International Basketball Blog – Page 24 – NBA Blog

Emir Preldzic wins Euroleague Week 1 MVP

In a game that produced the two best individual performances to start the Turkish Airlines Euroleague season, Emir Preldzic walked away as bwin Week 1 MVP because his career-best showing had one deciding statistic in his favor: a victory for Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul! Preldzic’s near-flawless performance on Thursday pushed his team to a surefire 92-80 win over visiting Khimki Moscow Region before almost 10,000 delirious fans at Fenerbahce Ulker Sports Arena. The 25-year-old point forward climbed off the bench late in the first quarter and by halftime had 11 points without a miss to push Fenerbahce Ulker ahead for good. When he was finished, Preldzic had compiled a performance index rating of 31, the best of his six-year Euroleague career.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

NBA plans China basketball facility

The NBA and a Chinese partner say they plan to open a basketball center near Beijing.

The partners say the facility in Tianjin, a port city east of the Chinese capital, will include NBA-style basketball courts, a fitness center, a restaurant and other features, according to NBA China and the Yatai Lanhai Investment Group.

The announcement was made as the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers played exhibition games in Beijing and Shanghai.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Spanish national basketball players trashed Olympic apartments after loss

Spain’s basketball players have been slammed for ‘trashing their apartments’ following their gold-medal loss in the London Olympics to the U.S.

Manager Sergio Scariolo’s team racked up more than $14,400 in damages to their two London 2012 rooms after the 107-100 loss, it was revealed Thursday.

The exact nature of the damage has not yet been confirmed, but the Spanish media has condemned the actions as “despicable” and “disrespectful”.

And a source within the Spanish Basketball Federation, which has officially denied any knowledge of the vandalism, said: “The leaving parties are usually a regular thing when players finish a tournament. After living together for six weeks, preparing and competing, they have it. But it has never led to this.”

— Reported by Lee Moran of the New York Daily News

Marketing frenzy for Miami Heat in China

In between games, practices and league-related appearances, players such as James, Battier and Dwyane Wade will find time to help market everything from shoes to soda to watches. James has several news conferences planned and Wade is expected to introduce his new shoe Wednesday in Beijing. Wade’s endorsement contract with Jordan Brand ended in September, but he quickly found a replacement in Li-Ning Company Limited, a Chinese-based company.

“As an organization, as players individually, once we get over there it will be a great opportunity to continue to grow the game,” said Wade, who has been hesitant to talk about his new shoe deal.

The NBA has always been a “players’ league,” but in China, where the biggest names are treated like movie stars, that expression is taken to an extreme. In many cases, basketball fans in China are more concerned about a player’s private and social life than their exploits on the court.

Arison says he expects fans to be “camped out” outside the Heat’s hotels in Beijing and Shanghai throughout the week. The star power of the Heat’s players has already helped the team land sponsorships with two Chinese-based company’s, Tsingtao Brewing Company and Peak Sports Goods, and Arison hopes to foster new business relationships this week.

— Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald

Tracy McGrady likely signing in China

Former NBA superstar Tracy McGrady is finalizing a one-year contract with a Chinese basketball club, Yahoo Sports reported on Monday.

The 33-year-old will likely complete the deal with the Qingdao Eagles in days, and could arrive in one or two weeks, the report said, quoting sources.

Sheng Xishun, manager of the club, confirmed the news to multiple media outlets on Tuesday morning, and revealed that McGrady will agree to the signing by Wednesday.

“Qingdao chooses McGrady for two reasons. One is that we hope he can help improve the team. The other is to take advantage of his influence to promote the team and the whole group,” said Sheng in a Tencent Sports interview.

— Reported by Yan Weijue of China Daily

Heat arrive in China for pair of preseason games with Clippers

LeBron James is visiting China for the ninth time, which makes him one of the resident Miami Heat experts about the world’s most populous nation.

Specifically, the food choices there.

“If anyone comes back with any body fat from this trip, then I don’t know what they were doing on their free time,” said James, the NBA’s MVP.

So maybe it’s fortunate that the coming week won’t exactly include a ton of free time for the Heat, who arrived in Beijing on Monday night for a weeklong trip. The reigning league champions play the Los Angeles Clippers twice during the NBA China Games, starting in Beijing on Thursday and then again Sunday in Shanghai.

“Should be fun,” James said. “It’s a very long trip to be bonding together, but we’re going to use it and not waste an opportunity.”

The itinerary is hectic, with VIP receptions, a trip to the Great Wall of China and other excursions planned. The Heat are trying to ensure that players and personnel have time to experience some elements of Chinese culture on their own.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Swedish national team helps Jonas Jerebko stay versatile

You name it, Jonas Jerebko did it for the Swedish national team this summer.

Point guard, both forward spots, center, fetch Gatorade, sell tickets — whatever was needed, Jerebko did it in leading the Swedes to a 4-4 record in Eurobasket 2013 qualifying.

“All the jokes aside, it was a great experience for me because coach and my teammates let me do a little bit of everything,” Jerebko said Saturday after the Pistons’ open scrimmage at Oakland University.

Entering his fourth season, Jerebko sometimes can be a forgotten man, especially when it comes to media attention given to frontcourt newcomers Andre Drummond and Slava Kravtsov. And his story might not be as compelling as Charlie Villanueva and Austin Daye trying to salvage careers.

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Tracy McGrady may play in China

Tracy McGrady, one of the top NBA players of the past decade, is considering playing in China this season, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

McGrady’s preference is to sign with an NBA club — preferably one that can compete for the championship — and a source said he will wait to see if he is picked up by such a team before committing to play overseas. McGrady could wait up to four weeks before making his decision, the source said.

The Chinese publication, 361 Sport, first reported on Tuesday that McGrady’s representatives are in discussions with the club, Qingdao Doublestar, of the Chinese Basketball Association.

— Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine

Knicks to play Pistons in London this January

The NBA is coming back to London with a regular-season game between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks in January.

The NBA says the Pistons and Knicks will play on Jan. 17 at the O2 Arena, the site of this year’s Olympic gold-medal game.

The Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets played a pair of regular-season games at the same venue in March 2011, but the NBA skipped London on its preseason tour this year.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Celtics fight sleep to practice in Turkey

Celtics play an October 5 exhibition game in Turkey

After a flight that lasted about 12 hours with many players getting little to no sleep, it would have come as a surprise to no one if Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave his players the day off after they landed.

Nope.

Instead, Rivers put them through about an hour’s worth of practice with a simple goal in mind — to keep them awake.

Huh?

“That’s a rarity in the NBA where you try to make sure they don’t go to bed early,” Rivers said. “Usually it’s the exact opposite. But because of the time change and all that, I thought if we went straight and did nothing they would fall asleep at 6 p.m. and sleep the rest of the night away.”

— Reported by A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE