San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker appears to be in midseason form as he poured in 32 points and dished out six assists in leading France to an impressive 76-65 victory over Dirk Nowitzki and Germany in pool play of the 2011 European Championships in Lithuania. Parker made 11 of 20 shots from the field … [Read more…]
Mike Fratello is taking time off from his role as The Czar of the Telestrator on TV in order to fulfill his obligation as coach of Ukraine’s men’s national team. Fratello, 64, dusts off his coaching clipboard at the 2011 European Championship, which started Aug. 31 in Lithuania and runs through Sept. 18. The Ukrainian … [Read more…]
Josh Childress started his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, but spent two seasons in Europe playing for Olympiacos in Greece before returning to the NBA last season with the Phoenix Suns. It’s fair to say that Childress is an authority on the Euroleague. Europe has become a hot-button topic lately, with NBA superstars such … [Read more…]
Lucky or not, host nation Turkey will be competing for a gold medal in the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Down 82-81 to Serbia with 4.3 seconds to play, Turkey coach Bogdan Tanjevic’s designed a play for his best player, Hedo Turkoglu. But as the Phoenix Suns forward made his move toward the sideline he lost … [Read more…]
With one incredible long shot, Milos Teodosic lifted Serbia into the semifinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championship and ended Spain’s reign as world champions. After Spain tied the game at 89 with 25.8 seconds left in the game on Marc Gasol’s dunk, Serbia put the ball in the hands of its playmaker, Teodosic, and … [Read more…]
Dimitris Diamantidis is not a name most American basketball followers are familiar with. But to those hardcore fans in Europe and especially Greece, Diamantidis is considered a basketball god. The 30-year-old guard/forward known for his defense and versatility has a resume worthy of Greek mythology. He is a four-time Greek League MVP, five-time Euroleague defensive … [Read more…]
Because of the lack of star power currently competing in the FIBA World Championship in Turkey, some members of the basketball media have tabbed this year’s event as the “B-rated” championships. But don’t tell that to the individuals who have clearly set themselves apart from the rest of the competition and put together A-plus performances … [Read more…]
With Les Bleus still reeling from the debacle that occurred at the World Cup in South Africa, the French basketball team is doing its best to bring some much needed amour and dignite back to the country. Through the first three games at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, France is in first place … [Read more…]
The year 2010 has been very kind to Spain. In June, Pau Gasol won his second NBA championship with the Lakers. A few weeks later, Rafael Nadal won his second Wimbledon title. In July, Alberto Contador captured his third consecutive Tour de France title and the Spanish soccer team won its first World Cup. It … [Read more…]
The Spurs’ signing of Euroleague center Tiago Splitter earlier in the week had very little fanfare. There were no ESPN one-hour specials, no Jim Gray playing emcee and the news was absent from all the 24-hour news networks. It was your typical Spurs offseason transaction. Very low key and very business-like. The move may not look … [Read more…]