His name is Leandro Barbosa, but he'd prefer Leandrinho, if you don't mind. It means "Young Leandro," and when you start playing for your national 21-and-under team at age 15, as Leandrinho did, a nickname that emphasizes youth is to be expected.
Now, the young point guard is 20 and ready to leave his native Brazil for the NBA. He's also on the move, up the draft chart. One international scout says that Leandrinho is as fast as the guy listed as the draft's top point guard, Texas standout T.J. Ford, but at 6-4 3/4 (that's how the Warriors measured him last week), he has a 6-inch height advantage over Ford.
Leandrinho, who played professionally for Bauru in Brazil, is taking the same route to the NBA that countryman Maybyner Nene Hilario took, signing with Cleveland-based agent Michael Coyne. He is raw and needs work on his jump shot, but he has more polish than Hilario did.
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Coyne says that when Hilario came to the U.S., the focus was on Hilario's underdeveloped game, without much concern for culture and language adjustments. As a point guard, though, Leandrinho will need a better command of the language, so his daily workouts include two hours of English training.
On the court, Leandrinho is fierce and relentless, thanks in part to a brother, Arturo Barbosa, who reared Leandrinho in almost Tiger Woods fashion. When Leandrinho was 5, Arturo, who is 21 years older than his brother, put a basketball in Leandrinho's hands and began training him daily. Little wonder that young Leandro listened to his brother -- professionally, Arturo was a top Special Forces commando in Brazil.
The work is paying off. Just as Hilario slowly climbed the draft board before winding up at No. 7, Leandrinho probably wind up in the top 10 by draft day. He had two ho-hum workouts with the Bulls and Bucks last week, but excelled in outings for the Warriors and Sonics, lottery teams in need of a point guard. He'll show his wares for about a dozen more teams, including the Pistons, Heat, Knicks and Grizzlies, all of whom have lottery picks.
"Every team has called about him," Coyne says. "It's a very similar situation to Nene's."
Now, the young point guard is 20 and ready to leave his native Brazil for the NBA. He's also on the move, up the draft chart. One international scout says that Leandrinho is as fast as the guy listed as the draft's top point guard, Texas standout T.J. Ford, but at 6-4 3/4 (that's how the Warriors measured him last week), he has a 6-inch height advantage over Ford.
Leandrinho, who played professionally for Bauru in Brazil, is taking the same route to the NBA that countryman Maybyner Nene Hilario took, signing with Cleveland-based agent Michael Coyne. He is raw and needs work on his jump shot, but he has more polish than Hilario did.
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Coyne says that when Hilario came to the U.S., the focus was on Hilario's underdeveloped game, without much concern for culture and language adjustments. As a point guard, though, Leandrinho will need a better command of the language, so his daily workouts include two hours of English training.
On the court, Leandrinho is fierce and relentless, thanks in part to a brother, Arturo Barbosa, who reared Leandrinho in almost Tiger Woods fashion. When Leandrinho was 5, Arturo, who is 21 years older than his brother, put a basketball in Leandrinho's hands and began training him daily. Little wonder that young Leandro listened to his brother -- professionally, Arturo was a top Special Forces commando in Brazil.
The work is paying off. Just as Hilario slowly climbed the draft board before winding up at No. 7, Leandrinho probably wind up in the top 10 by draft day. He had two ho-hum workouts with the Bulls and Bucks last week, but excelled in outings for the Warriors and Sonics, lottery teams in need of a point guard. He'll show his wares for about a dozen more teams, including the Pistons, Heat, Knicks and Grizzlies, all of whom have lottery picks.
"Every team has called about him," Coyne says. "It's a very similar situation to Nene's."