New Cavs head coach David Blatt has amassed his fair share of European hardware. The NBA has plenty of Euroleague athletes among its teams’ rosters. Now, it has its first head coach. Last year, as the Boston Celtics began searching for a replacement for Doc Rivers, who was essentially traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, Blatt was mentioned by some reputable basketball writers—including our very own Chris Sheridan—as a possible candidate. However, the job went to Butler coach Brad
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,
Maccabi Tel-Aviv demolished Besiktas Istanbul 101-58 en route to its sixth consecutive win in the Euroleague Top 16 round. In a contest that was over almost as soon as it began, Maccabi was able to all but solidify a position in the Euroleague quarterfinals despite dropping five out of its first seven top 16 matches. [Read more…]
From nba.com/warriors After spending half of a season in Israel with Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Malcolm Thomas managed to turn a one game stint in the D-League into a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors. After scoring 13 points and 17 rebounds in his only appearance for the Los Angeles D-Fenders, Thomas was able to convince the Warriors brass he was worth a closer look. I have been watching his career take a dip this season in Israel, and I
While NBA training camps may be getting under way, players such as Jordan Farmar, Sonny Bo McCalebb (shown here playing for Macedonia) scored 21 points as Fenerbahce of Turkey defeated the Boston Celtics on Friday in Istanbul. Weems, Shelden Williams, Craig Smith and Bo McCalebb are getting ready to start their seasons in Europe. McCalebb has begun with a bang, as his team, Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul, managed to beat the Boston Celtics during their European tour, showing that European
11. Patrick Beverley, G, Spartak St. Peteresburg (Russia), College: Arkansas This former second-round pick was one of the most effective guards at the Eurocup level this past season. With a very versatile game, Beverley rebounds very well for a ballhandling guard, can defend both backcourt positions and is able to get a high rate of steals without cheating defensively. A Chicago native, Beverley played for the Bulls in the Las Vegas Summer League and drew some interest as a possible training camp
TEL AVIV — After a long and arduous season, Maccabi Tel-Aviv took home the 2012 Adriatic league title with an 87-77 win Monday night over KK Cedevita Zagreb. This season, Maccabi Tel-Aviv has played in three separate leagues, playing well over 80 games in a compact schedule that often involved taking connecting flights around Europe to get to countries such as Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia. Despite the fact that Maccabi typically breezed past opponents in the Adriatic league, there was