The quarterfinals are set for this year’s Eurobasket, as eight teams will play for two automatic bids to next summer’s Olympic Games in Rio. Of the eight remaining teams, seven will be preparing next summer for a chance to play in the Olympic games, as the 3rd through 7th place teams earn bids for next summer’s Olympic Qualifying tournament, in which 18 teams will be fighting for the three remaining bids for Rio. Here is a look at the quarterfinal matchups that
You can complain all you want about FIBA’s way of doing things, you’d probably be right more often than not. Only two teams from Europe can earn berths to the Rio Olympics this summer, while there will be four teams from FIBA-Americas (USA, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina)? But if you are a fan of basketball, this EuroBasket Tournament is an overdose of fun after a long empty summer. The best national teams in Europe go at it day after day nonstop, with
You may not have heard of these guys recently, but you might be hearing of them in the days ahead. Sixty players will hear their names called in New York this coming Thursday at the 2015 NBA Draft, but some of the greatest excitement on draft night comes from the high volume of trades. From the hours leading up to the draft until the start of free agency, teams start to shake up their rosters, giving eager fans a sense of which
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…]
11. Petteri Kaponen, Guard, Finland, (Dallas owns draft rights) Kaponen has been moving up the food chain in European basketball since he was drafted in the first round back in 2007. Kaponen is the clear leader of the undefeated Finnish squad, pouring in 22.8 points a game to go along with 5 assists, as he prepares to take the step up to the Euroleague with the Russian giant, Khimki Moscow. He has excellent size for a point guard at 6’5”, and
So it’s Heat vs. Thunder in the Finals. The big question now is what happens to the Big Three in Boston, with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen unrestricted free agents and Paul Pierce a potential trade candidate. We’ve got that, and all the latest news from around the NBA. From Alex Kennedy at HoopsWorld, Doc Rivers doesn’t want this to be the end of the Big Three. “I don’t know,” Rivers said. “I think we’re going to wait and see what
TEL AVIV — With the announcement of this year’s early entry candidates for the NBA draft, now is a good time to take a look at this season’s international crop. There are no clear cut stars coming from abroad in this year’s draft, but there are a few names that have a good chance to be solid contributors to teams down the line. (Click here to reach Tommy Dee’s column on 5 Hidden Gems among the Americans who ar entering the draft
BARCELONA — Joel Freeland could be a Portland Trailblazer next year after all. Reports surfaced last week that the 25-year-old British power forward and Trail Blazers draftee (30th overall in 2006) had signed an extension with Unicaja Malaga of Spain, lending serious doubt to his NBA future. After a 75-65 loss to Banca Civica Sevilla in the Copa del Rey, Joel Freeland said those reports were untrue. “We’ve always been talking since day one but there’s no agreement at this point,” said Freeland. When