Category: International Basketball Blog

International basketball blog

Deron Williams may play in Turkey

The New York Daily News reports:

Deron Williams

With seemingly no end to the lockout, Nets guard Deron Williams has agreed in principal to a contract to play in Turkey, a source confirmed to the Daily News.

The signing was first reported by a Turkish TV station. The contract would pay the Nets star on a monthly basis.

The team, Besiktas, also signed Allen Iverson to a two-year, $4 million deal in October of last year.

“We are in talks with Williams. He is a bigger star than Iverson and would be the best player in Europe. We are close to an agreement,” the coach of Besiktas told Turkish TV.

Williams has an out clause in the event the NBA kicks off on time in late October, according to the Turkish TV report. Earlier this week, Dallas’ Rudy Fernandez considered playing in Spain, but decided not to go overseas, at this point.

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

Maciej Lampe signs in Spain

Euroleague.net reports:

Maciej Lampe

One day after its starting center transferred elsewhere, Caja Laboral reacted with a big signing of its own by grabbing Maciej Lampe for two seasons. Lampe (2.10 meters, 26 years old) arrives from Eurocup champion Unics Kazan, where he spent the past two seasons. Lampe averaged 15.6 points and a competition best 8.1 rebounds last season as he was named to the All- Eurocup First Team. For the season, Lampe ranked second in the Eurocup in average performance index rating at 19.6 per game.

Rudy Fernandez to stay with Mavericks

The Forth Worth Star-Telegram reports:

Rudy Fernandez

The Spanish sports site Marca.com has reported that swingman Rudy Fernandez, acquired by the Mavericks in a draft-day trade, will honor his NBA contract and stay with Dallas rather than sign a lucrative contract overseas with Real Madrid.

Fernandez is scheduled to earn $2.18 million next season and would be a restricted free agent the following season with an option for $3.18 million. Fernandez, who was born in Spain, was being courted by Real Madrid with a six-year contract reported to be worth close to $4 million a year.

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

Nets draft pick Bojan Bogdanovic will stay overseas

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports:

The 22-year-old Croatian shooting guard, who was drafted 31st by the Nets last week, has three years remaining on his contract with a professional team in Turkey, Fenerbahce, and will never play a home game in New Jersey.

Nets GM Billy King [one week ago] said Bogdanovic, already seven years into his pro career, has an out in his contract after two years, but he’ll try to pry him after one. The Nets move to Brooklyn for the 2012-13 season.

It’s an advantageous situation for both sides, given Bogdanovic’s greenness and the Nets’ crowded backcourt — which now includes MarShon Brooks. Fenerbahce is a European power with former players including Omer Asik, Enes Kanter and Semih Erden.

Nicolas Batum considers playing in Europe

The Oregonian reports:

nicolas batum

French newspaper L’ouest-France, to Batum: You’ve had discussions with Nancy (French basketball team) for the next season if the lockout continues in the NBA. What’s the deal?

Batum: “The discussions surrounding the lockout are going to endure for quite awhile unfortunately. I’ve always said I don’t want to wait 3-4 months without playing and if that means coming back to France, it would be so that I could evolve with a team and participate in the Euro Cup, and especially the Euroleague. Nothing is official, but Nancy is an interesting club who competes and gets results, and who has regularly been in the final for the French League championship in the past few years with their coach, Jean-Luc Monschau. He’s a really good coach, and he has a good staff. The club has good qualities, and it’s true that I have contacts there.”

Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas is rocking the FIBA U19 tournament

TheScore (blog) reports:

Jonas Valanciunas

Four games into the 2011 FIBA Men’s Under-19 World Championship, there should be little question who the tournament MVP has been so far. That would be the Raptors’ draft pick, Jonas Valanciunas, who is ranked fourth in scoring with 19.3 points per game, second in rebounds with 13 per game, and first in blocks with 3.5 per game. Earlier today, he led Lithuania to a 71-54 win over Serbia with an impressive performance of 18 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and just two fouls in 34 minutes.

I feel it’s important to mention the fouls because he fouled out of two of his four tournament games, including Saturday’s match against Canada when he picked up five fouls in just 14 minutes. Like many young big men who are aggressive defensively and on the boards, foul trouble is something that could be a significant barrier to Valanciunas’ ability to contribute consistently early in his NBA career.

DaJuan Summers signs in Siena, Italy

Eurobasket.net reports:

Italian champion Montepaschi Siena has put some young energy into its lineup by signing forward DaJuan Summers to help try to get back to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four next season. Summers (2.03 meters, 23 years old) arrives from Detroit of the NBA, where he played in 66 games over two seasons, averaging 3.2 points in 9 minutes per game.

Serge Ibaka would consider playing in Europe during lockout

Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman reports:

Serge Ibaka

Thunder forward Serge Ibaka is considering playing in Europe if the NBA’s lockout drags on.

While vacationing in Spain, Ibaka recently told a radio station that he would be open to returning to Spain, where he played for two seasons prior to officially joining the Thunder.

“If there is a lockout, and there are not many complications to play in the CBA, I would like to return here to play,” Ibaka is quoted as saying.

Ibaka is the latest in a long line of NBA players who have expressed an interest in playing overseas in the event of a prolonged lockout. Former Thunder center Nenad Krstic, who was traded to Boston at the deadline, recently signed a deal with CSKA Moscow in Russia. But Krstic’s contract had expired.

InsideHoops.com editor says: It’s safe to say that almost every player in the league “would consider” playing somewhere overseas if the lockout was to go on for an extended period of time. I expect lots of articles like this to emerge over the next week or two. Pretty logical for players to consider all their options. But of course, almost all of them would prefer for the NBA to be in its usual active state.

Coach Jim Cleamons takes job in China

Xinhua reports:

Former Los Angeles Lakers’ assistant coach Jim Cleamons had been hired by the Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA) on Sunday, local reports said.

Guangsha’s general manager Ye Xiangyu told media that Cleamons had arrived in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Saturday.

“There were several offers from teams of the National Basketball Association (NBA), but Mr. Cleamons finally chose the Guangsha,” Ye said.