ISTANBUL — It’s a city so massive that it spans two continents, and even the taxi drivers have to stop and ask for directions. The five daily calls to prayer give Istanbul a conservative soundtrack, while folks who flock to Istiklal Street by the thousands soak up a nightlife that dares even the most adventurous party-goers to keep up. Venders hawk you through the halls of the Grand Bazaar, clamoring for your business in whichever language you’re willing to bargain; still,
ISTANBUL —When the NBA locked out its stars last offseason, Andrei Kirilenko rode into Russia on his wild horse to exorcise the memories of CSKA Moscow’s atrocious 2010-11 Euroleague season, in which they failed to make it to the Top 16 after a record eight straight Final Four appearances. Kirilenko’s debut was something straight out of 2005: 17 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in a 74-87 road win against Sonny Weems’ overmatched Zalgiris squad. His casual dominance landed him the
BARCELONA — When it comes to finding NBA talent in Europe, the Eastern Conference is admittedly a step or two behind the West. General managers such as San Antonio’s R.C. Buford and Houston’s Daryl Morey have a knack for squeezing value out of overseas talent they’ve either drafted or acquired for picks and cash. Now the East is making a comeback, hitching their wagon to quality instead of quantity. So while the Spurs and Rockets’ combined 12 rights-held players are more than
BARCELONA — Between the NBA and the Euroleague lies an ocean. Over here, we may have some of the best NBA trade deadline assets that you might hear about by Thursday afternoon. More and more, teams are pushing their shopping carts across the Atlantic in hopes of stumbling upon a Gary Neal or Gustavo Ayon. Other teams did their legwork early, drafting and stowing Europeans whom they hoped would mature into NBA caliber players. Some of them have. Here are
BARCELONA — Next season, the Euroleague’s Top 16 phase will have two groups of eight instead of four groups of four. Keeping in line with the home-and-home format, that means each team will play 14 games instead of six. Some people are digging the switch. An additional eight games mean more Milos Teodosic sleepy-eyed step backs, a blitzkrieg of bombas from Juan Carlos Navarro and, God willing, more of Petr Samoylenko’s fantastic mullet. Others are less pumped. Having eight more games could
BARCELONA — Joel Freeland could be a Portland Trailblazer next year after all. Reports surfaced last week that the 25-year-old British power forward and Trail Blazers draftee (30th overall in 2006) had signed an extension with Unicaja Malaga of Spain, lending serious doubt to his NBA future. After a 75-65 loss to Banca Civica Sevilla in the Copa del Rey, Joel Freeland said those reports were untrue. “We’ve always been talking since day one but there’s no agreement at this point,” said Freeland. When
BARCELONA — Latavious Williams misses American food. Ask him what he craves most and there’s no hesitation. “My Auntie’s barbecue,” says Williams. But as his Auntie fires up the grill in Starkville, Mississippi, Latavious is playing power forward for Joventut Badalona of the Spanish League. When his two cousins visit later this month, odds are they won’t be sneaking any ribs through customs, either. No matter. The 6-foot-8 Williams, who says he lost a ton of weight upon his arrival in Spain, says he
BARCELONA — This Thursday in Israel could mark Doron Perkins’ first Euroleague game in over 10 months. As far as Perkins is concerned, it couldn’t come in a better place; Tel Aviv’s Nokia Arena has been home to many of Perkins’ finest moments with Maccabi. Only this Thursday, he might be sliding into his socks in the visitor’s locker room as a member of Bennet Cantu, a team that bested Maccabi 82-74 Thursday. Let’s rewind a bit. Last March in a playoff series