Say goodbye to Predrag Drobnjak and his Manjaks
NBA fans have seen many Europeans come to the league over the last decade without making a Nowitzkian or Gasolesque impact: Sarunas Jasikevicius
Sergei Monia
Jiri Welsch
Maciej Lampe
and Aleksandr Radojevic are just five of many. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise — there are few true stars in the league
and foreign countries should be capable of producing uninspiring fringe prospects just like America can.Every so often
though
one of these players finds a way to distinguish himself in the league even as his career peters out. For Predrag Drobnjak
a native of Montenegro who spent four seasons as a big man with the Sonics
Clippers and Hawks from 2001 to 2005
that fame came in the form of what is undoubtedly the greatest individual player website of all time. It’s called Drobnjak’s Manjaks
and it features ramshackle Flash animation worthy of a Michel Gondry project. Drobnjak retired last week after 19 years in professional basketball. While he may not have lit the nba on fire
he had a great career
winning two gold medals at the World Championships with Yugoslavia. Despite those accomplishments
Drobnjak will be best remembered for his website
not his play.That’s perfectly fine. Because when you venture over to Drobnjak’s Manjaks
it’s impossible not to smile. You can listen to Peja’s Robert De Niro impression
or his advice to kids (“Stay in school … it’s free!”). There are also regular appearances by his cat Jinkies. It’s hard to explain any single part of Drobnjak’s Manjaks
but it all comes together to show that Predrag was one of the more lovable athletes in the league during his time with Seattle.There are few better ways to honor a retired player than by saying he brought every fan joy. With this website
Predrag Drobnjak did exactly that. May he spend the rest of his life on his couch with Jinkies and a pile of Robert De Niro DVDs.(Website link via @kpelton and @mhaubs)
Saints release TE Shockey (AP)
For flamboyant tight end Jeremy Shockey
the party is over — at least in New Orleans. Shockey was released Tuesday by the Saints
who appear ready to move on with promising second-year pro and 2010 third-round draft choice Jimmy Graham. Shockey was no stranger to the Big Easy social scene and also helped give the city a reason to celebrate like never before.