IZMIR - The bottom two pics show the Spanish team getting some rock star treatment from Spaniard media and Turkish onlookers during practice. The top pic is Team Spain's practice-ending ritual in which players fires up three-point attempts from half-court. A Spanish radio reporter told me they often put money on it. I don't doubt that; After missing, Ricky Rubio booted one ball nearly to the ceiling and into the bleachers. Maybe he'd lost a wager on the right to endorse McDonalds' .

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.

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.

New Spanish Kids on the Block

Just how good will the silver medallist Spanish team be when it (probably) takes on the U.S.A. in 2010? That's a question my boys at ballineurope.com have asked lately and they have essentially said that it looks like the Spaniards will address their biggest weakness (and every other nations' for that matter) against the Americans: on the wing (where swingmen - tall, versatile shooting guards and small forwards - play).

Every time the United States took the floor this summer, it had an automatic advantage in both the size and athleticism departments at the swing positions. While some teams could hang with the US on the perimeter (see the medal-round Australia game for the 1st half and Argentina for the 2nd) and others could overpower them inside (e.g. Spain in the gold-medal game), it seemed nobody could matchup with Carmelo, Tayshaun, LeBron, and Kobe in sheer swingman sizzle.

In 2012, the Spanish national team will largely look the same with these changes:

Likely OUTs

• Jorge Garbajosa - the gritty, oft-injured 6-9, 245-pounder will be 34 and likely have long since stepped out of the picture.
• Carlos Jimenze - the even grittier 6-8, 225-pound gritmeister will be 36. He too will likely have given up his spot.

Potential INs

• Victor Claver - from the photo below, it should be very clear is that lack of athleticism in not a problem for this 6-10, 220-lb. Euro. What is less clear is if this 24-year-old-to-be will have improved his perimeter defense enough by 2012 to garner a spot on the team.

• Fernando San Emeterio - I could get all fancy and throw out biographical information about this 6-6, 210-pound 28-year-old-to-be. But let's get real, folks. Look at this face:

That is the dead-eye look of a go-getter.
Do you really think that this guy is not gonna make the team?

• Albert Moncasi - Another big body at 6-10, 220 pounds, it's not clear whether this 26-year-old-to-be is ready for the big-time yet. He's not as athletic as Claver and his intensity isn't yet up to par. Still, big guys do tend to develop a little later.

All in all, it looks like Spain's 2012 swingmen will be a little bigger and possibly more athletic, but the team will miss the experience and uber-grit of Garbajosa and Jimenez. Beating the US will more contingent on Rubio, R. Fernandez, and Marc Gasol's continued development than picking up any kind advantage on the wings - which. it will not.

Gems from Greece/Spain Wins

The US defeated Spain 119-82 in the most resounding victory over a quality international opponent I have seen in a long, long time. One wonders how much of its gameplan Spain decided not to show against the US in the second half once it was down and how much they were able to learn to their advantage for a likely gold-medal game. The hunch here is that the Americans' athletic dominance and neck-breakingly intense full-court pressure will be something Spain won't be able to overcome, no matter how many tactical adjustments they may make.

To wit: The US forced 28 turnovers and outscored Spain 32-0 in fast-break points. Nearly as downright sick a stat is that such defense enabled the US to go into the second half 16 points ahead despite the Spanish team shooting 58% from the field.

Snooping around, I found some other interesting factoids:

1. The first is from Chris Sheridan's self-interview heading into Olympic play. It is a good, basic description of how FIBA ball is different from the NBA.

Q: What aspects of international play will be most difficult for Team USA to adjust to?

A: The NBA is an outside-in game, meaning you try to move the ball from the outside to the inside for a closer look at the basket. The FIBA game is inside-out, with teams trying to penetrate the middle, draw defenders in, then kick the ball outside to the shorter 3-point line.

The best teams move the ball quickly and make the extra pass to the open man on the perimeter, and the Americans have not been quite as adept at playing that style, which features more catch-and-shoot jump shots than what we see in the NBA.

2. In recent game recap by David Friedman, we find out that improvement of big man D-Howard's perimeter defense has been contributing factor towards the US's drive for gold. Interestingly, Coach Krzyzewski, in his CEO capacity, is sometimes so busy that he must outsource his instruction to the squad's more senior players...
sideline reporter Craig Sager mentioned that Coach Krzyzewski had asked Tayshaun Prince to explain to Howard what he was doing wrong in help defense situations because he (Krzyzewski) did not have time to do this during the game. Bryant also talked with Howard during a stoppage of play. While great defense starts with pressure by the guards it is critically important that all five players are "on a string" defensively and that everyone rotates properly.

3. Chris Sheridan wrote another interesting article about one strategic difference between FIBA and NBA coaches (even if his speculation of a close US-Spain title game looks woefully off right now). Essentially, in close late-game situations in which a team is up by 1 or 2, Americans like to "man-up" and play defense to preserve their win. Europeans would rather foul, make the other team hit free throws and then win the game with offense. This may help explain why European players have traditionally had a reputation of being more offensive-oriented than American (especially before Ginobili, Kirelenko, Nocioni).


4. I finally saw the 17-year old phenom Ricky Rubio play for the Spanish squad. He appeared preternaturally poised for his age and I look forward to monitoring this immensely talent point guard's progress over the next few years. If you don't know about him, here are his biographical highlights from a recent Alexander Wolff piece:

The story thus far: At 14, Rubio actually played in Spain's ACB, the top European pro league, for DKV Joventut Badalona near his Catalan hometown of El Masnou.

At 15, he led Spain to FIBA's Under 16 European title, along the way registering a quadruple-double and, in a double-overtime win over Russia in the final, 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, seven steals and one half-court buzzer-beater to force the first OT.

At 16, he led the Euroleague (a man's league) in steals (a man's stat).