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What’s missing from FIBA’s World Championship ad campaign?
So the Euroleague season is over and, though domestic league action is still with us for a couple months longer (BallinEurope’s “European Champions” feature is coming soon), something of that international competition spirit is missing for the nonce – at least until the FIBA World Championships in August and September! And so the high-profile FIBA […]
Fred Hoiberg: Iowa State wants Serbians!
It was a bit of a joke, but perhaps incoming Iowa State Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg learned something during his tenure as Minnesota Timberwolves exec – even if it was a late lesson taught by Darko Milicic, of all people. According Iowa Newspapers’ ISU sports site Go Cyclones, Hoiberg wrote a mail to his brother […]
Rubio named 2010 Euroleague Rising Star – wait a minute … “rising”?
Geez, the only surprise in this award is that Euroleague still considers Ricky Rubio a “rising” star. Okay, sure, the Wizard of Barcelona is still only 19 years old, but the truth is he’s been playing top-level European basketball for 4-1/2 years now. Plus, Rubio took the ACB Rising Star Award three years ago, the […]
Khryapa snaps Diamantidis’ streak, snags EL Best Defender; Rubio finishes second (Videos? You bet!)
A slightly belated congratulations this morning go out to CSKA Moscow’s Viktor Khryapa, who became the Euroleague’s answer to Dwight Howard in taking the “Euroleague Best Defender” trophy and snapping Panathinaikos’ Dimitris Diamantidis’ five-year stranglehold on the award. Meanwhile, NBA fans need take note: Finishing second was FC Barcelona wunderkind Ricky Rubio in what was […]
Free Darko, already: Eyjafjallajokull conspires to keep Milicic in America
For perhaps the first time since he was drafted at no. 2 overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2003 NBA Draft, Darko Milicic’s picture is in newspapers across the world. Of course, the location is far from the safe confines of a basketball court and the Associated Press piece instead captures the beleaguered baller […]
Kahn reiterates: Rights to Rubio are untouchable
Minnesota Timberwolves general manager David Kahn reiterated his bold stand on the team’s overall no. 5 NBA draft pick, Spanish wunderkind Ricky Rubio, to the Minnesota Star-Tribune last night. To wit: Rubio is untouchable in this off-season. The move by the man they sometimes call KAAAAAAAAAAAAHN prompted Star-Tribune writer Jerry Zgoda to collect quotes on […]
Mark your calendars: Teams, dates for 2011 NBA Europe Live tour set
Who says it’s too far away to be thinking about the 2011 NBA Europe Live tour? Not BallinEurope, certainly, and apparently not EA Sports, Euroleague and the NBA: The organizations have released information on participating teams – and o boy, they’re good – for the October event. The NBA teams playing in the annual hypefest […]
Draft profile: Miroslav Raduljica
In tribute to that great international pastime known as “NBA mock drafting,” BallinEurope’s man in the U.K., Sam Chadwick, periodically takes a look at some of Europe’s prospective high draft picks. Today’s profile features Serbia’s Miroslav Raduljica, a 22-year-old center who figures to hear his name on draft day early on in the second round. […]
Beyond Vesely: Five European names North America must know for 2010-11
With BallinEurope’s profile piece on Jan Vesely in, today we’re adding a bit of a primer on some other names certain to get increasing mentions in NBA culture from your team’s elimination from the playoffs through to the draft and into the 2010 FIBA World Championships in August/September. NBA fans who want to get in […]
Note to Simmons: Dude, Rubio's a little better than 30%
It’s not that BallinEurope is obsessed with both Bill Simmons and Rubio-to-Minnesota, but … all right, i am obsessed with both Bill Simmons and Rubio-to-Minnesota. Still, when BiE finally got around to reading this week’s patented “Mailbag” column only to see no. 1 best-selling author The Sports Guy take an incorrect swipe at the poster […]
Draft profile: Donatas Motiejunas
Now that NBA mock drafting is in full swing (despite the total lack of clarity regarding playoff positioning, not to mention seeing how the damn lottery ping-pong balls fall this year), BallinEurope’s man in the U.K., Sam Chadwick, will be taking a look at some of Europe’s prospective high draft picks. Today, it’s all about […]
Darko starts, ‘Wolves lose anyway
Darko Milicic started an NBA game for the first time since 2008 against the Dallas Mavericks last night, but to no avail. The suddenly much-played Darko was in foul trouble early in the 112-109 loss and therefore only played 14 minutes, going three-of-three on shooting and adding two rebounds.