researched Fournier. A fairly polished offensive player who has the potential to create shots at the NBA-level, I was hoping the 19-year old would drop to the Bulls a few picks later. Undeterred and proudly uninformed, Kiszla closes with this gem.
I have only one question for the Nuggets’ first-round draft choice: Où est la bibliothèque? Because it’s highly unlikely Fournier will see any time on the court.
Fuck that guy and his different native tongue!!! I was reminded of Kiszla’s article when I read (actual NBA reporter) Chris Sheridan’s site today, which included a report from the Vegas Summer League.
Fournier displayed an NBA-style game while competing in France’s first division this past season. At just 19 years old, he seems to be far ahead of schedule. He is a natural pick-and-roll player who has no difficulty understanding angles and making quick decisions. He may struggle a bit with man-to-man defense, but his instincts in the passing lanes will give him some value as a team defender. Many viewed Fournier as a Eurostash candidate, but he has rapidly shown that his feel for the game may be at a level that already may warrant some backup minutes as a rookie.
Yes, but how quickly can he use rudimentary English to find the nearest Applebees??!!!