The AP reports: Greece had an easy time before a home crowd Monday and was joined by winners Croatia, New Zealand and Slovenia in a 12-nation basketball tournament that serves as a qualifier for the Beijing Olympics. Greece routed Lebanon 119-62; Croatia defeated Cameroon 93-79; New Zealand downed Cape Verde 77-50; and Slovenia beat South Korea 88-76. The other countries bidding for the three remaining Olympic berths are: Brazil, Canada, Germany and Puerto Rico. The Athens tournament ends Sunday. Nine nations have already qualified for next month’s Beijing Games: Angola, Argentina, Australia, China, Iran, Lithuania, Russia, Spain and the United States.
Month: July 2008
Artest doesn’t want to be a Nugget
The Rocky Mountain News (Chris Tomasson) reports: “I cannot play in Denver because they question my drive to finish my career off strong and not embarrass my family,” Artest wrote Sunday night. “Any player wants to win a championship is low risk.” So what’s that all about? I can’t remember anybody on the Nuggets criticizing Artest. So Artest was sent another e-mail on Monday asking who on the Nuggets might have spoken ill of him. The e-mail also asked if his thinking means he won’t consider Denver when he becomes a free agent next summer. Artest’s answer wasn’t specific. But he’s definitely down on playing for the Nuggets.
Rodney White goes to Israel
Euroleague.net reports: Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv added another new face in preparation for the upcoming season with the signing of forward Rodney White for two seasons. White (206, 28) will thicken the front line of Euroleague runner-up that already includes Marcus Fizer, Esteban Batista, Lior Eliyahu and Yaniv Green.
Pacers not raising ticket prices
The Indianapolis Star (Phillip B. Wilson) reports: While ticket prices for an Indianapolis Colts game are skyrocketing with the arrival of Lucas Oil Stadium, the Indiana Pacers are bucking the national trend by not raising prices for a second consecutive season… The Pacers, meanwhile, have struggled to keep fans at Conseco Fieldhouse. Their $42.39 ticket average is down from $45.79 two years ago and below the NBA’s 2007 average of $48.83. Still, attendance suffered; the Pacers’ average of 12,221 last season was worst in the NBA.
Nuggets will miss Najera
The Rocky Mountain News (Aaron J. Lopez) reports: Not only was Eduardo Najera an ambassador in the community, but he was the true definition of a team player, something the Nuggets lack far too often. He was one of the team’s best pick-and-roll defenders and never worried about how many points he scored. Not that Najera was invisible on offense. He ran the court as well as any big man on the roster and became a dangerous three-point shooter — much to the delight of coach George Karl, who would love to have three Najeras on his bench every season.
Spurs last season were elderly
The San Antonio Express-News (Mike Monroe) reports: The 13 players who suited up for the Spurs in their playoff run last season averaged 32.46 years old. That made them, if not quite as ancient as dirt, the oldest team in the NBA. Depending, in part, on what Popovich and his assistants see from first-round draft pick George Hill, who is 22, and a group of equally young players who will put their skills on display in summer league games in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City over the next nine days, the Spurs figure to be significantly younger when the 2008-09 regular season begins. Simply plugging free agent signee Roger Mason Jr., 27, in the guard spot once occupied by Brent Barry, who is 36, instantly drops the average age to 31.76. It will drop more before next season’s opener, perhaps dramatically, depending on which players make the roster. Fans and media critics who have been calling for the Spurs to get younger and more athletic may finally be getting their wish.
Marbury puts logo tattoo on head
The New York Post (Marc Berman) reports: Stephon Marbury bounded off the Knicks’ team bus at Vegas’ Valley High last night – a new tattoo inscribed on his left temple. The “3” logo found on his Starbury sneaker and apparel line is now a permanent part of his bald head. Good thing the permanent tattoo ink wasn’t used on his Knick jersey. Even the cocky Marbury knows he may be giving up his Knick jersey in a couple of months, with team president Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni contemplating waiving him before the season opener.
Gortat and Lee rise for Magic
The Orlando Sentinel (Brian Schmitz) reports: Center Marcin Gortat represented significant progress, hardly resembling the player that the Magic sent home after just three summer-league games for more seasoning in 2005. Friday at RDV Sportsplex, Gortat finished as the leading rebounder and shot-blocker in the six-team developmental league. Gortat, 6-feet-11, 240 pounds, has continued to impress since he surprisingly took veteran Adonal Foyle’s job during the playoffs last season as Dwight Howard’s backup. He averaged 12.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, sharing the starring role this summer with Courtney Lee. Lee scored 101 points in five games for a 20.2 average, justifying his reputation as a marquee shooter. He hit 31 of 71 3-pointers for 44 percent and made 31 of 34 free-throw attempts.
DJ Augustin makes great early impression on Larry Brown
The AP reports: The superlatives kept streaming out of Larry Brown’s mouth: Terrific. Attentive. Real good. Great kid. Despite his well-earned reputation of being brutally tough on rookies and point guards, the new Charlotte Bobcats coach couldn’t stop saying nice things about D.J. Augustin — his rookie point guard. “He just does what you ask him to do, without exception,” Brown said after a minicamp practice this week. “I knew he was a good player but he’s far exceeded my expectations.” … Augustin will start in Charlotte’s summer league opener Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers, leading a team of rookies and free agents looking for training camp invitations.
Spreading basketball in India
The AP reports: India, a relatively untapped territory, looms as the NBA’s next great challenge. But it could be a tough sell. The few public basketball courts attract little attention, and words like “slam-dunk” and “alley-oop” are met with blank stares. To help counter that, the NBA held its first-ever event in India last week, a “Basketball Without Borders” camp that featured charity events and basketball clinics in which NBA players instructed young Asians. League executives say they’re considering a wide range of plans to spread the game, including building courts in remote villages, seeking endorsements from Bollywood stars, and bringing NBA players to India for exhibitions. “We see tremendous growth potential for basketball in India,” said Heidi Ueberroth, the NBA’s chief of global marketing. “The interest in sports is by no means saturated.”