Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
URGENT
http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/2009_training_camp_central.html
You can watch the Warriors practice at the link above. Like, right now. I've been watching 45 seconds, and already seen two failed solo-drives and an awful attempt at an alley oop. It's brilliant.
edit: now they're having 2 on 0 fast break dunking practice. This is the best day of my life.
You can watch the Warriors practice at the link above. Like, right now. I've been watching 45 seconds, and already seen two failed solo-drives and an awful attempt at an alley oop. It's brilliant.
edit: now they're having 2 on 0 fast break dunking practice. This is the best day of my life.
(28)
(First, I'd like to tell the Golden State Warriors to motherfucking work it out. haven't they already had enough dysfunction for the next...century, or something? Just give us a bunch of 130-125 games, and perhaps a run at a playoff spot. Please?)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Less Than a Month. Hurray!
Alright, look. I don't know if anyone that was reading this stuff is still going to be reading this stuff. Not that there were ever a lot of people reading this stuff (but a few, at least). And I don't know how regular I'll be with this posting mess. But this shit ain't dead. Yet. And so, on this, the 28th of September, we celebrate. For it is less than a month until the NBA's regular season starts. Now, you may be asking yourself, "shouldn't he have posted when it was actually a month until the season starts?" And my reply would be: shut up.
In the meantime, there's still not that much to say, but perhaps I'll manage to get a few things up soon. I do plan on doing team by team previews, two at a time, starting...I don't know, I'll figure it out. It will be awesome. Alright, perhaps not awesome, but...acceptable, yes? And, really, if you're reading this, you're probably pretty fine with acceptable.
And now, as by my count there are 29 days until the season starts, I give you the greatest number 29 in NBA history:
(oof)
In the meantime, there's still not that much to say, but perhaps I'll manage to get a few things up soon. I do plan on doing team by team previews, two at a time, starting...I don't know, I'll figure it out. It will be awesome. Alright, perhaps not awesome, but...acceptable, yes? And, really, if you're reading this, you're probably pretty fine with acceptable.
And now, as by my count there are 29 days until the season starts, I give you the greatest number 29 in NBA history:
(oof)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Les Bleus undefeated, rewarded with...
...a quarterfinal matchup with Spain. Lucky them.
The quarterfinal round leaves us with four pretty damn good games, and a situation where it seems any of the eight remaining teams can legitimately win this thing. Turkey-Greece is a great rivalry, and one which ought to see two relatively evenly matched sides go at each other. Serbia and Russia are two sides meant to be weaker than in the past, but yet both find themselves with a very good chance of qualifying for the World Basketball Championship. Slovenia and Croatia are two underrated sides that, while inconsistent, can challenge any team in Europe when they play to their capabilities
But the previously mentioned game between France and Spain is the undoubted highlight of this round. Possibly the two strongest sides in the competition, this could just as easily be a final. But the loser of this game will find themselves very close to missing out on an automatic qualifying spot for next year's World Basketball Championship, and so this will be a hotly contested matchup. In terms of talent, Spain seem to have the edge, just as they do in every game of this competition. But France's staunch defense and the electric play of Tony Parker will provide the inconsistent Spaniards with a stern test, and if they don't play to their abilities the French could embarrass them. No matter what, it should be a fun game.
The quarterfinal round leaves us with four pretty damn good games, and a situation where it seems any of the eight remaining teams can legitimately win this thing. Turkey-Greece is a great rivalry, and one which ought to see two relatively evenly matched sides go at each other. Serbia and Russia are two sides meant to be weaker than in the past, but yet both find themselves with a very good chance of qualifying for the World Basketball Championship. Slovenia and Croatia are two underrated sides that, while inconsistent, can challenge any team in Europe when they play to their capabilities
But the previously mentioned game between France and Spain is the undoubted highlight of this round. Possibly the two strongest sides in the competition, this could just as easily be a final. But the loser of this game will find themselves very close to missing out on an automatic qualifying spot for next year's World Basketball Championship, and so this will be a hotly contested matchup. In terms of talent, Spain seem to have the edge, just as they do in every game of this competition. But France's staunch defense and the electric play of Tony Parker will provide the inconsistent Spaniards with a stern test, and if they don't play to their abilities the French could embarrass them. No matter what, it should be a fun game.
Monday, September 14, 2009
23-0, and a possible Spanish resurgence
So, wow. After continuing to sort of wallow in the mire of mediocre play for the majority of this tournament, and going down early to Lithuania, Spain managed to pull off a 23-0 run that put them into the lead for good. The 84-70 win sees them go to a 2-2 record in the qualifying round, and leaves them in pretty good position going into their final game of this round. They were sparked by the creative play of Ricky Rubio, who had just 5 points but managed 9 assists and 3 steals, as well as the somewhat dominant presence of Pau Gasol, who finished with 19 points and 8 boards, continually providing an option the Lithuanians just weren't able to stop. It looked like a Spanish team back to something resembling their best, and if that's the case it will be a scary proposition going forward, as this tournament reaches its latter stages.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Eurobasket Initial group stage done, onto...
...the qualifying round? They really need to think of a different name for this. Anyway.
Lithuania managed to beat Bulgaria and avoid complete embarrassment, getting into the qualifying round as the third placed team in their group. Greece, France, and Turkey are the three teams to go undefeated in the group stage, and all go into the qualifying round with 2-0 records (the games against non-last place teams carry over. So, the "qualifying" groups:
Group E
1. Greece 2/0 4
2. France 2/0 4
3. Croatia 1/1 3
4. Germany 1/1 3
5. Russia 0/2 2
6. F.Y.R. of Macedonia 0/2 2
Group F
1. Turkey 2/0 4
2. Slovenia 1/1 3
3. Serbia 1/1 3
4. Spain 1/1 3
5. Poland 1/1 3
6. Lithuania 0/2 2
Both groups give us quite a few good match ups, and everything really seems to be up for grabs.
Lithuania managed to beat Bulgaria and avoid complete embarrassment, getting into the qualifying round as the third placed team in their group. Greece, France, and Turkey are the three teams to go undefeated in the group stage, and all go into the qualifying round with 2-0 records (the games against non-last place teams carry over. So, the "qualifying" groups:
Group E
1. Greece 2/0 4
2. France 2/0 4
3. Croatia 1/1 3
4. Germany 1/1 3
5. Russia 0/2 2
6. F.Y.R. of Macedonia 0/2 2
Group F
1. Turkey 2/0 4
2. Slovenia 1/1 3
3. Serbia 1/1 3
4. Spain 1/1 3
5. Poland 1/1 3
6. Lithuania 0/2 2
Both groups give us quite a few good match ups, and everything really seems to be up for grabs.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Urgent Daniel Santiago News
So, after totally rocking the FIBA Americas tournament (check the stats), our man Daniel Santiago is going to Efes Pilsen. Where, presumably, he'll totally rock Constantinople.
(by the way, a Google search of "Daniel Santiago Efes Pilsen" has this blog as the sixth result. huzzah.)
(by the way, a Google search of "Daniel Santiago Efes Pilsen" has this blog as the sixth result. huzzah.)
Monday, September 7, 2009
I Can't Overstate...
...how awfully Spain are playing right now. Motherfuck.
The lineups have often been silly, without particularly functioning positions (and not in an interesting new-wave basketball sort of way), and the play has been completely disjointed. At some point you expect the talent to just sort of take over, but...wow. We'll see what happens.
PS: To the dude covering this game for TVE, please stop calling Rubio "Ricky Business". Christ.
The lineups have often been silly, without particularly functioning positions (and not in an interesting new-wave basketball sort of way), and the play has been completely disjointed. At some point you expect the talent to just sort of take over, but...wow. We'll see what happens.
PS: To the dude covering this game for TVE, please stop calling Rubio "Ricky Business". Christ.
an abbreviated look at Group D
The Rosters...
Bulgaria:Dimitar Angelov (Lukoil Academic Sofia); Bozhidar Avramov (Pamesa Valencia); Tencho Banev (Lukoil Academic Sofia); Vassil Evtimov (Khimik OPZ Yuzny); Stefan Georgiev (BC Levski Sofia); Zlatin Georgiev (BC Levski Sofia); Aleksandar Georgiev; Deyan Ivanov (Premiata Montegranaro); Kaloyan Ivanov (Vive Menorca); Chavdar Kostov (Lukoil Academic Sofia); Ivan Lilov; Boyko Mladenov (BC Levski Sofia); Hristo Nikolov; Andre Owens (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade); Earl Rowland (Telekom Baskets Bonn); Stanislav Slaveykov (BC Levski Sofia); Todor Stoykov (Lukoil Academic Sofia); Asen Velikov; Filip Videnov (CB Granada)
Lithuania: Tomas Delininkaitis (CB Murcia); Simas Jasaitis (Galatsaray Café Crown); Robertas Javtokas (Khimki Moscow region); Arturas Jomantas (Lietuvos Rytas); Mantas Kalnietis (Zalgiris Kaunas); Linas Kleiza (Olympiacos); Darjus Lavrinovic (Real Madrid); Ksystof Lavrinovic (Montepaschi Siena); Mindaugas Lukauskis (ASVEL Basket); Jonas Maciulis (AJ Milano); Andrius Mazutis (BC Donetsk); Marijonas Petravicius (AJ Milano)
Poland: Michal Chylinski (Clinicas Rincon Axarquia), Marcin Gortat (Orlando Magic), Michal Ignerski (Cajasol Sevilla), Iwo Kitzinger (Trefl Sopot), Lukasz Koszarek (Juve Caserta), Maciej Lampe (Maccabi Tel Aviv), David Logan (Asseco Pokom Gdynia), Krzysztof Roszyk (PGE Turow Zgorzelec), Szymon Szewczyk (Lokomotiv Rostov), Krzysztof Szubarga (Anwil Wloclawek), Robert Witka (PGE Turow Zgorzelec), Adam Wójcik (PGE Turow Zgorzelec)
Turkey: Ender Arslan (Efes Pilsen SK); Omer Asik (Fenerbahçe Ülker); Engin Atsur (Besiktas Cola Turka); Semih Erden (Fenerbahçe Ülker); Sinan Guler (Efes Pilsen SK); Baris Hersek (Bandirma Banvit); Ersan Ilyasova (Milwaukee Bucks); Omer Onan (Fenerbahçe Ülker); Oguz Savas (Fenerbahçe Ülker); Kerem Tunceri (Efes Pilsen SK); Hidayet Turkoglu (Toronto Raptors); Bekir Yarangume (Turk Telekom BK)
Predicted order of finish:
Lithuania seem to be pretty clear favorites in this group, and are a team capable of making a run to the final four and possibly the final itself. Even though they're missing a few guys that have been staples in recent years, they still have a very solid roster, and a team that can win against anyone.
Turkey have a pretty decent team, with a few stars, but overall they just don't seem to be that strong. Mediocre performances at the recent preliminary matches didn't inspire confidence.
Poland Gortat and Lampe are the standouts for the hosts, in a roster that is alright if not exactly awe inspiring. The hosts have a chance of upsetting Turkey, but ultimately they should just be thankful for having Bulgaria in their group.
Bulgaria..probably aren't going to do well. They haven't in the recent past, and there's nothing to suggest that will change.
Bulgaria:Dimitar Angelov (Lukoil Academic Sofia); Bozhidar Avramov (Pamesa Valencia); Tencho Banev (Lukoil Academic Sofia); Vassil Evtimov (Khimik OPZ Yuzny); Stefan Georgiev (BC Levski Sofia); Zlatin Georgiev (BC Levski Sofia); Aleksandar Georgiev; Deyan Ivanov (Premiata Montegranaro); Kaloyan Ivanov (Vive Menorca); Chavdar Kostov (Lukoil Academic Sofia); Ivan Lilov; Boyko Mladenov (BC Levski Sofia); Hristo Nikolov; Andre Owens (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade); Earl Rowland (Telekom Baskets Bonn); Stanislav Slaveykov (BC Levski Sofia); Todor Stoykov (Lukoil Academic Sofia); Asen Velikov; Filip Videnov (CB Granada)
Lithuania: Tomas Delininkaitis (CB Murcia); Simas Jasaitis (Galatsaray Café Crown); Robertas Javtokas (Khimki Moscow region); Arturas Jomantas (Lietuvos Rytas); Mantas Kalnietis (Zalgiris Kaunas); Linas Kleiza (Olympiacos); Darjus Lavrinovic (Real Madrid); Ksystof Lavrinovic (Montepaschi Siena); Mindaugas Lukauskis (ASVEL Basket); Jonas Maciulis (AJ Milano); Andrius Mazutis (BC Donetsk); Marijonas Petravicius (AJ Milano)
Poland: Michal Chylinski (Clinicas Rincon Axarquia), Marcin Gortat (Orlando Magic), Michal Ignerski (Cajasol Sevilla), Iwo Kitzinger (Trefl Sopot), Lukasz Koszarek (Juve Caserta), Maciej Lampe (Maccabi Tel Aviv), David Logan (Asseco Pokom Gdynia), Krzysztof Roszyk (PGE Turow Zgorzelec), Szymon Szewczyk (Lokomotiv Rostov), Krzysztof Szubarga (Anwil Wloclawek), Robert Witka (PGE Turow Zgorzelec), Adam Wójcik (PGE Turow Zgorzelec)
Turkey: Ender Arslan (Efes Pilsen SK); Omer Asik (Fenerbahçe Ülker); Engin Atsur (Besiktas Cola Turka); Semih Erden (Fenerbahçe Ülker); Sinan Guler (Efes Pilsen SK); Baris Hersek (Bandirma Banvit); Ersan Ilyasova (Milwaukee Bucks); Omer Onan (Fenerbahçe Ülker); Oguz Savas (Fenerbahçe Ülker); Kerem Tunceri (Efes Pilsen SK); Hidayet Turkoglu (Toronto Raptors); Bekir Yarangume (Turk Telekom BK)
Predicted order of finish:
Lithuania seem to be pretty clear favorites in this group, and are a team capable of making a run to the final four and possibly the final itself. Even though they're missing a few guys that have been staples in recent years, they still have a very solid roster, and a team that can win against anyone.
Turkey have a pretty decent team, with a few stars, but overall they just don't seem to be that strong. Mediocre performances at the recent preliminary matches didn't inspire confidence.
Poland Gortat and Lampe are the standouts for the hosts, in a roster that is alright if not exactly awe inspiring. The hosts have a chance of upsetting Turkey, but ultimately they should just be thankful for having Bulgaria in their group.
Bulgaria..probably aren't going to do well. They haven't in the recent past, and there's nothing to suggest that will change.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
...Group C
GREAT BRITAIN
Alright, honestly? They're fucked. They got Pops to come in, which is a plus, but these guys got beat down in just about every friendly. They'll take their lumps as they wait for Britishy Gordon and Luol Deng to come in for 2012.
Their roster: The roster: Kieron Achara (Angelico Bella), Robert Archibald (Unicaja), Andrew Betts (Aris Thessaloniki), Flinder Boyd (Beirasar Rosalia), Daniel Clark (Estudiantes), Germanyne Forbes (BBC Nyon), Joel Freeland (Unicaja), Nick George (Gravelines Dunkerque), Jarrett Hart (Keravnos), Mike Lenzly (Harem Scafati), Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Toronto Raptors), Nate Reinking (Dexia Mons-Hainaut), Justin Robinson (Rider University), Andrew Sullivan (CSK VVS Samara).
SERBIA
They're missing a bunch of guys, but still expect this team to make an impression in Poland. They'll look to shoot from outside regularly, and if they get hot they'll be a pain in the ass for everyone. They start out with Spain, and it wouldn't complete shock me to see them pull off an upset. But, ultimately, I don't think this squad has what it takes to get to the final four, and they're one of a few teams that will likely be fighting hard for those last couple WBC spots.
Their roster: Nemanja Bjelica (KK Crvena Zvezda), Nenad Krstic (Oklahoma City Thunder), Milan Macvan (KK Hemofarm), Stefan Markovic (KK Hemofarm), Ivan Paunic (Base Oostende), Kosta Perovic (Valencia), Bojan Popovic (Lietuvos Rytas), Miroslav Raduljica (Unicaja), Milos Teodosic (Olympiacos), Milenko Tepic (Panathinaikos), Uros Tripkovic (DKV Joventut), Novica Velickovic (Real Madrid).
SLOVENIA
There are some names on this roster, enough to make me think Slovenia could put it all together and find themselves a contender for the top 6. But there's also evidence that this could be a team that just shits the bed, and does little more than beat a weak British squad. I'm not sure I'd be overly surprised by any set of results this team puts together, but considering most of the news that's recently come out of their camp has been negative, I'll go ahead and say I sort of expect them to blow it.
Their roster: Primoz Brezec (Philadelphia 76ers); Goran Dragic (Phoenix Suns); Jurica Golemac (Lottomatica Roma); Goran Jagodnik (Hemofarm Vrsac); Jaka Klobucar (Union Olimpija); Jaka Lakovic (FC Barcelona); Domen Lorbek (last season with Benetton Treviso); Erazem Lorbek (FC Barcelona); Bostjan Nachbar (Efes Pilsen); Uros Slokar (Fortitudo Bologna); Matjaz Smodis (CSKA Moscow); Samo Udrih (CB Estudiantes).
SPAIN
Well, these guys might be okay.
After mostly blowing through all their opponents in a long series of friendlies on home soil, they got beat down by Lithuania a few days, which has raised some doubts about their ability to play in tough situations. But look at the fucking roster. There's just so much talent...it's a hard to believe they won't be able to put it all together. I'm expecting them to come through and win the damn thing, but there will likely be a couple hiccups along the way.
Their roster: Carlos Cabezas (Khimki Moscow region); Victor Claver (Valencia); Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trail Blazers); Jorge Garbajosa (Real Madrid); Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies); Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers); Raul Lopez (Khimki Moscow region); Sergio Llull (Real Madrid); Alex Mumbru (CB Bilbao Berri); Ricky Rubio (FC Barcelona); Juan Carlos Navarro (FC Barcelona); Felipe Reyes (Real Madrid).
Alright, honestly? They're fucked. They got Pops to come in, which is a plus, but these guys got beat down in just about every friendly. They'll take their lumps as they wait for Britishy Gordon and Luol Deng to come in for 2012.
Their roster: The roster: Kieron Achara (Angelico Bella), Robert Archibald (Unicaja), Andrew Betts (Aris Thessaloniki), Flinder Boyd (Beirasar Rosalia), Daniel Clark (Estudiantes), Germanyne Forbes (BBC Nyon), Joel Freeland (Unicaja), Nick George (Gravelines Dunkerque), Jarrett Hart (Keravnos), Mike Lenzly (Harem Scafati), Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Toronto Raptors), Nate Reinking (Dexia Mons-Hainaut), Justin Robinson (Rider University), Andrew Sullivan (CSK VVS Samara).
SERBIA
They're missing a bunch of guys, but still expect this team to make an impression in Poland. They'll look to shoot from outside regularly, and if they get hot they'll be a pain in the ass for everyone. They start out with Spain, and it wouldn't complete shock me to see them pull off an upset. But, ultimately, I don't think this squad has what it takes to get to the final four, and they're one of a few teams that will likely be fighting hard for those last couple WBC spots.
Their roster: Nemanja Bjelica (KK Crvena Zvezda), Nenad Krstic (Oklahoma City Thunder), Milan Macvan (KK Hemofarm), Stefan Markovic (KK Hemofarm), Ivan Paunic (Base Oostende), Kosta Perovic (Valencia), Bojan Popovic (Lietuvos Rytas), Miroslav Raduljica (Unicaja), Milos Teodosic (Olympiacos), Milenko Tepic (Panathinaikos), Uros Tripkovic (DKV Joventut), Novica Velickovic (Real Madrid).
SLOVENIA
There are some names on this roster, enough to make me think Slovenia could put it all together and find themselves a contender for the top 6. But there's also evidence that this could be a team that just shits the bed, and does little more than beat a weak British squad. I'm not sure I'd be overly surprised by any set of results this team puts together, but considering most of the news that's recently come out of their camp has been negative, I'll go ahead and say I sort of expect them to blow it.
Their roster: Primoz Brezec (Philadelphia 76ers); Goran Dragic (Phoenix Suns); Jurica Golemac (Lottomatica Roma); Goran Jagodnik (Hemofarm Vrsac); Jaka Klobucar (Union Olimpija); Jaka Lakovic (FC Barcelona); Domen Lorbek (last season with Benetton Treviso); Erazem Lorbek (FC Barcelona); Bostjan Nachbar (Efes Pilsen); Uros Slokar (Fortitudo Bologna); Matjaz Smodis (CSKA Moscow); Samo Udrih (CB Estudiantes).
SPAIN
Well, these guys might be okay.
After mostly blowing through all their opponents in a long series of friendlies on home soil, they got beat down by Lithuania a few days, which has raised some doubts about their ability to play in tough situations. But look at the fucking roster. There's just so much talent...it's a hard to believe they won't be able to put it all together. I'm expecting them to come through and win the damn thing, but there will likely be a couple hiccups along the way.
Their roster: Carlos Cabezas (Khimki Moscow region); Victor Claver (Valencia); Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trail Blazers); Jorge Garbajosa (Real Madrid); Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies); Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers); Raul Lopez (Khimki Moscow region); Sergio Llull (Real Madrid); Alex Mumbru (CB Bilbao Berri); Ricky Rubio (FC Barcelona); Juan Carlos Navarro (FC Barcelona); Felipe Reyes (Real Madrid).
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Group C and D previews tomorrow, but...
a somewhat random thought:
The above photo makes me think I could probably get into either of the Albanian and Romanian national teams. If any representatives from either country want to get in touch about possibly naturalizing a 5'8 dude without a particularly good jumper, comment below.
The above photo makes me think I could probably get into either of the Albanian and Romanian national teams. If any representatives from either country want to get in touch about possibly naturalizing a 5'8 dude without a particularly good jumper, comment below.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Eurobasket! Group B Preview
GROUP B! The group with...stuff. I don't know. Let's just get to the teams.
FRANCE
After an impressive showing in the final qualifying round, Les Bleus find themselves favorites to win their group and possibly make the final four. But, with this team, we have no idea what to expect. The team that messed up the "regular" qualifying round, or the one that beat Italy home and away? The one that lost narrowly to Belgium on the road, or the one that slaughtered the Belgians in Pau? On their day, the French just may be Spain's strongest competitors, but they could just as well find themselves missing out on an auto-qualifying spot for next year's WBC. Basically? Who knows.
Their roster: Nicholas Batum (Portland Trailblazers), Yannick Bokolo (BCM Gravelines), Nando De Colo (Valencia), Boris Diaw (Charlotte Bobcats), Antoine Diot (Le Mans Sarthe), Aymeric Jeanneau (ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne), Alain Koffi (Joventut Badalona), Ian Mahinmi (Austin Toros/San Antonio Spurs), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Florent Pietrus (Valencia), Ali Traore (ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne), Rony Turiaf (Golden State Warriors).
GERMANY
Missing Dirk and Kaman, these guys look to be in trouble. In a pretty strong group, they'll probably be quite happy with the third spot, which would see them into the next round. They come into the tournament with a team made up almost entirely of DBLers, and as such have a collection of players few will be too familiar with. They did have an encouraging performance at the Efes Pilsen Cup, where they managed to beat Turkey and Latvia. They'll likely be favorites for the third spot, and could possibly spring an upset against either France or Russia to see them into second. Qualification for the World Basketball Championship is likely out of reach, though.
Their roster: Robin Benzing (Ratiopharm Ulm), Patrick Femerling (Alba Berlin), Demond Greene (Brose Baskets), Elias Harris (Gonzaga University), Yassin Idbihi (New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig), Jan Jagla (Joventut Badalona), Tibor Pleiss (Köln 99ers), Heiko Schaffartzik (New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig), Sven Schultze (Olympia Larissa), Lucca Staiger (Iowa State University), Konrad Wysocki (Deutsche Bank Skyliners).
LATVIA
Only one player from the Latvian roster is likely to stick out to most basketball fans, and that's Andris Biedrins. The Warriors' center is the undoubted star of a team that's otherwise made up of locally based players, heading a national team that's qualified for their fifth straight Eurobasket. They don't look likely to do any better than their previous finishes (13th three straight times), and will likely need a bit of luck to pull off an upset over Germany. That's pretty much their only shot at getting into the next round, as their recent form doesn't indicate that they pose much of a threat to either France or Russia.
Their roster: Kaspars Berzins (Barons/LMT Riga), Andris Biedrins (Golden State Warriors), Janis Blums (Bilbao), Rolands Freimanis, Uvis Helmanis (ASK Riga), Gatis Jahovics (BK VEF Riga), Kristaps Janicenoks (Reyer Venezia Mestre), Ernests Kalve (last season with ASK Riga), Kaspars Kambala (Jenisej), Armands Skele (Barons LMT), Arturs Stalbergs, Aigars Vitols (ASK Riga).
RUSSIA
The defending champions (how soon we forget) come into this tournament without arguably their two best players, in J.R. Holden and Andrei Kirilenko, and as a result it's unknown what we should really expect from them. They still have a solid roster made up entirely of decent to very good Russian based players (most from CSKA), and they'll be coached once again by the excellent David Blatt. But they were very disappointing at last year's Olympics, and managed only a fourth place finish at the recent Acropolis Tournament. They could easily finish anywhere from first to third in this group, and are likely outside shots to finish within the top 6 overall, which would guarantee them a place next year in Istanbul.
Their roster: Sergei Bykov (Dynamo Moscow), Vitaly Fridzon (Khimki), Nikita Kurbanov (CSKA Moscow), Kelly McCarty (Khimki), Sergei Monya (Dynamo Moscow), Timofey Mozgov (Khimki), Anton Ponkrashov (CSKA Moscow), Alexey Shved (CSKA Moscow), Dmitri Sokolov (CSKA Moscow), Andrey Vorontsevich (CSKA Moscow), Egor Vyaltsev (Triumph Lyubertsy)
FRANCE
After an impressive showing in the final qualifying round, Les Bleus find themselves favorites to win their group and possibly make the final four. But, with this team, we have no idea what to expect. The team that messed up the "regular" qualifying round, or the one that beat Italy home and away? The one that lost narrowly to Belgium on the road, or the one that slaughtered the Belgians in Pau? On their day, the French just may be Spain's strongest competitors, but they could just as well find themselves missing out on an auto-qualifying spot for next year's WBC. Basically? Who knows.
Their roster: Nicholas Batum (Portland Trailblazers), Yannick Bokolo (BCM Gravelines), Nando De Colo (Valencia), Boris Diaw (Charlotte Bobcats), Antoine Diot (Le Mans Sarthe), Aymeric Jeanneau (ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne), Alain Koffi (Joventut Badalona), Ian Mahinmi (Austin Toros/San Antonio Spurs), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Florent Pietrus (Valencia), Ali Traore (ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne), Rony Turiaf (Golden State Warriors).
GERMANY
Missing Dirk and Kaman, these guys look to be in trouble. In a pretty strong group, they'll probably be quite happy with the third spot, which would see them into the next round. They come into the tournament with a team made up almost entirely of DBLers, and as such have a collection of players few will be too familiar with. They did have an encouraging performance at the Efes Pilsen Cup, where they managed to beat Turkey and Latvia. They'll likely be favorites for the third spot, and could possibly spring an upset against either France or Russia to see them into second. Qualification for the World Basketball Championship is likely out of reach, though.
Their roster: Robin Benzing (Ratiopharm Ulm), Patrick Femerling (Alba Berlin), Demond Greene (Brose Baskets), Elias Harris (Gonzaga University), Yassin Idbihi (New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig), Jan Jagla (Joventut Badalona), Tibor Pleiss (Köln 99ers), Heiko Schaffartzik (New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig), Sven Schultze (Olympia Larissa), Lucca Staiger (Iowa State University), Konrad Wysocki (Deutsche Bank Skyliners).
LATVIA
Only one player from the Latvian roster is likely to stick out to most basketball fans, and that's Andris Biedrins. The Warriors' center is the undoubted star of a team that's otherwise made up of locally based players, heading a national team that's qualified for their fifth straight Eurobasket. They don't look likely to do any better than their previous finishes (13th three straight times), and will likely need a bit of luck to pull off an upset over Germany. That's pretty much their only shot at getting into the next round, as their recent form doesn't indicate that they pose much of a threat to either France or Russia.
Their roster: Kaspars Berzins (Barons/LMT Riga), Andris Biedrins (Golden State Warriors), Janis Blums (Bilbao), Rolands Freimanis, Uvis Helmanis (ASK Riga), Gatis Jahovics (BK VEF Riga), Kristaps Janicenoks (Reyer Venezia Mestre), Ernests Kalve (last season with ASK Riga), Kaspars Kambala (Jenisej), Armands Skele (Barons LMT), Arturs Stalbergs, Aigars Vitols (ASK Riga).
RUSSIA
The defending champions (how soon we forget) come into this tournament without arguably their two best players, in J.R. Holden and Andrei Kirilenko, and as a result it's unknown what we should really expect from them. They still have a solid roster made up entirely of decent to very good Russian based players (most from CSKA), and they'll be coached once again by the excellent David Blatt. But they were very disappointing at last year's Olympics, and managed only a fourth place finish at the recent Acropolis Tournament. They could easily finish anywhere from first to third in this group, and are likely outside shots to finish within the top 6 overall, which would guarantee them a place next year in Istanbul.
Their roster: Sergei Bykov (Dynamo Moscow), Vitaly Fridzon (Khimki), Nikita Kurbanov (CSKA Moscow), Kelly McCarty (Khimki), Sergei Monya (Dynamo Moscow), Timofey Mozgov (Khimki), Anton Ponkrashov (CSKA Moscow), Alexey Shved (CSKA Moscow), Dmitri Sokolov (CSKA Moscow), Andrey Vorontsevich (CSKA Moscow), Egor Vyaltsev (Triumph Lyubertsy)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Eurobasket! Group A Preview
Hello, people. I'm not dead. Just so you know.
With Eurobasket getting set to start on Monday, I figured I should write a little something about it. So, a preview of every group for the next four days, leading up to the competition itself. Excited? Well, half interested, at least? Come on. Please? Scroll down. Motherfuckers.
(clears throat)
CROATIA
Perennial mediocrities, Croatia have a nice, balanced squad that looks poised to improve upon recent...mediocre...showings at major international tournaments. They recently won the Efes Pilsen Cup, a warmup for Eurobasket in which they triumphed over Lativa, Germany, and groupmates Macedonia. Roko Ukic and Nikola Vujcic lead a squad made up primarily of solid contributors at big European clubs.
Their Roster: Zoran Planinic (CSKA Moscow), Marko Popovic (Unics Kazan), Roko-Leni Ukic (Milwaukee Bucks), Davor Kus (Cibona Zagreb), Marin Rozic (Cibona Zagreb), Marko Tomas (Real Madrid), Nikola Prkacin (Cibona Zagreb), Krešimir Loncar (Unics Kazan), Marko Banic (I.Bilbao Basket), Sandro Nicevic (Benetton Treviso), Nikola Vujcic (Olimpiacos), Mario Kasun (Efes Pilsen), Ante Tomic (KK Zagreb), Mario Stojic (Vive Menorca), and Damir Rancic (KK Zadar).
GREECE
Alright, it's a bit like being Phil Mickelson behind Tiger Woods, but Greece are likely second favorites in this competition. Although they've perhaps disappointed since their second place finish at the 2006 World Basketball Championship, this is still a stacked squad. The major question facing this Greek team will be whether youngsters such as Nick Calathes and Kosta Koufos can really contribute off the bench, to supplement a very solid starting five. Also, if Sofoklis Schortsanitis can return to the form that has in the past made him a terror to face, he will give them the sort of option no other team in the competition can present.
Their Roster: Andreas Glyniadakis (Olympiacos), Nikos Zisis (Montepaschi Siena), Konstantinos Kaimakoglou (Maroussi BC), Nick Calathes (Panathinaikos), Ioannis Kalampokis (Pallacanestro Treviso), Kostas Koufos (Utah Jazz), Ioannis Bourousis (Olympiacos), Efstratios Perperoglou (Panathinaikos), Georgios Printezis (Unicaja Malaga), Vasileios Spanoulis (Panathinaikos), Sofoklis Schortsanitis (Olympiacos) and Antonis Fotsis (Panathinaikos).
ISRAEL
Israel have done well to consistently qualify for Eurobasket over the years, with this being their ninth consecutive appearance. Traditionally, they've not done too well once they've gotten there, and don't expect it to be terribly different this time around. They have a decent squad, the vast majority of which comes from the Ligat HaAl. Lior Eliahu and Yotam Halperin are the team's big names, and the squad's only members from outside Israeli clubs because Omri Casspi has decided to skip Eurobasket. This team will need to beat Macedonia in order to to get into the next round, and quite a bit of luck to find a way into next year's World Basketball Championship.
Their roster: Tal Burstein (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Lior Eliyahu (Caja Laboral), Yaniv Green (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Yotam Halperin (Olympiacos), Elishay Kadir (Galil\Gilboa) Uri Kokia (Hapoel Holon), Ido Kozikaro (Maccabi Haifa), Raviv Limonad (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Gal Mekel (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Moshe Mizrahi (Maccabi Haifa), Yuval Neimi (Hapoel Jerusalem), Yogev Ohayon (Ironi Nahariya), Guy Pnini (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Moran Rot (Hapoel Jerusalem), Robert Rothbart (Ironi Nahariya), Amit Tamir (Ironi Ashkelon)
MACEDONIA
Alright, honestly? I don't know anything about the vast majority of their players. But they do have a couple stars. Vlado Ilievski has enjoyed a nice career with a few different big clubs, as has Vrbica Stefanov, the country's biggest basketball legend. Jeremiah Massey...isn't Macedonian, obviously, but he'll be taking up their foreign player spot (I'm not sure how helpful that passport is...shouldn't he have gone for somewhere in the EU? whatever.), and will likely have to do most of the scoring. They'll have to beat Israel to go through, and would need even more luck than the Israelis to somehow make it to Istanbul next year.
Pero Antiḱ (Lokomotiv Rostov), Pero Blaževski (Helios Domžale), Aleksandar Dimitrovski (KK Rabotnički), Todor Gečevski(KK Zadar), Vlado Ilievski (Caja Laboral), Jeremiah Massey (Real Madrid), Dimitar Mirakovski (CSKA Sofia), Predrag Samardžiski (FMP Železnik), Darko Sokolov (MZT Skopje), Riste Stefanov (Lukoil Academic) Vrbica Stefanov (ViveMenorca) Damjan Stojanovski KK AMAK SP) Vojdan Stojanovski (KK AMAK SP) Dime Tasovski (KK Strumica) Bojan Trajkovski (KK Rabotnički)
With Eurobasket getting set to start on Monday, I figured I should write a little something about it. So, a preview of every group for the next four days, leading up to the competition itself. Excited? Well, half interested, at least? Come on. Please? Scroll down. Motherfuckers.
(clears throat)
CROATIA
Perennial mediocrities, Croatia have a nice, balanced squad that looks poised to improve upon recent...mediocre...showings at major international tournaments. They recently won the Efes Pilsen Cup, a warmup for Eurobasket in which they triumphed over Lativa, Germany, and groupmates Macedonia. Roko Ukic and Nikola Vujcic lead a squad made up primarily of solid contributors at big European clubs.
Their Roster: Zoran Planinic (CSKA Moscow), Marko Popovic (Unics Kazan), Roko-Leni Ukic (Milwaukee Bucks), Davor Kus (Cibona Zagreb), Marin Rozic (Cibona Zagreb), Marko Tomas (Real Madrid), Nikola Prkacin (Cibona Zagreb), Krešimir Loncar (Unics Kazan), Marko Banic (I.Bilbao Basket), Sandro Nicevic (Benetton Treviso), Nikola Vujcic (Olimpiacos), Mario Kasun (Efes Pilsen), Ante Tomic (KK Zagreb), Mario Stojic (Vive Menorca), and Damir Rancic (KK Zadar).
GREECE
Alright, it's a bit like being Phil Mickelson behind Tiger Woods, but Greece are likely second favorites in this competition. Although they've perhaps disappointed since their second place finish at the 2006 World Basketball Championship, this is still a stacked squad. The major question facing this Greek team will be whether youngsters such as Nick Calathes and Kosta Koufos can really contribute off the bench, to supplement a very solid starting five. Also, if Sofoklis Schortsanitis can return to the form that has in the past made him a terror to face, he will give them the sort of option no other team in the competition can present.
Their Roster: Andreas Glyniadakis (Olympiacos), Nikos Zisis (Montepaschi Siena), Konstantinos Kaimakoglou (Maroussi BC), Nick Calathes (Panathinaikos), Ioannis Kalampokis (Pallacanestro Treviso), Kostas Koufos (Utah Jazz), Ioannis Bourousis (Olympiacos), Efstratios Perperoglou (Panathinaikos), Georgios Printezis (Unicaja Malaga), Vasileios Spanoulis (Panathinaikos), Sofoklis Schortsanitis (Olympiacos) and Antonis Fotsis (Panathinaikos).
ISRAEL
Israel have done well to consistently qualify for Eurobasket over the years, with this being their ninth consecutive appearance. Traditionally, they've not done too well once they've gotten there, and don't expect it to be terribly different this time around. They have a decent squad, the vast majority of which comes from the Ligat HaAl. Lior Eliahu and Yotam Halperin are the team's big names, and the squad's only members from outside Israeli clubs because Omri Casspi has decided to skip Eurobasket. This team will need to beat Macedonia in order to to get into the next round, and quite a bit of luck to find a way into next year's World Basketball Championship.
Their roster: Tal Burstein (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Lior Eliyahu (Caja Laboral), Yaniv Green (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Yotam Halperin (Olympiacos), Elishay Kadir (Galil\Gilboa) Uri Kokia (Hapoel Holon), Ido Kozikaro (Maccabi Haifa), Raviv Limonad (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Gal Mekel (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Moshe Mizrahi (Maccabi Haifa), Yuval Neimi (Hapoel Jerusalem), Yogev Ohayon (Ironi Nahariya), Guy Pnini (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Moran Rot (Hapoel Jerusalem), Robert Rothbart (Ironi Nahariya), Amit Tamir (Ironi Ashkelon)
MACEDONIA
Alright, honestly? I don't know anything about the vast majority of their players. But they do have a couple stars. Vlado Ilievski has enjoyed a nice career with a few different big clubs, as has Vrbica Stefanov, the country's biggest basketball legend. Jeremiah Massey...isn't Macedonian, obviously, but he'll be taking up their foreign player spot (I'm not sure how helpful that passport is...shouldn't he have gone for somewhere in the EU? whatever.), and will likely have to do most of the scoring. They'll have to beat Israel to go through, and would need even more luck than the Israelis to somehow make it to Istanbul next year.
Pero Antiḱ (Lokomotiv Rostov), Pero Blaževski (Helios Domžale), Aleksandar Dimitrovski (KK Rabotnički), Todor Gečevski(KK Zadar), Vlado Ilievski (Caja Laboral), Jeremiah Massey (Real Madrid), Dimitar Mirakovski (CSKA Sofia), Predrag Samardžiski (FMP Železnik), Darko Sokolov (MZT Skopje), Riste Stefanov (Lukoil Academic) Vrbica Stefanov (ViveMenorca) Damjan Stojanovski KK AMAK SP) Vojdan Stojanovski (KK AMAK SP) Dime Tasovski (KK Strumica) Bojan Trajkovski (KK Rabotnički)
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