Jan
10

Dirk Nowitzki: “Angela Merkel is nice”; “I want to top Sabonis.”

Surely to no one’s surprise, Gazzetta dello Sport gave its prestigious Euroscar Player of the Year Award to Dirk Nowitzki, he of the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. Clearly the favorite to take FIBA Europe’s equivalent award, the Mav was bestowed with the honor on the same night he collected his bling-bling title ring in Dallas.

Enrico Cellini has gathered a few choice quotes from la Gazzetta’s interview with Nowitzki, including the German’s thoughts on his favorite Italian player, meeting Angela Merkel and topping Arvydas Sabonis.

On January 27, Dirk Nowitzki did not play for the Mavericks against the Minnesota Timberwolves but still brought home two interesting souvenirs from American Air Center. As you are reading BallinEurope, you don’t probably care too much about the diamond-encrusted $40K NBA championship ring (courtesy of Mark Cuban) that Dirk received in a touching ceremony (courtesy of Rick Carlisle), do you? Instead, what’s worth reporting about that night is the fact that Wunder Dirk also received the Europlayer 2011 award, an acknowledgement assigned by Italian Gazzetta dello Sport to the best European basketball player of the season.

You may see the ceremony here.

All right, so it wasn’t quite as dramatic as the ring ceremony but still …

Gazzetta dello Sport later published in its printed version an interview with Nowitzki, in which Würzburg’s finest touched on several topics.

Said Dirk on the loss in the 2005-06 NBA Finals to the Miami Heat: “That experience actually helped me – it made me improve: Now I handle the fourth quarter with more intelligence.”

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Dec
0

Former Azusa University star Mike Danielian signs with Wolfenbüttel

Seriously hardcore readers of BallinEurope (plus possibly Azusa Pacific University alums and Armenians) may faintly recall the name Mike Danielian. Danielian nicely pumped up his CV with his play in the Fifth Pan Armenian Games in Yerevan, capping the show with a ridiculous 49-point performance for the L.A. side in the championship basketball game.

Good news for Danielian today then, as his signing with German club SG MTV/BG 93 Wolfenbüttel (or “Wolfenbüttel” for “short”) was announced. Congratulations go out to Mike from BallinEurope!

Official press release (and video) follows.

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Nov
12

D-Willed to victory: Deron Williams goes for incredible 50 points vs. BG Göttingen [Updated]

Now *this* is what Beşiktaş Milangaz fans have been waiting for: In the Eagles’ third FIBA Eurochallenge game of the 2011-12 season, expensive NBA lockout signing Deron Williams emphatically displayed his NBA skills against BG Göttingen last night, going for a career high (and BiE believes all-time Eurochallenge) 50 points in his side’s 105-94 victory; by BiE’s calculations, Williams’ effort represented a 49-point player index rating.

[Update: Talk Basket is running a list of all players with point totals of 36 or more in a Eurochallenge game since the league was formed in 2003. As it turns out, the all-time high to this point was 39, a mark shared by Fernando San Emeterio, then of CB Girona, and Svendborg Rabbits' Johnell Smith. Williams has, no matter how the NBA lockout turns out, left a mark on European basketball that will remain for quite some time, it seems.]

Göttingen simply had no answers for the New Jersey Net, allowing him to go 17-of-23 from the floor, including a 7-of-10 performance on three-pointers; stated the German side’s coach Stefan Mienack in the post-game: “We played against one of the elite teams of Europe. They’re absolute contenders for the title and they have great players. It’s so hard to win agaınst a team in which Deron Wıllıams plays for.”

Check out the video below for a highlight clip stuff with Williams’ relentless attacking; the Violets’ backcourt of Dale Lewis, Kyle Bailey, Paris Horne et al will certainly be suffering nightmares for months. Official FIBA writeup follows the clip.

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Nov
2

Kevin Durant to sign with BBC Bayreuth, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Valencia … or all three?

Yet another strange twist in the NBA Nuclear Winter! BallinEurope was tipped off by European Prospects’ Christophe about a Germany-based Die Welt story which has Kevin Durant signing with … BBC Bayreuth. Indeed, club spokesman Michael Birkhan is quoted as saying that “We expect a decision [from Durant] on Wednesday.” (BiE’s assuming that means next Wednesday…)

The story notes that Maccabi Tel Aviv (who reportedly is gunning for just about every locked-out NBA player these days) and Valencia Basket were also in the running for the Oklahoma City Thunderer’s services and a bizarre arrangement may be in the cards for the three clubs: With Bayreuth potentially having worked out a sponsorship deal that would pay Durant’s salary for three weeks, Die Welt imagines that a deal in which K.D. “played in November in Valencia, during the first half of December in Tel Aviv and after Christmas in Bayreuth” is not out of the question.

Wow, Kevin Durant: The European Tour, eh?

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Nov
1

European vocation: News, highlights on Deron Williams, Christian Eyenga, Khadeem Lattin, more

The movement from the U.S. to Europe within the basketball world is still in motion, and so BallinEurope presents a quintet of stories (and highlight clips) involving American players from the NBA level to prep schools playing abroad.

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Nov
2

Report: Valencia wants second chance to offer “on the fence” Kevin Durant, Nike a deal

Yahoo! Sports this morning reported that at least three major clubs – Euroleaguers Maccabi Tel Aviv, EuroCup side Valencia Basket and, interestingly enough, BBC Bayreuth of Germany – have put forth offers for Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant to play in Europe while the NBA player lockout continues.

And according to Spain-based basketball website TuBasket.com, this marks the second time Valencia club officials have put forth an offer to Durant. “Weeks ago” the club reportedly began the bargaining process with the Thunderer, first putting forth an offer of €200,000 (about $275,000) per month, which was subsequently upped to €475,000 ($650,000). Durant’s asking price was €675,000 ($928,000).

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Oct
1

Long-time vet Bernhard Peat: “European basketball is more pure basketball”

The Auburn (California) Journal is today running a Q&A with local Bernhard Peat, an 18-year veteran of German and Swiss professional basketball. Born in Germany, Peat played mostly in his homeland throughout the 1980s and most of the ‘90s; he takes on the old standbys – the remuneration situation, the scheduling, etc. – in recalling his days in the Journal story. However, there’s a real stopper when it comes to reporter Sara Seyydin’s question, “What will you miss … about watching the NBA?”

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Oct
5

Adam Morrison throws down vs. Bogdan Radosavljevic, Bayern München

All right, this one’s starting to go viral within the basketball-related blogosphere, so for posterity’s sake, BallinEurope runs highlights from this week’s tough guy in European basketball.

That’s right: BiE’s talking about Adam Morrison, the former NBA washout Gonzaga Bulldogs star currently plying his trade with Red Star Belgrade. Thursday night saw the Stars taking on Eurocup side Bayern München in Belgrade in a “friendly” match.

Morrison, actually looking quite a bit buffer than he ever has, apparently took offense at Bayern big guy Bogdan Radosavljevic brushing him aside to grab an easy rebound on a Red Star fast break. Morrison got in the face, and that was all she wrote for the Zag: Morrison was ejected immediately, sent to the locker room with a game-high 17 points, and got a standing ovation … they love him in Serbia already! See for yourself below the break.

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Sep
4

Has Dirk Nowitzki retired from Team Germany?

After an incredible 13th year with Team Germany came to an end with its defeat at the hands of Lithuania yesterday, Dirk Nowitzki may be contemplating retirement – in fact, the Germany-based Sport 1 believes it’s a done deal.

Though in an interview with the network, Nowitzki stated that “he wanted to ‘see what the future brings,’” Sport1.de went on to opine that “after the [second] round at the European Championship in Lithuania … everything points to farewell.”

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Sep
1

Spain holds off Germany in EuroBasket opener, 77-68

While this writer has left Lithuania (the “day job” calls…), BallinEurope can still provide coverage of EuroBasket 2011, thanks to our old friend Y. He’ll also be tweeting through the games as well, so follow our Twitter account at BiE_basketball as well!

It’s the first day of second stage in Eurobasket 2011 in Lithuania, and the round’s opening game featuring Germany versus Spain was a crucial match for both teams, as four teams in Group E, including Spain, entered the phase tied at 1-1, while Germans started in last place at 0-2.

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