Chad Ford Breaks Up With Europe

We sensed the relationship had become troubled in recent months, but that didn't make the divorce any easier to take. ESPN.com's Chad Ford, the man who gave us Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Pavel Podkolzin, Darko Milicic, Mouhamed Saer Sene and Yi Jianlian, has broken up with Europe. The sad news came in the midst of the second annual Ford-Bill Simmons NBA draft face-off:

I call it the Angelina Jolie-Billy Bob Thornton era in my life. It was edgy, different and crazy to like Darko Milicic. From the years 2001 to 2003, the sight of a 7-foot international big man doing crossovers and shooting NBA 3s in an empty gym sent, to quote Chris Matthews, a shiver up my leg.

But it's over. I'm hanging out with the Chris Pauls of the world now. I realized that basketball skills outside of the context of the game just can't translate. I still think international players have a place in the draft, but not young, inexperienced 18-year-olds or soft big men that can't play defense.

Which is why I can't understand why the rest of the league hasn't caught on yet. When I see teams gushing over Alexis Ajinca, a 7-foot French guy who averaged 5 ppg in the French league, the Skita nightmares return.

So fellows, I hear Danilo Gallinari is now single and looking to party. Anyone?

(By the way, as in last year's edition, Ford is absolutely murdering Simmons. Bill has gotten some jokes off, but it's like Garnett vs. Gasol all over again. Just brutal.)