ACB 228
European vocation: News, highlights on Deron Williams, Christian Eyenga, Khadeem Lattin, more
The movement from the U.S. to Europe within the basketball world is still in motion, and so BallinEurope presents a quintet of stories (and highlight clips) involving American players from the NBA level to prep schools playing abroad.
Report: Valencia wants second chance to offer “on the fence” Kevin Durant, Nike a deal
Yahoo! Sports this morning reported that at least three major clubs – Euroleaguers Maccabi Tel Aviv, EuroCup side Valencia Basket and, interestingly enough, BBC Bayreuth of Germany – have put forth offers for Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant to play in Europe while the NBA player lockout continues. And according to Spain-based basketball website […]
Euroleague games three: Official BallinEurope Fearless Predictions™ for Thursday games
After lazily posting the BallinEurope Fearless Predictions™ for Wednesday’s Euroleague games solely on Twitter – and going four for four picking winners, naturally – BiE returns the prognostication to its proper place, namely here. Following, then, brief takes on each of tonight’s seven matches.
Euroleague Power Rankings: November edition
With two Euroleague games in the books for each team and something of an overall picture developing, BallinEurope unleashes the November edition of its ever-“popular” power rankings for the two dozen squads. For reference, edification and jollies, the preseason edition of the ‘rankings may be seen here. Once again, advisories in effect: These ratings are […]
Real Madrid launches “Operation Marc Gasol”
And the plans of European basketball teams for signing NBA players just keep getting more ambitious and/or outlandish as Real Madrid executives and media are discussing “Operation Marc Gasol.” While plans to ink the Memphis Grizzly-cum-free agent to play for the Whites until the lockout lifts are not necessarily in the works, Spain-based Marca.com today […]
Rudy Fernandez and the “Canasta Imposible”
Here’s an early entrant into any unofficial “ACB Play of the Year” contest. In what would otherwise merely appear as a single-line entry in play-by-play writeups amidst Real Madrid’s 20th consecutive regular-season victory, an 81-67 victory over Blusens Monbus, Rudy Fernandez hit a “canasta imposible” in the third quarter for three points plus a foul […]
Pau Gasol: “I prefer European style of basketball,” won’t play for Barcelona (probably)
The ACB official website (and just about every other Spanish-language outlet for sports news) offers a lengthy piece on Pau Gasol, based on interviews with French newspaper L’Equipe. Highlighted in the Spanish league reportage is Pau’s line to the effect that “I prefer the European game in the NBA because basketball is a team sport […]
Serge Ibaka “wants to play at least a month or two” in Spain
Already the rare naturalized player on Team Spain, Serge Ibaka would reportedly like to extend his commitment to his adopted home country. Hoops Hype today is posting quotes from an unnamed source vis-à-vis the possibility of the Oklahoma City Thunderer joining an ACB team while the NBA lockout drags on. “He wants to play at […]
Euroleague Power Rankings: First of the Season edition
Right, then. With the last teams advancing into the Euroleague two dozen for the regular season and a break in the Kobe-to-Bologna soap opera today, BallinEurope breaks out an old favorite: power rankings! Once again, the BallinEurope Euroleague Power Rankings are based on current trends, i.e. who’s hot, who’s not. For this edition of the […]
FC Barcelona, Montepaschi Siena take national cups
A pair of unsurprising results came in last night, with Euroleague superpowers FC Barcelona and Montepaschi Siena taking national cups. In the Liga Endesa Supercopa, Barcelona handled Caja Laboral Baskonia, 82-73, for its third consecutive title and its seventh in the past eight years. Stop BiE if you’ve heard this before, but Juan Carlos Navarro […]
Revisiting the odds: Which NBA players will come to Europe for 2011-12?
After another couple weeks of speculation, hype and quotage, it’s time for BallinEurope to revisit the odds: specifically speaking, the odds on NBA players coming to play ball on The Continent in 2011-12. Once again, should note that these lines are offered at no bookmaker service and are completely arbitrary (which is to say mostly […]
ACB preseason: Unicaja Malaga, Lucentum Alicante, Caja Laboral take cups; Gran Canaria bows out in Germany
The 2011-12 ACB season may not have tipped off yet, but the Spanish league’s teams were nevertheless busy in preseason games this weekend. Below, BallinEurope briefly rounds up the action. • A bunch of regional tournaments went down this weekend in Spain, including the Lliga Catalana semifinials. In this tourney yesterday, reigning Lliga and ACB […]