International Basketball Blog – Page 63 – NBA Blog

Goran Jagodnik wins Euroleague MVP for month of October, 2010

Euroleague.net reports:

It has been seven years since Union Olimpija started a Euroleague season with two victories and the same amount of time since the pride of Ljubljana reached the Top 16. Basketball fever never left the Slovenian capital, but this week it will reach some of its highest temperatures ever, with the new 13,000-seat Stozice Arena sold out a week in advance of Olimpija’s showdown Thursday with Panathinaikos for first place in Group D of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season.

One man who has everything to do with Olimpija’s early-season resurgence is Goran Jagodnik, who is Euroleague Basketball’s choice as Sportingbet MVP for October. Having returned to Slovenia this season after 11 years abroad, the 35-year-old forward has made his a homecoming to remember so far.

Jagodnik’s scoring late in the team’s opening game helped Olimpija pull out an inspirational double-overtime victory against mighty Efes Pilsen before 9,000 pumped-up fans at home in Ljubljana. Last week, Jagodnik again saved his best for last, with 12 points in the final 11 minutes of another comeback, this time to beat Armani Jeans Milano in what was Olimpija’s first Euroleague road win in 21 months.

Among players on the seven teams undefeated through two games, Jagodnik ranks first in scoring with 20 points per game and second in performance index rating with 18.5 on average. He concentrated those great stats into late-game heroics that unexpectedly have Olimpija as a group co-leader, making Goran Jagodnik a more-than-logical Sportingbet MVP for October!

Allen Iverson signs with Besiktas in Turkey

Press Release From President of Besiktas Sports Club Yildirim Dimiroren:

Distinguished Press members and participants:

Allen Iverson signs with Besiktas in Turkey

First of all I would like to welcome you all and express my pleasure for being here as the President of Besiktas Sports Club – one of Europe’s biggest sports club to sign with one of the best ever basketball players, Allen Iverson. I would like to underline once more Besiktas is a big and strong club, having a history of 107 years with 14 sports branches and nearly 20 million supporters both in Turkey and all around the world. For all branches, Besiktas has one goal, and that is Championship! Allen again, this season, for basketball, we have started out for the Championship. Now we’re transferring one of the best basketball players in the world. The only aim of Besiktas, with Allen Iverson, is definitely the championship in Turkey and in Europe. We at Besiktas believe that a player as Allen Iverson, who won top scorer of NBA four times and MVP title two times, will bring the championship title to the team.

I personally believe that especially after seeing the enthusiasm and the excitement of Besiktas fans, he will make a huge contribution on the way to championship.

I must also add that not only Besiktas fans but also as all sport lovers in Turkey; we are waiting for Allen Iverson with great excitement.

As you all know, after Turkey won the silver basketball cup in 2010, the interest and the respect in basketball have been increased. The fact that a basketball star like Allen Iverson, will be playing for Turkey,and especially for Besiktas, I believe will accelerate and strengthen Turkish basketball as a whole. Currently, we have five Turkish players playing in the NBA.

I’m sure Allen Iverson will love Istanbul and Besiktas very much and will be very happy with us. We are very proud of transferring such a huge name. With Iverson’s transfer, the fans and followers of Besiktas, not only in the USA or Turkey, but all around the world, will grow in numbers. From now on, the world of basketball will be watching Besiktas. Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the board members especially Seref Yalcin, for their great efforts in achieving this transfer.

This year, the Besiktas Board concluded transfers of world famous soccer stars, like Quaresma and Guti. As a final note, today is the 87th establishment of the Turkish republic. Our joy is doubled by Iverson’s transfer on this republic day. Happy Republic Day and welcome Allen Iverson.

Yildirim Dimiroren
President of Besiktas Sports Club

David Stern has plan for NBA in Europe

The AP reports:

The travel plans for NBA teams could be a bit more extensive a decade from now.

NBA commissioner David Stern told a luncheon audience in Miami on Friday that he envisions a five-team European division within the league sometime in the next 10 years.

It’s not a new notion, but Stern’s words nonetheless represented a strong stance that the NBA is more committed than ever to expansion and further globalizing the game.

“It’s a wonderful topic, because 10 years ago, I said, ‘Oh, it’s inevitable, it’ll happen in 10 years,’ ” Stern said, speaking to business leaders. “And now what I’m saying is, ‘It’s inevitable, it’ll happen in 10 years.’ But in terms of globalization, we’re going to see a desire for franchises in Europe — and in about 10 years, you’ll send me a postcard.”

Magic Johnson sells share of Lakers to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong

Los Angeles Lakers legend and part-owner Earvin “Magic” Johnson has sold his share of the team to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, it was announced today. The transaction price of Johnson’s share of the team is undisclosed.

Lakers majority owner Dr. Jerry Buss had this comment on the transaction: “The sale of Earvin’s share of the team is a business decision which will not change our relationship. Our friendship goes well beyond business. Patrick is a long-time and passionate Lakers fan and we are delighted to have him as a partner.”

Johnson, drafted by the Lakers with the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, played 13 seasons with the Lakers, leading the team to five championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) and nine appearances in the NBA Finals. He was named NBA Most Valuable Player three times (1987, 1989, 1990), NBA Finals Most Valuable Player three times (1980, 1982, 1987) and All-NBA First Team nine times. He participated in 12 NBA All-Star games, winning Most Valuable Player honors in 1990 and 1992. A member of the United States Men’s National “Dream Team” that won the Gold Medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Johnson was named “One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History” in 1996 and was subsequently inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 27, 2002.

“After heavy deliberation and a weighing heart, I have decided to sell my share of the Lakers to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. Dr. Soon-Shiong is a super Lakers fan, an outstanding businessman, a dedicated philanthropist and one of the most active community leaders in Los Angeles,” said Johnson. “I am truly humbled to have been a Lakers player for 13 years and an owner for over 10 years. I thank Dr. Buss from the deepest part of my heart and soul for allowing me such an incredible opportunity. I will continue to work alongside Dr. Buss, Jeanie Buss and Mitch Kupchak in their efforts to continually build and maintain the best NBA franchise in the league. This was a bittersweet business decision made on behalf of my family and myself, and I want to assure all the wonderful and loyal Lakers fans that my decision will in no way affect my dedication and support for the Los Angeles Lakers. I am and will always be a Laker for life.”

Dr. Soon-Shiong, a Lakers season seat holder for more than 25 years, is Chairman of the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, Chairman and CEO of All About Advanced Health and founder of the National Coalition for Health Integration. He is the Executive Director of the UCLA Wireless Health Institute and Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, Molecular Genetics and Bioengineering at UCLA. Dr. Soon-Shiong is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. In 1993, he performed the world’s first encapsulated human islet transplant and the first pig to man islet cell transplant in diabetic patients. He invented the nation’s first FDA approved protein nanoparticle delivery technology for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, now approved in over 38 countries and currently in trials for lung, melanoma, gastric and pancreatic cancer. He is co-inventor of over 50 issued U.S. patents, has published more than 100 scientific papers and has founded two multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies, American Pharma Partners (APP) and Abraxis Bioscience (ABII). APP was responsible for the only safe supply of Heparin in the United States in 2008, and ABII achieved the nation’s first FDA approved blood-derived nanoparticle for breast cancer, doubling the response rate in patients with metastatic disease.

Dr. Soon-Shiong serves on the RAND Health Board of Advisors and the President’s Council at RAND, the Board of Trustees for Saint John’s Health Center in Los Angeles, the Advisory Board of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, the Advisory Board for the Institute of Technology Advancement at UCLA School of Engineering, the Arizona Commerce Authority Board and the Board of Councillors of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

“It is an honor for me to be part of the Lakers family and the nation’s foremost basketball franchise,” said Soon-Shiong. “The Lakers’ leadership and spirit of community engendered by Dr. Jerry Buss and his family is an inspiration to us all. Our family looks forward to a future filled with the excitement this team brings to the city and the nation. Earvin Johnson is a shining example of excellence on and off the court, and it is a privilege to have acquired his ownership position.”

China suspends five over basketball brawl with Brazil

The AP reports:

China’s coach Bob Donewald Jr., manager and three players were suspended by the Chinese Basketball Association on Friday for the ugly on-court brawl with the Brazil team.

The association had earlier apologized for the melee that left Tuesday’s game unfinished and one Chinese player in a neck brace…

Donewald, the American who took charge of the China team six months ago, had been ejected for insulting officials shortly before the fighting started. He was suspended indefinitely, fined 50,000 yuan ($7,500), and given a formal demerit.

Similar punishments were dealt to manager Zhang Xiong, who was fined 30,000 yuan ($4,500), and players Ding Jinhui, Su Wei, and Zhu Fangyu, who were each fined 20,000 ($3,000).

NBA fines Rudy Fernandez

Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trail Blazers has been fined $50,000 for public statements detrimental to the NBA, the league announced today.

The statements, which concerned a desire to be released by the Trail Blazers, were made by Fernandez’s agent, Gerard Darnes, on October 6. Fernandez was previously fined $25,000 on August 19 for statements concerning his desire to be traded or released by Portland.

Josh Childress fitting in early with Suns

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports:

Partizan Belgrade's Jan Vesely (L) tries to stop Olympiacos Piraeus's Josh Childress during their Euroleague Basketball Final Four semifinal game in Paris May 7, 2010. REUTERS/Marko Djurica (FRANCE - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

It figured that Childress would need time to find his niche on a team loaded with wing players, but he already fits.

In an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday at University of California-San Diego, Childress’ 28 points and fellow newcomer Hedo Turkoglu’s 22 points led a team with Steve Nash and Jason Richardson to a 101-80 rout of a team with Grant Hill, Robin Lopez, Goran Dragic and Channing Frye.

Turkoglu stuck to perimeter scoring on 7-of-11 shooting, but Childress was all over the floor, like he had been all training camp.

“Don’t let it fool you,” Childress said. “I’m dragging.”

It was hard to tell with how often Childress beat teammates upcourt on fast breaks, cut in half-court offense, got steals and deflections and crashed the boards.

He had five rebounds Saturday, when he scored almost exclusively by moving without the ball.

“He has an unbelievable feel for the ball,” Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. “He’s athletic enough that he’s going to get out and run. He’s going to be able to get out in front of the pack enough that he can come up with easy plays.”

InsideHoops.com editor says: Childress’ European basketball experience probably gives him a court IQ advantage over a lot of other NBA players. Keep an eye on the away-from-ball things he does this season, like cutting, creating passing lanes, setting effective screens, etc.

What’s your take on Childress? Discuss it on the Phoenix Suns forum.

Ron Artest says European leagues should allow more American players

Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles reports:

“They need to let more Americans play in the European leagues,” Artest said. “There are only like two [Americans] to a team while Europeans can come to America [and play in the NBA] like the whole San Antonio Spurs team — a whole American team can be full of Europeans. Europe has to be a little more fair to the American players.

“You see a lot of foreign players come over to America to play in the NBA. It’s not fair that a lot of American players can’t come to China or can’t come to Europe to play with as many players as they want, so there’s no balance … They should just make it more even.” …

Some countries such as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria have no limits on the number of non-European players allowed on each team, but the major leagues in Spain and Greece allow a maximum of two non-Europeans per squad. In the United Kingdom, the maximum is three.

A recent trend has shown American-born players who are able to acquire dual citizenship because of their ancestry — such as former Florida Gators guard and 2009 Timberwolves second-round draft pick Nick Calathes — becoming more valuable to executives looking to fill out a European roster because they do not count against the non-European player limit. Calathes plays for Panathinaikos Athens, a perennial Euroleague champion, and has a Greek passport.

Danilo Gallinari announces release of autobiography

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports:

The Knicks’ history is well-documented and now the same can be said of Gallinari. The Milan native began his homecoming early Thursday with a press conference to announce the release of his autobiography. Yes, his autobiography.

“You got to read it,” Gallinari said. “I can’t tell you everything from right now.”

When an American journalist pressed him about the subject matter, Gallinari joked: “It’s about cooking and how you have to cook the pasta.”

The book, printed in Italian, is titled “Da Zero a Otto,” or “Zero to Eight.” It tells the story of Gallinari from the time he was born right through his first two seasons in New York. Eight is his favorite number – he was born on on 8/8/88 – and that is the number on his Knicks jersey. The book is up to date. It includes the Knicks signing Stoudemire and trading David Lee to Golden State.

“It’s my story since the day I was born,” Gallinari added. “It’s nice stories that nobody knows. A little bit more about me comes out.”

Have Knicks opinions? Discuss them in the New York Knicks forum.

New York Knicks Danilo Gallinari reacts after making a basket in the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden in New York City on April 12, 2010. The Knicks defeated the Wizards 114-103. UPI/John Angelillo Photo via Newscom

Timofey Mozgov impressing Knicks early

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports:

Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks’ new international man of mystery, may have won the starting center job even before training camp begins.

A Knicks official says that Mozgov, the 7-1 rookie from St. Petersburg, Russia, has been impressive during voluntary training sessions in Greenburgh and that coach Mike D’Antoni is already considering starting Mozgov alongside Amar’e Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton.

Mozgov’s presence is further proof that Eddy Curry’s days with the club are numbered. Curry’s expiring contract makes him a valuable trading asset that the Knicks would gladly include in a potential deal for Denver’s Carmelo Anthony. However, unless the Knicks can acquire a first-round pick to send to the Nuggets, it is unlikely that team president Donnie Walsh will have the pieces to satisfy Denver.