BallinEurope, the European Basketball news site

One more time, then. BallinEurope’s man in the U.K., Sam Chadwick concludes this website’s official mock draft with his final 15 choices for round two. As for BiE, well, even if there’s a lack of players from The Continent forecast for picks 46-60, i’m still pleased as punch a UNM alma mater gets in there…

46. Phoenix Suns: Derrick Caracter (6’9”, PF, UTEP, Junior). If Amare Stoudamire is heading out of town to join Lebron James in New York or going somewhere for that ever-elusive max contract, then the Suns may need a new athletic power forward who can continue to run pick-and-rolls with Steve Nash. If Dirk Nowitzki comes to the Suns, Caracter can be a valuable backup.

Continue Reading…

Ball in Europe will be rounding up this weekend’s European cup action tomorrow, but for today here are a handful of stories from the interwebs this week about every other subject in a seven-day span spent mostly between deprogramming from NBA All-Star Weekend and preparing for the Copa del Rey.

• The best post of this week comes from the past: Specifically, a retelling of events surrounding a team called the Harlem Rens and the 1939 World Professional Basketball Tournament at Hoops Addict. What? You’ve never heard of either? Well, first you can whet your appetite here; then check out the trailer for the Kareem Abdul-Jabber written/produced documentary film, due for general international release in 2010. The book, on Harlem basketball and that area’s cultural Renaissance in the 30s, entitled On the Shoulders of Giants is out now.

• The NBA trade deadline went down this week and unsurprisingly the NBA’s second-most famous draft bust of all-time was dealt from the New York Knicks. All but admitting that the presence of Darko Milicic is as temporary as the 27 games left on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ schedule when he joined the team post-Nate Robinson trade, the team now seems mostly concerned about … making Milicic feel nice.

Says Timberwolves GM David Kahn, “I hope he will give it one more shot. Even if he ends up returning to Europe, I hope he wants to end his NBA career on a positive note. In our situation, he’ll play.”

Continue Reading…

Whoa, now here’s a strange one from the Maccabi Tel Aviv-New York Knicks game last night. Not only did Pini Gershon earn two technical fouls during the exhibition, not only was the coach ejected, *not only* did Mr. Gershon refuse to leave courtside even after an eight-minute delay, but a honest-to-Jehovah rabbi was brought in to confer with referees about the beleaguered coach.

Said Rabbi Yitchak Dovid Grossman: “I explained that this is not a regular game and the kids are watching and [it's] important that there will be peace and forgive him … But he says this is the law, that you must obey.”

Said Maccabi big man Yaniv Green in deferential hyperbole: “…the crowd likes him very much. They’re coming to the game to see him even more than they’re coming to see us.”

Said guard Nate Robinson: “I’ve never experienced that before, but … there’s a first time for everything I guess.”

Said BallinEurope.com: “That certainly won’t be the last weird thing seen on Madison Square Garden during Knicks games this season.

The Knicks won the game, 106-91.

Continue Reading…

Yes! In possible fulfillment of this writer’s dream for the 2009-10 Euroleague season, Lithuania-based Basketworld.lt is today reporting that Olympiacos will be extending a contract offer to Allen Iverson.

Reportedly, Olympiacos officials are ready to offer free agent Iverson a two-year, $10 million deal, “exactly the same proposal that was presented to Nate Robinson” earlier this year.

With nothing else on his table, you know A.I. will be thinking about this one … Ball in Europe sure hopes so.

Special thanks to Ball In Europe reader OlympiacosFAN for the tip!

Continue Reading…

A few sites, including our friends at TalkBasket.net, are reporting the collapse of preliminary discussions between the New York Knicks’ Nate Robinson and Olympiacos Piraeus. Olympiacos offered Robinson a two-year deal worth $9 million or $10 million, depending on which source you believe.

Continue Reading…