<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Pacers have a fulltime scout, Alexsandar Pajovic, based in the city of Belgrade in Serbia and Montenegro. Ash made five trips to Europe this season, and Bird accompanied him on three. Ash visited 13 cities in nine countries in his travels, and will scout Europe and South American this summer. Other scouts also have made occasional trips for cross-checking. Ostarcevic, a 10-year veteran of the Pacers' scouting department, lives in Salt Lake City but does most of his scouting in Europe. The Croatia native scouted in 35 cities within 13 European countries last season, a typical year for him. Ostarcevic got a new passport a year ago. He expects to have to replace the booklet by the end of this year. But he doesn't feel as if he's wasting his time and energy running back and forth to Europe. The Pacers consider the international portion of the draft as important as the high schools, colleges and minor leagues, even if their selections suggest otherwise. "It goes in waves," Ostarcevic said. "Like now, there are lots of NBA players from Texas and Seattle. Who knows where they come from tomorrow?" The Pacers haven't been well-positioned to draft top international talent, although they passed on Parker to take Jamaal Tinsley in 2001. Most foreign players available to them have been young and inexperienced, as was the case with Brezec. Age, rather than ancestry, has been the major factor. The same is likely to be true for Tuesday's draft. Bird was highly impressed with Marko Tomas, a 20-year-old Croatian guard, but Tomas withdrew his name. He likes others, too, but those who are available when the Pacers pick 17th might not be appropriate for their needs or timeline. Bird says he wants to take a player who will be ready to contribute by the All-Star break. "Our team's unique," Ash said. "We have some good depth, and these young kids aren't going to be ready to play right away."</div> Source
