At first, everything was a blur in training camp last fall. The players looked bigger and faster, and all around, this was a more pressure-packed form of basketball. New Pistons front-court players Zeljko Rebraca, Ratko Varda and Victor Alexander discovered making a successful jump from Europe to the NBA is achieved through hard work and making big adjustments. Yugoslavians Varda and Rebraca also needed to get into the flow of speaking and thinking in English and hoops slang. "It's an adjustment, but it was something I was more ready for than Zelly and Ratko because I am from here and have been in the NBA before," said Alexander, a native Detroiter who had played in Europe since the 1998-99 season. "Things were a little more physical and quicker than I remembered. But after a few days of practice, things felt right again. "It's a different world, going from Europe to here. Until you've done it, you have no idea how things change."

Via

Detroit Pistons

Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets