Interview with Jarrett Hart of British National Team

Sorry about the infrequent postings as of late. I've been helping with a weekly Arkansas sports column and haven't had the time for many posts. My most recent column, however, dovetails perfectly with both Arkansas sports and Euro basketball. Jarrett Hart, a classmate of mine from LR Central, is a pro basketball player playing for a team in Cyprus and for the British National Team....

With 4:58 left in a EuroBasket tournament game last week against the mighty Spanish national basketball team, Great Britain's Jarrett Hart received a pass at the top of the arc and let fly a three-point attempt.

The Little Rock native drained it, the crowd erupted, and for a second the tides of fate seemed ready to sweep the British onto the unlikeliest of shores. Leading 73-69, Great Britain, a neophyte to the world basketball scene, was about to eliminate Spain, the reigning FIBA world champion, from the European Championships' first round in what an enthused ESPN commentator declared would be "the greatest upset in international basketball history."

Not bad for a team that didn't even exist four years ago.

Hart, a dual citizen who teamed with Joe Johnson to lead Little Rock Central High to a 1999 state championship, is a guard for Great Britain's national team, which in 2006 was formed from three countries in preparation of the 2012 London Olympics.

Check out more here.

NBA sees ebb of international talent?

NBA teams drafted eight international players into their ranks in the first round of the 2003 draft.
Since then, not as many. The NY Times examines why, and brings up an interesting stat:

Teams appear to be straying from the recent trend of drafting overseas players because many of them have not lived up to expectations. Of the 39 international players selected in the first round since 2002 with no prior experience playing in the United States, only Yao Ming has surfaced as an All-Star. In that same time, 14 of 171 American players drafted in the first round made at least one All-Star team.

There are international players who have been productive (Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa), quality role players for playoff teams (Nene and Mickael Pietrus) and full of untapped potential (Rudy Fernandez and Danilo Gallinari).

A Small World

The name popped out on Friday morning when I checked online for the results of the second half of the NBA Draft - aka, the draft dregs, selections nobody outside of a few fanatics care about:

Emir Preldzic, taken with the 57th pick by the Phoenix Suns.



And the past came rushing back.

November, 2007: I was attending a Euroleague game, featuring Preldzic's Fenerbahçe Ülker team, with some friends. Ülker, the eventual Turkish league champion, lost that game, but I remember being impressed by the Slovenian/Bosnian Preldzic's game. A 6'9" point forward, he showed exceptional body control and unspooled a sweet, sweet driving finger roll that would have translated to "I've got game" in any language. The game came easy to him, and you got the sense that he could develop much further.

Afterward, as my friend and I exited the arena, we ran into Emir and another player outside. They were huddling in their warm-up hoodies. We small talked about where they were from, where we were from. I congratulated Emir on his nice game, and the slick finger roll. He was cordial, unassuming, just a 20-year-old kid in a new country, with a job that happened to be played in front of thousands. A few minutes, and our little path-crossing was over.

I have occasionally run across scouting reports about him this last year, and also mused to myself that the player I "discovered" is now known by basketball heads all over. Of course, that's far from accurate - Emir, a former All-Adriatic League member, burst onto the scene in the U-20 World Championships in 2006. The NBA types had tabs on him long before I ever knew I would live in Turkey for a few months.

Emir, who since the draft has been traded to the Cavaliers, may never make an NBA roster due to his lack of athleticism and consistent shooting. Whether he makes the team or stays in Europe, his future seems bright. It's always fun to recall that once I saw a star streaming upward from the darkness.

More than a Trickle? More Ballers Headed to Europe

Looking for updates about Jeremy Tyler for my side-project, www.jeremytylereurope.com, I learned that two more American basketball players are bound for Europe.

Here are their quick biographical sketches, their prospects and a discussion of whether their decisions indicate an emergent trend.

Nick Calathes - a 6-6, 194-lb. Florida Gators combo guard.

He averaged 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists, while shooting 39% from three-point range as a sophomore, but was not able to return Florida to national prominence since the program won consecutive national championships. The Gators have missed the NCAA tournament the last two years.

A dual citizen of Greek background, he played for the Greek FIBA 20-and-under national team last summer. Interestingly, his older brother, Pat, spent last year playing for the Greek team Maroussi, reportedly one of Jeremy Tyler's possible destinations.

Calathes entered the NBA draft, but wasn't a sure-fire first-round pick. Still, several NBA executives told FOXSports.com that he had a 50-50 chance of getting a guaranteed contract in the $1 million per season range by being picked in the first round of the June 25 NBA Draft.

But could have easily slid into the second round, which would have left him with a non-guaranteed contract.

For him, Europe appeared to be a much stronger option.

According to DraftExpress.com, he has signed a 3-year, 2.1 million with Euroleague champion, Panathanaikos. Jonathon Givony points out that he also has received a "very comfortable buyout" situation that would allow him to return to the states as early as next season.
His NBA draft stock would improve in the next year, meriting him a higher selection in next year's draft.

The fact that Calathes will play for one of the most decorated coaches in the world in Zeljko Obradovic on someone else’s coin and come back a much better player in one year has to look attractive. With Sarunas Jasikevicius reportedly on the way out of Panathinaikos, a decent amount of playing time will be opened up for him.

The Orlando Sentinel broke down the specifics of contract :

around $1.1 million per year, in addition to providing him with a home, car and tax credits, making for a total package commensurate to what the NBA rookie salary scale provides a late-lottery selection. Golden's State forward Anthony Randolph, the final lottery pick of 2008 at No. 14, made $1.424 million as a rookie.

European teams crave Americans sporting dual European citizenship because they generally only have roster spots for two Americans, have a few more for non-American foreigners, and give the rest of the roster spots to natives. Calathes' Greek passport puts no stress on Panathanaikos' roster quotas.

The citizenship, money and likelihood of leavening his NBA prospects make Calathes' decision "sound about as convenient as a weekend jaunt to Cancun," according to Yahoo blogger Eamonn Brennan.

Terrance Oglesby - a 6-2, 190-lb. Clemson Tigers guard

He averaged 13.2 ppg as the third-leading scorer for the Clemson Tigers. He led the team with 92 3-pointers, and frequently flashed far-flung range in shooting 39% on 3-pointers. However, he does not possess the wide suite of skills and size Calathes does, and likewise did not project to land with an NBA squad.

Although he didn't enter the NBA draft, he recently suprised his coach by announcing he'll pursue playing for a Spanish or Italian team for around $500,000 per year.

Like Calathes, he possesses a perimeter-oriented game which portends success in Europe.

Also like Calathes, he possesses dual citizenship which makes him more attractive to European teams with limited roster spots for Americans. Oglesby's father, Tony, played basketball in Europe. Terrence was born in Norway and played for that country in the FIBA under-20 championships in 2008.

Unlike Calathes, and Jennings and Tyler before him, Oglesby doesn't figure to use Europe as a launching pad for the NBA. He says playing professionally had always been a goal - one he was able to attain through his defection.

"Kids dream of playing here when they are dribbling in a playground, not in Italy, Greece, Spain or anywhere else," said Jeff Goodman of Foxsports.com. Oglesby, again, appears to be an exception. One wonders if more top-shelf American basketball players and players find success playing in European leagues, and their Euroleague jerseys come to be marketed to American inner-city youth, will Goodman's statement still be true 5, 10 years down the road?

So what do these two recent defections mean for the future?

No earth-shaking as of yet. Calathes and Oglesby, after all, are exceptional because of their dual citizenship. Still, one wonders if their success will influence more players - dual citizens or not - to consider jumping collegiate ship for European waters. I doubt there are many players like Calathes - dual citizens and borderline 1st-round picks for whom it makes more financial sense to "apprentice" in Europe for a short period. A "one-passport" American collegiate underclassman good enough to take one of the top Euroleague teams' American roster spots would also likely be good enough to warrant selection as an NBA lottery pick, meaning more riches - and comfort - by staying in America.

Still, publicity following decisions to play abroad by Jennings, Tyler, Childress, Calathes and Oglesby have explosed more and more talented high school and collegiate players to consider Europe as a legitimate alternative to the NCAA en route to the NBA, or as a lucrative destination itself.

Each player who chooses Europe chips away at what some see as an NCAA sports industrial-complex churning out millions of dollars for predominanltly older white men swirling around mostly black teenagers handling an orange ball to entertain tens of millions. The ones sweating the most earn the least money (at least officially) .

Recent developments hit this point home.

Investigations of academic fraud of players under former Memphis Coach John Calipari hint at the moral rot beneath the telegenic gleam and shine of big-time basketball, as the NY Times' Pete Thamel recently wrote:

And when stars like Rose project a net worth of more than $100 million while still in high school, should we really expect them to smile and play only for the good of Old State U? This is while the coach is making millions, the universities are dicing up millions from TV deals and the N.C.A.A. is making billions.

The European tours of players like Brandon Jennings, Jeremy Tyler and the recent Florida defector Nick Calathes show that players are tiring of the N.C.A.A. caste system.

Rudy's Fernanado Martin Tribute

During the All-Star break, Rudy Fernandez, the first European to compete in the event's slam dunk contest, wore the jersey of the Fernando Martin, the first Spanish player AND first European player to play in the NBA w/o playing in college.

As Stuart from interbasket.net writes, 2/3 of TNT's announcers reacted to the unexpected tribute as if they were blindsided:

“Martin?” questioned Reggle Miller.

“Martin?” followed Kenny Smith.“Who’s Martin?”

“Larue Martin?” guessed Miller referring to the former #1 draft bust of 1972. “Ricky Martin?”

“I don’t know who Martin is.” said Smith, giving up.

“This is for Fernando Martin,” interrupted Kevin Harlan, the third announcer, as TNT broadcast an image of Fernando Martin on the screen.

“He’s wearing number ten in tribute to Fernando Martin… Martin was the first Spanish player in the NBA and briefly played for the Trailblazers he died in a car accident so in tribute… to him.”

“It’s a great tribute,” Smith responded.

I have to say, the first thing I thought was “Huh? Kenyon Martin?“ but quickly realized it was Fernando Martin. I was excited to have been in the small minority of people that actually knew what Rudy’s dedication was referring to.

However, it’s not a surprise that many were unaware of Martin, as the power forward played only 24 games for the Portland Trailblazers during an injury-plagued campaign back in the 1986-87 NBA season, before returning to Spain to play for club team Real Madrid.

For his dedication dunk, Fernandez threw a behind the back pass off the backboard and slammed it in with his right hand.

Despite not knowing who Martin was, the crowd was obviously disappointed with the score the dunk received as evidenced by the groans and boos when his point total was announced. Fernandez was awarded 42 points from the former Phoenix Sun players; Tom Chambers (9), Dan Majerle (9), Kevin Johnson (8), and former slam dunk champions Cedric Ceballos (8), and Larry Nance (8).

And though Fernandez ended the round in last place behind Dwight Howard (50), Nate Robinson (46), and J.R. Smith (43), he made a beautiful and lasting tribute to a great player that met an early demise.

Here are some interesting tidbits about the Martin courtesy of interbasket's profile...

Name: Fernando Martín Espina
Nickname: N/A
Born: 03/25/1962
Status: Deceased, December 03, 1989
Origin: Madrid, Spain
Height: 6-10/2,05m
Weight: 245lbs/108,9kg
Schools: N/A
Drafted: 1985, Second Round, 38th overall pick by the New Jersey Nets
Languages: Spanish
Teams (jersey): Spanish National Team (10), Real Madrid (10), Portland Trailblazers

He is father of Jan Fernando Martín next to the German model Petra Sonneborn. Their parents raised him to love many sports and he exceled in many. Fernando Martin wasn't only a great basketball player, he was also 5 times champion of swimming in Castile and reached a great level in judo, table tennis and handball (he rumored that he was going to file by the Athletic one of Madrid for his inferior categories) until the trainer of basketball of its school, Mariano Bartivas, put to him under a hoop...

.....
The Blazers paid attention to him and he played on 12-10-86, against the Chicago Bulls. However, his path was full of challenge and difficulties: the injuries harassed him and he missed friends, the Spanish food and climate. In addition, his coach, the young Mike Schuler, did not give many options to him to explode. His passage to the NBA is marked by 25 games, 147 minutes, 22 points, 28 rebounds, and 9 assists.
- Mayte Roman of Salamanca, Spain

...n.b. Acccording to Roman, Martin was ready to try out for an NBA team two years before he eventually made the league. In 1984, however, he suffered a car wreck the day before he was set to fly from Spain. That time, he walked away unhurt.

Do Americans Like Ricky Rubio?

I have been reading some SLAM magazine blog posts lately dealing with the 18-year-old Iberian basketball-playing wunderkind, and I have noticed many blog posts - posted by Americans - tend to be slanted against him.
As most readers of this blog know, Rubio rocketed into the international spotlight as a major cog on the Spanish national team that took silver in last year's Olympics. He then underwent surgery, missed a few months and since returning to play for his hometown DKV Joventut team has averaged 8.2 ppg, 6.2 apg and 1.8 spg in 21 minutes a game for 12 games. Those aren't stellar stats, but they ain't picken' from the suckleberry tree either. His Euroleague stats in 5 games, however, are pretty bad: 2.4 ppg, 2.8 apg and 1.8 spg in 13.4 minutes a game. So, he has yet to get his game on track, but he'll come around. Besides, it doesn't look like Rubio will apply for the 2009 draft anyway, and with stats like that, he'd be wise to season another year anyway.

Evidentally, Senor Rubio and his hermanos didn't get too bored while he convalesced from his surgery: Just look at how much fun they had practicing coin tossing into each other's hoodies/pockets for a McDonald's commercial!


As you can imagine, when SLAM posted the video on its site, many Americans (I assume) did not seem especially get into it. Take "eboy's" opening salvo:

You’ve got to be fu*king kidding me, right? There’s not enough words to describe how incredibly fu*king ghey and asinine this is...

Later, "underdog" enters the fray:

Pathetic. But I’m sure Ricky earned a good amount of money with this ad. So I understand the financial reasons, but c’mon. This sh- looks bad. (I don’t speak Spanish at all, so maybe for Spanish speakers this ad is funny or entertaining, but for some reason I don’t think so.)

Not to say everbody is so reactionary. Here's "RV" as a voice of reason:

i don’t understand the hate towrds the video, it’s a different culture, what’s amusing, funny, or interesting to them may not be the same for Americans. Also, it’s a commercial basically saying u can buy a burger for that much, so i guess they needed a gimmick involving the coin….

But then some Spaniards (I assume) get up in it with their own particular brand of vim:

I hope he never makes the NBA, so I can enjoy him here. U yankees think ur sh*t doesn’t smell. It’s OK with me. Keep on saying bad things about players u haven’t even seen in your life and I’ll keep suporting (good) Spanish players. BTW is great to have Navarro back. Just because he ain’t black he didn’t had a real chance to be the real leader he is in the NBA. World Camps baby. Cheers

and..

Couple of years ago, first European to go nr 1 in the draft. Then first European MVP. And Spain is still the world champion and played well against the redeem team in the olympic finals… Can’t denie that we’re catching up. Go Ricky!

I wonder if anything extraordinary in this online expression of a Spanish-American tiff, or if this all is simply a trans-Atlantic extension of the high school rivalries every Thad and Tyler knows while growing up playing football in Texas. I think there are two main differences, though:

1) While Thad and Tyler may hate each other schools, they can understand why they do so better than people in different cultures. After all, Thad and Tyler share the same god, Wal-Mart, megaplex movie theater, Abercrombie and Fitch store and even cross-date each the girls from each other's school occasionally. Whereas most Americans have never been across the Atlantic for an extended period of time and don't necessarily understand that different cultures have different ways of approaching humor. That can be very hard to wrap your head around until you're immersed in it. Similarly, Spaniards who have never lived in America may have constructed their view of America solely through commercials, MTV, Shia LaBeouf movies and Beyonce songs. Warped views run both ways.

2) Especially nationalistic Americans may view the others" from knocking America from its perch as basketball's superpower. At the head said "others" is Spain, who proved in 2008 that its arsenal of young basketball talent poses the greatest threat to beat the senior Americans in upcoming international basketball tournaments. Rubio is the best of the new generation, and will likely be the guy orchestrating the upset. And once the upset happens, there are no more excuses for America, which now has a coherent, consistent national team program focused on winning FIBA games. The U.S. will have to admit it no longer towers above the others, but is a first among equals. I don't see that as such a bad thing - if future international tournament games look like the end of the thrilling Spanish-U.S. 2008 Olympics final, we'll have entered a golden age of worldwide basketball quality.

Yes Way, Jose: Calder-On Track for Best Free Throw Percentage in NBA Season

A few months ago I wrote a story about how Yao Ming leads a litany of 7-foot-3+ players in career free throw shooting accuracy. Impressively, the top six free thow shooting "giants" were born outside of the United States.

Until this year, though, Americans dominated free throw shooting excellence within a season - considering all heights. (Abdul-Rauf changed his name from Chris Jackson). This year, though, Toronto's Spanish point guard has shot to the head of the pack on the strength of an 87-consecutive free throw streak:

1.	Jose Calderon	.9800	2008-09
2.	Calvin Murphy*	.9581	1980-81
3.	Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf	.9563	1993-94
4.	Jeff Hornacek	.9500	1999-00
5.	Mark Price	.9475	1992-93
6.	Mark Price	.9474	1991-92
7.	Rick Barry*	.9467	1978-79
8.	Ernie DiGregorio	.9452	1976-77
9.	Maurice Williams	.9437	2008-09
10.	Ray Allen	.9434	2008-09

(n.b. Canadian Steve Nash is currently 11 and Serbian Peja Stojakovic is 21).
(source: basketball-reference.com)

His streak 0f 87, which ended Jan. 30th, places him 2nd in the all-time list for consectutive free throws made:

N.B.A. Consecutive Free Throws Records
97 straight	Micheal Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves, 3/24/1993-11/9/1993 (two seasons)
81 straight	Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, Denver Nuggets, 1993-11/16/1993 (two seasons)
78 straight	Calvin Murphy, Houston Roskets, 12/27/1980-2/28/1981 (one season)
77 straight	Mark Price, Cleveland Cavaliers, 1993 (one season)
75 straight	Ricky Pierce, Seattle SuperSonics, ends 12/13/1991 (one season)
74 straight	Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns, 4/6/07 to 11/30/07 (two seasons; 21 in 2006-07, 53 in 2007-08)
73 straight	Caron Butler, Washington Wizards, to 2/3/2008 (one season)
71 straight	Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, 12/19/1989-2/13/1990 (one season)
67 straight	Terrell Brandon, Cleveland Cavaliers, 12/8/1995-1/5/1996 (one season)
67 straight	Jeff Hornacek, Phoenix Suns, 11/12/1999-1/6/2000 (one season)
66 straight	Peja Stojakovic, Minnesota Timberwolves, 3/23-5/10/2004 (41 sraight reg. season + 15 straight playoffs)

(n.b. 3 international players now fill the top 13 including Calderon)
(source: mindspring.com)

Here's chicly crafted video of Calderon's impeccable shooting form:



Here's a nice break-down of Calderson's mechanics by the ABA's all-time leader Rick Barry.

And here's video of the miss itself. Notice it happens only a few days after the above video, just as Calderson said he feared it would:

Fernandez First Foreigner as NBA Dunk Contestant

Oh, what a time for Firsts.
A couple of days before Barack Obama became the nation's first black president, Rudy Fernandez became the first non-US born player to participate in the NBA's dunk contest.
That's 90 players in 23 years (no contests in '98 or '99) since 1984, folks. It's not like foreigners can't dunk - here's ample evidence of the aerials arts being practiced in the Euroleague. And in the NBA, there have been a few foreigner players with the ability to open bomb bay doors over rims or do nasty things in the air (e.g. Mikeal Pietrus, Manu Ginobli, Nene, Sarunas Marciulionis (look at the number six here), but none of them - save Ginobili - were ever popular enough league-wide to be voted into the dunk contest. And while Ginobili is a nice dunker, he's more known for being an acrobatic lay-up maestro than a devil-possessed ball detonator.

Fernandez came into the league with a reputation for doing R-rated things to the rim and, so far, he hasn't disappointed. An extremely popular player in Spain (where he played with Ricky Rubio for DKV Joventut last year and was the national team's most explosive perimeter threat), the weed-thin Iberian has also generated a legion of American fans with this bouncy exploits.
And so when the final spot of the four-person dunk contest came down to fan voting, Fernandez got in on the strength of 500,000 strong.

And so, without further adieu, in honor of the wicked, wicked wonders Rudy works whilst in air, here's a sample of his finest dunkmanship:

From the AFP:

The 23-year-old guard was selected through an online vote by more than 500,000 fans at the league's website, putting Fernandez into the four-man event on February 14 at Phoenix, where the All-Star Game will be played the next day.

Fernandez will join defending dunk champion Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson and Memphis forward Rudy Gay. Robinson won the 2006 competition and Gay competed in last year's event.

This was the first time NBA fans had a chance to select a participant. Others in the event had been named by the league.

Fernandez received 251,868 votes with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook next at 147,279 and Milwaukee's Joe Alexander third on 114,963 in a competition between NBA newcomers.

Fans will have the final say in the winner of the event by casting votes by text message or at the NBA website.

Pau Pau Pau!

And, just like that, the Utah Jazz were riddled with "loss bullets", thanks to this magnificently executed fastbreak by 7-footer Pau Gasol - brought to my attention by my lunchpailin' pal, Andy.
Talk about bringin' the Euro flair, Senor Gasol!

Bouncy Batum

Remember the Spanish-French War of the mid 17th-century?
Well, most likely neither do Trailblazer Nick Batum and Laker Pau Gasol.
You'd think the conflict was reignited, though, with the way Frenchman Batum dropped a live cannonball on Spaniard Pau's face.

Marc vs. Pau Gasol: 2nd Half of Grizzlies-Lakers Game

Here are more clips from the December 22 game between the Lakers and Grizzlies in Memphis. Fast forward to the last clip to see how Grizzlies fans sent Pau off after the game.

This series was by far the most animated people got all game. Thanks, Gasol and Guy Complaining in the Background.



The Grizz are still a young team and it's evident in how the players fail to mesh on the court sometimes. Here, Gasol sets a high screen and then cuts to the basket, only to be hit in the face by the ball before he can turn around to receive the pass. Kobe then goes down and makes them pay, followed by a OJ Mayo passing out gifts like Santa to Lowry for a three.


Ouch. Gay and Mayo throw up a pair of airballs, but Mayo shows awesome defensive ability in skying for a block, while the Gasol bros tussle underneath the boards.


Here's proof in the pudding of why Pau was the 3rd overall pick in 2001 and an all-star: very nice agility and touch for an extremely lanky 7-footer..

More proof in the aforementioned pudding: Big Brother again takes Little Brother off the dribble. Just like they used to do in the backyard.


Memphis guard Kyle Lowry shimmys into the paint and shows nice play-making, setting up Marc Gasol for a twisting lay-up conversion between two Euros.


For international fans who may have never seen an NBA game live before, here's a smattering of of the joie de vivre that goes on during breaks. Lots of lights, loud sounds, and a marching band.


Pau met a range of fan reactions when he left Memphis' FedEx Forum court after his post-game interviews. He naturally met tons of people during his 6.5+ years in Memphis, and some of then showed him mad love as he entered the tunnel leading to the locker rooms.. Other fans, though, still carry a carload of resentment toward him for somewhat-sudden his exit to LA last season, as was evident in "We hate number 16!" chants I heard behind me while he was waving to the fans. I think Pau carried off the whole returning thing as classily as he could.

Grizzlies vs. Lakers Live - First Half

On Monday, I visited my first NBA game of the season, and saw the Lakers' Pau Gasol make his long-awaited return to play his former team, the Grizzlies. Adding to the intrigue was his shaggy-bearded face-off with his brother, Marc Gasol, now manning the same position for the Grizzlies Pau once did. Here are first-half highlights:

Like Serbian Sasha Vujacic in the latter part of this courtside video, the Lakers nearly bobbled the win away, but hung on to secure a 105-96 victory by yet another round of Kobe Bryant heroics.


Vujacic substantially more sticky-fingered in this go-around, showing some court generalship and entry passing saavy.


Memphis center Marc Gasol is normally not considered the quicker of the Gasol brothers. The seven-footer is, after all, 20 pounds heavier than his lithe Laker sibling. In the sequence below, however, he posts Lamar Odom, executes an impressive spin move, and is fouled before he can drop the "Spanish Hammer."


After converting the free throw, Odom gets Gasol back, proving even the up-and-comer still has a bit farther up to come to stop the "Odom bomb" from dropping!
At the end of the clip, M. Gasol shows his quickness again in diving into the paint.


Gay shows some impressive blow-by speed against the Lakers' swingman Trevor Ariza. Not sure about the subsequent "MVP" chants, though, especially in light of how he finished the game.


All hail Darko! The oft-ridiculed Serbian center shows his defensive wares againt Pau and then go after a three-point miss by Gay with the tenacity of a preying mantis tearing into her mate!
He had 8 rebounds in the game.


Marc misses a jump hook shot over the long-armed defense of his older brother, and then Kobe trots down the court and unfurls a trifecta, making it look ridiculously easy.


The end of the first half brings physical play between the Gasol brothers and more proof that quicksilver Memphis point guard Mike Conley is the first human to ever be born with ice skates on.

Andris Biedrins: All-Star Game Bound?

It's no chin scratcher, Andris. You really do deserve All-Star recognition!

Golden-haired 6-11 Andris Biedrins could be the Golden State Warrior's first all-star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997.

Such a selection seemed unlikely in 2004, when an 18-year-old Biedrins became the youngest player ever drafted by the Warriors.

In his first couple years, he averaged less than 4.5 in points and rebounds and shot a jaw-droppingly inept 30.6% from the free throw line in 2005-06.

His playing improved in 2006 when Don Nelson replaced Mike Montgomery as head coach. Nelson, who had experience tutoring another European project - Dirk Nowitzki, was able able to implement a fastbreak playing style in which Biedrins thrived. (9.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg in 2006-07). Last year, he led the NBA in FG% at 62.6% and became the Warriors' all-time leader in career field-goal percentage (61.4). He bumped his scoring and rebounding average to 10.5 points and 9.8 boards a game.
Nelson called him possibly "the best big man I've ever coached."

He was rewarded this summer with a six-year, $63 million deal and, at 22, has been named a co-captain. The Warriors have eight players on their roster who are 22 or younger, including their last two first-round draft picks, Anthony Randolph (19) and Brandan Wright (20).

This year, in the absence of high-scoring Baron Davis (traded) and Monta Ellis (suspended), he has taken another quantum leap in production by now averaging 16.8 ppg and 13.5 rpg, and even shooting a previously unimaginable 62% from the charity stripe.

Before sketching his background, here's a quick glimpse at the history of basketball in Latvia:
1. Latvia won the first European Championship in 1935
2. Gundars Vētra became the first Latvian in the NBA when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for 13 games in 1993. Biedrins is so far the only other.

When Biedrins signed his first professional contract with Skonto Riga, he was 15 and making $500 dollars a month, which is about how much his father, Aivars, was getting as a construction worker.

Aivars Biedrins was able to quit his job after Biedrins' first pro season. Hs mother, Inita, stopped working as an accountant once he signed his first NBA contract, a two-year deal worth $3.6 million.

Here, Andris - or "Dre" as his teammates call him - interviews with an exceedingly chummy Foxsports.com reporter. They talk about Dre chances of becoming the first Warrior all-star in ten years. Notice that Dre foregoes the his famed gelled, spiky hair on non game-days.

Ballin' with Biedrins




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Yao Ming vs. NBA's Giants

As a complementary article to my "Yao Ming vs. World's Giants" article, I have written an article comparing Big Man Yao to all the 7-2+ players in the history of the NBA.

Here are the top three:

1. Yao Ming, 7-6
Career %: .826 (2571 FTA)
Best Season %: 2006-07, .862

2. Arvydas Sabonis, 7-3
Career %: .786 (1690 FTA)
Best Season %: 1999-00, .843

3. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 7-3
Career %: .781 (2959 FTA)
Best Season %: 2008-09, .838

Go to the rest of my article on interbasket.net for the players 4-27.

Interesting tidbits abound!

Houston v. Portland (an international player snapshot)

With all the hubbub surrounding Barack Obama's election to U.S. President and my following of the reactions worldwide (truly the proudest day I've experienced as an American!), I haven't had much time to blog this week.

Still, I was able to snack on a quarter of Thursday night's Houston - Portland game. Here's a snapshot of the international players' play in the first quarter:

11:50 Yao Ming has his shot emphatically blowed by Joel Pryzbilla, who's at least four inches shorter.

10:42 Argentinian power forward Luis Scola - whose continuing improvemnent in his second year I think will mean as much to the Rockets' title hopes as their acquisition of Ron Artest - cans a 20-footer off of a Ron-Ron dribble-drive. Houston looks nice.

10:16 Portland's Nick Batum, who's making his second start of the season, rattles out a straight-on three. Looks fluid though.

9:41 Scola takes a Rafer Alston-led fast break pass to the bank, and cashes it in for two off the backboard, avoiding Aldridge's out-stretched arms.

9:21 Batum, who played 18 minutes in his first start the night before, cans a 15-footer and trots backwards downcourt. Like butter.

9:12 Yao misses a hook shot over Pryzbilla. Joel can play some D.

8:28 Batum uses his speed to jet out in front of the pack, take a beautifully passed ball from Steve Blake, and delivers it unto the Rim for 2 points. Nice speed, Nicky B.

8:02 Scola pivots, shakes and bakes for a turn-around 2 from 10 feet out.

6:27 Despite tying up a guard on the defensive end, Yao misses another shot. Not a good night so far.

5:43 Yao finally scores, after grabbing a Scola, pirouetting in front of the rim, and laying it up.

3:20, Scola hits an 18-footer, and now has 8 of his team's 15 points on 4-5 shooting. Soon thereafter, immediately after entering the game, Portland's electric Spanish shot-maker Rudy Fernandez rattles out a trifecta. Hombre ain't shy, ya'll.

2:14 Rudy storms into the paint and zips a pass on Martell Webster, leading to 3.

:33 Yao misses yet another shot! A forgettable quarter for sure for the 7-5 center.

:1 Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy get mixed up defending Houston's inbound pass, leading to an Aaron Brooks three. Rudy looks back at Sergio before dashing towards Brooks in the corner, and shows remarkable closing speed in oh-so-almost blocking his shot. Had he only not looked back!

Score at quarter - Portland 21, Houston 18
Final Score - Portland 101, Houston 99

Courtesty of basketnea1


I have to add to tack this on, too. U.S. National team member LeBron James did a lil' jig last night when he saw big man Drew Gooden trying to guard him. It reminded me of footage of the good ol' loosey-goosey ABA days of the early 1970s, when players weren't afraid to put a little paprika in their game:

Courtesy of LOserNetw0rk:


(Hint: It's at 7 seconds)

Rudy Fernandez and Nick Batum Make NBA Debuts

Portland is officially one of my favorite teams. They're young, exciting and have two of the most exciting European players in the league - guard Rudy Fernandez and Nicholas Batum.
Here's a description of their first two NBA games:

Oct. 28 Portland vs. Los Angeles

1st Quarter
2-4, 4 points

• 3:50 Rudy's first shot, a three, was a clanger off the right of the rim.
• Later, he's thrown to floor by Derek Fisher, four inches shorter but much stronger, while going after the ball.
• 1:50: Flashes by Jordan Farmer just north of the free throw line and throws in a beautiful 10-foot running teardrop.
• 1:18:Fernandez curls around a Pryzabilla screen and drains a 16-foot swisher.
• 1:01: Bricks a 16-foot fadeaway over Gasol

2nd Quarter
1-1, 5 points

• 10:22 Portland guard Sergio Rodriguez attempts to lob an alley-oop to Fernandez over his Spanish teammate Gasol. But it falls short, and Odom picks it off.
• 9:50 He drains a three over the Slovenian Vujacic, accounting for 7 of Portland's 17 points.
• 6:16 He slices through the Lakers' defense like a Ginsu knife, gets fouled, and nets two.

Third Quarter
0-2, 0 points

• 2:02 With the Trailblazer down 46-69, and in dire need of a jolt, he misses a three.
• 1:20 Nice, quick jumping swing pass from Bayless to Roy, which turns into an assist for a three
• :27 Rudy shows some of his seven years of European experience by passing on an open 11-footer and passing back to Bayless for a three, which leads to a foul.
• :19 He clangs a 19-footer from the corner
• :02 Corrals a rebound, ending his worst quarter

Fourth Quarter
2-2, 7 points

• 11:03 He makes a technical foul shot after a technical foul on Lakers forward Ariza. Portland Coach McMillan obviously has confidence in him early in the season.
• 8:42 The most exciting sequence of the game: Ariza the Acrobat erases a Bayless lay-up, the Lakers advance the ball to mid-court, where Roy steals it, then dashes back, hits Rudy at the elbow and swish ... 3-ball!
• Roy's unselfishness is a good sign. He trusts Rudy already, and this will pay big dividends later in the season.
• 6:50 He claps for the ball to trigger a fast-break, receives it at mid-court, takes two dribbles and delivers a fine bounce-pass to Outlaw for a deuce
• 6:12 Fernandez steals an in-bounds and drills a triple from the same spot he'd hit from 2 1/2 minutes before. Somebody's suddenly lookin' seriously sharp...

Rudy finishes as Portland's best player in a 76-96 loss. He scores 16 points on 5-10 shooting, makes all 3 free throws, and gathers 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 rebounds in 29 minutes.
Despite talk that Batum would start, he doesn't enter the game until late, but makes his presence known in 4 minutes: 2 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal.

Courtesy of BRUNAMONTI




Three days later, Rudy and the Trailblazers (second-youngest team with an average of 23.9 years) took on the San Antonio Spurs (the the oldest team in the league with an average age of 29.9 years)

1st Quarter

• 2:28 When he enters the game, the crowd swells: "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!"
• "Did you hear those chants," ESPN's color commentator Jon Barry asked. "I thought I was at Notre Dame!"
• 1:44 Portland swingman Nicholas Batum grabs an offensive rebound, tears down the sideline, goes airborne and unspools the ball to Aldridge for a dunk
• :01 Fernandez misses a three after a sick B-Roy crossover

2nd Quarter

• 11:47 WOW! 6-8 Batum meets 6-11 Duncan at the rim and swats his stuff seven ways to Sunday!
• Now that's the way to greet a hall-of-famer... afterward, it takes the crowd about 15 seconds to calm down.
• 11:05 Rudy snaps a three from the corner.
• 10:01 SWEET LORD Almighty! Batum takes the ball outside of the elbow, holds it like a hot pizza box, swoops through the lane, knocks it off the backboard, and delivers two with a silky-smooth lay-up.
• Replays show that as he released the ball, he barely looked up.
• 7:24 Batum strikes again, stealing the ball at mid-court, and streaking to the bucket for another sweet lay-up.
• Color commentator Jon Barry notes that there's "no timidness to this guy ... he playing so aggressive, he's in guys' faces, he tried to dunk on Tim Duncan earlier, he's taking the ball to the basket." A far cry from the Batum I saw last year.
• 7:01 Rudy skys over the Spur's Udoka to snag a defensive rebound, gets fouled, then hits 2 free throws.
• 5:32 Is this the greatest quarter of Batum's career so far? He drains a three and stands there, hand upraised in a follow-through, a la MJ in the 1992 NBA Finals versus, you guessed it, Portland. The 19-year old's got 8 points now..
• :06 Batum, 6-8 and 200 pounds, guards the Tony Parker, 6-1 and 180 pounds, and does a nice job - using his length to prevent his ultra-quick fellow Frenchman from scoring a lay-up.

Third Quarter

• 3:29 Once again, Batum scores off a fast-break lay-up employing what Jon Barry called the "euro two-step. You slow down, you let two players go by." Whatever it is, it's two points.
• 00:30 Thank you, fast-break dunk. You just gave Monsieur Batum a baker's dozen.

Fourth Quarter

• 10:40 Batum misses a wide-open straightaway three. Once he can nail those consistenly, he will be scary.
• 7:55 Parker scorches Batum on the perimeter and leaves a tasty 2-point treat for Duncan: Spurs now down by four, 80-84.
• 6:17 With Portland up 87-84, Rudy bricks a deep three off the front rim. You get the sneaky suspicion the veteran-laden Spurs, even without Ginobili, are going to tie it up soon.
• 4:23 With a Portland four-point lead and 19 seconds into the clock, Rudy fires up another brick from long. Not a good shot at all.

Blazers win 100-99.
Rudy only scores 6 points on 1-6 shooting, but corrals 8 rebounds and plays 30 minutes.
Batum, as you can see above, had a mighty impressive debut: 12 points on 5-9 shooting, 2 blocks, and a steal, assist, and rebound in 22 minutes. I think he should be able to contribute fast-break points all season long, but the question is: what else can he give you?

Courtesy of Wuithier:

European Athleticism on Display

Those following the recent influx of international basketball talent into the NBA recognize that no longer do Europeans labor under preconceived notions of athletic inferiority to their American counterparts.

These days, the French are just as likely to fry an assuming defender with a posterizing dunk as a Queens-born rim-basher.

6-8 Nicholas Batum is one such Frenchman. His games smacks of Rudy Gay's, with the tendency to float on the perimeter instead of slash to the rim. I saw his European team, Le Mans, play last year in Istanbul and remember being impressed with the 18-year old's cool manner. It kinda reminded me of Barack Obama. Unfortunately, in averaging 12.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists he often underwhelmed with his apparent lack of fire.

Now he's in Portland, having been drafted at 25 in the 1st round. And, after a summer of seasoning, he's impressing.

The Blazers blogger Mike Barrett wrote:

He was always described to me as someone who could, in time, be a lock-down wing defender. He's got the wing span of a player 7'4", and those long arms caused everyone trouble in those early games. His silky-smooth jumper started falling with regularity, and he started showing the ability to finish, both in traffic, and from the perimeter.

In a recent game, he dropped 16 points, on 7 for 11 shooting (including 2-2 from three), and blocked 3 shots.

How soon until he starts treating NBAers like he did his contemporaries in the 2007 Nike Hoop Summit in Memphis?




In similar news, check out this sickly quick Englishman play ring-around-the-rosies with NBAer Devin Harris (in London for a preseason game)



Evidentally, the dribbling dervish, Stuart Tanner, isn't really that anonymous, at least in his neck of the concrete woods.

It's interesting to note that many of 2000+ posts on J.E. Skeets' blog are filled with people who acknowledge Harris' appropriately unharried nature and even laud Devin for being good lad about being royally burned by one helluva British street baller.