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Grizzlies assign Hamed Haddadi to D-League

The Memphis Grizzlies assigned center Hamed Haddadi (pronounced ha-MED ha-DAHD-dee) to the Dakota Wizards, their NBA Development League affiliate, General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

“The Dakota Wizards are a tremendous organization which the Grizzlies are fortunate to have as our affiliate,” Wallace said. “We are eager to watch Hamed’s development under coach Duane Ticknor’s tutelage. This assignment will be a positive experience for Hamed.”

Signed as a rookie free agent on Aug. 28, Haddadi averaged 1.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.7 minutes in six preseason games. The 7-2, 280-pound center has yet to make his NBA regular season debut.

A native of Ahvaz, Iran, Haddadi represented his country last summer in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, where he averaged a double-double (16.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks) in Olympic competition, playing five games for the Iranian National Team.

The 23-year-old also posted 14.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 25.5 minutes in two contests for the Iranian National Team at the 2008 Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City last summer.

Slated to become the first Iranian to ever play in the NBA, Haddadi is the Grizzlies’ first assignment to the D-League since the club assigned Alexander Johnson to the Arkansas RimRockers on March 1, 2007. The 23-year-old is the seventh NBA player (sixth rookie) to be assigned to the Development League in 2008-09.

Haddadi, who will wear jersey No. 50, is expected to make his D-League debut in the Wizards’ regular season opener vs. Iowa Energy on Saturday, Nov. 29 at the Bismarck Civic Center in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Walter Herrmann has concussion

Pistons forward Walter Herrmann suffered a mild concussion in last night’s game at Boston. Herrmann spent the night in a Boston hospital but was released this morning and has returned home. He is listed as day to day.

Euroleague Week 4 MVP is Mike Hall

Euroleague.net reports: His team was on the verge of one of the biggest upsets of the season, but when it didn’t happen, Armani Jeans Milano got the consolation prize of seeing Mike Hall earn MVP honors for Week 4 of the regular season. One of the great rivalries in European basketball history lived up to its tradition as Real Madrid won at home against Milano 70-69 on Lou Bullock’s intrepid layup with 3.8 seconds remaining. Hall had helped Milano stay close all game and made his team’s go-ahead free throws just before the final minute started. He would finish the game with a game-high 21 points and team-high 9 rebounds, making 3 of his 4 two-point shots, 3 of 6 from the three-point arc, and all 6 of his free throw opportunities. It all added up to a performance index rating of 28, best of the week among all Euroleague players. Following him was none other than Igor Rakocevic, the Week 3 MVP, who posted a 27 index rating while scoring 21 of his 23 points in the second half of a losing effort against Lottomatica Roma.

Barbosa`s mother dies

The East Valley Tribune (Jerry Brown) reports: The Suns won’t have Leandro Barbosa tonight and likely for up to a week after he left the team Thursday bound for his home in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Early Thursday afternoon, Barbosa received word that his mother Ivete had passed away. The relationship between Barbosa and his mother is a very close one. She visited Arizona every spring for an extended visit and the two talked by phone at least a half-dozen times a day. She survived a bout with cancer a few years ago but had been hospitalized in poor health for months. Barbosa lost his father to cancer in 2005.

Vladimir Radmanovic grew up in civil war

The Orange County Register (Janis Carr) reports: Vladimir Radmanovic grew up in what used to be Yugoslavia. At age 11, the country’s civil war started as did his family’s difficulties. His father joined the military and soon the family was on the move. They first relocated to different military bases, then approximately 200 miles from their home in Belgrade, where the fighting was fierce. He lived in four cities over the span of four years, but as a carefree teen, he was oblivious to the financial strain the war had put on his family and the rest of the country. “I was a kid,” he said. “Obviously, at that age, you don’t think about the consequences of what is happening. You’re living the life, trying to play and go out with kids your age. Now, from this perspective, I can understand the kind of struggle my parents had.” At age 14, Radmanovic began playing basketball, first for his school team then for a club team.

October Euroleague MVP is Ersan Ilyasova

Euroleague.net reports: Although it may seem contradictory, the best testimony for the first monthly MVP of the 2008-09 Euroleague season is how little he played while pacing his team to early dominance in its group. Ersan Ilyasova of Regal FC Barcelona did so much so early in both games during October that his team coasted to easy victories without needing his help to finish them off. Against quite distinct opponents and in quite different circumstances, Ilyasova and Barcelona won their first two games in Group B by an average of 26 points. That the second of those blowout wins came by 24 points against another group favorite, Panathinaikos, capped off in spectacular fashion what was already an incredibly busy and successful month for Barcelona. In between tying for first place in the Spanish League with a 4-1 record in October and taking on the Euroleague, Barcelona flew to Los Angeles for 72 hours in the middle of the month play two 100-point-plus exhibition games is less than a day against NBA teams. Every step of the way, Ilyasova’s versatility has been apparent. He ranked seventh among all Euroleague players in performance index rating for the month, third in rebounds, 11th in scoring. Most telling, he led Barcelona in both scoring and rebounding despite playing only the fourth-most minutes on the team. For his amazing efficiency on the court in a pair of huge wins that could easily have been difficult for his team, Ersan Ilyasova is Euroleague Basketball’s choice as October MVP.

Week 3 Euroleague MVP is Igor Rakocevic

Euroleague.net reports: One of world basketball’s best shooters has outdone himself at the start of the Euroleague season. Tau Ceramica guard Igor Rakocevic, a former Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy winner, recorded the competition’s best individual performance in Week 3 to lead his team to a blowout 106-65 home win against Alba Berlin. Tau is now the only undefeated team in Group C and one of four Euroleague teams that has yet to lose. Rakocevic needed just 25 minutes to score 27 points against Alba on 6-for-6 three-point, 1-for-3 two-point and 7-for-7 free-throw shooting. Rakocevic also added a game-high 5 assists and 4 fouls drawn to reach a performance index rating of 34. Sani Becirovic of Lottomatica Roma followed with a 33 index rating based on his 23 points in a road win over Union Olimpija.

David Harrison signs in China

Fiba.com reports: American center David Harrison has been reunited with good friend and former NBA colleague Dontae Jones in China’s with Beijing. The seven-footer, who averaged almost 13 minutes in 55 games for Indiana last season, said to Titan: “I came here for the sake of basketball. “I love basketball. Besides, my good friend Dontae Jones is here, which is amazing we are together here in China playing basketball. “I will try all my best to bring the team a champion’s title.”

No extension for Linas Kleiza

The Rocky Mountain News (Chris Tomasson) reports: The Nuggets’ deal to sign Linas Kleiza to a contract extension has fallen apart and he will become a restricted free agent next summer, his agent said Friday.
Bill Duffy told the Rocky Mountain News that the Nuggets decided Friday not to offer Kleiza, a Nuggets forward, a deal in the range the two parties had been talking about that would start next season. The sides had been talking about a possible extension in the range of $25 million over four years which would have had to have been signed by the Friday deadline… Duffy said that while Kleiza likes Denver, other NBA teams will be looked at next summer. He’s also a candidate to go overseas.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Kleiza is a good bench player but not an essential part of the Nuggets future. He does make a team better.

Rudy Fernandez can play

The Columbian (Brian Hendrickson) reports: This fall was supposed to be a transition period for Rudy Fernandez. But the Portland Trail Blazers rookie at times has looked like he has been playing NBA ball all along. The seven-year veteran of the Spanish ACB League filled up his stat line throughout the preseason, throwing down electrifying lob dunks, assisting on a pass through an opponent’s legs, and scoring in a variety of ways. He has also demonstrated an exceptional understanding of the game, a dynamic range of skills and an ability to inject instant energy into the offense. But when he explains the quick adjustment to his new teammates and league, Fernandez makes the move sound fundamental. “Basketball is basketball, Europe or in USA,” he explained. The Blazers never expected the transition to be that easy, but Fernandez has certainly made it look that way. He led the Blazers in steals (2.6 a game) during the preseason, and ranked third in assists (4.0 average) and fourth in scoring (12.0 average). And if Fernandez continues to play with that level of comfort, then his quick, smooth transition could pay big dividends.