Interbasket

With less than a week left before Olympic basketball begins, Interbasket is previewing the twelve national teams participating in the tournament.  We will review the six teams in Group A today and Group B later on this week (Click here for Olympic Basketball Group B Preview).

Group A is filled with teams that are more equally-matched.  Outside of Iran, who is the definite underdog in the whole tournament, the remaining five teams, Argentina, Australia, Croatia, Lithuania and Russia, each have good chances of advancing to the quarterfinals.

In other words, we are basically looking at four available quarterfinal spots for five teams.  Group A features strong competitors in defending Olympic Gold-Medalists Argentina, Oceania-champions Australia, Croatia, Lithuania, and 2007 Eurobasket Champs Russia.

Argentina is the slight favorite of this group as they bring back the majority of their core team from 2004.  I would position Argentina just ahead of Lithuania, Russia, and Croatia with Australia being ranked fifth in the group.  Croatia isn’t the most well-known, but is the definite darkhorse of this group.

Check back tomorrow for the Group B Preview.

Argentina Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 2 (726)
Qualified: 2007 FIBA Americas Tournament (2nd)
Roster: Carlos Delfino, Manu Ginobili, Román González, Juan Gutiérrez, Leonardo Gutiérrez, Federico Kammerichs, Andrés Nocioni, Fabricio Oberto, Antonio Porta, Pablo Prigioni, Paolo Quinteros, and Luis Scola.
Facts: Likely to be Ginobili’s last Olympics, Manu was chosen to carry Argentina’s flag in the opening ceremonies.

Note: Oddly enough, the gold medalists from the 2004 Athens Olympics are going to have to re-prove themselves in this tournament.  With the focus on team USA, Spain, and Greece, everyone seems to be overlooking the perennial contenders this time around.

In the same vein, everyone is looking to unseat the defending champions, “There’s no surprise factor this time,” said center Fabricio Oberto. “We’re up against the wall, because everyone knows they’re playing against the Olympic champion.  You can’t just show off your gold medal and expect to win.”

Admittedly, there are two main issues facing Argentina: #1 They are without their veteran point guard Pepe Sanchez, whom retired from international play and #2 is a worn out Manu Ginobili and his jammed ankle. They’ll also have to deal with the loss of key sub Walter Herrmann, whom pulled out from the tournament early on.

On the bright side, the Argentinians have a pretty good replacement for Pepe.  In Pablo Prigioni, they have one the world’s great playermakers, the 31-year old was voted ACB’s best base player (point guard) in 2007 and led the 2007 Tournament of Americas in assists at 6.3 assists.  The question is, how will Quinteros and Porta do as a backup?

Even better news is that Ginobili has now had a couple months off to heal, relax and decompress, since being eliminated from the NBA playoffs. “It feels great, and that makes me very happy.” said Ginobili after a couple National Team practices.

And let’s not forget that Argentina still boasts the hardworking Luis Scola, energetic Andres Nocioni, athletic swingman Carlos Delfino, and solid team contributors in Federico Kammerichs, Paolo Quinteros, Leonardo Gutiérrez, and Fabricio Oberto.  With a team like that, against Spain or USA or whatever, this is a team to be dealt with. “I’d love to play the Olympic final again, and it doesn’t matter against who.” says Ginobili.  Argentina’s First Game:  August 10th, 2008 vs. Lithuania (16:45 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), The Home Team… of Argentina (MySA.com)

Lithuania Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 5 (486)
Qualified: 2007 Eurobasket Championships (3rd)
Roster: Linas Kleiza, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Simas Jasaitis, Robertas Javtokas, Rimantas Kaukėnas, Darjuš Lavrinovič, Kšyštof Lavrinovič, Mindaugas Lukauskis, Jonas Mačiulis, Marius Prekevičius, Ramunas Siskauskas
Facts: This is Sarunas Jasikevičius’s third Olympics, Saras will bear the flag for Lithuania in the Olympic opening ceremonies. Lithuania had received a bronze medal in three straight Olympics (92, 96, 00) before placing fourth in 2004.

Note: Even without Arvydas Macijauskas and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Lithuania is always a force to be reckoned with as the Liths can shoot the lighs out and are battle-tested with their superstars and proven winners in Ramunas Siskauskas and Sarunas Jasikevicius.

The 6-4 Rimantas Kaukėnas will be Lithuania’s starting shooting guard with the aggressive and physical Robertas Javtokas and Linas Kleiza supporting the perimeter players.

In the last several years, Siskauskas has catapulted himself into superstardom in Europe, proving to be one of the best players in the world with his ability to do a little of everything on the floor.  Siskauskas was named to the 2007 Eurobasket All-Tournament Team, won the 2008 Russian league championship, and was named its best player.

The key to Lithuania’s team comes from their perimeter players, mainly Jasikevicius, Kaukenas, and Siskauskas.  If the Lithuanians hope to medal, Saras has to pick up his game and be his magical self, Siskauskas has to live up to his reputation as the European Scottie Pippen (Siska has a much better jumpshot might I add), and Kaukenas must be consistent from the perimeter.

With Darius Songaila likely out of the Olympics because of an injury, Javtokas and Kleiza must be strong on the Lithuanian interior in both defense and rebounding.  They’ll be tested early on as their first game in pool play is against Argentina.  Lithuania’s First Game:  August 10th, 2008 vs. Argentina (16:45 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia)

Russia Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 16 (186)
Qualified: 2007 Eurobasket Championships (1st)
Roster: Sergei Bykov, Vitaly Fridzon, J.R. Holden, Victor Keyru, Viktor Khryapa, Andrei Kirilenko, Sergey Monya, Nikita Morgunov, Zakhar Pashutin, Petr Samoylenko, Aleksey Savrasenko, Andrey Vorontsevich.
Facts: Andrei Kirilenko, like Ginobili and Jasikevicius, will have the honor of being the flag-bearer for Russia during the opening ceremonies.  The last time Russia participated in the Olympics was in 2000, where the 19-year old Kirilenko led the Russians to eighth place while leading the tournament in steals.

Note: The 2007 Eurobasket surprise champions Russia, led by the do-it-all Andrei Kirilenko, whom was named Eurobasket MVP.  Fortunately, it looks as key-contributor Victor Khryapa will make it back from an ankle injury in time for the Olympics.  Khryapa will take the spot of former-Kansas center Sasha Kaun on their roster and will add another dimension to Russia’s frontline’s versatility.  Russia has one of the better tournament playmakers in American-born, Russian-naturalized JR Holden, but needs to remain consistent and unflustered throughout the game.

The 6-11 Nikita Morgunov is solid in the Russian frontcourt, and when I say solid, I mean it in a good way, but it also means he has slow feat and not much of a consistent offensive threat.  Think a poor man’s Fabricio Oberto.  Keep an eye out for Sergei Bykov, whom can shoot the three.  These international tournaments always seems to have breakout three-point percentages.  Russia’s First Game:  August 10th, 2008 vs. Iran (09:00 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), Andrei Kirilenko, Russia Basketball (Salt Lake Tribune), Blatt refuses to give up on Khryapa (FIBA)

Croatia Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 20 (100)
Qualified: 2008 World Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Roster: Marko Banić, Stanko Barać, Davor Kus, Krešimir Lončar, Sandro Nicević, Zoran Planinić, Marko Popović, Nikola Prkačin, Marin Rozić, Damjan Rudež, Marko Tomas, and Roko Ukić.
Facts: The last time Croatia participated in the Olympics was in 1996 with players like Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja, placed 7th in the Atlanta Olympics.  Marko Banić, their 24 year old power forward, shot an amazing 93% from the field in the Olympic Qualifyng Tournament, going 14-15 from the field.

Note: Since winning silver in 1992, the Croatians haven’t been able to qualify a team in the last two Olympics despite having some of the more talented players in Europe.  They were able to qualify by going unbeaten in this year’s Pre-Olympic World Qualifiers with a 4-0 record, with much thanks to efficient performances of rising European player Marko Tomas, whom averaged 17 points on high percentages.

Though the Croats are happy to be back in the Olympics again, they’re not satisfied with just being there,“(Being back in the Olympics) is a great success, a great gift for us, but we are not going to go to Beijing as tourists.” said Marko Popovic

This version of Team Croatia has the right amount of talent, chemistry, defense, and aggressiveness to move on to the next round.  There are no headcases or egos on this team.  And to boot, the 2008 National Team brings back 9 of the 12 players that defeated Spain in Eurobasket 2007.

This is a new generation of Croatian players, with a good mix of youth and experience, and are capable of playing and defending at different speeds and styles of play.  Much of that flexibility is due to their under-rated yet diverse backcourt, which is one of the strongest in the Olympics.

Croatia’s backcourt features Davor Kus, Zoran Planinic, Marko Popovic, and Roko Ukic.  These four guards were in Croatia’s top-six in scoring during Eurobasket 2007 and would expect similar production.

In the frontcourt, the 6-10 Damir Markota had injured his meniscus during the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and won’t make the games.  Markota has been replaced by the versatile Damjan Rudež in order to shore up the forward positions.  Rudež, along with 6-11 Lončar and 6-8 Marko Banić will have to shoulder more of the interior with Markota out.

Even with Rudež, the Croatians will have to continue rebounding as a team.  In the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, no one Croatian player dominated the boards, but the Croats had nine players that averaged between 2.2 rebounds and 3.8 rebounds.  Croatia’s First Game:  August 10th, 2008 vs. Australia (20:00 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), Olympic Team Profile: Croatia (Euroleague), Rudez called by Croatia after meniscus injury knocks out Markota (FIBA), Croatia returns to Olympics with victory over Germany (FIBA)

Australia Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 9 (284, tie)
Qualified: 2007 Oceania Championships (1st)
Roster: David Andersen, Chris Anstey, David Barlow, Andrew Bogut, CJ Bruton, Joe Ingles, Patrick Mills, Brad Newley, Matt Nielsen (C), Shawn Redhage, Glen Saville, Mark Worthington.
Facts: Recent aboriginal NBA draftee Nathan Jawai was left off the Australian roster.  Since 1980 Olympics, Australia has participated in all seven Olympic Games and have placed 8th, 7th, 4th, 6th, 4th, 4th, and 9th.  In the 1996 and 2000 games, where Australia took 4th place, they lost both Bronze medals to Lithuania.

Note: Qualifying through the Oceania region, the Aussies are bringing back five players from the 2004 team (Andersen, Bogut, Bruton, Neilsen, and Saville) and they all will play a large role in the wins and losses of the 2008 team.

The Aussies have always had the talent and size to make noise in international tournaments and they have.  Even though they’ve placed fourth in three of the last five Olympics, the Aussies never quite get over the hump, on the court or total respect off it.

The Aussies have one of the best frontcourts in the tournament with great size in 6-11 David Andersen, 7-0  Chris Anstey, 6-10 Matt Nielsen, and 7-0 Andrew Bogut, whom recently rejoined the team after finalizing his $76m multi-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.

With their sizable frontcourt, the Boomers success will also hinge on their guards; experienced point guard  CJ Bruton, Brad Newley, and newcomer Patrick Mills.

Having good guards is key to having a legitimate run for a medal, “You definitely have to have above-average guards.” said Bogut. “It’s not going to be Andrew Bogut or David Andersen averaging 20 and 12 for us to get a medal.”

Team Australia will certainly miss the leadership of Sam Mackinnon, whom is having various knee problems.  Sam Mack was named NBL’s defensive player of the year, MVP, Finals MVP, and international player of the year.

The game plan for Australia to be successful is team chemistry and effort, rebounding, defense or what Bogut likes to say “We’re going to have to junk the game up.”

The Boomers know that in order to advance, they’re going to have to play well together.  Head Coach Brian Goorjian realizes his team’s potential but understands the challenge of coming home with a medal, “There are only three medals. You have got the USA over there and some very strong teams in Europe. We are going to have to play very, very well together.” Australia’s First Game:  August 10th, 2008 vs. Croatia (20:00 local time)

Links and Resources: Boomers’ Andrew Bogut prepares to face basketball’s giants (The Australian), The Boomers (FoxSports.com.au), Neilsen reaches into his own pockets to reach Beijing (FIBA), Bogut says guards hold key to Olympic success for Boomers (Herald Sun)

Iran Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 33 (33.1)
Qualified: Asian Championships (1st)
Roster: Hamed Afagh, Amir Amini, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Javad Davari, Saeid Davarpanah, Ali Doraghi, Hamed Haddadi, Mehdi Kamrani, Mousa Nabipour, Oshin Sahakian, Hamed Sohrabnejad, Iman Zandi.
Facts: The 2008 Beijing Olympics will mark only the second time that Iran has qualified and participated in Olympic basketball, the first time being exactly 60 years ago, in the 1948 Olympics held in London.  Iran placed 14th out of 23 participating teams.  Basketball is the only team sport Iran is participating in 2008.

Note: The keyword for Iran is “Experience.”  If being THE underdog of underdogs in this year’s Olympics wasn’t going to be enough already, Iran will compete with heavy hearts after they lost their best player, Aidin Bahrami, to a car accident a couple months after winning the Asian Championships in 2007.

Additionally, Iran may have lost their key player for the games, Hamed Ehadadi, as he went down with an ankle injury playing a pre-Olympic game against China on August 1st.  Haddadi is a promising 7-2, 254lb center that is also Iran’s leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker.  Whether Ehadadi will be ready in time for the games is still in question as of this post.

Still, this will be a great opportunity for the Persians to gain valuable experience against more established and competitive teams as is recognized by Serbian head coach Rajko Toroman “In my opinion, that’s only way to improve these players because Iranian league is not so strong. They don’t have enough tough games. Genetically (Iran has) good abilities. They have good body skills, but they do not have enough good technical games in Iranian league.”

“It is like a dream to participate in the Olympic Games — especially for us because basketball in Iran is not that … important,” Aidin’s brother, national teammate, and Iranian captain Samad Bahrami said.

And Bahrami recognizes the feat in front of Team Iran, “”Everybody knows . . . we cannot win any medals, but it’s going to be a very good experience.” Iran’s First Game:  August 10th, 2008 vs. Russia (09:00 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), Aidin Bahrami dies in car accident (Interbasket), Hamed Haddadi the next big thing (Interbasket), Hamed Ehadadi’s injury is the worst nightmare for Iran (Beijing2008), Iran gears up for Beijing Olympics (Iran Press TV)

With only one first-round series going to the distance (Atlanta-Boston), I believe it’s a good time to call out some international player performances of note.  And with only Zaza Pachulia the only real impact international player remaining in the first round, it’s safe to continue on with this post.

Did I say Manu ginobili was the Spur’s MVP?

Well, he was during the regular season but Tony Parker was the difference-maker in the series against the Suns.  If he continues his level of playoff play (including 41 points in crucial game 3) he’ll give Manu a serious run.  Parker was nothing less than unstoppable in the Spur’s wins, averaging 32.5 points, 8 assists and shot 54.3% from the field in those four games.

Manu Ginobili, on the other hand, played well in the first three games, but his final two weren’t anything to write back to his hometown of Bahia Blanca.  For the series, Ginobili scored 18.2 points a game, snagged 3.8 rebounds and passed for 2 assists.

Hedo Turkoglu was the do-it-all guy for the Orlando Magic.  His points were down a little from the regular season, but no doubt the 29-year old is playoff tested.  In 5 games against the Toronto Raptors, “Turk” averaged 17.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.

Kobe this, Kobe that, but without Pau Gasol, the Lakers wouldn’t be where they are. Though the 7-0 Spanaird couldn’t match his first game output (36pts, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists), Gasol was solid in the Laker’s sweep of the Denver Nuggets.  Gasol averaged a “quiet” 22.3 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2.7 blocks.

Peja Stojakovic did exactly as he was supposed to — hit threes at a blistering rate.  With “blistering” equaling 60.7% (17-28) in the Hornet’s five games.  The Serbian star averaged 15.8 points and hit almost three three-pointers a game.  Peja also contributed 5.6 rebounds a game and had a double-double in game three.

Though he only shot 40% from the field, Memo Okur averaged a double-double in the six-game series against the Houston Rockets providing rare interior presence to his exterior game.  13.2 points, 12.5 rebounds while hitting 7-20 from three point land.

On the other side, Luis Scola put up 14 points, 9.4 rebounds, non-stop hustle and one bone-headed play.  The Argentine superstar could have definitely done better from the field and free-throw line, but Scola elevated his game otherwise.

Zaza Pachulia?  He was nothing more than a small sidenote when I wrote my International NBA Playoff Preview and looking solely at his stats (through six games he’s averaged 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds on 31% shooting), it really doesn’t look as if he’s done much.  However, watching the games tell a different story, the 6-10 center from the Republic of Georgia is making his presence felt on the floor.

Zaza loves knocking bodies around, causing chaos in the paint, getting in the face of Kevin Garnett, exciting the home-crowd, and after the Hawks beat the Celtics 103-100 to force a game seven, Zaza Pachulia grabbed a microphone and screamed “We’re going to Game 7! Woooooooooo!” I would be remiss not to mention Pachulia especially if the woeful Hawks actually win game seven.

Darius Songaila has been similar.  Though his stats do not yield his subtle contributions, make no mistake the Cavs were aware of the 6-8 Lithuanian.  His aggressive drives to the hoop yielded 2.5 free-throw attempts during the series, compared to 0.9 in the regular season. Oh and let’s not forget the psuedo-slap to LeBron James in which he was suspended for.

Sources and other links: Preview: Impact International Players in the 2008 NBA Playoffs (Ibn), From our forum - 2008 NBA Playoffs Discussion Thread (Ibn Forum), Atlanta 103 - Boston 100 Game Recap (Yahoo! Sports)

Every Wednesday (almost cough cough) during the NBA season, interbasket takes a closer look at ten international NBA players that has caught our eye. (This week is for period 12/19/2007- 01/01/2008)

This week we see another European having troubles with Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, Dirk receives another award, Yi Jianlian and Linas Kleiza finding their grooves, Hedo doing his thing in Orlando, Nash is passing, Yao is boarding, Manu’s probably not going to make the all-star game this year and a partridge in a pear tree.

Due to the holidays, I wasn’t able to post my international NBA player week in review, so for this week i’ll cover 12 International NBA players to help cover some ground we may have missed.

Interbasket’s 2007 International NBA Player of the Year
So with 2007 behind us, who was your NBA international player of the year for 2007? Considering only NBA accomplishments; there’s only really a couple real candidates in my mind: Dirk Nowitzki leading that group and Steve Nash behind him. Much like how the MVP voting went for last season in which Dirk won and Nash came in second. Tony Parker was finals MVP, and Manu Ginobili joined him in adding another NBA championship ring. Anybody behind those five are really only pretenders.  So with you reading my stream-of-consiousness train-of-thought, Interbasket’s International NBA Player of the Year is Dirk Nowitzki. Congrats Dirk.

Utah says Goodbye to Gordan Giricek
Gordan Giricek has fallen out of favor with Jerry Sloan, becoming very public last week when Giricek and Sloan were seen arguing during a timeout in the second quarter of Utah’s loss at Charlotte on December 19th. Sloan sent the disgruntled Croatian guard to the locker room and Giricek didn’t see an NBA floor for the next three games. That fourth game turned out to be his last with the Utah Jazz. The Jazz sent him (and a conditional first round pick) to Philly for Kyle Korver.

GM Larry Miller gave some insight into the situation when he spoke to a local radio station (KFNZ 1320 AM). He said that assistant coach Phil Johnson once told him “Phil Johnson said, ‘Gordan Giricek is the most talented player on this team. But he won’t do what he’s supposed to do.’

The 6-6 shooting guard, who had fallen to the role of third-shooting guard, wasn’t surprised at all by the trade, saying that he had asked management to move him because he felt as he was being disrespected. “What concerned me all the time was to be respected as a man,’‘ Giricek added. “Not my role, but to be respected as a man.” Sounds familiar huh? You think he and Andrei Kirilenko has had some late-night chats?

Now, only four days after being sent to the Philadelphia 76ers, Giricek returns to Utah tonight to face his team of the last five season. Geez, I would need some time to heal, but these are grown tattooed men made of testosterone, muscles and anger — “It will be awkward a little [tonight]. I’ve been playing basketball a long time, and I don’t need any more excitement like that.’ Said Giricek ‘I don’t fall into the [trap] that this is my ex-team, they traded me and now I’m going to do everything I can to beat them. I think I’m going to see it as a game that I’m going to help my new team beat my old team.”

Hedo, He Do!
Sorry for the title. Some guy had that nickname on one of the basketball forums I frequent. Kind of funny, kind of lame.

Anyways, Hedo Turkoglu continued his fantastic season as one of the Magic’s indepensible four (Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Rashard Lewis are the other three) Despite Hedo having a horrible game (7-19 shooting and 7 turnovers) Turkoglu hit the game-winning jumper with 0.7 seconds left against the Chicago Bulls last week giving Orlando the 112-110 win.

Since the last report we talked of Hedo (12/05), Turkoglu’s field goal percentage has dropped, but his points per game has gone up (18.6 to 19.6) as has his rebounds (6.1 to 6.2). Helping Orlando stay on top of the Southeast division.

Kleiza Rising
Speaking of game-winners, Lithuanian Linas Kleiza found himself with the ball with seconds to spare.

After Allen Iverson drove the lane and missed, Marcus Camby tipped the ball out and Kleiza was in the right place, right time. The 6-8 muscular power forward with a nice soft touch, hit the straight-on jumper to give Denver a one-point win over the Sacramento Kings 106-105.

Linas has scored double-figures in seven of his last eight games and has seemed to hit his stride. After earning more minutes last season, Linas hasn’t quite been as consistent as he would like this season.

He’s still improving. On the season, Kleiza’s third, he is averaging career highs 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists. This from a guy that is seventh on the team in minutes, yet third on the team in scoring. Kleiza is sixth in the league in two-point field-goal shooting (61.1 percent). That’s saying a lot playing with the likes of green-lighters Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. If AI and Melo are the cornerstones, it’s important to find guys that play well and efficiently with those two — Kleiza (along with Camby and Eduardo Najera) are proving to be those guys through their play.

Nash Still Passing
In his last 25 games, Canadian Superstar point guard Steve Nash has registered 23 games with double-digit assists. And for the season, he’s had 26 games (out of 31 played) with double-digit assists — Jason Kidd is second with 20 games of 10+ assist games (out of 29 games played). Nash is passing at a career-high rate at 12.4 assists a game.

Songaila Finally Misses
Darius Songaila finally missed his first free-throw and is at 24-26 this season, Songaila’s only shot 5 free-throws since the last time we reported on his streak - a duration of 18 games. Because of this, Songaila hasn’t shot enough free-throws to qualify for the league leaders, but before his miss the other night, Darius topped the list of NBA players that have shot the most free-throws without a miss.

Beno’s Ups and Downs
After going 0-8 in 29 minutes in a win over New Jersey last week, Beno Udrih hit a career-high six threes (6-7) in a win over Milwaukee the next night to the tune of 24 points. Before playing 29 minutes and putting up no points in the New Jersey game, Beno had a streak of 11 games in double-figures.

Yi Jianlian Only Bright Spot in Milwaukee
In a win over the Charlotte Bobcats, Yi Jianlian had career highs in points, FG att, FG made, and minutes. At the end of the game Yi scored 29 points, pullled down 10 rebounds and shot 14-17 from the field. Yi hit his first 12 shots before missing. Jianlian has scored in double figures in the last eight of ten games and was just named the NBA East Rookie of the month for the month of December (2007). Yi averaged 12.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in December and ranks second in scoring and rebounding among rookies.

No real surprise, Kevin Durant took home that award for the West, which brings up a good question - Is there even a small chance that Yi could change the decision-makers whom seem to be unanimously handing the award to Kevin Durant?

As of this writing, both have played 30 of their team’s 31 games, so let’s look at the stats between the two-frontrunners for Rookie of the Year:

* Kevin Durant, Seattle Sonics (9-22): 19.7 points on 40.7% from the field, 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.2 blocks in 32 minutes a game.

*Yi Jianlian, Milwaukee Bucks (12-19): 11.0 points on 47.1% from the field, 6.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 28 minutes a game.

Hmmm… yep, it’s definitely still Durant at this point. However, if Durant remains steady for the season at around 20ppg and if Yi can get his point average up to 14-15 points a game, it would be a competition. In Yi’s last eight games, he’s been averaging around 34 minutes a game which is promising.

Yi’s problem? He’s the third option on the Bucks, while Durant has the green-light.

Big Z loves Team LeBron
I was watching a Cleveland game the other week and the announcers mentioned a little tidbit: Zydrunas Ilgauskas averages 16 points and shoots 51 percent from the field with Lebron James on the court, and only puts up 9/game on 36% without the King this year. Not that Big Z hasn’t proven himself previous to LeBron, but King James has definitely made things a lot easier for aging Ilgauskas who seems to have find himself open for midrange jumpshots a lot more this season.

Yao Back to the Boards
In a recent four game stretch, Yao Ming pulled down 63 total rebounds, 20 of which were offensive rebounds for averages of 15.8 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, the Rockets lost three of those four games. Yao then followed those games up with 13 rebounds in the next two games. On the season, Yao is averaging 10.6 rebounds, a career-high.

Scola Heats Up when McGrady Chills Out
Yao’s teammate Luis Scola had a string of three games in double-figures, also pulling in 25 rebounds in that stretch. The not-so-funny thing, and we’ve pointed this out in a previous update, Scola seems to play much better with Tracy McGrady injured. Of seven games that Scola has scored in double-figures, five have come when Tracy has been out injured.

Manu Ginobili Should Make the 2007 NBA All-Star Team, but won’t
I was doing my all-star picks this week and came to the realization that Manu Ginobili will more than likely be undeservingly left off the West squad. I Know that every year a couple deserving players get the shaft, but I really believe Manu should be in the same category as Dwight Howard, Kevin Gernett, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant this year - automatic.

Thats what I think of the season Manu has had so far. Despite being injured, Ginobili has been the man this year for the Spurs. I see Manu in the same position as Josh Howard, who will make the all-star game because he has upped his game while Dirk Nowitzki has slowed down some. My all-star picks (not predictions):

East All-Star Team:
C- Dwight Howard
F - LeBron James
F - Kevin Garnett
G - Chauncey Billups
G - Jason Kidd

R - Ray Allen
R - Paul Pierce
R - Chris Bosh
R - Tayshaun Prince
R - Richard Hamilton
R - Caron Butler

West All-Star Team:
C - Yao Ming
F - Tim Duncan
F - Josh Howard
G - Kobe Bryant
G - Steve Nash

R - Brandon Roy
R - Dirk Nowitzki
R - Amare Stoudemire
R - Carmelo Anthony
R - Manu Ginobili
R - Carlos Boozer
R - Allen Iverson

*R1 - Chris Paul
*R2 - Baron Davis
*R3 - Tony Parker
*R4 - Chris Kaman
*R5 - Deron Wlliams

WOW. The West is stacked with talent, each reserve deserves a spot. With the way Portland has been playing lately, Brandon Roy is going to be a lock if they continue going down that path. On the other side, Deron Williams might be the odd man out considering the way he’s played and the Jazz’s freefall lately.

I believe Manu is the guy that’s kept the Spurs amongst the elite this season and certainly deserves a spot, but voters will likely vote for a representative from a team instead of voting another Spur or Sun in — so although I picked Manu, it’s likely Chris Paul will take his spot (and Vince Carter, Dwyane Wade and Tracy McGrady will all undeservedly make the all-star team too).

With all that in consideration it’s likely that this will be first NBA all-star game in 15 seasons where Shaquille O’Neal won’t be participating in the mid-season classic. And it may also be the game with the least amount of international players voted in (not counting Tim Duncan) since 2001.

Sources: Giricek back with Jazz following three-game cooling-off period (Canadian Press), Giricek returns to face ex-team (salt Lake City Tribune), Giricek decision will wait until Jazz return home (salt Lake City Tribune), Whatever he’s called, Kleiza makes Impact (Denver Post), Yi, Durant Named Rookies of the Month (Nba.com), 2007 NBA All-Star Returns (Nba.com)

Every Wednesday during the NBA season, interbasket takes a closer look at ten international NBA players that has caught our eye. (This week is for period 11/22 - 11/28/2007)

We start with some big news out of Toronto. Spanish small forward and Toronto Raptor Jorge Garbajosa is going to have another surgery on his leg.

Ok, that’s not news. That happens all the time in sports, Stuart.

True, but there’s an added layer to the situation; Garbajosa played in the European Championships this past summer despite the Raptor’s strong advice to skip the qualifier and have surgery done on the same injured leg that wasn’t healing correctly according to the Toronto’s medical team.

Instead, Garbajosa chose to represent Spain, backed by Spanish doctors that claimed further surgery was superflous. The Spanish team wanted him so much that they took out a $1 million dollar insurance policy that would cover his $4 mil salary had Garbajosa injured himself during National team duty. Looks like the Raptors might be filing a claim against that policy soon.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg right now. With the Memphis Grizzlies coming into Toronto tonight, it would have brought four Spanish players in one NBA game — Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Jose Calderon with Garbajosa on the sidelines. What should be a celebratory photo-op at mid-court, has become a huge controversy in Spain and with one Pau Gasol.

Pau Gasol and the Spanish press feel as if the Raptors don’t have Garbajosa’s best interest in mind by sending him off to surgery, but rather they’re punishing him for going against their will this past summer. Stay tuned…

On a sidenote: Would this have been the first time that four international players from the same country played in the same NBA game? I know the Houston-San Antonio game last week brought three Argentines together, but can anyone remember four players? Maybe those Sacramento Kings with Vlade and Peja?

For all our Spanish readers, there is a lighter side - Juan Carlos Navarro is finally finding his groove. In the last three gamee, the Spanish superstar has played his 34, 37, and 38 minutes — by far his highest total minutes logged this season. During that span, Navarro has averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, has shot 55% from the field and 45% from three. Navarro had his first NBA double-double last night, 16 points and 11 rebounds (his previous high was 4 rebounds!). It seems as both La Bomba and his coach are finally gaining confidence in… well, Juan Carlos Navarro.

Is this really Desagana Diop’s seventh NBA season? Yeah, I guess it is. The 25-year old came straight out of high-school and was drafted eighth overall in the the 2001 high-school-crazy draft (that saw Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, and Eddy Curry go 1, 2, and 4)

The 7-foot center from Senegal has finally found his niche averaging great numbers (also career-highs) in rebounds (7.8) and blocks (2.4) for the Dallas Mavericks - holding down the middle for the Dallas Mavericks… what’s even more amazing, he’s usurped Erick Dampier as the starting center, the self-proclaimed second-best center in the league (after Shaq)! Make that the third, Damp.

Vladamir Radmanovic was never the face of consistency. Despite his shooting touch and agility, Vladimir’s career thus far had been marred by a reputation of a bad work-ethic, whining on his national team, and inconsistency. Add all that to his lying about how he got a leg-injury last season (he hurt himself snowboarding). Not a great legacy thus far.

Despite all that, Radman has started out the season with perhaps the most promise. His points per game were holding steady at double-digits, is hitting the long ball when he open, and the Lakers are wnning games in the West. Radmanovic is shooting at a career-high clip almost across the board.

And then it all came the 102-100 loss to the New Jersey Nets in which he shot 0-7 from three and a combined 0-10 from the field. He was 1-2 from the free-throw line and had 3 turnovers, all this in just 24 minutes. Even with his performance, Radmanovic is still shooting 44% from three.

On the other side of the shooting spectrum, Steve Nash hasn’t missed this season from the free-throw line. Nash is 40-40 on free throws this year. The only other player that hasn’t missed a free-throw this season is another international player - Darius Songaila of Lithuania. Songaila is 21-21. Previous to Nash’s season-record, Yao Ming had a streak of 30 straight free throws made.

When Luis Scola scored a then career-high 20 points against the Spurs last week, I dismissed it as a mere coincidence. Though he was a Spur, Scola was traded away before any real hard-feelings could be accumulated. Now, when Beno Udrih went for 27 points (8-12FG, 9-9 FT), 5 assists and 4 rebounds in a win vs. the Spurs. I have no doubt that Beno had a little more jump to his step before and after the game against his former team.

Nenad Krstic returned from his leg-injury this season and has been slow-going. The Serbian center is averaging career lows in all categories and has played only 3 minutes in the last four games. It doesn’t look good for Krstic since the struggling Nets have won three of the four games.

Speaking of struggling Nets players - Bostjan Nachbar is averaging more minutes, points, assists, steals, blocks, FG-attempts, 3pt FG attempts and FT attempts this season but hasn’t been able to carry-over his efficient shooting percentages from the previous year.

I respect Scott Skiles coaching, I do, but with the Chicago Bulls struggling, why isn’t Viktor Khryapa playing more? Or why was he not even activated? I am not one of those guys that blindly love-on all international players, but did anyone in Russia send Skiles a tape of what Khryapa did this past summer?

In the one game that Khryapa has played in this season, he scored 7 points (3-5), grabbed 5 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots in 21 minutes (he also was 1-4 from FT and had two turnovers). This guy can play, plays hard, and hits open shots, I really believe he needs another look. Thank god he isn’t Spanish, or Skiles would have Pau Gasol on his back…

NBA Notes: Man, that Golden State vs. Phoenix Suns game was fun to watch. Monta Ellis was the man in that game, blowing by Steve Nash like a statue and hitting multiple jumpers over Shawn Marion. Baron Davis has nothing to worry about just yet (he’s playing like a beast), but we’re seeing a star in the making with Monta Ellis

Eurobasket 2007 is upon us. Sixteen European National teams are vying to be the king of Europe and more importantly, for two spots to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

With Israel winning the final wild card spot on Friday against FYROM, all 16 teams are now set and all will be competing on the first day. Some of the more anticipated matches are Turkey taking on Lithuania, Serbia vs. Russia, and Italy against Slovenia. The first days schedule can be found below:

A/2: Serbia-Russia @ Granada, 18:00
C/1: Czech Republic-Germany @ Palma de Mallorca, 18:00
B/2: Latvia-Croatia @ Sevilla, 19:00
D/1: Poland-France @ Alicante, 19:00
A/1: Greece-Israel @ Granada, 20:30
C/2: Lithuania-Turkey @ Palma de Mallorca, 20:30
B/1: Portugal-Spain @ Sevilla, 21:30
D/2: Italy-Slovenia @ Alicante, 21:30

Eurobasket is the last regional championship and will determine which two European teams will go to the 2008 Olympics. It is also expected to be the most competitive of all the regional championships with up to ten contenders.

Spain, the 2006 World Champions and hosts of EuroBasket are the early favorites for just those reasons; they have home court and are expected to have all their main players that helped them to the gold medal in 2006 - Pau Gasol, Jose Calderon, Juan Carlos Navarro, Rudy Fernandez, Jorge Garbajosa, Carlos Jimenez, Alex Mumbru, Marc Gasol and Sergio Rodriguez

However, one cannot discount the 2006 World Championships silver medalists Greece, who will also bring back the majority of their core team: Theodoros Papaloukas, Dimitris Diamantidis, Nikos Zissis, Lazaros Papadopoulos, and Vassilis Spanoulis (Antonis Fotsis is injured and Sofoklis Schortsianitis was kept off the team as he was reportedly way above his playing weight).

Nor should anyone count out Lithuania who will have Sarunas Jasikevičius back running the show along with one of Europe’s best forwards in Ramūnas Siskauskas, and the inside muscle of Darius Songaila (Washington Wizards), Robertas Javtokas, and Linas Kleiza (Denver Nuggets).

France is looking to improve upon their previous performances, “It’s two straight third-place finishes at the Euros and now it’s time to make that final step,” said Tony Parker. In addition to Parker, France boasts three other NBA Players - Boris Diaw, Yakhouba Diawara, and Ronny Turiaf.

Turkey welcomes NBA All-star Mehmet Okur and Hidayet Turkoglu back on the Turkish National team. They will join a very talented squad that includes promising young prospects Cenk Akyol and Ersan Ilyasova, veteran shooter Ibrahim Kutluay, center Kaya Peker, and guard Engin Atsür of North Carolina State University.

Other countries expected to make some serious noise are Italy, Russia, Slovenia and when it comes to international tournaments, any team that has Dirk Nowitzki on their roster is always considered a threat.

Eurobasket starts out with four groups (A-D) each with four teams who will play each other once. Then the top three teams from each group advance to two six-team qualifying-round. The top eight teams (four from each group) will advance to the quarterfinals. Madrid will host the final on Sept. 16.

[Eurobasket 2007 forum] [official site]