I am going to tell you about a rising new star you probably haven’t heard of: Marko Arapovic of Cedevita Zagreb, which has advanced to the Final 16. But first, a few words on some familiar names who could be missing out. Maccabi Tel Aviv won its sixth European Basketball title in 2014 (under David Blatt, you may remember.) Then last year, Real Madrid shook off a 21-year drought to win their ninth title, the most of any team in Europe. With losses next
Among the 14 players selected in the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery, only Sixers picks Joel Embiid and Dario Saric have yet to play in an NBA game. Embiid, the third overall pick, has been sidelined with a debilitating foot injury for the entirety of his NBA career, sitting on Philly’s bench in street clothes for a year and a half now. Saric, selected 10th by the Magic and then swapped for Elfrid Payton, has been in Istanbul in Andolu Efes colors,
So, two groups of Russians and a group of Spaniards walk into a bar—stop me if you’ve heard this one … Sitting on one end is first Russian contingent, from CSKA Moscow, calmly sipping on warm vodka. They’ve had four, and they’ve yet to slur a word. They might have six or eight more before it’s all over, and if you ask them for their keys, they’ll shoot you a How dare you? glance before walking out when they damn well please and
In NBA circles, Jan Vesely is considered a bust. The Wizards took the athletic Czech power forward with the sixth pick in the 2011 NBA draft to catch lobs from John Wall and become part of a young core with tons of potential. It did not go according to plan. He would notoriously airball his first NBA free throw attempt, and that set the tone for a rocky rookie year. He averaged 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 19 minutes per
As we count down the days to the start of NBA training camps, many of us lament the absence of real basketball news from our lives. But guess what? The most prestigious continental tournament in the world is taking place as you read this, as Eurobasket ’13 is underway in Slovenia. Bunch of guys you never heard of? Not at all. There are 27 NBA players competing in the tournament, a bunch more Eurostash players whose draft rights are held by NBA teams,
Go ahead and grab a lead in a Euroleague final against Olympiacos. Go on. I dare you. [Read more…]
The Euroleague Final Four is underway in London. Earlier, Olympiacos Kyle Hines and Pero Antic hard 13 apiece to help down Nenad Krstic, Milos Teodosic and a discombobulated CSKA Moscow team 69-52. Afterward, Real Madrid finished a back-and-forth battle on top 74-67. Here’s how it all went down. First Half Barcelona’s CJ Wallace told ELA he was not 100 percent heading into tonight’s clash with Madrid due to an elbow injury, but there he was early on giving up his body. Nikola Mirotic
Though it’s trumpeted as a launchpad for great big shiny heroics, playoff basketball’s cruel truth is that the no-shows have a particular, formative role to play in the maturation–or atrophy–of each series, as well. [Read more…]