Virtus Bologna 42
Earl Boykins and D.J. Mbenga to Olympiacos – If so, when?
So it’s not quite Kirilenko-to-CSKA, but it’s got BallinEurope on pins and needles. To wit, the ostensible signings of Earl Boykins, a free agent currently listed as the shorter player in the NBA ranks, and fan favorite D.J. Mbenga by Olympiacos. For nearly a week, the story of the Reds signing the 5’5” Boykins has […]
What might have been: Virtus Bologna’s Sabatini still claims deal made with Kobe
Sheesh, some people really don’t have the word “quit” in their vocabulary; one of these is surely Virtus Bologna owner Claudio Sabatini, the relentless pursuer of Kobe Bryant during the NBA lockout … and beyond, it seems. According to Corriere della Sport via Sportando, Sabatini still can’t get the L.A. Laker off his mind. Runs […]
Thanks for the memories: Top performances by locked-out NBA players in Europe
BallinEurope bids adieu to the all-too-brief wackiness that was the ENBA: A period of time shorter than Allen Iverson’s career with Beşiktaş, though for a sweet, brief while it seemed like forever … ah, the feeling of a too-fast love affair dragged down by unfeeling reality, leaving only fond memories and bitter tears to … […]
Real Madrid takes revenge on Unicaja Malaga, 96-80; wild finish avoided
Last March seems far away, doesn’t it? It probably feels like yesterday to fans of Real Madrid and Unicaja Malaga, though, for that’s when the two teams clashed in ACB play last season to produce one of the craziest, most dramatic endings in Liga Endesa history – and had commentator Oscar Cuesta going viral with […]
Kyrie Irving: “Overseas here I come” if NBA labor deal not done soon
All right, time for more speculation. To wit: Which European team could be most in need of a locked-out point guard itching to play some minutes? The CV of the player in question includes turns on the gold-medal Team USA of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in addition to performances in the Nike Hoop Summit, […]
Coach Messina “going to Disneyland” (possibly on Kobe’s helicopter)
From Italy, BallinEurope’s Enrico Cellini has quotes from a conference attended by one of the nation’s finest-ever coaching minds, Ettore Messina, and collected a few thoughts from the new Los Angeles Lakers assistant on living in L.A., Kobe Bryant’s transport and going to Disneyland… After earning a status as one of the most successful coaches […]
Virtus Roma offers deals to Andrea Bargnani, interesting new sponsor
Now here’s an interesting twist in NBA player signings and one that brings new meaning to the expression “business affairs.” In following a model first tested by Beşiktaş in the signing of Deron Williams, Virtus Roma is pursuing Andrea Bargnani with at least two offers – a three-month deal and a full-season contract pending resurrection […]
The BallinEurope tribute to all-time Euroleague great Marcus Brown
Marcus Brown retired from professional basketball this week as the Euroleague’s modern-era top scorer (with 2,715 total points to his name) and with a CV of success the envy of many. After getting drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1996 and playing sparingly there for a season, Brown jumped the puddle to embark on […]
Stood-up Claudio Sabatini writes Barack Obama re: Kobe, NBA lockout
Italy-based Gazzetto dello Sport reports on a couple of developments – or perhaps more appropriately “non-developments” – in the Kobe-to-Bologna soap opera. The first bit is easy to define: Kobe Bryant, it appears, won’t be playing for Virtus Bologna anytime soon. As the basketball world awaited the well-publicized ultimate conference call between Virtus president Claudio […]
Sabatini on Kobe-to-Bologna: “It’s now his choice.”
The individual wheeling-and-dealing epic of the NBA lockout may be close to done … but Kobe Bryant might be a European basketball for just one game. The current story from Virtus Bologna president Claudio Sabatini, via the club’s official website, is that two offers were extended to the Los Angeles Laker in yesterday’s efforts to […]
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 […]
Kobe Bryant to Virtus Bologna: The plot thickens
While Kobe Bryant reportedly has refused any offer from Italian club Virtus Bologna that does not entail him (theoretically) playing with the team for the entire 2011-12 season, Bologna management appears to be clearing a path to make such a signing possible. The big news in this direction early this week is twofold: Firstly, Virtus […]