Category: International Basketball Blog

International basketball blog

Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman will play for German National Team

Sportando reports:

Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman announced that they will play with German National Team at Eurobasket 2011 in Lithuania.

Both players will join soon the team coached by Dirk Bauermann.

TalkBasket.net reports:

Both players are expected to be ready to play for the Germany NT in the BEKO-Supercup tournament in Bamberg (together with Turkey, Greece, Belgium), during August 19-21.

Dirk was pleased with his decision and said: “The rest was short but I would like to help the young German NT to gain success in Eurobasket. I will do everything to keep fit and I’m looking forward to spending time with the guys”.

Chris Kaman stated: “Playing for Germany in 2008 was a lot of fun, I think I can help the team and we can achieve things”.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I’ve heard that Nowitzki and Kaman were a package deal for Team Germany. Meaning, they or their representatives were in touch with each other and either both were going to play, or neither one was. I haven’t actually confirmed this, though. But don’t be surprised if you read something about this in the near future.

Chris Paul is open to playing basketball overseas

Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports:

chris paul

Already accustomed to international basketball, thanks to his 2008 Beijing Olympic experience, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul this weekend is heading to the Philippines for a two-game exhibition series, and said Wednesday he’s keeping his options open about playing overseas this fall if the NBA lockout persists.

Paul is joining fellow Olympian Kobe Bryant, along with players such as Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, Oklahoma Thunder forward Kevin Durant and reigning league Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls, for two games in Quezon City’s Araneta Coliseum that will benefit the MVP Sports Foundation, a group committed to aiding youth sports.

“The (foundation) over there is all about giving back and helping out kids,” Paul said Wednesday, adding he committed to the event just in the past week. “That’s something I feel strongly about also. I’m going over there with a few other guys, and we’re going to play. I found out about this through D-Fish (Fisher). He let me know about it.”

The timing of the event coincides with the recent flurry of NBA players such as Paul’s close friend, New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams, signing on with European teams because of the lockout that began July 1. Several of Paul’s former Hornets teammates, including Hilton Armstrong, Darius Songaila and David Andersen, also are heading overseas to play this fall.

InsideHoops.com editor says: One by one, NBA players, when asked about it, will mostly say that yes, they are “open” to playing overseas. It simply makes no sense for most guys to flat-out reject the possibility. I’d say that players who are on the NBA fringe and maybe in trouble of falling out of the league might be the only ones to maybe say they won’t go overseas, but that’s because if they do, they might not be able to get back into the league. But for all the players who know they have a place in the NBA for years to come, there’s no reason to absolutely, firmly reject global possibilities.

J.J. Barea and former Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera expecting a child

SportsDayDFW.com reports:

jose juan barea

Mavericks guard J.J. Barea and his girlfriend, actress and model Zuleyka Rivera are expecting a child, according to a report from Primerahora.com.

Rivera, a former Miss Universe, will have to leave production of her new project called “Passionate Heart.”

“All this took me by surprise, but I feel very lucky,” she wrote to Primerahora.com, as translated from Spanish. “I come from a very close family and I understand that a baby is a blessing. I’m sorry I had to leave this soap opera, it was another opportunity for my growth as an actress and achieve my professional goals. However, both JJ and I are happy to start a family together and I know God will reward us with a healthy baby and many more opportunities for both.”

Read NBA fan reaction and share your own opinion in this forum topic.

Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov signs in Russia

Euroleague.net reports:

Timofey Mozgov

BC Khimki Moscow Region brought a familiar face back and announced a new player with the signing of Timofey Mozgov and Chris Quinn on Thursday. Mozgov (2.16 meters, 25 years old) played four seasons with the club from 2006 through 2010. He averaged 6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 16 Euroleague games as a reserve in his final season with the club, 2009-10. Last season Mozgov played for New York and Denver in the NBA, where he amassed 3.6 points and 2.7 rebounds over 45 games. Mozgov grew up with LenVo St. Petersburg and also played for CSK VVS-2 Samara before joining Khimki for the first time. During his time with Khimki he helped the team reach the 2009 Eurocup title game and qualify for the Euroleague for the first time. He has also developed into a regular for the Russian national team, for whom he played at EuroBasket 2009 and at the FIBA World Championships last summer.

In Israel, Derrick Sharp retires as a player

Euroleague.net reports:

A legendary Euroleague career has come to an end with Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv announcing on Wednesday that captain Derrick Sharp has retired as a player to take a position as assistant coach on David Blatt’s coaching staff. Sharp, 39, has spent the past 15 seasons playing for Maccabi. During his time in yellow-and-blue, Sharp has amassed 27 titles. He is a three-time continental champion, having won the Euroleague in back-to-back season in 2004 and ’05 and the Suproleague in 2001. He has also collected 13 Israeli League championships and 11 Israeli Cups. He walks away from the game with his name entrenched in the Euroleague record books. His 195 games played are fifth most since the turn of the century. His 219 career three-pointers made are 13th most and his 42.8% three-point accuracy ranks 16th. He is seventh all-time in free throw accuracy at 88.9%. For his career he amassed 1,162 points in the Euroleague and took part in six title games and eight Final Fours, which ties him for the most of the Final Four era. Sharp, who played alongside 104 different players in his time with Maccabi, finishes his career in seventh place on Maccabi’s all-time list of scorers in European play (1,749 points).

Team France concerned with health of Bulls center Joakim Noah

FIBA.com reports:

Joakim Noah

One pressing concern for France, however, is the status of Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah.

While giving all the players medical examinations at INSEP in Paris last week, Team France doctors viewed an old injury of Noah’s dating back three months.

The FFBB said in a statement: “In an act of transparency, the FFBB sent the medical reports to his club and his agent.”

The federation said that the latter had wanted to study the situation and take stock in Chicago with the player.

The medical staff of Team France has proposed a rehabilitation protocol for treatment so the player can resume training with the Blues as soon as possible.

Matt Bonner still trying to get dual American-Canadian citizenship

Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (blog) reports:

Matt Bonner

Canadian national basketball coach Leo Rautins really, really wants Matt Bonner to play for his team. One problem: Bonner is still not Canadian.

The Spurs forward has been trying for years to gain dual citizenship, and he would seem to have a cut-and-dried case considering he’s married to a Canadian, has a Canadian daughter and grandfather and lives most of the offseason in Toronto.

His nickname — “The Red Rocket” — is decidedly Canadian,  homage to Toronto’s public transit system.

But Bonner is still not Canadian, and thus ineligible to play for Canada in various Olympic qualifying tournaments. The feet-dragging has left Rautins almost apoplectic, according to the London Free Press (h/t to Project Spurs for the find).

“I see a lot of Canadians who are less Canadian than Matt Bonner,” Rautins told the Canadian newspaper. “His daughter’s Canadian. His wife’s Canadian. His grandfather’s Canadian. He’s got a home here. When he’s not playing for the San Antonio Spurs, he’s here (in Toronto).”

Read NBA fan reaction or share your own opinion in this forum topic.

Marcus Landry signs in France

Euroleague.net reports:

BCM Gravelines improved its roster for the upcoming Turkish Airlines Euroleague Qualifying Round by inking versatile forward Marcus Landry to a one-year deal, the club announced Tuesday. Landry (2.01 meters, 25 years old) arrives from Maratonistas de Coamo, where he averaged 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 10 Puerto Rican League games this season. He started the 2010-11 season with Reno in the NBA Development League, averaging 17.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 53 games and helped this team to reach the D-League semifinals before joining Coamo.

Celtics guard Avery Bradley exploring overseas options

Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston reports:

Avery Bradley

Avery Bradley’s agent said Monday that he is exploring overseas options for his client but stressed that any deal would be contingent on an out clause that would allow Bradley to return stateside should the NBA lockout end, as his focus is on being with the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics only have six players under contract for next season and, beyond Bradley, the other five are All-Stars who have combined to earn a whopping $749.5 million in NBA contracts alone during their careers. The 20-year-old Bradley earned $1.4 million during his rookie campaign last season.

Trekking overseas would have little to do with money for Bradley, however. As agent Mitchell Butler of Lagardère Unlimited stressed, his client simply needs playing time in a structured environment in order to aid his development.

Bradley underwent surgery to remove a chipped bone in his left ankle immediately after inking his rookie deal with Boston last July. He missed summer league, nearly all of training camp (engaging only in non-contact skeleton drills), and the entire preseason. Bradley didn’t make his NBA debut until Nov. 22 in Atlanta and logged only 162 minutes in 30 total appearances.

That’s not a lot of basketball for a player whose last extended action came as a freshman at the University of Texas.