by Vincent Goodwill

Auburn Hills -- Sporting a ponytail and speaking better-than-expected English, new Piston Luigi Datome hopes to make a smooth transition to the NBA. He's eager to prove he belongs at the highest level of basketball.

"I want to come here and show I deserve to be an NBA player," said Datome, who'll wear jersey number 13. "I'm just like a kid who made his dream come true."

Datome, 25, was the Italian League MVP but hasn't seen much NBA basketball through the years. He's talked to fellow international players Danilo Galinari (Denver Nuggets) and Andrea Bargnani (New York Knicks) about what his rookie year will be like.

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Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/