Sasha Vujacic to Europe? The real reasons
July 25, 2008
It is no surprise that almost-NBA champion Sasha “The Machine” Vujacic has been contacted by several European teams. Kobe Bryant tells us that he would not be surprised if Sasha takes the money and runs, just because he won’t get that much money from the Lakers or any other NBA club.
So once again, money is supposed to be the reason? NO! If Sasha is treated like this by his favorite MVP, his American idol (let’s just call him Sasha’s GOD), he has to leave. Watch this:
Oh well, Sasha, Kobe doesn’t love you like you love him … but it looks like a few more people don’t like you that much, either. Like Manu Ginobili, Andrew Bynum, Carmelo Anthony, Baron Davis and even the entire Cleveland Cavaliers team. He can’t even join the New York Knicks anymore! Would you want to stay in this league when nobody likes you and you get hurt all the time? I don’t know.
Does Europe want a guy like that? I guess not - well, hold on - the Euroleague might need a substitute for that guy who made us all laugh last season, even though he knew what he was saying to make us laugh: Sasha probably doesn’t know.
If everything fails, Sasha, why don’t you look into coaching and teach some people “how to look like a hero on the court” as well as “how to fly like a mosquito bite next to you”? Nope - no typo - watch this:
Quarterfinals thoughts live from Athens
July 18, 2008
Kris Santiago is the lucky guy to follow the whole week of games at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens. His thoughts for today follow. (For those how want to follow the live score and a live chat of today’s games - click here.)
Croatia v. Canada:
- Croatia had little trouble clinching their semifinal spot, as Canada never really found their rhythm.
- 27% field goal shooting speaks for itself; Rowan Barrett was again solid with 13, while Famutimi led Canada with 14 points.
- Marko Popovic was the man of the game, as he really displayed leadership on the court and was able to convert from three to score 17 points for the Adriatic nation.
- I have to mention Sandro Nicevic, who stood out for his ability to convert all of his mid-range shots in scoring 11 points.
Puerto Rico v. Slovenia:
- Carlos Arroyo’s Puerto Ricans ended Slovenia’s hopes of qualifying for Beijing.
- The NBA player was really impressive in netting 17 points, while Larry Ayuso had another strong game by scoring 12. Sani Becirovic could not control Arroyo in a very physical matchup between the two.
- Becirovic had 12 points though, while Uros Slokar was probably the best Slovenian in this tournament, and added this time with 16 points and seven boards. Nesterovic somehow disappeared this time on the offensive end (10 points, 11rebounds) but had little trouble guarding Daniel Santiago and P.J. Ramos.
Germany v. Brazil:
- Germany and Brazil are not really getting it done right now, as the game is not really exciting to watch. Nowitzki is getting his shots off and Tiago Splitter is also struggling to find a way to score against Germany’s tall backcourt. The second quarter has started and nothing new so far, not a lot of scoring, many foul calls and little action on the floor … the cheerleaders are probably the only reason to watch the game right now for the fans in OAKA.
- Germany make a 31-7 run in the second quarter and is dashing Brazil’s offensive efforts just like that.
- How is this going to end for the South Americans? Splitter and Garcia can’t convert their foul shots while Nowitzki woke up and is now at 13 points. Frankfurt’s Pascal Roller chipped in another 12 for the Germans.
- Marcelinho Machado has nine points so far, but is not able to score from beyond the arc (Brazil scored one of eight shots from the three-point line.) and is currently facing elimination. Score is 45-26 at halftime…
- Germany controlled the game until a few minutes ago, but started to turnover the ball a couple of times and Brazil is desperatly trying to get back into this game, but at the end of the third quarter, it’s 62-39 Germany.
- Top scorers are Nowitzki with 15, Roller with 12, and Wysocki with 10 points. Marcelinho Machado has 11 points and Huertas another nine.
- Germany started to lose their rhythm and turned the ball over a couple of times which was exactly in the game plan for Brazil. Brazil rallied to get back into the game, playing tough on defense and executing well in the post thanks to a superb Tiago Splitter, who dished in 16 points. But it was Nowitzki, in foul trouble, who led the Germans with 20 and Roller scored another important three to send Germany to the semifinals and Brazil home. Demond Greene also had some fine moments in the final minutes of the game and finished with 14 for the troubled Germans that had 17 turnovers compared to the eight of Brazil.
- Brazil could not hit the three today, going just 3-of-19 from the arc, which left them with no inside-outside game and Splitter as the only scoring option.
Kris will be updating this post throughout the day - keep following!
Brandon Jennings signs with European club Virtus Roma
July 16, 2008
Here we go: Brandon Jennings makes history for officially signing with a Euroleague team straight out of high school. His team: Virtus Roma. Since I spent the last year in Rome, I’m not sure this city is a good environment for Brandon; basketball-wise, it could be a good fit, though. From Roma’s official statement, it seems Brandon is bringing over his entire family!
Roma will play against Spanish top club Tau Ceramica, Fenerbahce Ulker from Turkey, Olympia Ljubljana (Slovenia), DKV Joventut (Spain), and Alba Berlin (Germany) during the group stage of the Euroleague season.
Why is Roma interested in Jennings? Well, they just lost Roko Ukic to the NBA, but still has Ibrahim Jaaber at the point guard. It is more than obvious that Brandon wants to prove himself in Europe and then leave the club for the NBA.
Personally, I am excited … well, curious. I know that most Americans don’t think the Euroleague is competition for ANY American player, but this year’s Euroleague will be on a whole other level. What if Brandon doesn’t succeed - don’t forget this guy is still “only” a high school star - as Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Kevin Garnett have…?
(Thanks to “name” who provided us with the link within our comments.)
Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2008: Day 3
July 16, 2008
Again, Kris Santiago, who is in Athens right now, gives us some live impressions, including Roko Ukic and Chris Kaman:
- Korea was close to upsetting Canada in the first game of the day. Samuel Dalembert decided not to play after an argument with Coach Rautins the day before, and Canada struggled mightily against the fresh Koreans, who controlled the second quarter although they had to play without giant Ha Seung Jin, sidelined due to a nagging knee injury (He could barely walk the other day, so no surprise here). Chun Jungkyu led the Koreans with 19 points, but the North Americans bounced back in the third and had their best in veteran Rowan Barrett, who was a steadily scorer for the Canadians ever since. With the support of Carl English, who netted 12 points but looked far from impressive, Canada managed to overcome Korea by two points (79-77) in the final seconds of the game to book their tickets to round two.
- In the second game of the day, Croatia had to rally from a 12-point deficit in the first quarter and kept on scoring until halftime without looking too flashy (Arroyo tried his best to repeat yesterday’s fancy performance but failed to make his teammates better, although he was constantly hitting his shots).
- Toronto’s Ukic made his first game in replacing Zoran Planinic, who was sidelined due to an infection, and Marko Banic was inserted with Damir Markota out of the tournament due to a knee injury sustained against Cameroon’s Boumtje-Boumtje.
- Both, Ukic and Banic were instrumental in Croatia’s 95-81 win, as Puerto Rico could not convert the important shots during the third quarter.
- Malaga’s Daniel Santiago was again a no-show for the Boriquas and J.J. Barea is far from his best days, while Marko Tomas had another strong outing for the Croatians (15 points) with Prkacin (Who was continually complaining about the calls) also in the mix with another 12.
- Puerto Rico would have lost by 20, but Coach Cintron brought in Rivera, Camacho and Mojica, who showed the willingness to outplay the starting five.
- Croatia now faces Canada, while Slovenia takes on Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals.
- Germany’s Chris Kaman started well into the game and scored on several occasions. New Zealand’s Pero Cameron converts his threes like always, and the Kiwis are leading by four so far. The gym is filling up with Greek supporters right now.
UPDATE 1:
- Germany crushed New Zealand in the second half thanks to Dirk Nowitzki, who executed well from mid- and long-range for 35 points, while Chris Kaman had a breakout game with 20 points for Germany in showing why he’s one of the better players currently playing in the NBA.
- Frankfurt’s Pascal Roller was very active but his shot wasn’t doing it for him (4 of 10 FG); I still see him in front of Steffen Hamann right now. Kirk Penney slowed down a little bit in the third quarter, but he came right back in the beginning of the fourth and chipped in a total of 29 points. The Greek fans invaded the stands (Where Nowitzki’s personal coach Holger Geschwindner was sitting, too) to witness a 89-71 win for Germany in the end, and a possible opponent to Greece if they lose against Brazil today.
- The OAKA is finally looking packed, and I am looking forward to covering the game for you guys as well…
UPDATE 2:
- Big game right here at OAKA, the gym is PACKED, and it’s 18-17 in favor of Greece thanks to Spanoulis, who scored eight points in the first quarter while Splitter and Garcia are leading Brazil with seven and six points, respectively. Marcelinho Huertas is displaying great ball-handling skills while Tiago Splitter had a marvelous block against Tsartsaris and is staying cool under the boards to finish his hook shots in style.
UPDATE 3:
- The best game so far at OAKA, Greece could not profit from three consecutive offensive rebounds, but Papaloukas brought the crowd to their feet when he threw an alley-oop pass to Fotsis, who dunked it for a 22-19 lead. Sofokles enters the game and earns a standing ovation from the fans. Spanoulis sends Huertas to the ground after pulling down a rebound, but receives no call … Huertas comments with harsh words.
- Marcelinho Machado misses his third three and is not really letting the ball rotate in the air. Greece is now up by eleven points and starts to control the game, while Brazil turns the ball over a few times to give Greece the edge. By the way, Araujo entered the game: He’s supposed to be out with food poisoning … he should have eaten a gyros pita on the street instead of taking his meals in a cheap hotel…
UPDATE 4:
- No chance for Brazil. Greece made it look easy, thanks to the duo of Papaloukas and Fotsis, while they forced Brazil to turn the ball over a couple of times. Huertas has four fouls and can’t help that much on defense while Splitter is having a hard time in the post but steadily scores to keep the deficit at 16 points. The rest of Team Brazil is currently vacationing on the beaches of Athens.
- Fotsis made a spectacular play by tip-dunking a missed shot, while Diamantidis netted a three at the right moment to keep the South Americans within striking distance.
- 68-55 to start the fourth quarter. Zisis is excelling as well and hits a mid-range shot from the left side. Brazil is still not beaten, although I doubt that they can manage to reduce the 15-point difference.
- Greece kept their fast pace and destroyed Brazil in the fourth quarter to win the game, 89-69. Tsartsaris received another block from Splitter but had also a beautiful dunk thanks to a Diamantidis pass into the zone. Alex Garcia scored late on a tip-dunk and screamed out all of his frustration. Even with the second team on the court, Greece dominates against the disappointed Brazilians who now must take on Germany in the quarters.
- Fotsis leads Greece with 18, Spanoulis adds another 14, while Bouroussis and Zisis clinched 10 points for the winning side. Brazil had Tiago with 15 and Tavernari with 14, while JP Batista remained on the bench in the last quarter with 13 points to his credit.
- Greece is going to have a match against the Kiwis right after Germany-Brazil at around 2.30pm Berlin time.
Live from the Olympic Qualifying Tournament
July 15, 2008
Kris Santiago, a FIBA.com blogger, is in Athens right now, following every game of the pre-Olympic tournament. Here are his notes from today:
- Slovenia is getting better from game to game and could be facing Puerto Rico or Croatia (but I would go with Puerto Rico, as they are looking quite good on the perimeter) in the quarters. Lakovic is solid while Nesterovic feels comfortable attacking the boards. Slokar showed a good all-around game, hitting shots and doing the little things right (Finally some positive news about Uros). Becirovic completes the team that received some help from Miha Zupan in the first game.
- Canada played weaker than expected. Former Skyliner Dave Thomas stepped up during the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough as Carl English and Samuel Dalembert could not repeat their performances from the test games against Germany. Veteran Rowan Barrett is a steady scorer, but the team looked bad on the defensive end.
- Cape Verde is the first team to fly home. The “Trindade” got pounded again, this time by Germany. Young talent Jeff Xavier certainly has some upside (a solid shot and good ball-handling) but is a shoot-first point guard and had some problems adjusting to the game. If his dreams of playing in the NBA don’t come true, he may play in Europe. In order to be effective, Xavier really needs to work on his passing game.
The same goes for most of the players that never played at such a high level in FIBA-organised competitions and struggled against bigger guys like Femerling or Kaman.
- Germany used the game as another test, and had no trouble finishing from the three-point line or under the boards. Kaman is not looking fluid in his actions, as he is still trying to find his niche in the German game. Demond Greene hit some 3s in the beginning, making it crystal clear which team was supposed to win. Young gun Philip Zwiener was the surprise of the day, as he made the starting five and showed off a solid performance, which could lead to a permanent starting job. I personally like Konrad Wysocki; he should be getting more time on the court, getting six points in ten minutes and was ready for more. Oh, I forgot to mention Dirk Nowitzki, who was not flashy but left his mark, was able to rest a lot due to the big lead and should be more tested more against New Zealand tomorrow.
- Puerto Rrrrrico is getting the best out of Carlos Arroyo (Flashy as ever … behind the back, no look, you name it) and … (A real surprise to me) Ricky Sanchez, who was left open at the three-point line and scored at will. Daniel Santiago got some minutes but was not nearly effective as in Malaga, and P.J. Ramos looked better (Well, not his look but his game) against Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje. J.J. Barea is having some trouble displaying his scoring qualities but does his job which includes passing and defending.
- Cameroon is here with a bad karma. They were angry and disappointed regarding their government which failed to support them in a professional manner. Now Harding Nana had a good first game but struggles to find his shot against Puerto Rico. Boumtje-Boumtje is fighting like a bull on both defense and offense, but Cameroon really sometimes lacks the IQ on the court, as they repeatedly left Sanchez alone instead of guarding him closer and made mistakes when switching the player in the wrong moments. Parfait Bitee looks ready for Europe, as he is really doing a great job here, scoring mostly from outside and keeping Barea and Arroyo constantly under pressure. Brice Vounang is a short-sized center with a wide body and knows how to bang but may need to lose some weight in order to perform faster around the basket.
That’s all for now. I’ll keep you posted…
UPDATE: Kris just sent us some more thoughts:
- Cameroon’s Harding Nana got his shot back in the second half and Parfait Bitte, who may land a contract in Europe soon (The D-League is not an option, and his agent Keith Glass is already receiving offers), did his part to bring Cameroon back into the game, but it was Larry Ayuso’s three-pointer that killed Cameroon’s hopes of advancing.
- Cameroon’s coach Lazare Adingono was certainly disappointed with the way things ended for his team, and hopes that the government has seen the positive outing of his team in Athens and tries now to support the team financially so they may bounce back with another strong outcome at the 2009 African Championship in Libya.
- George Felton, director of player personnel, scouted Alexis Wangmene (Texas University) closely these days to see if he is capable of playing against bigger competition. Wangmene was not a big factor offensively while helping out well in limited minutes on the floor on the defensive end, but has a long road to go if he wants to make it to the NBA.
- Brazil is currently destroying Lebanon, and they look quite confident on the floor with Marcelinho Huertas and Murilo Becker da Rosa having already reached double digits in scoring. Now all the players are set to score, and even NBA bust Baby Araujo is doing well on the floor, having no trouble scoring in the paint at all.
Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2008: Day 1
July 13, 2008
With about 24 hours until the Olympic Qualifying Tournament starts, let’s have a look at the teams and the chances for each team to make it to the big goal: the Olympics in Beijing. Read more
D.C. Collins settles down in Rostov
June 30, 2008
Today, the Zalgiris Kaunas fans got shocking news. Crowd and journalist favorite D.C. Collins will move to Rostov, last year seventh-best in the Russian Superleague. I tried to investigate what could have motivated the American guard to move from a Euroleague team to a mediocre Russian team.
How to find a big man for Zalgiris Kaunas
June 20, 2008
The European transfer market is going crazy. Panathinaikos is signing Dimitris Verginis for €1.7 million, Khimky signs Jerome Moiso for €2 million. Additionally, former European glories come back from the NBA where they cannot earn as much as they can in the Euroleague: think Juan Carlos Navarro, Jorge Garbajosa and most likely Primoz Brezec in the near future, too. But what about this deal?
Euroleague Transfers Table 2008/2009
June 17, 2008
France Transfers - Spain Transfers (acb.com) - Germany Transfers
EUROLEAGUE TRANSFERS
Updated: 25/7/2008 17h47CET
NB: Please note that names in bold are confirmed transfers. Others listed are rumors published by various media or online discussion forums. The Budget numbers are either official announced figures or estimations. The names in italic are those that have been updated within the last 24h.
| SPAIN | Arrivals | Departures |
| Real Madrid | Marko Tomas (Fuenlabrada) Jeremiah Massey (Aris TT Bank) Pepe Sanchez (FC Barcelona) Quinton Hosley (Karsiyaka) |
Kerem Tunceri (Triumph Lyubertsy) Michalis Pelekanos (Olympiakos) Blagota Sekulic (Aris) Charles Smith (Efes Pilsen) |
| TAU Ceramica | Stanko Barac (Pamesa Valencia) Fernando San Emeterio (Girona) Dusko Ivanovic (head coach) Goran Dragic (Olimpija Ljubljana) |
Zoran Planinic (CSKA Moscow) Simas Jasaitis (Joventut) Neven Spahija (?) James Singleton (Dallas Mavericks) |
| AXA FC Barcelona | Juan Carlos Navarro (Memphis Grizzlies) David Andersen (CSKA Moscow) Lubos Barton (DKV Joventut) Ricky Rubio (DKV Joventut) |
Denis Marconato (Joventut, Roma) Pepe Sanchez (Real Madrid) Gary Neal (Benetton Treviso) Alex Acker (AJ Milano) Gianluca Basile (Fortitudo) |
| Unicaja Malaga | Robert Archibald (Azovmash) Omar Cook (Crvena Zvezda) Thomas Kelati (Zgorzelec) |
Sergio Scarolo (head coach) Bojan Popovic (?) Melvin Sanders (Gran Canaria?) Daniel Santiago (NBA, FC Barcelona) |
| ITALY | Arrivals | Departures |
| Montepaschi Siena
Budget: 13M€ |
Morris Finley (Rieti) Henry Domercant (Dynamo Moscow) David Hawkins (Roma) |
Bootsy Thornton (Efes Pilsen)
Terrel McIntyre (FC Barcelona, Real Madrid) |
| Lottomatica Roma | Sani Becirovic (Panathinaikos) Brandon Jennings (High School) Primoz Brezec (Toronto Raptors) Jonas Jerebko (Biella) |
David Hawkins (Montepaschi?) Erazem Lorbek (CSKA Moscow) Roko Leni-Ukic (Toronto Raptors) |
| AJ Milano | Pier Luigi Bucchi (head coach) Mason Rocca (Eldo Napoli) Luca Vitali (Montegranaro) Jobey Thomas (Montegranaro) Yohann Sangaré (ASVEL) Ariel Filloy (Rimini) Marco Mordente (Benetton) Sam van Rossum (Ostende) Massimo Bulleri (Virtus Bologna) Jumaine Jones (Eldo Napoli) |
Sam van Rossum (loan to Pesaro) Pietro Aradori (Biella) Danilo Gallinari (New York Knicks) |
| Air Avellino | Zare Markovski (head coach) Daniele Cinciarini (Biella) Chris Warren (Cibona Zagreb) Tamar Slay (Capo d’Orlando) Angelo Gigli (Benetton Treviso) |
Devin Smith (Fenerbahce) Marques Green (Fenerbahce) Daniel Cavaliero (Montegranaro) |
| GREECE | Arrivals | Departures |
| Panathinaikos
Budget: 25M€ |
Nikola Pekovic (Partizan) Antonis Fotsis (Dynamo Moscow) Dimitris Verginis (PAOK) Drew Nicholas (Efes Pilsen) Dusan Kecman (Partizan) Romain Sato (Montepaschi) |
Sani Becirovic (Roma) Andrija Zizic (Galatasaray) Kennedy Winston (?) Nikola Prkacin (Cibona) Dejan Tomasevic (retirement ?) |
| Olympiakos | Michalis Pelekanos (Real Madrid) Nikola Vujcic (Maccabi Tel Aviv) Zoran Erceg (FMP) Theodoros Papaloukas (CSKA Moscow) Yotam Halperin (Maccabi Tel Aviv) Igor Milosevic (Crvena Zvzda) Josh Childress (Atlanta Hawks) |
Qyntel Woods (Fortitudo Bologna) Roderick Blackney (Turk Telekom) Loukas Mavrokefalidis (Maroussi) Jake Tsakalidis (Phoenix?) |
| Panionios | Alexander Trifunovic (head coach Lietuvos Rytas) Ibrahim Jabeer (Roma) Milan Gurovic (Prokom Trefl) |
Vladimir Jankovic (loanded to Mega Aqua)
Nenad Markovic (?) |
| FRANCE | Arrivals | Departures |
| Le Mans-Sarthe
Budget: 5.63M€ |
J.D. Jackson (head coach) Maleye N’Doye (Dijon) Pape Badiane (Roanne) Dee Spencer (Efes Pilsen) David Bluthenthal (Maccabi) Brian Chase (Besiktas) Herbert Hill (Philadelphia 76ers) |
Nicolas Batum (Portland?) Sam Clancy (?) Phil Ricci (?) Vincent Collet (head coach ASVEL) Luka Bogdanovic (Joventut) Raviv Limonad (Irony Naharia) Nebosja Bogavac (?) |
| SLUC Nancy
Budget: 4.98M€ |
Steed Tchicamboud (Cholet Basket) John Cox (Le Havre) Lamayn Wilson (ASVEL) Michel Morandais (Estudiantes) |
Zabian Dowdell (?) DJ Harrison (?) Mike Bauer (Ostende) Pape Philippe Amagou (?) Roger Zaki (TAU) |
| TURKEY | Arrivals | Departures |
| Efes Pilsen | Milos Vujanic (Dynamo Moscow) Sinan Guler (Besiktas) Charles Smith (Real Madrid) Ergin Ataman (head coach) Bootsy Thornton (Montepaschi) Kaya Peker (Besiktas) Engin Atsür (Benetton) Michalis Kakiouzis (Sevilla) Preston Shumpert (Besiktas) |
Serkan Erdogan (Turk Telekom) Ermal Kuqo (Pamesa Valencia) Drew Nicholas (Panathinaikos) Dee Spencer (Le Mans) David Blatt (Dynamo Moscow) Rashad Wright (ALBA Berlin) Andre Hutson (Greece, Spain ??) |
| Fenerbahce Ülker | Devin Smith (Air Avellino) Marques Green (Air Avellino) Ender Arslan (Efes Pilsen) |
James White (?) Gasper Vidmar (?) Will Solomon (Maccabi) |
| LITHUANIA | Arrivals | Departures |
| Zalgiris Kaunas
Budget: 5-6M€ |
Willie Deane (Lukoil Academik) Loren Woods (Houston Rockets) Tadas Klimavicius (AEL Larisa) Tomas Delinikaitis (Azovmash) |
DeJuan Collins (Lokomotiv Rostov) Goran Jurak (?) Mamadou N’Diaye (?) Marko Popovic (Unics Kazan) |
| RUSSIA | Arrivals | Departures |
| CSKA Moscow | Victor Keyru (Unics Kazan) Sasha Kaun (Kansas-NCAA) Terence Morris (Maccabi) Zoran Planinic (TAU) Erazem Lorbek (Roma) Anton Ponkrashov (Khimky) |
Theodoros Papaloukas (Olympiakos) David Anderson (FC Barcelona) Thomas van den Spiegel (Pamesa) Marcus Goree (Triumph Lyubertsy) Artem Zabelin (loan to Spartak) |
| SLOVENIA | Arrivals | Departures |
| Olimpija Ljubljana
Budget: 4M€ |
Damjan Rudez (KK Split) Jaka Klobucar (Geoplin Slovan) Vlado Ilievski (Montepaschi) |
Goran Dragic (TAU Ceramica, Phoenix) Hasan Rizvic (BC Kiyv) Ronnie Taylor (?) Chris Booker (?) Sasa Doncic (?) Jan Mocnik (loaned?) Maurice Bailey (?) |
| POLAND | Arrivals | Departures |
| Prokom Trefl Sopot | Piotr Szczotka (Slupsk) David Logan (Zgorzelec) Ronald Burrell (Telekom Baskets Bonn) Koko Archibong (Frankfurt) Robert Tomaszek (BK Prostejov) |
Simonas Serapinas (Azovmash) Milan Gurovic (Panionios?) Donatas Slanina (Zgorzelec) |
| CROATIA | Arrivals | Departures |
| Cibona Zagreb | Robert Troha (Helios Domzale) Velimir Perasovic (head coach) Branimir Longin (Oldenburg) Nikola Prkacin (Panathinaikos) Kresimir Loncar (Lok. Rostov) |
Ivan Sunara (head coach Krka ?) Chris Warren (Air Avellino) Barisa Krasic (?) |
| ISRAEL | Arrivals | Departures |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv
Budget: 17-18M$ |
Jason Williams (Bnei Hasharon) Dror Hagag (Hapoel Jerusalem) Yaniv Green (Samara) Effi Birenboim (head coach) Tre Simmons (Hapoel Holon) Rodney White (Arecibo) D’Or Fischer (Bree) Guy Pniny (Hapoel Jerusalem) |
Nikola Vujcic (Olympiakos) Terrence Morris (CSKA) Yotam Halperin (Olympiakos) Will Bynum (Virtus, Detroit Pistons) Vonteego Cummings (Estudiantes) Zvi Sherf (?) David Bluthenthal (Le Mans) Esteban Batista (FC Barcelona, Le Mans) |
| SERBIA | Arrivals | Departures |
| Partizan Belgrade | Jan Vesely (Geoplin Slovan) Luka Basta (Beovuk) Aleksandar Rasic (ALBA) Vukasin Aleksic (Takovo) Milan Milosevic (Tuzla) |
Nikola Pekovic (Panathinaikos) Milt Palacio (Khimky) Dusan Kecman (Panathinaikos) Dejan Borovnjak (?) Novica Velickovic (Dynamo Moscow?) Milenko Tepic (Real Madrid) |
| GERMANY | Arrivals | Departures |
| ALBA Berlin
Budget: 7-8M€ |
Adam Chubb (Artland Dragons) Steffen Hamann (Brose Baskets) Rashad Wright (Efes Pilsen) Zoran Osmokrovic (Patras) |
Goran Nikolic (?) Phillipp Heyden (Ludwigsburg) Dijon Thompson (Azovmash) Aleksandar Rasic (Partizan) Mladen Pantic (?) Goran Jeretin (BC Kiev) Bobby Brown (Sacramento Kings) |
| ULEB CUP WINNER | Arrivals | Departures |
| DKV Joventut | Sito Alonso (head coach) Luka Bogdanovic (Le Mans) Simas Jasaitis (TAU) Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Benetton) Marcelinho Huertas (Fortitudo –>loan to Bilbao) Henk Norel (return from loan: Alicante) Michael Southall (Melilla) |
Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trailblazers) Jerome Moiso (Khimky) Lubos Barton (Barcelona) Aito Garcia Reneses (Spain NT) Eduardo Hernandez-Sonseca (Pamesa) |
Wednesday Rumors
June 17, 2008
If you are really trying to provide readers with good stuff, the basketball off-season is probably more interesting and even busier than the actual season itself.
For this reason, we decided to provide you with the latest rumors out there regarding European basketball and European players. To make it more interesting, we’ll let you know what we think about these rumors…
Danilo Gallinari will go to New York next year.
We have been talking about this from day one more as a joke than not, since the real reason to draft Gallinari cannot be just because his father played with the Knicks head coach back in the day, right? Oh well, look at Luke Walton: Sometimes Dad does help. Since Gallinari is in the US to work out with some teams, he also stopped in New Jersey to work out with the Nets. It looks like the Nets told Gallinari that they would certainly take him if still available when the Nets’ time to draft arrives. The Nets will choose at no. 10 in the first round, while the Knicks are sixth. One reason why the Knicks might not take Gallinari is that they are seeking some experience and might trade away the first-round pick.
Given the facts, the chance that Gallinari will be drafted by the Knicks: 
Fran Vazquez will leave FC Barcelona and enter the NBA next season.
Fran was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 2005 draft. Since then, the Magic wanted to bring him over, as they have again asked him this year. Spanish website sports.es tell us that Vazquez will continue to play for FC Barcelona next season. Vazquez has a contract with the Spanish club through June 2010 with an option for another year.
So, again no Fran Vazquez in the NBA this season:
Marc Gasol will leave Europe to play for the Grizzlies.
During the NBA finals, I saw Marc working out with his brother at the Staples Center. He also told reporters that the really likes it in the US and would be able to help any team on any level. Just one problem: Marc will make more money in Europe than the Grizzlies will offer him in his first season. Keep in mind that Gasol just played with a ULEB cup team and has several offers from Euroleague teams such as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Since he himself said that he is still “very young” in addition to the fact that he would make less money in the NBA, it is very doubtful that Marc will be seen in the NBA this upcoming season.
Chances of seeing Marc Gasol in the NBA next season:
Jorge Garbajosa will leave the Raptors and join a Euroleague team.
Another sad example how an injury can mess up your career - well, your NBA career at least. Remember Jorge’s real bad injury? This caused a lot of problems, and not only regarding the injury. As you know, the Spanish federation wanted Jorge to play at the European championship directly following the injury, while the Raptors did not agree with that decision at all. Jorge was re-injured and played only six games in this year’s NBA season.
Some Spanish media outlets reported that the Raptors now want to buy Garbajosa out of his contract and cut any ties. The Raptors have also added that he will not play at the Olympics as long as he is under contract with Toronto. Jorge is set to leave and any European team - particularly a Spanish team like Unicaja Malaga - will take him without a doubt.
Chances for this to happen:
Ksystof Lavrinovic is leaving Siena.
Lavrinovic just won the Italian title with Siena and also made it to the Final Four in Madrid this summer, where the team finished third. Ksystof was one of the main factors for Siena’s success this season and I am sure they will try to do anything to keep him there. There have been rumors that Lavrinovic will enter the NBA, which I’m sure he would if his “dark past” didn’t scare off any NBA team (including the Knicks) and even some Euroleague teams. But you almost can’t say “no” to a player like Ksystof. I’m sure many teams have been asking Siena about Ksystof, and we will soon hear the names of a few teams interested in signing him. How about a Greek team…?
Chances that Ksystof Lavrinovic will leave Montepaschi Siena:
