Ricky Rubio 202
Where will NBA's European free agents go?
While everyone else in the basketball universe is watching the minute-by-minute maneuvers of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the like, BallinEurope has an eye on those powers from The Continent who may be moving around within the NBA to help reshape rosters for the 2010-11 season. Our man in the U.K., Sam Chadwick, […]
Sources: Milicic, Pekovic sign with Timberwolves for $33 million combined
Incredible, unbelievable and who’d a thunk it just nine months ago? Sources are reporting to ESPN this afternoon EST that the Minnesota Timberwolves are on the verge of signing Darko Milicic to a four-year, $20 million contract. Other sources tell ESPN, meanwhile, that the ‘Wolves and Nikola Pekovic have finally agreed on a three-year, $13 […]
2010 NBA Draft Analysis: Four Europeans walk into a league…
Right, so in the 2010 NBA Draft there were four Europeans: a Frenchman, a German, a Brit and a Serbian. I could easily make up a joke about how they all walk into a bar … but I won’t. [Aw. –Ed.] Instead, I’ll give you some stats on each of these players: Okay, the Frenchman: […]
2010 FIBA World Championship odds: Looking for a dark horse {advertorial}
So call BallinEurope kooky: While everyone else with an eye on basketball – even European basketball, for Arvydas Sabonis’ sake – is concentrating on the NBA free-agent market, BiE is all attention on the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men tipping off in Turkey in August. Naturally, bookmakers too are into it and the early […]
Portrait of the Artist: Ricky Rubio on 2009 NBA Draft day
Here’s a must-read for you, courtesy of Free Darko and Salon.com. After “sitting on this for a year,” Salon.com writer/editor Ethan Sherwood Strauss contributes his “The Spaniard’s Bar Mitzvah,” a story of “escorting” Ricky Rubio to and fro the 2009 NBA Draft in New York City. Excellent stuff for Rubio fans, not to mention those […]
From A.I. to Zalgiris: The top stories in 2009-10 European basketball
As BallinEurope closes the book on the 2009-10 basketball season, it’s time to take stock of the year that was with the clarity of history. Without further ado, let’s retrospect on the top 10 Eurocentric basketball stories of the season.
What FC Barcelona must do (with special reference to Lakers-Celtics)
Two teams teetering on the edge, two series remarkably similar in a few outstanding features. With FC Barcelona one game from elimination at the hands of Caja Laboral Baskonia in the ACB championship series, BallinEurope – like so many others – is looking for answers to the Blaugrana’s mysterious woes. Perhaps some might be found […]
Giant slayers: Caja Laboral Baskonia wins 70-69, pushes FC Barcelona to brink
In a season already spiced with big playoff upsets, Caja Laboral Baskonia may be adding the biggest to the list yet, as the Basque Country boys held on through an insane final minute of play to eke out a 70-69 win over FC Barcelona. And now things in Spain have become suddenly unthinkable as the […]
Not so fast, hombre: Baskonia stuns mighty Barcelona to take ACB game one, 63-58
I guess this is why they actually play the games, eh? Caja Laboral Baskonia leapt out to a 12-0 lead behind the dominant play of Tiago Splitter to start game one of the ACB championship finals and hung on for the 63-58 win. The achievement of Baskonia’s win is reflected in historical statistics: Barcelona has […]
Fearless prediction: The ACB finals
All right, with 90 minutes or so left ’til tipoff, BallinEurope has just about enough time to get this one in. Without too much (okay, no further) analysis, BiE will say FC Barcelona in three games *but* each win will be decided by seven or fewer points as Caja Laboral Baskonia does their damnedest though […]
Top 10 reasons Americans should watch the ACB finals
Yes, yes, BallinEurope realizes that U.S. basketball fandom is currently enraptured with the NBA Championship, if only to determine just which team y’all hate more. But still: A true roundball supporter wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to tune into some top-level ball, would you? As Pete Mickeal once put it, “Hey, there’s a world outside […]
“Colorful, attractive, spectacular” Rubio still kinda likes Minnesota; won’t play there until 2011-12 at best
The Associated Press released an interview with FC Barcelona/prospective Minnesota Timberwolves PG Ricky Rubio this morning in which the Human YouTube Clip proclaimed he won’t be entering the NBA until the opt-out clause in his contract kicks in, i.e. at the end of the 2010-11 ACB season, and that he might yet be willing to […]