Nikola Mirotic’s 31 points and 11 rebounds in Real Madrid’s 105-104 overtime win at Zalgiris were career highs. His performance from the free throw line was an all-time Euroleague best: 18-for-18. [Read more…]
Since the days of Arvydas Sabonis, NBA teams have been drafting European players with the intention of stashing these prospects in the mother continent before they make their NBA debut. Some of these players go on to be stars, such as Manu Ginobili, Ricky Rubio and Marc Gasol. Others, such as Milos Vujanic and Frederic Weis, never even smell the league. [Read more…]
We are 48 hours away from the NBA trade deadline. Deals are being discussed, deals are going to happen, and deals are going to fall through. Happens every year. What makes this year different is the new collective bargaining agreement, with harsher luxury tax penalties on the horizon beginning with the 2013-14 season. The luxury tax line is going to act as a hard cap for all but the wealthiest owners – like guys who own gold mines in Siberia. So expect to
The NBA trade deadline journalism racket is a tricky minefield to navigate. The business is driven by rumors, many of which are founded in truth, others of which are utterly fictitious. Distinguishing between the two differentiates the good basketball Web sites from the bad sites. But figuring out who is available is not rocket science if you speak to the right people, and I speak to a lot of plugged-in people on a regular basis. Here is the latest they are telling me:
For every Blazer fan who asked Who? when his team traded Raymond Felton and Kurt Thomas to the Knicks for Kostas Papanikolaou and Georgios Printezis, it’s officially time to be OK with that. [Read more…]
It’s a long, hard fall from the top of the heap, and sticking the landing is nearly impossible when your ankle’s being held together by trainers tape. Bo McCalebb was noticeably slowed by a wobbly ankle against Cantu, who dominated former number one in these very rankings, Fenerbahe Ulker, by a score of 82-58. That was good enough to give Cantu the big bump and yank the rug out from under the Turks. For now, at least. [Read more…]
The Spurs stars may be getting old, but their blueprint for winning remains as strong as ever. They were beaten at their own game by former Spurs executive, Sam Presti, this season, but they still have a few more tricks up their sleeve with Erazem Lorbek and Nando De Colo. Since that fortunate day in 1997 when the ping-pong balls magically awarded Tim Duncan to San Antonio, the Spurs have written the instruction manual on how a small market team can achieve
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,