The main challenge in writing a Top 5 list is to make sure you are not going to write a Top 10 list. Or a Top 7 list. It would be a complicated set of rules to get exactly five players; for example players taller than 6'6", playing in the East and were born on a Tuesday. So since statistics and play-by-plays were not enough to narrow it to just five, we relied on knowing the players personally and being able to decipher how and why their hours in the gym translate into improvements on the court.

This is a not a list of international star players that should include Dirk, Yao or Manu. Rather, it is a list of up-and-coming foreign players that are expected to have career-changing seasons this year. So here are the Top 5 breakout non-rookie internationals.

Beno Udrih, Sacramento Kings Guard - Slovenia

The Slovenian guard is now in his fourth year in the league. First three were spent in San Antonio, unfortunately mostly on the bench. It was far from the inactivity hell that had driven other internationals away from the NBA, but at just about 12 minutes per game in those three years, it was not an environment that gave Udrih a chance. Now with the Kings, Udrih is getting minutes and putting up numbers that show he is more than just an insurance policy until Mike Bibby comes back. Udrih is averaging career high numbers in four categories: 14.7 points, 4.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds in 35 minutes per game. Important Side Note: Beno is one of the most Americanized European players you will ever meet, meant in the best way possible. Udrih fell in love with San Antonio shortly after arriving in the States, and had already confided that the city of Sacramento looks like the perfect next place for him. Also Important: His new career high of 27 points came against his old Spurs team.

Kelenna Azubuike, Golden State Warriors Forward/Guard - England

One of the just two Brit's in the league, Azubuike doubled his production from 7 to almost 14 points per game this season. In his second year in the league, he is known for spending time in the NBDL development league before coming back this summer to the Golden State Warriors, a team expected to have a good start following their epic playoff victory against the Mavericks last season. Because of their slower start, Azubuike got more minutes from the matchup magician Nelson, resulting in his inspired play and serving as a good advertisement for both British basketball -- important new topic for their hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympics -- and for the NBDL. Important Side Note: A fellow European NBDL player -- a player that would like to remain anonymous and very, very tall -- is not at all surprised by Azubuike's success. He says that the games in the D-league help out new international players tremendously and are "way better" than sitting on the NBA bench.

Francisco Garcia, Sacramento Kings Forward/Guard - Dominican Republic

This Dominican Republic native is in his third year in the league, playing all of his 162 games in the Sacramento Kings uniform. Among the Top 5, he has the biggest point increase this season, more than doubling his production from 6 to 13 points per game. His opportunity came partially because of Artest's vacancy and with his return to the line-up, Garcia is about to re-adjust to his role as Artest's small forward backup again. The 'Latin Assassin', as the lone Dominican in the league is called back home, had an impressive college career at the University of Louisville before he was drafted by the Kings in 2005 as 23rd pick. Unimportant Side Note: Born on New Year's Eve in 1981.

Sasha Vujacic, Los Angeles Lakers Forward/Guard - Slovenia

The Slovenian guard is the only player in this Top 5 that, in his fourth year in the league, has a certain reputation. Most big games that he helped the Lakers win, like against the Mavericks last season or at Denver just last week, came courtesy of his strong three-point shooting. The 22 points he scored in that game were not only a season high but a career high for him, and go well with what he has been saying about this season all along: "This is going to be my breakout year." Vujacic spent the summer not traveling the Old Continent like many fellow Europeans do. Rather he was close to the Lakers training facilities, adding pounds of muscle and, in his spare time, growing his hair long. This new and improved Sasha Vujacic, giving the Lakers seven points per game, is also showing a different side in the box score, spending much more time in the paint and earning his points from the stripe. Said Kobe of Sasha last season: "Sasha is good...and he is bigger than me, he should be closer to the basket". Important Side Note: Sasha is taller than Kobe. Also, the two can talk undetected by the surrounding media, as both are fluent in Italian. Belmondo.  

Jose Juan Barea, Dallas Mavericks Guard - Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rican guard is the kind of unassuming international player that you had come to expect of the Dallas Mavericks. In just his second year in the league, J.J. -- as he is known in Dallas -- has started in about a quarter of all Mavericks games this season, and has more than doubled his 2006 production from 2.4 to 6 point per game. While he can score (25 points against the Kings a month ago) and make assists (five in that same game), J.J. is also both a dependable starter for Coach Johnson and a spark plug that can ignite any Mavericks lineup. His sociology major bleeds through in the locker room, he has the talkative and insightful NBA personality, while remaining humble and approachable. Important Side Note: Barea is the starting point guard for the Puerto Rican national team.