In case you missed it, Mexico won the Tournament of the Americas. Yes, Mexico, which hadn’t qualified for a World Championship Cup in 40 years. Gustavo Ayon of the Atlanta Hawks was the tournament MVP. What does this have to do with Eurobasket ’13? Only the fact that you never know what is going to happen in a FIBA tournament, as witnessed by what we are currently seeing in Slovenia. [Read more…]
Bets happen every day. The bookies in Vegas thrive off of bets. Many bets are sports related. Some friendships have been ruined by bets, others strengthened. Some people lose money, others lose their pride…and some lose their hair. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon famously had his head shaved after losing a contest with real estate mogul Donald Trump. In an effort to promote this year’s release of Madden 25, NFL quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson put an eyebrow on the line
You can be an incredibly gifted scorer in the NBA, but these days, that skill alone won’t necessarily cut it for most teams. You have to understand the concept of team play on both ends of the court. Without it, you might not be good enough to stick around in the league, and that is especially true if you come with baggage. At this point in his career, Michael Beasley is that guy – a pretty good scorer that doesn’t defend
The Spanish Olympic committee couldn’t have elected a better spokesperson than Lakers forward Pau Gasol. The seven-footer has been actively promoting his country in an attempt to land the 2020 games. In a battle with Tokyo and Istanbul to host sport’s biggest event, Madrid fell short after the International Olympic Committee selected Tokyo in secret voting as the winning city. Gasol was an instrumental part of Madrid’s bid over the past week but was defeated Saturday. Thanks to all that have supported @Madrid2020ES .
Wednesday brought forth the first day of the preliminary round of EuroBasket ’13. This year’s EuroBasket has a lot on the line. Of the 24 teams competing, only six teams will earn spots in the inaugural 2014 Basketball World Cup. Among the teams competing, the two-time defending EuroBasket champion Spanish national team. [AJ Mitnick: EuroBasket ’13 Preview] The first day of action saw a lot of close games with a few blowouts sprinkled in for good measure. Preliminary Round – Day 1 GROUP A Sep. 4, 2013
Group C Likely To Advance 1. Spain Known as the most powerful basketball country outside of the United States, the winners of the past two Eurobaskets will once again be the favorites to win gold in Slovenia this summer. What is really crazy is that Spain is the favorite to win the tournament, but their list of players absent this year, which includes Pau Gasol, Serge Ibaka, future Chicago Bull and Spanish league MVP Nikola Mirotic, Juan Carlos Navarro, Victor Sada and Felipe
In a seemingly minor trade, two former first-round picks from Syracuse were swapped for one another Thursday. Boston sent 2012 first-rounder Fab Melo to Memphis for the non-guaranteed contract of Donte Greene. This trade has relatively minor implications, but an impact nonetheless that will be laid out. It would be a surprise if Greene plays a single minute for the Celtics. The former Sacramento King didn’t play last season after breaking his ankle last summer. This was after a 2011-2012 season
Tonight in Miami, LeBron James has another “Decision.” This one is not about where James is going to play, however. Tonight is about how he is going to play. And this decision is tougher, because he doesn’t have days to think about it. He has about an hour, tops. [Read more…]