With the 2014 NBA draft merely a few hours away, teams are gearing up for all of their possible choices as the clock is winding down. In what should be one of the stronger drafts in recent years, despite being significantly weaker than the famous 1984, 1996 and 2003 drafts, there is a very strong crop of international prospects going into the draft. This year there are three prospects who could be picked in the lottery (Dante Exum, Dario Saric, Jusuf
Who are this year’s international men of mystery whose names will be called at the 2014 NBA draft? We already have looked at Dante Exum, who is a near lock for the top five, as well as Dario Saric and Jusuf Nurkic, a pair of bigs playing in Croatia who could be in the lottery. However, this international class goes a bit deeper, with a few established players who can play right away, plus the usual draft-and-stash candidates who could come to the league after a few years of
After a sensational season in the Chinese Basketball Association, former Cal-State Fullerton guard Bobby Brown has agreed to a three-year extension with the DongGuan Leopards. One of the most sensational scorers outside the NBA, Brown was the second-leading scorer in China at 30.7 PPG, fresh off of leading the Euroleague in the prior season with Montepaschi Siena. Over the past two seasons, Brown has had some ridiculous scoring nights, going off for 74 points in a two-point win over Sichuan (whose
We can be fairly certain that Dario Saric and Jusuf Nurkic did not watch the Cleveland Cavaliers win the draft lottery. Yes, they have a vested interest in knowing who is picking where. But business comes first, and both players were sound asleep, resting up for the final round of the Croatian League before their domestic Final Four. The 6-10 Saric, a 20-year-old forward for Cibona Zagreb, has been having fantastic season, averaging 16.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in the Adriatic League,
Credit: http://www.mhp-riesen-ludwigsburg.de/michael-stockton/ Can Adam Silver and the NBA learn a thing or two from the German League on how to handle blown calls that can decide the outcome of a series? One week after Doc Rivers, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Co. lost Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinal after the referees botched what should have been a foul on Matt Barnes, the German League has decided to go in a different direction. MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, a squad
Dear Coach Jackson, I’m sure you have been very busy in your new role as President of the New York Knicks and have been entrenched in recent days with the Chicago pre-draft combine, the excitement of this year’s NBA playoffs and the delicate process of selecting a new head coach. The task of choosing the right head coach for the Knicks is far from simple. New York, in any sport, is an environment in which any coach or decision maker is under
After a fantastic season of Euroleague basketball, one weekend of mayhem in Milano will decide the champion. While the seven-game series format leading up to the Final Four has proven undeniably exciting (and profitable), there is a special charm to the Euroleague’s one-and-done Final Four format that gives off a very comparative feeling to the NCAA Final Four. For the first time since 2006, neither of the Greek powerhouses – Olympiacos and Panathinaikos – will be represented in the Final Four. Instead,
Is Zeljko Obradovic too brash to coach in the NBA, or are some NBA players too self-centered to play for Obradovic? Yesterday, HoopsHype editor Jorge Sierra posted a poll amongst several players throughout Europe as to which coaches in Europe would make the best head coaches in the NBA. While the consensus top three of Ettore Messina, David Blatt and Zeljko Obradovic is pretty obvious, as all three coaches are clearly capable of running an NBA squad, the panel’s take on