Carlos Delfino has a new/old teammate!
July 25, 2008
After Carlos Delfino signed a nice contract with Eurocup team BC Khimki, it looks like the Khimki managers wanted more from the Raptors than “just” Delfino.
A few hours ago, the club and the Eurocup website announced that Jorge Garbajosa has signed a two-year contract with Russian club BC Khimki.
It also looks like another American player is leaving his home country: Carl Landry from the Houston Rockets is rumored to be signing with Spanish club Tau Ceramica - We will keep you updated.
Bostijan Nachbar joins Dinamo Moscow
July 21, 2008
Well, things are changing very quickly these days. Just a few hours after reporting that Olympiakos might be interested in Bostijan Nachbar if the Josh Childress deal didn’t come through, Nachbar signed with Dinamo Moscow.
Just to get it right: Dinamo is not part of the Euroleague, participating instead in the Eurocup.
Carlos Delfino makes his way to Europe
July 18, 2008
It looks like the Toronto Raptors are this year’s NBA club to deal with European players and clubs. Roko Ukic joins the team, Jorge Garbajosa leaves the team: While Jose Calderon re-signs in Toronto for the Raptors, Carlos Delfino will leave the Raptors for a new adventure in Russia.
Delfino signed a three-year deal with BC Khimki, a team slated to participate in the new Eurocup. Yes, the Eurocup, not the Euroleague.
I’m not sure what has been promised to Carlos, but to make him join a team that does not even play in the highest league in Europe, BC Khimki must have come up with something special - like $$$ or even better some major €€€. (Rumored, in fact, to be €8.5 million over three years.)
Carlos signed for three years with the club, although this will not be his first time in Europe; Carlos has already spent a few seasons in Italy.
Here is Carlos’ reason to come to Europe again:
“I really wanted to return to Europe. Khimki is an ambitious club that will soon become one of the strongest in Europe. I will do my best to make it possible.” (via eurocupbasketball.com)
Additional note: The NBA should no longer have an NBA Europe. The Raptors spent too much time in Europe - Everybody wants to play here now!
European Club competitions will change in 2008/2009
July 2, 2008
ULEB and FIBA Europe today announced the new format for European club competitions: Nothing really new here, though, as FIBA Europe had already published the main parts of this reform in March.
Attendance figures for European competitions
June 26, 2008
After we have talked already about attendance of the different leagues, we take a closer look at the three main European competitions and their attendance figures.
YouTubing: Petrovic vs. Schmidt; ESPN’s homage
May 4, 2008
All-time great Team USA killer Oscar Schmidt was recently honored with Brazil’s “Ordem de Rio Branco” award, a medal bestowed upon those citizens of Brazil who “distinguish themselves as national heroes.”
In writing up a story on Schmidt for – shameless plug alert – SummerOlympian.com, I came across this neat highlight clip of the 1989 European Cup final in which Real Madrid’s Drazen Petrovic and Schmidt with Snaidero Caserta accounted for a ridiculous 106 points in an overtime thriller. (Incidentally, if you think “writing up a story” is a weak euphemism for “spending too much time watching YouTube videos,” i’d, uh, deny it profusely.)
Meanwhile, ESPN.com, on the occasion of Euroleague’s 50th anniversary, devoted a whopping three minutes’ worth of video clip to the Euroleague’s 50 Greatest Contributors set to David Bowie’s “We Could Be Heroes.”
Gee, thanks. The monogrammed ones couldn’t have put together a video clip of, say, eight or nine minutes set to a remix by, say, Public Enemy? There’s only about one million such videos decently done so on the ‘Tube.
Guess that’s why to this writer it will forever be known as “The Worldwide Leader in [American] Sports…”
Cheers.
FIBA Eurocup Final Four: the FINAL
April 20, 2008
Tonight will be played the Final of the FIBA Eurocup and the second of the three pan-European titles will be decided. The FIBA Eurocup final will face off the Belgian team of Dexia Mons-Hainaut and the Latvians from Barons Riga.
FIBA Eurocup: Dexia versus Barons in the Final
April 19, 2008
While the qualification of Barons Riga can be considered as legitimate and awaited, the fact that the hometown team of Limassol did not qualify may be a slight surprise. We spoke quickly with Chris Finch and he gave us his thoughts about the Final Four.
FIBA Eurocup Preview: Proteas AEK EAL Limassol
April 17, 2008
The hosts from Cyprus can be considered as favorites of their own Final Four. Not only that they have the advantage to play at home, but they also have an impressive roster for a team from such a small country.
FIBA Eurocup Preview: Barons/LMT Riga
April 17, 2008
The second team from the Baltics comes Latvia, more precisely from its capital: Riga. The team of Karlis Muiznieks qualified to the Final Four phase by eliminating KK Zagreb in the round of the last eight.
