Official story from FIBA follows.

(FIBA) – Iran will look to make it back to the top in Asian basketball with former Slovenia coach Memi Becirovic.

Champions in 2007 and 2009, the national side came up short in its bid to win a third straight FIBA Asia title last summer when it was upset by Jordan in the quarterfinals. The federation then parted ways with coach Veselin Matic.

Iran, who confirmed the new coaching appointment on their federation website, played at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

“I accepted the offer of Iran because I found it very interesting,” Becirovic said in remarks on the Slovenian Basketball Federation website.

“I know the team because we played it twice in 2010”: Becirovic coached Slovenia against Iran at the World Championship, a game the European side won in Istanbul, 65-60.

“Asian basketball is being developed with big steps, and Iran has good conditions for training,” he said.

Becirovic is expected to leave for Iran in April.

General managers of European powerhouses tend to distrust American players out of university, as their teams cannot afford to await the player’s adaptation to a system that’s all about team execution. This is why even young talented players with prestigious college résumés may have to start professionally in the provinces of Europe.

A big Carmelo Anthony fan, former Hoya Austin Freeman is a powerful 6’3” (190.5 cm) guard with a wide shooting range: “I think I’m more like a Joe Johnson type of player, but I like watching many players and try to take a little something out of them.” Last season, his senior year as a Hoya, Freeman scored 17.6 points per game and joined Kemba Walker in the backcourt of the All Big East First Team.

Freeman confesses he landed in the Italian second division with little knowledge of European basketball. “I didn’t know too much, just that some rules were a little different. I knew a couple of guys from my area who told me they were doing well. You know David Hawkins? He played here in Italy before and told me I would do fine.”

The Hawk, current captain of Beşiktaş Milangaz, was right and Austin began doing what he’s always done: pouring in points and making big shots. See below for video from his debut in Italy, when he introduced himself by dropping 38 points.

He acknowledges some differences with the basketball he was used to: “Most players here have a lot of skills, they’re very talented. The big men can shoot really well; they can put the ball on the floor. The game is also more physical here.

“Plus, here it’s much more about team game: In America, we have a lot of isolation – players do their own thing most of the time. Here you have to be able to execute both on the offensive end and the defensive end.”

But Freeman doesn’t want to make much of an issue out of his status as a rookie in a European basketball. After all, there are many instances that remind him of college. Fans “are not so different, I mean not so different from American college fans. Just a little bit more excited and involved with everything.”

Freeman's hand gesture has inspired a T-shirt

Forli’ is a small city in the northeast of Italy. There is only one McDonalds in town and rumors say many of Fulgor Libertas’ former American players are distinguished members of the Hall of Fame of hamburger-consumers there.

“Naaah, I’m not like that!” Freeman chuckles. “I found a couple of good Italian restaurants I go to on a regular basis when I have practice. I like going there with the guys, too.”

Currently the third-highest scorer in the league at 22.4 points per game, Freeman has drawn the attention of several first-division teams from Italy and Greece. Forli’ is not willing to let him go during the 2011-12, and will surely struggle to re-sign him with such suitors.

When we mention the word “future,” Freeman chuckles, presuming the same old lame question on NBA dreaming is forthcoming. We try not to mention the three magic letters explicitly, instead asking: Are you going to the next summer league?

“Yeah, that’s the plan. Once the season is over, I’m going back home [and] take a couple of weeks off to get ready for it.”

All right then, some hypothetical thinking, then. Next summer, there are two deals on the table: One is a guaranteed contract offered by a top European team; the other is a non-guaranteed temporary contract from an NBA team. Say a 15-day contract. What would Freeman go for?

“If it’s a 15-day contract, I’m coming back here to Europe! If it’s a 15 day contract…”

Enrico Cellini is lifelong basketball fanatic and a long-time sportswriter with a focus on Italy and Spain. He was born among European hoops, was raised watching the NBA, and thinks choosing between American and European basketball is like choosing between one’s mother and father. You can follow him on Twitter or check out his Italian-language blog Hoop Addicted.

Scene from 2008

Nevertheless, just as certain is the fact that entering the American media environment is the communication equivalent of diving into a tub of alligators. A common fear is of speaking in public? Imagine doing it in another language. Spontaneously. Scrutinized, analyzed and tittered about by tens of millions of rabid fans milliseconds after a tough loss. And all of it done under the glare of those tens of millions’ high expectations – which, essentially, every European basketballer in the NBA faces.

(Yes, BallinEurope knows that some readers must do this kinda stuff all the time – particularly those first two bits. But still. It does boggle this expatriate American’s mind, even after 15 years on The Continent.)

So guess what: The Human YouTube Highlight Clip has produced another moment for the virtual archives, showing good game in the intensely difficult off-court field of trash-talking – against no less an opponent than Kobe Bryant, a pretty fair verbal wrangler himself.

While Kobe has peppered swipes regarding a Team USA-Team Spain showdown in the 2012 Olympic Games to his teammate Pau Gasol, he was recently able to conversate with Rubio briefly when the two teams met last Sunday. Things went down as follows.

The transcript (warning: R-rated language included) runs thusly.

Bryant: (to Rubio) Good job, brother. You talking about London?
Gasol: Oh yeah.
Rubio: You’re gonna be there?
Bryant: Fuck yeah, I’m gonna be there.
Rubio: You know you’re getting the silver medal, right?
Bryant: Shiiiiiiit!
Rubio: You know that.
Bryant: I’m taking bets. I’m taking bets.
Rubio: I’ll bet what you want.
Bryant: If I win, I get the keys to Barcelona.
Rubio: I’ll bet what you want.
Bryant: I’ll take it! I’ll take it!

God, BiE loves how the table is being set for The Games already – and as of this writing, opening ceremonies are still 177½ days away … they can’t come soon enough, says BiE.

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.”

However, Nowitzki then add that, for last year’s finals, he left his parents and his sister home because of that 2006 series: “They came in 2006 and it went badly: Too many distractions around. This time I wanted to stay focused. They really got mad at me. And now I regret such a choice!”

Asked which Italian NBA player he would like to have in his team, Nowitzki said, “Tough choice. Perhaps [Danilo] Gallinari, as he can play both small and power forward. He’s got a nice shot and the ability to draw fouls. But I like [Andrea] Bargnani, too – he’s improved a lot. He used to play only from the perimeter, and now he steps up.”

On his meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel: “She’s nice, I spent half an hour with her, she asked me a lot of questions – even though she doesn’t know a lot about basketball!”

On his future, Dirk said that “I’ll play for at least two more years. Afterward, I’d like to stay in the basketball world. I see myself as a teacher to the kids, but I still don’t know if I’ll do it here in Texas or in Germany.”

Finally, he has no doubts on the next challenge: “This is my sixth Europlayer award, I want to get one more, beat [Arvydas] Sabonis and be no. 1 in [Gazetta della Sport’s all-time] rankings.”

Ricky Rubio, Los Gasoles, Gallinari and Bargnani: You have been warned.

Enrico Cellini is lifelong basketball fanatic and a long-time sportswriter with a focus on Italy and Spain. He was born among European hoops, was raised watching the NBA, and thinks choosing between American and European basketball is like choosing between one’s mother and father. You can follow him on Twitter or check out his Italian-language blog Hoop Addicted.

Most recent departures from the club include coach Zeljko Lukjić, who resigned his position yesterday, and Galatasaray addition Boris Savovic.

The perhaps soon to be renamed Vrsac is currently mired near the bottom of the Adriatic League table, tied for 11th of 14 teams with a record of 5-12 after the disastrous nine-game losing streak leading to Lukjić’s departure.

The news marks quite a blow for a club that has enjoyed some fantastic success since the millennium turned, with a 2004-05 Adriatic League championship and a second place finish in 2007-08; a silver medal in the 2000-01 Korac Cup; three seconds in the Serbian Cup tournament; and five appearances in the Serbian league finals, including back-to-back showings in the past two seasons.

While indicative of the general financial problems affecting professional sports in certain European nations, fans cannot be happy with another step back in what some see as a general devolution of Serbian basketball.

As part of the TBL all-star festivities, there was of course the all-important dunk contest. In this one, Doğuş Balbay took the top prize for easily clearing Anadolu Efes teammate/2010 dunking champ Sinan Güler for the jam – and then again for good measure. That dude, as they say, ‘s got some hops.

Jonathan Gibson, formerly of New Mexico State University and currently with TBL all-star hosts Trabzonspor won the three-point shootout and later suited up for the foreigners’ team.

And o yes, there were cheerleaders…

First and foremost, BallinEurope feels for Pau Gasol. While the Lakers’ game right now might best (and most charitably) be described as “disorganized,” particularly in the offensive sets where The Triangle is no more, it *feels* like Kobe is subtly, slowing freezing out Gasol.

Though Pau fed Kobe three times in the Indiana game, Gasol got rare touches from Bryant who apparently was instead looking to exploit a size advantage underneath and got three assists to Andrew Bynum. Against the Pacers, Kobe notched two assists to Pau, both within 90 seconds of one another in the third quarter.

But BiE digresses and is probably just paranoid.

Nevertheless.

Let’s talk trade.

A couple of other big-name disgruntled/outgoing players await, ostensibly on the trading block. There’s Dwight Howard, who reportedly will allow a trade to the Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets or Los Angeles Lakers. There’s Deron Williams “enjoying” another excellent season at the peak of his skills while mired with a disappointing New Jersey Nets time and probably considering requesting a trade to Beşiktaş.

In short, why wouldn’t this work?

Okay, so the Lakers aren’t addressing the paucity of the bench and Howard’d probably not appreciate going to a Nets side sans D-Will, believed to be a main motivation for Superman II to move to New Jersey. And Orlando Magic management would lose lots of face for bagging “only” Pau for the dominant Dwight; any theoretical trade involving Howard must factor in the desperation to get something for the departing star – and if in fact said star wants to, you know, leave at all.

Right, so BiE’ll be the bad guy in L.A. Gussy things up just a bit and imagine a draft choice or two also changing hands and you get this; hey, the ESPN Trade Machine likes it. No, BiE isn’t particularly enamored with Matt Barnes; why do you ask?

And can you feel the frustration and fear? Interesting time to be a Lakers fan.

Adele: “What the--?”

Well, in the case of Keith Langford and teammate/keyboardist Richard “Jimi” Hendrix, it’s “two brothers from the South” bringing „something completely different for you in the conversation.” See below the break to enjoy a little musical styling, namely a performance of that ubiquitous song of 2011, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.”

All together now: “We could have had it aaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllll…”

As a tweet from Mensah-Bonsu’s former club CSKA Moscow rhetorically asks, “How does he score?”

On January 2, Scavolini Siviglia Pesaro (then 6-6 in Italy) was supposed to be fully focused on preparing for the toughest match of the season, i.e. the Serie A game against almighty juggernaut and five-time repeat champions Montepaschi Siena. Nobody could have ever expected that the greatest challenge for the team would come from outside the court.

On the morning of the game, Pesaro officials informed media that head of a pig had been left in front of Scavolini Pesaro basketball operations offices by an indignant anonymous fan or group of fans (or rather, more appropriately, “fanatic” or “fanatics”).

Pesaro head coach Luca Dalmonte must have wished his only problems were about dismantling Siena’s pick-and-roll or Bo McCalebb’s ferocious athleticism. Instead, Dalmonte also found himself dealing with an intimidating message accompanying the disembodied head: “The next one will be for Dalmonte.”

(Nevertheless, as Gazzetta dello Sport speculated, the most likely designated recipient of the macabre delivery was Pesaro general manager Mauro Montini, who had previously criticized his team’s fans after the victory against Varese.)

Pesaro is one of the historical venues of Italian basketball, with a long history of passion and prestige. Nowadays, the club can count on a young and dynamic team including former USC/current Team Italy point guard Daniel Hackett, former Philadelphia 76er Jumaine Jones, and high-flying forward James White, but big-time ambitions are not realistic. After the act of intimidation, players and coach stuck together and responded in they only way that could possibly fix the situation.

Remember the game at Siena? Despite running with a seven-man rotation, Pesaro played solidly, had all five starters scoring in double figures and took the upset win by three points on one of the most hostile courts in all of Europe.

Five days later, Pesaro hosted top team Virtus Bologna (you know, the guys who tried to hire Kobe Bryant). Led by Richard Hickman, Pesaro provided a great display for its home fans in shooting 55% from inside, 52% on threes, and bringing home a second consecutive win.

In the meantime, directly after the Siena game, the anonymous fan(s) sent an email to the website Pesaro Sport to clarify the nature of the gesture, calling it nothing but a joke born from an “innocent crack made among friends.”

According to the email, the clear proof of this “would be the signature of the message sent to Dalmonte.”

The fan(s) inform that the accompanying letter was signed by the name of former Pesaro coach Stefano Pillastrini and was not entirely publicized after the incident. In an undisclosed part, right after “the next one will be for Dalmonte,” the fan(s) claim they made the fake Pillastrini say, “I have eaten the rest of the pig” in a jab at the coach’s chubby build.

In the email, there is no sign of apology: Notwithstanding feeling “extremely surprised” and “terribly sorry for the spin that this thing has taken” in the media, the prank was explained to be a “goliardic joke” that became greatly exaggerated.

While striving to minimize the scale of the issue in the media, the Scavolini Siviglia Pesaro organization has taken the threat very seriously and has informed the authorities.

Enrico Cellini is lifelong basketball fanatic and a long-time sportswriter with a focus on Italy and Spain. He was born among European hoops, was raised watching the NBA, and thinks choosing between American and European basketball is like choosing between one’s mother and father. You can follow him on Twitter or check out his Italian-language blog Hoop Addicted.