It was another exciting week of European basketball, with the Euroleague and Eurocup’s “regular season” stage hitting their halfway points, before both competitions shed some dead weight going into the next stage of the season. This week, we had an ex-Laker absolutely dominate as he continues his climb to the top of the European ranks, while a couple of young draft prospects make their first splashes in Euroleague waters, all below in this weeks EuroHoops update. [Read more…]
The 76ers may be piling up the losses stateside, but the seeds of their rebuilding plan are slowly growing thousands of miles away as a couple of their Eurostash prospects are beginning to sprout. Which American just left Europe and is a possible candidate to sign with the Lakers? What has former first rounder James Anderson been up to this season? David Blatt’s Cavaliers may be under the microscope by not starting off the season as strong as anticipated, but what is going
Welcome to my inaugural EuroHoops update column. You will be getting these once per week, and I will be keeping you abreast of all the guys who may one day be headed to the NBA, or those who already have been there and won’t be going back … like the first guy we are checking in on. [Read more…]
The most intriguing team in the NBA this season is unquestionably the Cleveland Cavaliers. And the secocnd-most intriguing team in the NBA this season may be the Chicago Bulls. This summer, the Cavaliers remade themselves from a laughingstock to a legitimate contender with the additions of LeBron James and Kevin Love. Meanwhile, the Bulls are hoping the return of Derrick Rose and the addition of Pau Gasol puts them in the championship chase as well. And both teams play in the Central Division,
The group stage of the FIBA World Cup is over, with 16 of the 24 teams moving on and three of them – the United States, Spain and Greece – still unbeaten. But they cannot afford to lose now. The knockout stage begins Saturday, and it’s pretty much the same as the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Win and keep playing. Lose and go home. And being one of the last four teams is something special – in this case,
In years past, Americans have considered the Olympics to be the only relevant international basketball competition. Stateside, the other quadrennial tournament formerly known as the FIBA World Championship went largely unnoticed until Team USA embarrassed themselves in 2002, losing three times in Indianapolis and finishing sixth after never having lost with NBA players. The rest of the world sees things differently. Other basketball federations have been viewing the World Championship as the more important international competition. Also, because the very best Americans play
It seems unlikely that a country with a smaller population than Connecticut could challenge the United States on basketball’s international stage. But that is exactly what Lithuania plans on doing. Runner-up in the 2013 European Championship and Jerry Garcia’s favorite national team, Lithuania will be a medal contender in the inaugural 2014 Basketball World Cup and could pose as Team USA’s lone threat on the road to the championship game. “The Other Dream Team” will be playing without its leader Linas Kleiza,
After Kevin Durant quit (to borrow a phrase from Sheridan) and Paul George’s devastating broken leg, the hosts of the 2014 Basketball World Cup have emerged as legitimate contenders for a gold medal. While Team USA remains the odds-on favorites according to sportsbettinginfo.com to take the gold, despite clearly sending a “B” team, they will have their work cut out for them overcoming a cohesive Spanish team in a potential Gold Medal game. The Spanish national team will be in Group A with France