International Basketball Blog – Page 23 – NBA Blog

Ricky Rubio stands up for Pau Gasol

Ricky Rubio is standing up for his fellow Spaniard Pau Gasol, saying he doesn’t think it’s fair that the Los Angeles Lakers are bringing Gasol off the bench this season.

Rubio spoke after practice on Thursday, one day before his Minnesota Timberwolves were scheduled to host the Lakers. Rubio says he speaks to Gasol and the other Spanish players in the NBA regularly throughout the season. He says Gasol has proven himself as a top-flight player in this league over the years.

He quipped that ”if they don’t want him, we are more than welcome to get him.”

— Reported by Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press

Luol Deng calls for support of British basketball

Britain’s basketball superstar Luol Deng has today delivered a hard-hitting letter to the Prime Minister over the slashed funding that is crippling the sport.

The Chicago Bulls star has weighed in on the debate after UK Sport’s funding was cut in the aftermath of the Olympics.

In a letter sent to 10 Downing Street, Deng wrote: ‘We all heard about the “legacy” that London 2012 was going to bring to sport in the UK and I refuse to sit back and let that legacy be completely demolished for basketball.

‘I, along with other people involved in the game, have put too much in and care too greatly to let this happen.

‘The sport of basketball is a pathway, a pathway that teaches so many valuable lessons on and off the court, how are we supposed to motivate these kids to carry along their journey when there’s now nothing at the end? No Team GB, no Olympic dream, no goal.’

— Reported by Mike Dawes of Daily Mail (UK)

Knicks beat Pistons in London game

Back in London and back on the basketball court, Carmelo Anthony went right back to his winning ways.

The Knicks star was the main attraction at the O2 Arena on Thursday, five months after he helped the United States win the Olympic gold medal at the same venue.

This time, he led the New York Knicks over the Detroit Pistons, 102-87 in the third regular-season NBA game played in the British capital.

”It felt good out there,” said Anthony, who scored 18 points in the first half as the Knicks (25-13) jumped out to a big early lead. ”I definitely had some flashbacks out there. Running out there on the court, just being in the O2 Arena.” …

Amare Stoudemire added 17 points for the Knicks and J.R. Smith scored 16. Will Bynum led the Pistons with 22 points.

The Pistons were the home team at the O2 Arena, but the crowd certainly favored the Knicks and Anthony…

The crowd at the O2 cheered loudly at times, but there were stretches of silence during some portions of the game. There was even a quiet moment before the game started, though it appeared to be an accident…

Knicks fan and movie director Spike Lee made the trip to London to see his team and sat courtside as usual, wearing a blue suit with an orange tie.

— Reported by Chris Lehourites of the Associated Press

Nik Caner-Medley, playing in Israel, will miss one month

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv power forward Nik Caner-Medley will be sidelined for one month due to a leg injury, the club announced Thursday. Caner-Medley got injured in Maccabi’s final regular season game against Alba Berlin. Further research confirm that he had a hamstring tear which will keep him sidelined for one month. Caner-Medley has averaged 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 10 Turkish Airlines Euroleague games this season.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

Timberwolves find success with international players

Now, in just a few seasons, David Kahn and international scouting coordinator Pete Philo have given meat-and-potatoes Minnesota an international flavor as they’ve turned the Twin Cities into a destination location for top players from basketball hotbeds throughout Europe.

Ricky Rubio, Andrei Kirilenko, Alexey Shved, Nikola Pekovic, JJ Barea. Minnesota has five international players on the roster, tied with Cleveland for second-most in the NBA. San Antonio has eight international players, a league record.

“I think it’s pretty evident to me that there’s a lot of not just good players, but some of the very best players in our game who have come from overseas,” Kahn said. “To me, it’s just a natural extension of scouting. Just as you can’t afford to be negligent about the domestic side, you can’t afford to not be on top of matters internationally.”

The renewed focus is one of the biggest reasons the Timberwolves are competitive again in the powerful Western Conference. The Wolves drafted Rubio in 2009 – even though some mistakenly speculated he wanted to play in a bigger market – and the Spanish point guard turned into one of the most exciting young players in the NBA.

They signed Russian teammates Kirilenko and Shved this offseason, and the two have helped them weather a rough string of injuries early in the season.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Gilbert Arenas signs in Shanghai, China

Even if he’s getting away from the United States, Gilbert Arenas will be getting back to a familiar nickname.

In what completes an almost month-long journey, Arenas has finally signed in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Shanghai Sharks. The deal is reported to be a one-year deal worth roughly US $700,000 with a mutual team/player option for a second year.

Already registered on the team’s roster, the three-time NBA All-Star will wear the number 0 for the first time since he was known as “Agent Zero” with the Washington Wizards from 2003-10.

Though the deal was expected to go through since he arrived in Shanghai at the beginning of the month, the Yao Ming-owned Sharks’ decision to delay making it official came down to two major points, a source told NiuBBall.com.

— Reported by Jon Pastuszek of NIUbball.com

Jerry Colangelo re-elected chairman of USA Basketball Board of Directors for 2013-16

Jerry Colangelo, 2009-12 USA Basketball chairman and managing director of USA Basketball’s 2006-08 and 2009-12 men’s national teams, has been re-elected chairman of USA Basketball’s Board of Directors for the 2013-16 term. The announcement was made following completion of Tuesday’s USA Basketball annual Board of Directors meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Also announced as members of the 11-member 2013-16 USA Basketball Board of Directors were: NBA appointees Kim Bohuny, NBA Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations-International; and Mark Tatum, NBA Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships; NCAA appointees Dan Gavitt, NCAA Vice President of Men’s Basketball Championships; Mark Lewis, NCAA Executive Vice President of Championships and Alliances; and Chris Plonsky, University of Texas Women’s Athletics Director and Senior Associate Athletic Director of Men’s/Women’s Athletics External Services; Scholastic Director Bob Gardner, National Federation of High School Associations Executive Director; At-large/ Independent Director Billy Hunter, Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association; National Organizations Representative Jim Carr, NAIA President and Chief Executive Officer; and athlete representatives Chauncey Billups, co-captain of USA Basketball’s 2010 World Championship gold medalist team, and Katie Smith, three-time Olympic gold medalist (2000, 2004 and 2008) and three-time FIBA World Championship medalist (1998 gold, 2002 gold, 2006 bronze).

“I’m excited to again serve USA Basketball as chairman for the next four years,” said Colangelo. “I’m proud of the many successes USA Basketball’s coaches and players achieved over the past four years and I’m looking forward to helping keep that momentum going. We were not only successful in competitions, but in the manner in which everyone associated with USA Basketball represented our country on and away from the court. We focused on showing the utmost respect for the competitions and for our international opponents.

“Four years ago I remarked that there is a great legacy at USA Basketball and my goal was to continue growing the legacy and to continue growing the game on every level and that will remain the case the next four years.”

The USA Basketball Board of Directors is comprised of three Professional Directors (appointed by the NBA); three Collegiate Directors (appointed by the NCAA); two Athlete Representatives (elected by active athletes); one Scholastic Director (appointed by the National Federation of High School Associations); one At-Large/ Independent Director (nominated by the Nominating & Governance Committee and elected by the Board of Directors); and one Organizational Member Director (elected by other members of USA Basketball that meet the Amateur Sports Act’s definition of National Competition Organizations).

USA Basketball’s Nominating & Governance Committee currently consists of former USA Basketball president and former NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik; University of Delaware Director of Athletics and 2009-13 USA Basketball Board of Directors member Bernard Muir; and 2009-13 USA Basketball Board of Directors athlete representative and 2000 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Steve Smith.

Mehmet Okur retiring from basketball

Mehmet Okur announced his retirement from basketball at age 33.

The Turkish forward played for nine years in the NBA averaging 13.5ppg and 7rpg in 634 games (460 in the starting five) with the Pistons, Jazz and Nets.

Last season, Okur started with Turk Telekom Ankara, averaging 12ppg and 8.2rpg in the TBL. When the NBA lockout ended he returned to the United States, where he played 17 games with the Nets, scoring 7.6ppg and pulling down 4.8rpg.

Okur decided to retire because of injuries that affected him over the last three seasons of his career.

— Reported by Sportando

Josh Powell signs in Greece

Turkish Airlines Euroleague defending champs, Olympiacos Piraeus, announced on Friday the addition of power forward Josh Powell (2.06 meters, 29 years old) through a two-year deal. Powell arrives from Brujos de Guayama of Puerto Rico where he played 14 games averaging 16.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Powell played college ball in N. Carolina State from 2001 to 2003. After that he played preseason with the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA but started his season in Russia with Lokomotiv Rostov and midseason moved to the Italian second division. He also spent the 2004-05 season with Pepsi Caserta in the Italian second division and was back to the States in 2005, again with the Mavericks.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

After signing in China, Tracy McGrady says he is retired from NBA

McGrady, who played alongside Yao Ming for the Houston Rockets for six years from 2004-10, will reportedly become the biggest earner in the CBA on an estimated $800,000 per year.

The seven-times All-Star has already impressed his new employers with his work ethic and professionalism in practice and maintained he was fully committed to the Eagles.

“I am not going back to the NBA,” said the 33-year-old McGrady, coming off a career-low season averaging 5.3 points in just 16 minutes with the Atlanta Hawks.

“I retired from the NBA. CBA is it. It’s a process you have to go through before you make a decision like this.

“Your family has to be comfortable with your decision, because it’s going to be a long season and I will not be able to be there with them.”

— Reported by Alastair Himmer of Reuters