International Basketball Blog – Page 31 – NBA Blog

Dwyane Wade might need knee surgery, may miss Olympics

Dwyane Wade played with knee pain throughout the playoffs. He’ll soon know exactly what was causing that problem, and if it could keep him out of the London Olympics.

One day after celebrating his second NBA championship, the Miami Heat guard told The Associated Press on Friday that he will soon have his ailing left knee examined, and acknowledges that surgery may be a possibility. Wade appeared in all 23 postseason games for Miami, averaging 22.8 points, and scored 20 in the title-clinching win for the Heat against Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

“I’ve got to make a decision on what my knee needs and what’s best, because my career and finishing my career strong is what’s important to me,” Wade said. “And I know, yeah, the Olympics are coming up. It’s something I really want to do. But at the same time, if I have to make a big decision, if something has to happen surgery-wise, that will have to be a step I have to take. My loyalty and my commitment to Miami Heat basketball is the No. 1 thing.”

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Knicks interested in point guard Pablo Prigioni

The Knicks’ interest in Spanish League veteran point guard Pablo Prigioni does not surprise Walter Szczerbiak one bit.

Prigioni, the playmaker on Argentina’s 2004 Olympic gold-medal-winning team that knocked off Team USA, is 35, but Szczerbiak — the U.S. ambassador to the Spanish League for 25 years before stepping down this season — says that’s not a big factor.

“I’m pretty sure he’d be better than a lot of young point guards in the NBA you get,’’ Szczerbiak told The Post. “He’s really been through the wars. Spain is a real pressure cooker. Every game is playoff intensity. The NBA, it’s more in the playoffs. He has great experience in tough situations and he’s a good leader.’’

Prigioni, who has played in the Spanish League since 1999-2000, met with Knicks brass last week for two days, including a dinner with president Glen Grunwald and coach Mike Woodson. The Knicks know the Spanish League better than most NBA teams — their longtime European scout, Kevin Wilson, lives in Barcelona.

“He’s 35, but he has a great body,’’ Szczerbiak said of Prigioni. “I’m sure he’s slowed down a little, but he’s still got pretty good quickness. For 35, he’s got the right kind of body — wiry, never been overweight. He’s like Steve Nash that way. You’d think he was younger than 35 the way he looks.’’

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Dwyane Wade expects Tyson Chandler to start for Olympic team

The Knicks’ Tyson Chandler was a safe bet to make the Olympic team this year, because the coaches love the center’s selfless style and defensive mentality. It turns out the players feel likewise.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade said that because Dwight Howard has undergone back surgery, he expects Chandler to start at center for Team USA in this summer’s London Olympics.

“Absolutely,” Wade said. “We watched Tyson, the things that he does, his ability to cover so much on the basketball court, from the three-point line to the rim. He’s phenomenal.”

“And especially the style of play in the Olympics is a little different. The style is not necessarily post-up, post-up, post-up. It’s more so of having a big guy down there, someone who can defend, someone who can rebound, someone who can catch and finish. So he brings that to the team.”

— Reported by Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday

Mark Cuban still wants NBA players out of Olympics

Mark Cuban’s repeated criticism of the NBA for allowing its stars to play in the Olympics is no longer falling on deaf ears in the commissioner’s office.

David Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that they are no longer sure they want to see NBA veterans playing in the Olympics beyond this summer’s Games in London and will look into a 23-and-under age limit, as soccer does.

The news came as a welcome surprise to Cuban, who touted a 22-and-under age limit as recently as April.

“Yes, I’m thrilled,” Cuban told ESPNDallas.com on Wednesday night.

The most outspoken of the league’s owners regarding the NBA’s participation in the Olympics and all international competition during the NBA’s offseason, Cuban said in April that he believed the topic of NBA players’ availability was a dead issue, saying, “The commissioner’s office won’t open it up to discussion. They’ll take calls about it, but won’t put it up for a vote. Hopefully, I can get him to move it to a vote at some point.”

Silver made it clear Wednesday that Cuban’s voice is resonating.

— Reported by Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas

James Augustine signs in Russia

Eurocup champion BC Khimki Moscow Region kept adding frontcourt strength for its Euroleague Basketball return by inking rebounding ace James Augustine to a two-year deal on Tuesday. Augustine (2.08 meters, 28 years old) arrives from UCAM Murcia of Spain, where he averaged 12.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in 34 Spanish League games last season. He led the Spanish League in performance index ranking (18.6) and rebounds, while also ranking fourth in two-point percentage (61.4%). Augustine played the 2010-11 Euroleague with Power Electronics Valencia, averaging 3.4 points and 3.1 rebounds and helping his team to reach the quarterfinals.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

Luol Deng excited for Olympics, uncertain about wrist surgery

British basketball has improved a lot in recent years. After winning two games and finishing 13th at last year’s EuroBasket in Lithuania, Great Britain’s men’s team will have another opportunity to show the world their progress when they host this summer’s Olympic Games.

Thanks to some talented players such as Joel Freeland (Unicaja Malaga) and Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Besiktas Milangaz) as well as the much-anticipated impact of new face Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons), the GB team could prove to be a tough opponent to beat in London.

Having made his senior national team debut in 2007, Luol Deng will once again be captain of this promising young squad.

…

Dealing with a torn ligament in his left wrist since January, Deng played through the pain for most of the season.

“It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever done in my career so far. It’s been hard, but I’m proud to have pushed my limits,” he added.

Still undecided about whether or not he’ll need to have surgery to treat his injury, Deng is clear about his post-season schedule.

“I still don’t know if I’ll need a surgery. It will depend on how my wrist feels in the next few weeks. But right now, my mind is only focused on the Olympics,” he said.

— Reported by FIBA.com

USA basketball roster deadline now July 7

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo considers about 10 men’s Olympic team spots set ”on paper,” with the rest to be determined over two days of practice before the squad is announced July 7.

The Americans requested and were granted an extension to the deadline to select the roster by the U.S. Olympic Committee after four candidates were knocked out by injuries. The team was originally to be picked by June 18 before the end of the NBA season.

Instead, the Americans will hold their first practice July 6 in Las Vegas with a to-be-determined number of players. They’ll gather their final 12 at a team meeting the next night. There are 18 healthy players in the roster pool.

”What we think is that barring any other further major injury, we have a pretty good handle on what we think the roster might look like, and it may get down to a final selection or two,” Colangelo said Monday in a phone interview from Dallas, where he was to announce the revised plans during a news conference.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Steve Nash to become general manager of Team Canada

Steve Nash has made his first big basketball decision of the summer, agreeing to become general manager of the senior men’s national team for Canada Basketball.

Nash, who will be a highly coveted NBA free agent this summer, will be introduced in his new role at a news conference Tuesday in Toronto. The arrangement will be similar to the one Wayne Gretzky had with Hockey Canada in advance of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

“Obviously I love the program,” Nash told ESPN.com. “It was a huge part of my development as a player. Going to the Olympics (in 2000) was the best experience of my career.

“So if I can help other Canadians experience that, it would be pretty amazing. I want to try to lend my hand to help develop our system and change the image and reputation of this country internationally and be a resource for as many of our good, young kids as possible.”

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Dwyane Wade might not play in Olympics

Speaking of which, Dwyane Wade sounded slightly less than 100 percent certain he’ll be in London no matter what, even after accepting the invite to what would be his third Olympics after being prodded by his 2008 Beijing teammates (“Kobe was like, ‘if my old self is playing, you can,'” Wade said — and I’m sure Kobe said ‘self’ there, aren’t you?) into putting the band back together one last time.

“I told them, I said, listen, I’m just going to see how I feel,” Wade said last week. “This is about being healthy — I think, for all of us, going into the summer healthy — and taking it from there.”

This was somewhat surprising to Colangelo, reached Sunday night.

“You could, today, probably come up with 10 or 11 that look pretty solid unless something happens,” he said by telephone. “Wade’s one of those guys, but if he feels like he doesn’t have anything left or doesn’t think he can go, then we’ll make a decision as to who replaces him. We do have a lot of flexibility because we have guys who can play so many positions.”

— Reported by David Aldridge of NBA.com

Kyle Singler helping out Real Madrid overseas

Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has been in Spain watching 2011 second-round pick Kyle Singler.

Singler, a forward from Duke selected by the Pistons with the 33rd overall pick, scored just three points in 10 minutes for Real Madrid in an 86-83 loss to Regal Barcelona on Thursday. He rebounded Sunday by scoring eight points on 3-for-6 shooting with two free throws in 21 minutes in a 95-82 victory over FIATC Joventut.

Singler has averaged 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in eight games for Real Madrid in the Euroleague and 7.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 24 games for Real Madrid in the Spanish League. Real Madrid next plays May 17 against Cajasol in the Spanish League quarterfinals.

— Reported by Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press