A week after the UCLA Bruins dismissed Reeves Nelson for conduct issues, the all-conference forward has 
decided to jump overseas and play professional basketball in Lithuania. But when he will arrive and whom Reeves will play for is still in the works.
As of now, however, a contact with any team in Lithuania has not been signed.
ESPN’s Andy Katz broke the news Thursday night that Reeves had decided not to transfer schools and will instead play in Lithuania. Today two people familiar with the situation have told Crossover Chronicles, Nelson’s destination comes down to three teams in Lithuania: Zalgiris Kaunas, Rudupis and Siauliai.
All three teams play in multiple leagues: Zalgiris competes in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, Lithuanian Basketball League, and VTB United League, while Rudupis plays in the ULEB Eurocup, Lithuanian Basketball League and the Baltic Basketball League and Siauliai plays in the Siauliai Lithuanian Basketball League and the Baltic Basketball League.
Zalgiris – with former Portland Trail Blazers Hall of Fame center Arvydas Sabonis serving as team president – appears the frontrunner to land the Bruins’ leading scorer and rebounder from last season, but Nelson has not yet signed his contact and likely won’t do so for another week. Rudupis and Siauliai have both been hit with trades and injuries and could be gunning for Nelson’s help on the frontlines, with Siauliai a team most willing to spend money. However both teams come with a disclaimer: Rudupis boasts an all-Lithuanian roster and is traditional in their beliefs with a non-English speaking head coach. As for Siauliai, they often refrain from signing players with “character issues”.
That’s not exactly a line Nelson has walked lately.
He was suspended multiple times for behavior and poor body language by UCLA head coach Ben Howland this season in a laundry list tattooed more than Nelson’s own arms.
Nelson was suspended for a game against Middle Tennessee State earlier this season, missed the team flight to Maui for the Maui Invitational, suspended for the first half of UCLA’s first round game against Chaminade, then was benched in the second half against Texas on Dec. 3.
Last week, Nelson was dismissed from the team.
Speculation has circulated ever since that the 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward would transfer to another school, but instead has decided to turn pro in Lithuania. If Nelson does indeed sign in Lithuania, it will likely be for a one-year deal after which Nelson will declare himself eligible for the 2012 NBA Draft.
His arrival might also be delayed a week, as Zalgiris tries to qualify for the Top 16 playoff system in the Euroleague. If they fail to reach the Top 16, roster moves are sure to come swiftly. The same can be said of Rudupis in the Eurocup chase. This is where the waiting game comes into play for Nelson to eventually land in Lithuania.
Zalgris has a strong basketball foundation rooted in the history of Sabonis, and are led by former Toronto Raptors swing guard Sonny Weems. Most recently Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson ran the point in Kaunas before returning to the NBA once the lockout was resolved.
Lawson often drew the disdain of fans around Lithuania for his suspect play and became frustrated with Zalgiris’ coaching staff during his brief career in Kaunas. His biggest beef: unproductive and long practice sessions. Yet Lawson will be the first to admit his time in Lithuania was a learning experience, something Nelson — for better or worse – may soon find out to be true making the pro ball jump overseas.
Like it or not, Nelson will be forced to grow up fast on and off the court. Real fast. Missing team buses, flights and clashing with team authority won’t fly in Lithuania or pro ball as a whole overseas.
Pink slips come before second chances do.
Update – Saturday:
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Reeves Nelson’s father, Brian, revealed his son is expected to sign with Zalgirirs sometime this weekend.
“He’s ready to go,” his father, Brian, said Friday. “He has indicated to me, this is for the money now.”
Details of the contract of the are not finalized and Nelson has not signed with an agent.
While the report said Nelson will likely leave for Lithuania after Christmas, Zalgiris has still not confirmed the agreement or even talks with Nelson. According to one Baltic League source, management has denied any involvement with Nelson.
Update – Friday 12/23/11:
Zalgiris waited until they made the Top 16 Euroleague cut before finally announcing the signing of Reeves Nelson.
Simonas Baranauskas of Lithuania Basketball.com reported the Nelson signing is official, writing Zalgiris’ sporting director Vitoldas Masalskis wasn’t concerned with Nelson’s questionable past at UCLA. Masalskis said ‘a basketball player is supposed to be fierce’.
Wendell Maxey is a featured sportswriter living abroad in Nuremberg, Germany after spending the past eight years covering the NBA and sports at large in New York City and Portland, Oregon. A contributor writer for NBA.com and various newspapers in the States, Wendell has also appeared on NBA TV, NBA Radio on SIRIUS and ESPN Radio among other stations. He also operates Beyond The Beat on the Bloguin network. He will regularly contribute to Crossover Chronicles in a new feature we call “Over and Back”
