If you’re a regular forum poster or stopped the forum the last several hours you’ve probably run across the following message:

The Interbasket forums were in dire need of an upgrade. Please be patient.

I promise it will be worth the wait. The new forum software is much more responsive and has a load more features to play around with, connect socially and gives you more all-around control of the forum experience.

In the meantime, in order to stay updated on the forum’s status or if you’re dying to discuss basketball, go to our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/interbasket

Thanks again,

Stuart

Interbasket is a little insecure and we would love for you to “like” us on Facebook.

Because how close we are as friends, by liking us, you’ll receive international basketball news and global hoop updates on your facebook feed.

If you’re feeling truly gutsy, you can also follow Interbasket on Twitter or add IBN to your RSS feeds.

Also you can check out our popular basketball forums.

A day before the 2010 World Basketball Championships are set to commence, International Basketball Network, or Interbasket.net, turns seven years old today.

(Click for more info about Interbasket’s history)

I can’t believe that it’s been seven years.  We started off very modestly, as many of you know, a Yahoo Group dedicated to Arvydas Sabonis that grew and grew and grew because of the dedicated fans to the 7-3 center that will be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame next month. The fanatical group kept growing until it ultimately morphed into the site you are reading now.

From humble beginnings as a Yahoo Group to a basketball forum, a basketball news site, Facebook Page, and Twitter!

Of course, we’d love to thank all the great members and moderators that have stuck with us and have passed through our login page over the last seven years as we continue to grow as one of the best international basketball news sites and forum.  Go ahead, wish Interbasket a Happy Birthday!

From the crew @ Interbasket (and Pau Gasol), we wish you a very Merry Christmas, a super Hannukkah; a happy holidays.  Whatever you you do, however you are celebrating, whoever you are with, wherever you are in the world – we sincerely hope you have a safe and happy holiday season.

Pau Gasol walks up the court in the Laker’s game vs. the New Jersey Nets.

Merry Christmas or Merry Christmas translated in the many different languages around the world:  Veselé vánoce (Czech), Vrolijk kerstfeest (Dutch), Joyeux Noël (French), Frohe Weihnachten (German), Kala Christouyenna (Greek), Buon Natale (Italian), Linksmų Kalėdų (Lithuanian), Feliz Natal (Portuguese), С Рождеством (Russian),  Vesel Božič (Slovenian), Feliz Navidad (Spanish), God jul (Swedish), Maligayang Pasko (Tagalog – Philippines), สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส (Thai), Mutlu Noeller (Turkish)…

It is now more than two days since massive flooding swept the Philippines.

Typhoon Ondoy hit Manila, the nation’s capital and neighboring provinces, leaving a total of 140 dead victims and displacing ~435 000 more.

Major networks reported that a month’s worth of rain fell in just six hours, flooding 80% of the capital Manila which is still submerged.

Pictures and videos of this tragedy which were transmitted and published by news networks, websites and individuals via social networks are shocking and show a state of total destruction, and their people in desperate need of help.

Using Basketball and the Internet in Support
This is where we, namely Interbasket and TalkBasket, as basketball communities, felt the need to unite and to step up and make a plea for help.

As most of you know, Philippines are one of the most basketball-crazed nations of the planet and we feel it is our duty to make assisting our fellow Filipinos as simple as we can. We are all citizens of the world and most importantly we are all citizens of basketball.

If you are interested and looking for ways to assist, please retweet @interbasket to get the information out, and then see below how to help out:

World wide:

Via RedCross: Direct your donations to RedCross Philippine
http://www.redcross.org.ph/Site/PNRC/Default.aspx?S=48&SS=972
(Choose “Typhoon Ondoy”)

Ayala Foundation:
https://www.myayala.com/ayalafoundation/ayalafoundation.asp

World Food Program:
https://www.wfp.org/donate/ondoy

TXTPower: Donate via PayPal
http://www.txtpower.org/2009/09/philippines-help-typhoon-victims-in-luzon-philippines/

In Philippines:

Department of Social Welfare and Development donations drop-off points:

1. National Resource Operations Center, Chapel Road, Pasay City
Contact: Mrs. Francon Favian

2. Quezon City Area Disaster Resource Operations Monitoring and Info Center: (DROMIC) DSWD Central Office. Contact Rey Martija or Imee Rose Castillo, Tel Nos. 951-7119, 951-2435 or Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera Tel No. 0918-934-5625

3. Manila Area (DSWD-NCR)
San Rafael corner Legarda Streets, Quiapo, Manila
Contact: Dir. Thelsa P. Biolna, Dir. Delia Bauan Tel Nos. 734-8622, 734-8642

In USA:
ANCOP Foundation USA
http://www.ancopusa.org

You may also donate through the American and Canadian RedCross 1-800-435-7669

In UK:
Oxfam: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/phil…oods/index.php

More ways to donate (via Google)
http://www.google.com/landing/typhoon-ondoy.html

ANY FILIPINOS AFFECTED BY THE FLOOD CAN FIND A LIST OF SHELTERS AND/OR RELIEF CENTERS AND HOTLINES HERE:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173288/update-list-of-verified-relief-centers-for-ondoy-victims

And also we have a thread dedicated to the flooding. Use this thread for support, to connect and report, ask for help, suggestions, and anything else that may help out your situation.

Not surprisingly, the Philippines is using the power of basketball to help the flood victims and to keep the national spirit positive when Smart Gilas and Powerade Five have a basketball benefit on the court.

We extend our genuine sympathy and prayers to everyone in Philippines wishing all the best and a quick return to everyday normal life for all those affected by the Ondoy Typhoon.

Today, August 27th, 2009, is Interbasket.net’s sixth anniversary.

Can you believe it’s been six years since Interbasket began?  From a small Arvydas Sabonis yahoo group has spawned into one of the internet’s largest basketball news site and forum. In honor of our sixth anniversay, we’ve decided to switch things up a little bit.  We’ve created a new banner for the site, as well as a new tagline for Ibn:

Interbasket: Where there is never an offseason

What do you think?  Too cheesy?  Or is it too cheesy because I bolded, italicized, and centered it?

Anyways, I want to thank all the great members that have contributed to the site over the last six years. I’ve learned so much about basketball outside of the NBA/United States and I am really looking forward to continuing our goal of furthering the globalization of the game and bringing basketball fans from every corner of the globe together.

I’d also like to thank Spencer from SaltCityHoops.com for creating the new banner for us. Thanks so much, Spencer.

Are you excited for Asiabasket 2009? You can follow the games of day one in our Asian basketball forum.  Click on the following links to stay updated on the games along with members from all around the world:

• Group A, Day 1: Philippines vs. Sri Lanka
• Group C, Day 1: Kazakhstan vs. Qatar
• Group A, Day 1: Korea vs. Japan
• Group B, Day 1: Iran vs. Taiwan
• Group C, Day 1: India vs. China
• Group D, Day 1: Indonesia vs. UAE
• Group B, Day 1: Kuwait vs. Uzbekistan
• Group D, Day 1: Lebanon vs. Jordan

Check out our Asiabasket forum dedicated to the 2009 Asia Championships of basketball.

Additionally, you can watch Asiabasket games LIVE by subscribing to FibaTV.com.  By registering with FibaTV.com you also have access to free highlights after the games and exclusive interviews.

Depending on where you’re located, either we’re really late to the game or you could be hearing about Nikola Peković for the first time.

Though the 6-10 center from Montenegro (which used to be Serbia & Montengro, which used to be part of Yugoslavia) is only 23 years old,  Peković is no longer considered an up-and-coming player, but a full on star in the Euroleague.

Nikola has already helped Partizan Belgrade to three Serbian League Championships (2006, 2007, 2008), two Adriatic League Championships (2007, 2008), and the Serbian Cup in 2008.  He was the Adriatic League’s Final Four MVP in 2008 and named to the All-Euroleague 2nd Team during the  2007-08 campaign.

He also was honored as  Interbasket’s Under-22 Rising Star in 2007 beating out the likes of Ricky Rubio and Kostas Koufos.   From there, Pekovic signed with Panathinaikos B.C. and was selected 31st overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Pekovic’s contract with the Greek team will likely keep the hulking center in Europe until at least 2010 and he shows no real desire to go to the NBA as of yet.

“I don’t think now about NBA.  I really don’t like to speak about it,” Pekovic told BallinEurope in January 2009. “I am very happy in Panathinaikos right now and I don’t think about the NBA.”

Nikola Pekovic got his chance after the departure of veteran frontcourt Partizan players Kosta Perovic (to the NBA) and Predrag Drobnjak (to the ACB). That gave the then 21-year old Pekovic the opportunity to display his skills.

He didn’t waste any time.  Pekovic dropped 29 points on 13-14 shooting in the first game of his breakout season and was named MVP of Euroleague Week One of the 2007-08 season.

Classic Center
Pekovic is schooled in the more classic sense.  He isn’t a jump out of the gym-kind of guy, and he himself recognizes that.  Nikola knows how to get things done around the basket with what he has and what Pekovic has is a wide 6-11, 247lb frame trained to move without the ball, with an affinity for hook shots, mid-range jumpers, putbacks, and dunks – definitely a big reason why Pekovic is always hanging around 65% from the field.

Many of Peković’s points come in the point after strong position.  Pekovic uses his solid base to continually bump his defender for better position or simply pinning a smaller defender with his body.   He creates even more space by turning over his left shoulder for his favorite right-handed shot.  Once the large Montenegrin gets the ball down low and a double-team doesn’t come, he is very tough to stop with the combination of his physical attributes, body separation, soft hands, and a nice touch.

Though Pekovic’s vision is above-average, his passes lack zip and that will certainly be an issue if he wants to continue his career in the NBA without turning over the ball.  He is much like Yao Ming in this manner, a willingness to pass, but his passes lack strength.  Another weakness of Pekovic’s is his ability to create around the basket, relying almost solely on using his bulk and a couple dribbles  to create space.  And despite his size, he doesn’t block many shots.

But being a dominant player in the rough Euroleague at such a young age has certainly opened some eyes.  In his fourth season, his first with Panathinaikos, Pekovic’s stats have regressed some averaging just 12.1 pts and 3.7 rebounds after averaging career highs of 16.4 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Links and Resources:  Interbasket’s 2007 Under-22 Rising Star (Interbasket), Nikola Pekovic: “I don´t think about the NBA now!” (BallinEurope.com), Nikola Pekovic Draft Profile (DraftExpress.com), Nikola Pekovic Euroleague Profile (Euroelague.net)

Nominations have closed and voting for the 2008 Interbasket Awards have commenced.  Which players have had the best 2008?  Kobe Bryant or LeBron James?  Pau Gasol or Rudy Fernandez?  Nikola Pekovoc or Hamed Haddadi?  Let your voices be heard and click on the following links.

Vote for the 2008 Interbasket Awards:

• 2008 Ibn Team of the Year
  
• 2008 Ibn Player of the Year
• 2008 International Player of the Year (Non-USA)
  
• 2008 NBA Player of the Year
  
• 2008 Euroleague Player of the Year
• 2008 Under-22 Rising Star
  
• 2008 African Player of the Year
  
• 2008 Asian/Middle East Player of the Year
• 2008 European Player of the Year
  
• 2008 Latin American Player of the Year
  
• 2008 Oceanic Player of the Year
  
• 2008 North American Player of the Year
  
• Vote: The 2008 All-World Team
  

The award winners from previous years:

2007 IBN Award Winners:

• Ibn Team of the Year: Russian National Team
• Ibn Player of the Year: Andrei Kirilenko
• NBA Player of the Year: LeBron James
• International (Non-US) Player of the Year: Dirk Nowitzki
• Euroleague Player of the Year: Ramunas Siskauskas
• Under-22 Rising Star: Nikola Pekovic
• African Player of the Year: Luol Deng
• Asian Player of the Year: Yao Ming
• European Player of the Year: Ramunas Siskauskas
• Latin American Player of the Year: Luis Scola
• North American Player of the Year: Lebron James
• Oceanic/Australian Player of the Year: Sam McKinnon

2006 IBN Award Winners:

• Ibn Team of the Year: Spanish National Team
• Ibn Player of the Year: Pau Gasol
• International Player of the Year: Dirk Nowitzki
• NBA Player of the Year: Steve Nash
• Under-22 Rising Star: Rudy Fernandez
• African Player of the Year: Joaquin Gomes
• Asia/Middle East/Oceania Player of the Year: Yao Ming
• Americas (Non-US) Player of the Year: Steve Nash
• European Player of the Year: Dirk Nowitzki

Happy Voting!

We’ve had a lot of positive traction on our forum from some under-represented regions as we’ve recently received some great members from Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, and Syria.

Great Egytian and Iranian Basketball Threads
First off, I wanted to recognize a couple great informational forum threads regarding domestic basketball leagues in Iran and Egypt. mohsena2631 and soliman have created and have updated these league threads with stats, news and other pertinent information. Check them out here: Egyptian Basketball and Iranian Basketball Super League.

Fadi El-Khatib Stronger than Yao Ming?
With only a few days left before polls close on the 2007 Interbasket Awards, we’ve had an influx of Lebanese basketball fans voicing their opinions on why Fadi El-Khatib deserves the Interbasket Asian Basketball Player of the 2007 Award over Yao Ming. Many of the votes may be nationalistic, but some true die-hards strongly believe that Fadi is the one.

What about Michael Madanly of Syria?
Also recently, Interbasket has been visited by Syrian basketball fans pushing for the inclusion of Syrian superstar Michael Madanly (misspelt several different ways on our forum mandanly, maadanly, madanley) into the 2007 Asian Player nominees. Unfortunately, we are too far late in the game to have included him. It’s nothing personal against him, just didn’t make much sense with the polls closing soon and Fadi and Yao so far ahead in voting. I hope that the Syrians stick around to nominate him in 2008 if he Madanly is still deserving.

A Question of Weighing Accomplishments
Even with Madanly having been included in our nominations for 2007 IBN Asian Basketball Player of the year, we still have the difficulty of selecting a player from a pool of players that participate in separate leagues.

It’s a question of worth — Does Yao Ming deserve the award simply because he is an all-league center, an all-star, maybe the best center on the earth playing in the toughest basketball league?

Or do we go for great domestic players that are setting precedence, as Fadi Khatib recently did dominating the Ukranian third league in his first year with Cherkaski Mavpi? How much is social change factor in when awarding player of the year?

Or do we go with players like Wang Zhizhi (China), Hamed Haddadi (Iran) or Michael Madanly (Syria)? These players may not be well-known across the continents, but accomplished much in 2007; from leading their team to domestic league championships in 2007 (Wang), leading their country to a surprising gold medal in the 2007 Asian Championships (Haddadi), to being the unquestioned best player in their country, and the leading scorer in the 2007 Dubai Cup and 2007 Asian Club Cup (Madanly).

Weighing the Diversity of Basketball
Different leagues, different competition levels, different awards, different circumstances, different social barriers; so how do does one reconcile all that to select one player? In a way, that’s the beauty of learning about international basketball – all the subtle and extreme differences.

My suggestion is to inform yourself about each player nominated and understand their circumstances. What if Yi Jianlian wins an NBA championship in 2014 and is the first Asian player to take home a NBA Finals MVP, but what if it was the same year that an 6-3 point guard from the Philippines leads his team to a unexpected silver in the Asian Championships, becomes the first Filipino drafted by the Spanish league and becomes an all-ACB performer? (I know that’s an impossible timeline for one calendar year, but I’m just using it to make a point)

o do those three accomplishments (Silver medal as an underdog, first Filipino in ACB, all-ACB) weigh more than an NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP in your mind? It’s social change vs. important awards and though both are deserving, it would be up to you to decide which is a larger in the big picture. And the best way to do that is to inform yourself before choosing your winner.

Sources and Info: Egyptian league 07/08 – rosters (Forum Thread), Iranian Basketball Super League (Forum Thread), Iranian Basketball Player Aidin Nikkhah Bahrami dies in car accident, Iran: The rising basketball power of Asia, Fadi El-Khatib Dominates First Game in Europe (News), 2007 Interbasket Awards, 2007 IBN Asian Player of the Year (Forum Thread), Middle East Basketball Forum (Interbasket), 2007 Asian Championships Forum, 2007 Dubai Cup (Interbasket).

It’s that time of year for the IBN awards to be handed out, but first we need players to be nominated. This year we’ve added a couple categories, and we’re looking for the best players from 2007, and only accomplishments in 2007 (need help remembering? click here). Hurry, post your nominations in our forum thread, as we will only accept nominations until December 24th.

* Player of the Year: (any country)
* NBA Player of the Year: (any country)
* Euroleague Player of the Year: (any country)
* International Player of the Year: (non-US)
* U22 Player of the Year: (any country, Under 22-years-old, must not have turned 22 in 2007)
* African Player of the Year: (any African-born player)
* Asian Player of the Year: (any Asian-born player)
* European Player of the Year: (any European-born player)
* Latin American Player of the Year: (any Latin American-born player)
* North American Player of the Year: (any US/Canadian-born player)
* Oceanic/Australian Player of the Year: (any Oceanic/Australian-born player)

You may nominate three teams for the following category:
* Team of the Year: (any country)

You may nominate 3 players for the following categories (these will determine the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams):
* All-World Team Guard of the Year : (any country)
* All-World Team Guard of the Year : (any country)
* All-World Team Forward of the Year : (any country)
* All-World Team Forward of the Year : (any country)
* All-World Team Center of the Year : (any country)

It’s unlikely Pau Gasol will repeat this year as IBN’s Player of the Year. Will Yao Ming again dominate the Asian Player of the year category? And with Rudy Fernandez turning 22 this year, who will be the new U-22 player of the year?

So who is on your list? LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Dimitris Diamantidis and Ramunas Siskauskas had fantastic years. In a lesser extent, so has Luis Scola and Tony Parker. Sure, Joaquim Gomes led Angola to the Afrobasket championships, but did he have a better year than Luc Richard Mbah A Moute of Cameroon and UCLA? What of Steve Nash, Theodoros Papaloukas, and Leandro Barbosa?

Was Andrei Kirilenko‘s performance in the Eurobasket enough to overshadow his terrible playin the NBA playoffs and his subsequent dispute with the Utah Jazz? Nominate whom you think deserves an IBN award today.

Related: 2007 Interbasket Award Nomination Thread, List of 2006 IBN Award Winners, What Happened in Basketball in 2007 (Wikipedia)

In honor of Interbasket’s fourth anniversary, I wanted to do something special. And what you are reading right now is the new and much improved Interbasket homepage.

If I may say so myself, it’s a marked improvement over any of the other versions (Duh). Speaking of which – does anyone remember the logo to the left? If you do, you must be an IBN old-timer.

The homepage overhaul has been long overdue (a severe understatement) so I appreciate everyone’s patience. I’ve spent the last two weeks (and the majority of this weekend) working on it, tweaking it, and making it just right. I’ll be further tweaking it, so expect to see more and more options in the near future.

So register for the site (you have to in order to make comments), play around with it, leave some comments, report any errors, make some suggestions… would love to hear it all. And don’t forget to check out the About IBN section. What better time than our fourth anniversary to bone up on Interbasket’s history?

Cheers, Stuart

Welcome to the new and improved Interbasket Homepage. As with our other updates to the index, it’s been loooooong overdue. Thanks for everyones’ patience., we have been listening to your suggestions despite the delay. From now on, we’ll be posting the most exciting international basketball news on this page so keep your eye out… no need to adjust your bookmarks – the index will automatically redirect to this site.

Please be patient. You may see some odd-formatting and some small issues as we work out all the kinks and get accustomed to the new technology and layout. If you have any questions or comments, good or bad. Click the related link below. Originally posted 08/17/2007

[related thread]

Interbasket Talks with Lebanese star-guard Rony Fahed

Interbasket.net: Hey Rony, thanks so much for taking time out to talk to Interbasket, we all really do appreciate your time and hope you all the best.
Rony Fahed: No problem, my pleasure..

IBN: Rony, how would you describe yourself as a basketball player?
Fahed: First, I am a team player that fears no one, plays with my heart and brain, I am quick and i like to shoot the three, find other teammates and make them look better, I want to win everytime i play this game…

IBN: Do you have a nickname?
Fahed: Not a specific one, but sometimes they call me “big heart”

IBN: Where are the places that basketball has taken you, and which countries/cities have you enjoyed the most?
Fahed: So many places; India, China, Japan, Iran, Malaysia, Philippines, Dubai, Egypt, Tunis, Morocco, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and USA. The place I enjoyed the most was the USA during 2002 world championship.

IBN: What is your favourite basketball move?
Fahed: Coming off the pick and roll and make things happen…

IBN: How would you rate yourself in the last world cup and are you happy about lebanon result?
Fahed: I think i had a pretty good tournament, people were proud of me and the national team, and considering the war and its circumstances we did a great job.

IBN: Who on the Lebanese national team has the most potential to be in the nba other than Fadi?
Fahed: I think Joe Vogel has the potential, and myself, if I am at my best.

IBN: What is it like playing alongside Fadi El Khatib?
Fahed: It is just great,playing alongside him make things easier,Fady and I did some many things together for our national team ,i hope this year we will win with blue stars every tournament we play in

IBN: Are you currently living in Lebanon?
Fahed: yes

IBN: What does Blue Stars need to be able to beat Riyadi?
Fahed: The right chemistry

IBN: Do you think sagesse will be back this season or they are over ??
Fahed: Sagesse is never over…

IBN: what were you thinking when you took those two 3-pointers against qatar last year when the score was 69-69?
Fahed: Actually there was no time to think, the decision was last second. I was feeling it from the begining of the game, but what I know is that i am not afraid to take those kinda of shots anytime and against whomever.

IBN: How would you describe the current status of basketball in Lebanon and what we might see from Lebanon in the future?
Fahed: we have a very good basket ball,we prove it and the junior national team did prove it also by qualifying to the world championship this year,but needs new ideas to improve the league and more sponsorchip,we need to be 100% professional..

IBN: You played against the philippines,what can you tell us about that team?
Fahed: Very organised and quick team, they shoot the three very well and play together.

IBN: Who were your idols growing up and influenced you to play basketball? In Lebanon and outside of Lebanon?
Fahed: From Lebanon was Tony Baroud, and outside Lebanon, from the NBA, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson.

IBN: Who is the best player you have played with? Against?
Fahed: With Danny Johnson and against Manu Ginobili

IBN: Who do you think is the best player in the world? Asia?
Fahed: Kobe Bryant, and Yao Ming in asia

IBN: Who’s the best guard in Asia?
Fahed: Well, i think i am

IBN: Do you ever see yourself in the NBA?
Fahed: It’s the best, I always imagine to have a shot and see how is it like.

IBN: There were rumours that you had offers to play in europe, can you tell us if they were true and a little something about them??
Fahed: It is true, I got some offers, First it was a team from Turkey, and then from a team from Czech Republic, but i still have one year with Blue Stars.

IBN: Again thanks for your time Rony, we at Interbasket wish you the best of luck. Hopefully we’ll see you soon again.
Fahed: Thanks for everyone, I think it was nice interview, hope you will like it…

IBN: I am certain we will…