International Basketball Blog – Page 60 – NBA Blog

Robert `Tractor` Traylor dies in Puerto Rico

The AP reports:

Former NBA and University of Michigan player Robert “Tractor” Traylor has died. He was 34.

Police in San Juan, Puerto Rico, said in a statement he was found dead Wednesday on the bedroom floor of his oceanfront apartment. Police and the Bayamon Cowboys basketball team said he had been missing for a few days and apparently died from a heart attack.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

The 6-foot-8 Traylor, a former University of Michigan star, played for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1998-2000. He had been playing in a Puerto Rican professional league.

On draft night in 1998, the Bucks traded the rights to Dirk Nowitzki and Pat Garrity to the Dallas Mavericks for the rights to Traylor.

Statement from Milwaukee Bucks on the death of Robert Traylor: “The entire Milwaukee Bucks organization is saddened by the news of Robert Traylor’s death. Robert was a fierce competitor on the court who helped the Bucks reach the playoffs in each of his two seasons in Milwaukee (1998-2000). Off the court he was a gentle giant, displaying his smile and care, especially toward young people through his involvement in school visits and his work with the Special Olympics clinic. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends.”

The following statement was released today on behalf of the New Orleans Hornets Organization upon learning of the passing of Robert Traylor: “The entire New Orleans Hornets organization is deeply saddened by the news of Robert Traylor’s death. “Tractor” was a great teammate and loved by the community and our fans in both Charlotte and New Orleans during his three seasons with us. He was a compassionate human being who always had an upbeat attitude and a winning smile. Our deepest prayers and sympathies are with the Traylor family and he will be missed dearly.”

Panathinaikos beats Maccabi for 2011 Euroleague championship

The AP reports:

Panathinaikos won the Euroleague basketball final Sunday, beating Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv 78-70 behind 16 points and nine assists from Dimitris Diamantidis.

This was the sixth European title and third in five years for the Greek club. Italy’s Montepaschi Siena beat Real Madrid 80-62 for third place.

Former Arizona State center Mike Batiste, who also won the title with Panathinaikos in 2007 and ’09, scored 18 points and Drew Nicholas added 14. Maccabi’s Chuck Eidson had 17.

The Israelis were within three points at halftime, but their outside shooting faltered in the second half when it made just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. Panathinaikos used a strong third quarter to build a double-digit lead, then withstood a late run from Maccabi…

Diamantidis, the regular-season MVP, was also the MVP of the Final Four. The only others to win Final Four MVP awards more than once are Toni Kukoc (four) and Dejan Bodiroga (two). Diamantidis won the championship for the third time with the Greens.

Montepaschi Siena beats Madrid for third place in 2011 Euroleague

The AP reports:

Montepaschi Siena beat Real Madrid 80-62 on Sunday to claim third place in the Euroleague Final Four.

With Madrid only three points behind, the Italian champions went on a 13-2 run to gain control for good in the third quarter.

Eleven players scored for Montepaschi, led by forward Ksistof Lavrinovic who had 17 points and four assists. David Moss added 11 points, while Bo McCalebb chipped in with 10 more.

Madrid tries for 1st Euroleague final in 16 years

The AP reports:

Real Madrid can move closer to adding to its record haul of European basketball titles when it faces Maccabi Tel Aviv on Friday in the Euroleague Final Four.

The Spanish club has won eight continental titles, but their last came 16 years ago.

But four-time champion Maccabi, which boasts Europe’s most potent offensive with more than 82 points per game, comes first. The Israeli team is led by American guard Jeremy Pargo and Greek big man Sofoklis Schortsanitis.

Captain Felipe Reyes and former Maccabi center D’or Fischer anchor a Madrid squad which will look to guard Sergio Llull(notes) and Nikola Mirotic to counter Maccabi’s firepower…

In the other semifinal, Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos plays Italian champion Montepaschi Siena for a spot in Sunday’s final.

Madrid arrives after a roller coaster season that saw much lauded head coach Ettore Messina resign just before its quarterfinal series against Valencia, which it won 3-2. But Madrid’s roster will no doubt draw extra motivation with the chance to win in Barcelona after its football team was eliminated from the Champions League by the Catalan club earlier this week…

The Israeli team can also count on one of the most loyal fans bases in European basketball: More than 5,000 have traveled to Spain to boost their team, which, if it wins on Friday, will equal Madrid with its 14th European title game.

The key figure for the Greek team on both ends of the court will be versatile point guard Dimitris Diamantidis, who recently won his sixth Euroleague Best Defender award in the last seven seasons. His playoff-leading 18 points per game were critical to his team ousting defending champion Barcelona in the quarterfinals.

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

Brandon Jennings to conduct basketball events in India May 13-18

National Basketball Association (NBA) rising star Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks will travel to India from May 13-18 to conduct a series of events to grow the game of basketball in Mumbai and Pune.

Jennings became the youngest player to score 55 points in a game on November 14, 2009 and is the 16th NBA or WNBA player or legend to travel to India in last three years as part of the league’s continued commitment to grow the game.

“Having played in Italy, I have seen first-hand how the sport is growing globally and I am excited to visit India with the NBA to help continue the growth of the game,” said Jennings. “The NBA has the best basketball players from around the world and it is amazing to think that one of the kids I teach in India could one day play against me in the NBA.”

Jennings will attend the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Skills Challenge Finals on May 15 in Mumbai. The event is the culmination of the largest school-based initiative ever conducted by the NBA in India. Since March, the NBA and HP have taught basketball and life skills to youth in 500 schools in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune. Additionally, 500 coaches attended two-day clinics in each city where they learned coaching techniques and received a “Basketball in a Box” coaching kit, which will provide them with a resource to grow basketball in their community. HP Dream Screens were used at all coaching clinics to provide video demonstrations to help illustrate certain coaching techniques.

Fifty youth from across India have advanced to the National Skills Challenge Finals by qualifying at City Championships. Jennings will crown the boys and girls National Champions, and conduct a basketball clinic for participants.

On May 16, NBA Cares will partner with Magic Bus, a not-for-profit organization in India to conduct a basketball clinic in Mumbai. Magic Bus works towards creating equal opportunities for children and youth from vulnerable communities. Over the past 12 years, Magic Bus has used its unique “sport for development” approach to empower children and youth to make positive life choices in areas of gender, education, livelihood and health. Jennings will work with youth from two communities, using basketball to illustrate the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle.

Jennings will then travel to Pune where he will become the first NBA player to host an event in the city. He will conduct a clinic for children and coaches who participated in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA program on May 17 and will host an NBA Cares basketball clinic for disadvantaged youth on May 18.

In case of lockout, Deron Williams looks into playing overseas

The potential lockout coming to the NBA has resulted in plenty of players considering alternatives should the world’s best basketball league take a break for a while so the millionaires and billionaires can figure out how to better divide their money.

It makes sense for players to glance at the idea of playing overseas. Can’t hurt. Any contract that an NBA star signed to play in Europe or elsewhere would surely have an immediate out clause the second the NBA resumed operations.

New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams is doing what’s logical. Jared Zwerling of ESPN The Magazine reports:

Although the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement expires in nearly two months — July 1, to be exact — New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams is already considering taking his talents abroad.

“I’m already looking into playing overseas,” said Williams, who was in Santa Monica, Calif., Tuesday taking part in an event featuring his favorite video game series, Call of Duty. “I haven’t looked anywhere in general; I’m just looking into the possibility of playing over there. But I’m not going to make a decision until after the CBA.”

Beyond that, D-Will had nothing more to say about the labor negotiations between the NBA owners and players.

“I’m not even going to talk about it,” Williams said. “I’m going to let that work itself out. I think a lot of people open their mouths and shouldn’t be talking about the CBA. Let the people handle it that need to handle it. I don’t know enough about it to be running off at the mouth.”

I still hope this all works out, and soon.

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

Rick Pitino will not coach Puerto Rico national team

The AP reports:

Louisville’s Rick Pitino will not coach Puerto Rico’s national team, citing scheduling conflicts in announcing his change of plans Wednesday.

The Cardinals’ coach had agreed in December to coach Puerto Rico in a pre-Olympic qualifying tournament late this summer and had hoped to have his Louisville team play the Puerto Rican national team as part of a foreign trip. But the NCAA shot down that proposal because Puerto Rico is Commonwealth of the United States and is not considered a foreign country under NCAA rules.

LeBron James now part-owner of Liverpool FC

Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal reports:

Basketball star LeBron James is joining forces with renowned hedge-fund manager John Henry and veteran Hollywood producer Tom Werner in a deal that brings together one of the biggest stars in sports and two of the world’s most renowned teams.

The deal between Mr. James and Fenway Sports Group will give Mr. James a minority stake in the soccer club Liverpool, which FSG owns. FSG, which also owns the Boston Red Sox, is partnering with Mr. James’s sports-marketing firm, LRMR Branding & Marketing to become the exclusive world-wide representative for Mr. James.

The deal marks the first time that a professional athlete at the top of his game has taken an ownership interest in a team with the size and reach of Liverpool, which is one of the most popular and powerful sports franchises in the world.

It also adds yet another dimension for Boston-based FSG, which became a global operation last October when it bought Liverpool for $488 million. The company was founded as New England Sports Ventures nine years ago after Messrs. Henry and Werner bought the Red Sox and 80% of regional sports channel New England Sports Network. In 2007 Fenway became 50% owner of the Nascar auto-racing team Roush Fenway Racing.

ESPNsoccernet reports:

James is also going into business with the Boston Red Sox, as FSG is also the parent company of the Red Sox and a co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing.

“What FSM does for Roush Fenway, Liverpool and the Red Sox, we will now do for LeBron James,” Fenway Sports Marketing (a sister company of FSG) president Sam Kennedy said. “We will aggressively pursue business opportunities for him.

“We are fortunate to have blue-chip brands like the Red Sox, Liverpool and Roush Fenway. This represents the next step in our evolution, to represent one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet.”

Knicks had interest in a Jerome Jordan return

Chris Sheridan of ESPN reports:

If the Knicks felt a certain player named Jordan could help them in the playoffs, he would have been at practice Friday.

But Jordan, whose full name is Jerome Jordan (the center from Tulsa who the Knicks acquired last June after he was drafted at No. 44 in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks), is going to spend the rest of the season in Serbia.

“He’s under contract over there, and there was some idea that maybe they weren’t doing the right things with him, and maybe we could get him. But I think now they’re straightened out, and so he’s playing over there,” team president Donnie Walsh said.

Jordan is shooting 73 percent while averaging 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15 minutes per game for KK Hemofarm of the Adriatic League.

English basketball funding cut before London 2012 Olympics

The AP reports:

Funding for basketball has been cut in England just after the British team was granted a spot in the London 2012 Olympics.

Sport England says the organization that runs the national youth teams and grass roots basketball in England will have to cope with $1.9 million less for the next two years.

The cut is due to the number of adults playing basketball at least once a week dropping by almost 20 percent in the last two years to 154,100.