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
Rajon Rondo thinks the 2013 Boston Celtics can be better than the 2008 championship version. And last week, Fenerbahce Ulker beat the 2013 Boston Celtics by six. “They have a really good basketball team,” Paul Pierce said after the game had wrapped up in Istanbul, Turkey. “My hat’s off to them. They really played a good game.” Hold onto your hat, Paul. At least until mid-May. While any win–certainly any win against a storied club like the Boston Celtics—is better than any loss,
With the 2013 Eurobasket qualifiers coming to an end, the table is set for the highest level international competition in European basketball next summer. European stars Marcin Gortat, Mirza Teletovic and Marcin Gortat led their teams to successful campaigns, where they now will have the opportunity to challenge the likes of Spain, France, Russia, Greece and Lithuania in next summer’s tournament. The teams that successfully qualified included Montenegro, Israel, Serbia, Germany, Sweden, Croatia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Latvia, Poland, Finland, Belgium
21. Dairis Bertans, Swingman, Latvia, (Spurs own NBA draft rights) This versatile wing has been a leader for Latvia offensively, as a scorer and distributor. Bertans is a strong shooter, and can contribute in many ways, but it is tough to find a niche right now that could make him contribute right away in the league, and his defense certainly isn’t up to Pop’s standards just yet. With his natural skill set and athleticism, Bertans has the chance to make the
With the Olympics over, it’s just about time to turn our attention to the NBA season, which begins in two and a half months. But first, let’s take a quick look ahead to 2016, when there will be no age-limit restriction for the Rio Olympics. And in NBA talk, check out Moke Hamilton’s column about how the Nets and Knicks match up with each other, and in what has to be a frontrunner for most bizarre story of the year,
With the NBA Draft over, evaluations of the decisions were made from general managers, owners, players, writers and even fans. See our exclusive sights and sounds of the Draft here, and check who said what, along with today’s biggest news below: Mo Williams has cleared the path to complete the Lamar Odom deal, and he was never in the way, reported by Ramona Shelburne: “Los Angeles Clippers guard Mo Williams has officially picked up his option for next season, clearing the way