WARRIOR A WORLD AWAY / Latvian Andris Biedrins has made a full transition to the American lifestyle -- and to the NBA

From the balcony of his penthouse condo, Andris Biedrins is showing off his commanding view of Lake Merritt. He turns to the right and points out coach Don Nelson's high-rise across the water. He turns to the left and singles out best friend Zarko Cabarkapa's building across some urban sprawl.

Then Biedrins heads inside, taking no more than five steps, and emerges onto a massive patio that holds the centerpiece of his 20th floor bachelor pad. It's a pool table, and at the moment, it's covered with dust and a leather-like tarp.

Biedrins bought it as soon as he signed his rookie contract with the Warriors three years ago, and as he peels back the cover to unveil its pale pink frame and red-felt surface, he talks about shooting pool almost every day with his childhood friends back in Latvia.

It seems like a lifetime ago. Those friends are half a world away, seen only when he returns home every summer for a brief visit. In the three years since a teenage Biedrins left home to chase his basketball dream, he's embraced a new life and culture, all while surging from being a virtual unknown to an emerging NBA star.

At 20, Biedrins is much like any other American his age. He plays video games - lots of them - and hangs out with friends. His favorite television show is "Friends." His favorite movie a tie between "Gladiator" and "Tears of the Sun." His favorite actress is a toss-up between Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston.

At 17, it was a much different story.

The teenage Biedrins had just arrived in the U.S. with his mother and childhood basketball coach in 2004, and instead of the reserved and formal society they had left behind in the Latvian capital of Riga, they found themselves in the heart of the entertainment industry.

Biedrins was in Los Angeles to work out and improve his stock before the NBA draft, and he couldn't help but notice the people and their smiles. Everywhere he went, strangers kept smiling and saying hello. Everywhere he looked, there were beaches and beautiful women.

"It had everything like you see in the movies," Biedrins said.

In other words, it offered what Latvia couldn't, with first-rate basketball tops on the list.

Biedrins started playing when he was about 8, going to regular school until 3 p.m., then on to a separate basketball school where kids were grouped by age and played against each other.

The competition was friendly but not exactly rigorous. Latvia is so low on Europe's basketball totem pole that none of its teams have participated in Euroleague play. Gundars Vetras is the only other Latvian to have played in the NBA, and he lasted less than a season.

The country has more of a presence in the NHL, with Colorado defenseman Karlis Skrastins and Los Angeles left wing Raitis Ivanans, than it does in the NBA, where Biedrins is flying solo.

So how did a skinny 7-footer playing in relative obscurity make it to the big leagues?

Biedrins was holding individual workouts in Los Angeles, where representatives from Miami, Golden State, and Philadelphia were among those watching. But a foot infection kept him from working out for teams in a group setting, and that ended up working in the Warriors' favor.

Warriors' vice president Chris Mullin was the only NBA executive to have already seen Biedrins play twice overseas at the time. He watched the lanky teenager dominate a Greek team that featured Smush Parker, now the Lakers' point guard, and former college standouts Toby Bailey and Ryan Stack, who briefly played in the NBA.

"At 17, he was their go-to guy," Mullin said.

Mullin saw his big man of the future, but if draft night had played out differently, Biedrins might be bundled up in a winter parka instead of playing outdoor pool on this sunny December afternoon.

A few hours before his name was called in 2004, he was sitting in the green room at Madison Square Garden alongside his agent, Bill Duffy, and awaiting word on his NBA fate.

Duffy's cell phone rang. The Sixers were on the line and strongly considering drafting Biedrins with the ninth pick, two spots ahead of the Warriors.

"I was like, 'Oh, what's going to happen now, because I really wanted to play (with Golden State),' " Biedrins said. "I was nervous."

So were the Warriors. Biedrins knew he was safe when, about two minutes before commissioner David Stern announced the Sixers' selection, camera crews began crowding around the table of Andre Iguodala.

But back in Golden State's war room, the Warriors were sweating.

"Especially when they said, 'And with the ninth pick, the Sixers select An-dr ... ," Warriors' GM Rod Higgins said with a smile.

Andre Iguodala is off to a fine start with Philadelphia, much to Golden State's relief.

At 18, Biedrins became the youngest player ever drafted by the Warriors.

Nelson has called him possibly "the best big man I've ever coached."

Their relationship is not unlike that of Nelson's with Dirk Nowitzki, whom he coached in Dallas. Both Biedrins and Nowitzki grew up in a European basketball culture that places a greater value on the mentoring aspect a coach brings, and a willingness on the part of players to be molded.

Nowitzki struggled during his rookie season before making a huge jump in his sophomore year, and another leap the year after that. Biedrins never got much of a chance under coach Mike Montgomery, but in two games under Nelson, he convinced his new coach he was ready to be an NBA starting center.

Free-throw shooting has been another matter. One of the first things Nelson said when he took over the Warriors again this year was that he wanted the team to improve its free-throw shooting. He added that Biedrins was a particular culprit -- and he was right. Biedrins shot a miserable 30.6 percent from the line last season. But the hard work Biedrins has put it has paid off a little. So far this season, he's shooting 52.5 from the line.

As Biedrins shot free throws after practice last month, Nelson kept an eye on him. Biedrins squared up with one foot ahead of the other, as usual, and set the ball in his left hand. Then he delivered one of his infamous line drives that bounced off the rim.

"Smoother. More legs. Smoother," the coach called out.

So Biedrins tried again. This time smoother and with more legs.

"There you go," Nelson said.

"You can't scout good," Nelson later added. "Good players, it doesn't matter. They're going to find a way to get it done, and he's getting in that category ... The guy is 20 years old, getting 16 rebounds and 30 points in an NBA game.

"I mean, are you kidding me?"

When Biedrins signed his first professional contract with Skonto Riga, he was 15 and making 500ドル dollars a month, which is about how much his father, Aivars, was getting as a construction worker.

Aivars Biedrins was able to quit his job after Biedrins' first pro season. Hs mother, Inita, stopped working as an accountant once he signed his first NBA contract, a two-year deal worth 3ドル.6 million.

"There was a magazine that said I'm the youngest millionaire back home," Biedrins said. "We have rich people and hundreds richer than me, but they're all businessmen and older people."

His mother and father still live in Riga. His mother tries to come over twice a year and his father once. His longtime coach, Raivo Otersons, was by his side for the pre-draft process. Since none of them speak English, Biedrins is always the designated interpreter.

When Biedrins totaled his Porsche Cayenne Turbo in a multicar accident on his way to a Warriors game last February, he joked that he had lost his best friend. The 100,000ドル car was his first major purchase and represented his coronation as an NBA basketball player.

Though he'll be able to afford dozens of Porsches before long - he's in line for a 10ドル million-per-year payday once his rookie contract expires after next season - the young, genuinely friendly Biedrins, vows not to go big-time in the often me-first society that's become his home.

"I started from zero," he said. "Every single thing was new to me. But it's passed by so fast. I really feel now like I know more."

Now, he's relaxing on the red leather sofa he picked out himself, with VH-1 playing on a flatscreen television and gossip magazines littering his coffee table. Just a few feet away outside, his pool table sits, representing the intersection between his two lives.

Post Production 
 Andris Biedrins has been a pleasant surprise for the Warriors, 
providing an inside presence that the Warriors have been missed of late. Here 
are his numbers vs. last year's numbers for starting center Adonal Foyle. 
 Player MINs PPG RBs BLKs 
 Biedrins 29.6 10.8 9.5 2.58 
 Foyle 23.4 4.5 5.5 1.62