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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

Fenerbahce Ulker boasted the best frontcourt tandem in Europe, as Erden and Omer Asik dominated the offensive and defensive glass during their 15 games of playing alongside each other in 2007-08. Neither has developed much of an offensive game, but their presence under the boards, particularly on the defensive end by Erden, provided the team with total dominance in the paint.

Erden grew up with the Darussafaka Istanbul (Turkey) junior squad. He made his debut with Darussafaka Istanbul during the 2003-04 season, moving to Serbia & Montenegro for the 2004-05 campaign when he signed with BC Partizan Belgrade. He would go on to help the team capture the Serbia & Montenegro National Championship that season. He also competed on the Turkish U-18 team that captured the silver medal at the 2004 European U-18 Championship.

Erden returned to Turkey for the 2005-06 season, joining Fenerbahce Istanbul. He played in 25 regular season games and two playoff contests, averaging 6.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 54.7% from the field. He was also part of the Turkish U-20 team that won a silver medal at the 2005 European U-20 Championship and played in the 2006 World Championship.

In 2006-07, Erden was a member of the Turkish National Championship squad, playing with Fenerbahce Ulker Sports Club Istanbul. He also played in the 2006 Turkish All Star Game and at the World Championship. In a total of 36 contests that season, he averaged 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.8 blocked shots per game, hitting 59.2% of his field goals and 62.9% of his free throws.

Erden played in the 2007 European Championship and in the 2007 Turkish All-Star Game. He averaged 7.1 points in 20 regular-season games and 7.6 points in 11 playoff contests. He also competed in 15 Euroleague contests, tallying 101 points (6.7 ppg), as he averaged 4.3 rebounds and blocked 13 shots.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Despite his size, he shows fluid foot movement for a big man ... Might not be the fastest center on the court, but his lateral agility will often see him move out to defend wing players at the perimeter ... Has the frame to add more bulk, along with an ideal wingspan and standing reach to contribute more as a rebounder (lack of consistent leaping skills cause him to have adequate shot blocking ability) ... Good post player who knows how to get his body wide for better scoring opportunities on the entry passes, as he has the large, soft hands to secure the ball and attack the rim ... Still lacks scoring skills when facing the basket, as he is more comfortable with his back to it (dunks, alley-oops, lay-ups) ... Gets up and down the court with a good stride, especially when playing for an up-tempo attack, demonstrating good balance moving through the crowd ... Moves his feet well playing in the low post ... His body control and balance help him on the pick-and-roll, as he does a good job of creating mismatches vs. smaller forwards, even when putting the ball on the floor for a dribble or two, as he has an effective enough slashing move to drive to the rim with a right-handed dunk ... Aggressively attacks the offensive glass, showing a nice touch around the rim for put-backs ... Even when off balance, he manages to work his way under the basket on the defensive end ... More right-hand dominant as a shooter, but shows a high release point taking his outside shots ... Patient shooter who has the vision to find the seam in the defense and uses his frame well to create a little space before getting his shot off from mid range or angling to the basket with a strong drive in the paint ... Unlike most big men, he is developing solid mid-range shooting ability, doing a nice job of setting his feet and getting off his jumper from 12-15 feet out ... Can also shoot off the dribble or drive through the lane to execute a resounding dunk ... Alert to defensive rotations and pressure, as he can clear the ball out to an open teammate when facing double teams ... Tough defender who likes to get physical with front court types in the paint, but must do a better job keeping his focus ... Moves well when forced to take on perimeter shooters, but it is in the low post where he has his best success on the defensive side, as he uses his body well to get to the offensive glass for a quick put-back ... With his vast experience, he has matured and developed good basketball IQ, as he won't bite on the shooter's pump fakes or hesitation moves.

Negatives: Has good athleticism, but as a help defender, he tends to lose focus or get too aggressive in the post, resulting in fouls ... As a perimeter defender, he is smart enough to not bite on pump fakes or hesitation moves, but needs to keep his hands more active, as it is rare to see him elevate or make attempts to block shots ... Needs to do a more consistent job when trying to box out his man (will lose sight of his opponent) ... Will go through stretches of lethargic play on the court, and the coaching staff has questioned his work ethic at times ... Like most European players, he lacks NBA strength, but has never been known as a workout warrior ... Might need hard coaching to help unearth his athletic talent (mental approach to the game is lacking) ... For a player his size, he should be driving into the lanes and drawing contact more often, but he will get in a rhythm where he sits back and shoots from mid-range, where his attempts are highly inconsistent ... His overall shot selection is questionable (will shoot with a defender rotating out on him or with an opponent in his face, showing marginal moves to fool his man) ... His post moves are very limited and while comfortable shooting away from the basket, he needs to do so with a higher release point, as he fires too many clunkers from mid range with his jumper ... Better one-on-one defender than when playing in rotation, where he seems to lack a feel for his man and will often get caught out of position.

Compares To: DARKO MILICIC-Memphis ... Erden might be better served as a power forward than at center, but needs to play with better consistency and effort. There are times when he simply dominates in the paint, only to look lost the next minute playing in rotations. He is too streaky of a shooter to consistently make his mid-range attempts and while he can get those in, when he sets his feet he is more comfortable just driving to the basket for a dunk. He has to get stronger to play in the NBA, and his questionable work ethic will certainly frustrate a coaching staff. By now, he should have shown better maturity and muscle, but like Milicic, sometimes the only thing preventing him from emerging as a top level talent is himself.

CAREER NOTES

In 78 games during his last three seasons, Erden scored 506 points (6.5 ppg), shooting 55.6% from the field (194-of-349) and 59.2% from the foul line (116-of-196) ... Grabbed 351 rebounds (4.5 rpg) with 69 blocked shots (0.9 bpg), 49 steals (0.6 spg) and 37 assists (0.5 apg) ... Also had 95 turnovers.

2007-08 SEASON

Played in the European Championship and the Turkish All-Star Game ... Averaged 7.1 points (327 total) in 46 games, including a 7.1-point average in 20 regular-season games and a 7.6-point average in 11 playoff contests ... Started four of 15 Euro-league games, scoring 101 points (6.7 ppg), as he amassed 64 rebounds (4.3 rpg), 13 blocked shots (0.9 bpg), nine assists (0.6 apg) and 10 steals (0.7 spg) and turned the ball over 23 times.

2006-07 SEASON

Member of the Turkish National Championship squad ... Also played in the Turkish All-Star Game and at the World Championship ... In a total of 36 contests that season, he averaged 6.4 points 230), 3.8 rebounds (137), 0.6 assists (22), 0.7 steals (25) and 0.8 blocked shots (29) per game, hitting 59.2% of his field goals (87-of-147) and 62.9% of his free throws (56-of-89) and committing 37 turnovers.

2005-06 SEASON

Joined Fenerbahce Istanbul, playing in 25 regular-season games and two playoff contests, averaging 6.4 points (175) and 5.6 rebounds (150) while shooting 54.7% from the field (70-of-128) and 49.3% from the free throw line (33-of-67) ... Blocked 27 shots and had 14 steals, along with six assists ... Also part of the Turkish U-20 team that won a silver medal at the 2005 European U-20 Championship and played in the 2006 World Championship.

INJURY REPORT

No injury report available.

PERSONAL

Born 7/28/86 in Darussafaka, Istanbul ... Resides in Gaziosmanpasa, Turkey.