Francesco Cappelletti: “Cut and sew!”

Every year when October runs out, several players are denied a happy ending to their stories, and their NBA dream vanishes in a moment. This happens when waived by a franchise after a training camp spent sweating blood to emerge from among the “desperate ballers” hoping to make the team. So, there are two different paths to follow: Go down to the D-League or CBA, score 20 or more points per game, catch and shoot any ball you can, and try to obtain a ten-day contract (at least) from a NBA team during the season; or cross the ocean, build a new career maybe less rich, but in some cases much more satisfying than one in the US.

Let’s see who may be looking into this window of opportunity right about now, starting with NBA-caliber players.

Justin Williams didn’t have huge numbers with Sacramento and Houston, but has demonstrated that he can stay 10 minutes on the floor thanks to toughness, defensive intensity and rebounding capacity (Williams averaged 4.4 in 12 minutes per game with the Kings two years ago). Salim Stoudamire and his talent need no explanation: Obviously it’s his out-of-control mind that keeps him playing below expectations. But remember, he’s Damon’s cousin, so he should have no problem in ever finding an NBA team.

Comparisons between the former Hawks guard and Smush Parker are clear: Smush is crazy and he has been overpaid during the past seasons, but there’s no doubt about his value. David Harrison is another player endowed with a not-so-good relationship with the law. His body (213 cm, 125 kg) could allow him to dominate around the basket, but how badly does he want it? If nobody gives him a chance, the flight to Europe is ready for departure.

In my opinion, it’s time for Jamal Sampson, Darryl Watkins and Awvee Storey to come to Europe, just to name a few who will never be more than role players. The same goes for Elton Brown and David Noel; by contrast, Chris Richard is too young and promising to leave the NBA world. Luke Jackson, Keith McLeod, Jelani McCoy and Adrian Griffin are NBA travellers, and somewhere there they’ll remain.

Patrick Ewing Jr. (say goodbye to New York!), Coby Karl, Dwayne Mitchell, Jamaal Tatum, Blake Ahearn, Dan Grunfeld, C.J. Giles, Cheyne Gadson, Gerry McNamara (what a disaster in Europe: paid $90,000 to play exactly one minute with Olimpiacos, then was terrific with Panionios and Ventspils), and Julius Hodge are strictly US minors material.

Searching some interesting names for European leagues, Malik Hairston (a 6′6” all-arounder from Oregon who was the 48th overall pick in the last NBA draft) has both the scoring instincts and the physicality needed to be a factor not only in one halfcourt; David Padgett is a solid low-post player and comes from a winning team at Louisville;  Nick Fazekas has signed with Oostende by now.

The remaining waivees are all Europe-experienced, many able to compete at the medium-level (Roger Powell is too inconsistent to elevate his grade, Mateen Cleaves is far from the metronome admired in the past, Derrick Byars is intriguing but his five months in Roanne were less than stellar, Curtis Sumpter is always injured), many ready to serve as solid substitutes on elite teams (Gabe Muoneke, Josh Davis, Jared Jordan, Devin Green, Eddie Basden), and others yet close to upgrading themselves to top-level play. Reyshawn Terry, Charles Gaines, Robert Hite: Choose one of this trio and you’ll see the team improve very, very quickly.

Comparing European and NBA travel calls

For some reason, many Europeans - especially Spanish players - complained a lot about the referees not calling the U.S. traveling.

In some way, I really do understand both sides. Traveling in the NBA and the United States is not called the same way as it is called in the Euroleague and Europe. It looks like both sides just do not know better and do not understand why the other is so upset. To defend the US continent, NCAA and FIBA rules are almost the same, while the NBA just has a few minor changes.

During my trip to the U.S. this past summer (yes, summer is almost over!), I followed the US team’s pre-Olympic games as well as the Olympics. Before every game, the commentators talked about the differences between FIBA and NBA rules, such as the size of the court and even the size of the ball, but they never explained the important thing: TRAVELING.

Time to bring some light into the darkness of those made/missing travel calls! (Watch out where you click to start the video - the middle button is advertising. To start the video, click the left corner)

Here are the essentials of FIBA and NBA rules for traveling:

The NBA/WNBA rule is a little more liberal than the current NCAA and FIBA rules when a player is coming to a stop. The NBA/WNBA rule is identical to the pre-1994 FIBA rule; in essence, once you have come to a legal stop, you always have a foot to pivot with. NCAA and current FIBA rules can leave a player without a pivot foot. As well, if you land with a staggered stop (i.e. one foot, then the other, with one foot clearly in front of the other), the back foot is the pivot foot in NBA/WNBA. In NCAA/FIBA, the first foot to touch is the pivot.

Sounds easy right?

Here comes the problem: Why did the referees not make these calls in Beijing? It is obvious that at the Olympics, the teams have to play with FIBA rules, and that TEAM USA HAD to travel just because they are used to different rules. When you play basketball every day, you are not thinking about your steps - you just know them - so Team USA really had to travel, just because they do it - according to FIBA rules, of course - every single day in NBA games.

In case you don’t believe me - just watch this video where we have proof of travel:

We know now, that Team USA did travel at least 5-10 times a game, but the referees did not call it, but would that have changed the outcome of the Olympics? I don’t think so.

Still, why did the referees not make those calls? Any referee in a 5th division team in Europe would have made the calls that you saw in the video. I just hope there wasn’t any “higher” influence.

Buongiorno Dan Dickau!

Air Avellino, an Italian club that just made it to the Euroleague for the first time, named Dan Dickau their new point guard. According to club President Vincenzo Ercolino, Air Avelino was looking for Dan, because of their aim “to find a player that could make a difference and dictate the tempo of our team. He is a serious professional with NBA experience. We have nothing to envy of any other playmaker that arrived in Italy this year.”

I am sure, some US media will think about Dan again as a role NBA player, that is not worth p(l)aying in the NBA anyway - so let him go to Europe, but his 12.2 points and 5.2 assists he averaged with the New Orleans Hornets in 2004-05 promise a great signing for Avellino.

What do you think? Part 1

Since BallinEurope, just as any blog out there, is for you, the reader, we want to know what YOU think. This series will run a poll each week with one question covering a current development, news or rumors, where you get a chance to let us know what you think. Read more

Lithuanian invasion in the Bay Area

Lietuvos Rytas, one of the top two Lithuanian teams, will travel to the United States in October to play a friendly against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA preseason.
Read more

Monday’s cigarettes

Back from holiday, here are just a few cigarettes to start Olympic Qualifiers week in Beijing.

Read more

End-of-week rumors

RONNY TURIAF WOULD LIKE TO BE A LAKER.
Ronny told the press to write that, so there it is. It’s not really a rumor, but Ronny is a free agent now and didn’t play too well in the NBA Finals … wait, did he play? Right now, everybody wants to be a Laker, since everybody, including Sasha Vujacic, is talking how great the team will be once Andrew Bynum returns. Ronny really deserves to be on a great team like the Lakers, but he has not done much to help them in the Finals.

Not that of a big chance for Ronny to get the NBA championship in 2009:

Tiago Splitter to the San Antonio Spurs
Tiago finally got drafted last year by the San Antonio Spurs, but signed a HUGE contract with Tau Ceramica to stay in Europe. It looks like the bad economy in the US is keeping MANY players from going to the NBA for “pocket money.” Seems like just playing on the top level is not the biggest thing anymore.

Tiago in the NBA soon:

Omar Cook to Unicaja Malaga
Last thing we heard from Omar was that he had gotten a European passport: Not a bad thing for an American professional basketball player, right? This probably doubled his salary as well as his chances to land on a big-time team such as Malaga, who needs improvement on Bojan Popovic, a little bit of a disappointment there.

It just makes sense to bring in a “European” for another European, right?

DC Collins to leave Zalgiris
In L.A., I was in a car with some of the greatest US bloggers, like Henry Abbott from truehoop. Of course we talked some basketball, and the only thing they mentioned over and over was “chicken and porn.” I guess the chicken got stuck in everyone’s brain … I’m sure fans would NOT love seeing DC leave, especially those who enjoyed his interviews, but after such a season Collins’ salary might be too big for a Lithuanian team. What do we care? As long as he joins a team with good reporters that put up that great stuff on YouTube, we’re all fine right? The only country that may have the money to make DC happy is probably Russia. Not so many Euroleague teams there, though …

DC Collins leaving Zalgiris:

Andre Barrett to join Maccabi Tel Aviv
Never heard that name? Well, get used to it. Look at his career and you’ll agree that this is a guy who wants to play in Europe. He’s played in the NBA … not much so far. On the other hand, he has experience as a point guard whichmany Euroleague teams will be seeking. As some Israeli newspapers just released, Andre is only in negotiations with Maccabi, but this would be a nice fit.

Too much rumor so far:

Marc Jackson to sign with UNICS Kazan
Insiders may ask, “Why is this a rumor?” Well, it’s just because I can’t read Russian, that’s all. According to UNICS’ official website, where we see a picture of Marc Jackson, he has in fact signed there. Russian, anybody…?

Seems to be very true:

The NBA-Euro Exodus continues

The transfer season is in full speed in Europe, with rumors fusing all around the different newspapers and websites. And while the NBA teams are still thinking of drafting Europeans in the second round, former picks are thinking about moving back to the Euroleague.

Read more

General questions about international and European basketball

Over the last few weeks, we’ve received a few interesting questions from Luke T. Johnson of the “China Daily ” and we decided to make them open to the public. Here you go:

1. How have international teams from Europe and South America managed to close the gap on the US?
I am a huge European and South American basketball fan, but I would not say the gap is closed yet. In terms of marketing and especially investing into the sport, basketball in the United States is still a step ahead. Over here in Europe, you will only find basketball diehards to invest money into a team. If the team is not successful or if the investor does not like the decisions made by the coach or president, he pulls back and the club is no longer a top team. Since there is no draft in the NBA, the teams also do not get the opportunity to get great talented players like Cleveland’s Lebron James, who took his team to the NBA finals last year. In Europe, the best players are on the wealthiest clubs — CSKA Moscow, Panathinaikos, Real Madrid …

2. What has been the most significant factor (or factors) that has enabled the rest of the world to catch up with the US?
Basketball overseas has been made interesting for good basketball players mostly by the money they are able to pay now. Players that do not get that much playing time on a NBA team can become important players on Euroleague teams. This makes the sport more attractive to fans that follow the NBA mostly. With the recent wins of European teams against NBA teams in exhibition games, domestic fans have seen that it’s worth cheering for their home team again.

3. What do you think about the reported World Club Championships for next year? Will it actually happen? Will NBA teams compete? How would the Euroleague clubs match up against top NBA clubs?
The Word Club Championships will happen, simply because FIBA just announced so, but will it be successful? Will NBA teams and even Euroleague teams participate? Under the circumstances FIBA released this new championship, probably not. Neither the NBA or the Euroleague will participate with the schedule produced by FIBA; without the best teams from those leagues, it won’t be successful. Even if both leagues can agree on a better date, I doubt that we will see the matchup of CSKA Moscow against the 2008 NBA Champions - although I think this would be a very interesting game, if both teams play with they best players, but right now this is only a big dream.

4. As someone who seems to have seen a lot of both the NBA and Euroleague, how would you compare the two experiences — not just the game itself, but how popular it is, how fans react, the personalities of the players, the rivalries, and so on?
If you want to see passionate fans, come to Europe and watch the Euroleague. Actually you don’t even have to come to Europe. Last year’s NBA vs. Euroleague preseason games proved how passionate European fans are, when they filled the arena in Houston, Texas, for Panathinaikos playing the Rockets. Rivalries are more comparable to NFL rivalries, where some fans really hate each other and being a fan is not just putting on a basketball jersey and taking the kids to see a basketball game for two hours: You live your life for this club.

Another big difference between the NBA and the Euroleague: Players aren’t the most important and most known thing - it is all about the team. When Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Kevin Garnett are the trademarks for the NBA, you will see names such as CSKA Moscow, Real Madrid or Maccabi Tel Aviv in Europe representing the league. This has been formed over the years through the basketball culture in Europe and reflects on how fans see teams: team basketball.

5. What do you think of the FIBA rule changes? How will this impact the global game?
Finally the NBA has no chance to complain anymore! Oh, I am sure they will complain that their ball is smaller … NO - I am just kidding - both leagues will profit from these rule changes when it comes to national team play. Hopefully the European leagues will be able to adapt the rules quickly and we will see at least every first division team in Europe use them. Don’t forget: Only 30 NBA teams have to bring the three-point line closer, while thousands across Europe alone must - Time to open a business to print these lines on basketball floors!

6. Basketball outside of North America is known for its passing and team-first approach. Is there another explanation for the “international style” than just a foundation in soccer?
The explanation for the “international style” being linked to soccer is new, too. At least, I never though about it. In my opinion, the style played by European basketball teams is firstly linked to a different approach to the game. While the US system promotes the stardom and the 1-on-1 play through its rules and media, the European basketball doesn’t face this type of promotion. In Europe, you talk more about CSKA or Panathinaikos than about Siskauskas or Diamantidis.

With this “education,” European players don’t have much intention to develop into individual superstars. The fact that in younger years, the European player normally gets the whole package in terms of basketball fundamentals also favors this type of basketball. If you have centers that can pass, that gives a whole different game than a situation in which the big guys merely set picks and dunks.

7. Who do you predict will be in the final game in Beijing?
I think that Team USA will make it to the Final. The second team to qualify is very difficult to predict because already you don’t know all the teams that will be there. But I think that Russia will have a good chance to qualify. Argentina I don’t think that they are strong enough to qualify for the Final as their generation is getting older. The same counts for Greece. If Lithuania really gets Zydrunas Ilgauskas to play, they can also be contenders for the Gold Medal.

8. Are there any countries you think will be “surprise teams” in Beijing?
Here again, it is difficult to say as not all the teams are known so far. Angola can eventually be a surprise by beating some of the “established” teams as they did in the 2006 World Championships. Another team that can go for some surprising wins may be Australia who a generation of young players growing in important roles.

9. Any else you’d like to add about the international landscape?
The International basketball is closing the gap to the US basketball but the general basketball fan is still considering the US basketball way above. When you live in the United States, the fan is more concerned about high school basketball than the Euroleague. Even the losses of NBA teams in the preseason against Euroleague teams did not change the superiority complex of American basketball fans.

NBA Players Association meets Europe

As the German player association tells us, the situation in Europe regarding contracts may be preventing NBA agents sending some of their players to Europe.

A presentation from the UBE [European Basketball Players Association] was solicited during a meeting last September in order to provide information on the situation in Europe to NBA agents, many of whom also represent players in Europe.

The presentation included an overview of players associations in Europe and a listing of common types of problems in some countries. For example, in Germany after a serious injury a player’s full salary is only guaranteed for six weeks if a special provision is not included in the contract; in France, contracts are never “net” of income taxes; in Italy, the only “guaranteed contract” is the standard contract in the CBA; in Spain, there is a strong effort by the union to eliminate the participation of naturalized Spainards; and in Greece, teams are allowed not to pay players for up to three months.

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Yes, these players still make a nice chunk of money, but would you go to work every day if you didn’t get paid for three months?

A large number of agents indicated that they were suffering from these types of problems in Europe and welcomed at least the beginning of an effort to organize players collectively in order to help professionalize the business.

Players must also be defended, and if Players’ Associations are not taken seriously, clubs will do whatever they want.