A day after Hedo Türkoğlu agreed in principle to sign with the Portland Trailblazers, the Turkish superstar backed out of his verbal commitment faster than you can say “bigger contract.”

On Thursday, Türkoğlu unofficially accepted a five-year $50 million dollar offer from the Blazers… before arriving in Toronto today and being offered a larger contract.

The Raptors are reportedly offering Türkoğlu a five-year, $56 million dollar contract.

According to Yahoo Sports, in order for the Raptors to sign Hedo, Toronto will have to renounce their rights to three important free agents, Shawn Marion, Carlos Delfino, and Anthony Parker to create the cap space.

To be completely honest, the difference in contract money is relatively small, especially considering the high taxes in Canada.  With all that, money is not the primary factor in Hedo’s final decision to cut contract talks with the Blazers.

The Sacramento Bee says that Türkoğlu’s wife, Banu, prefers that they relocate to Toronto, an international city with a sizable Turkish community. Plus, living in the East cuts the roundtrip visits back to Istanbul almost in half.

Whatever the reason(s), the Blazers are pissed… well, except for Rudy Fernández.

The contract is reportedly for five years and $50 million dollars.  Portland has accomplished their primary mission; they’ve been chasing free agent Türkoğlu since the end of the NBA season.  However, obtaining Turkuglu has brought some internal drama.

Apparently, Portland’s run after Turkoglu angered their super sub Rudy Fernández.  Fernández came off the bench last season backing up Brandon Roy and Nicolas Batum and obviously had his eye on a starting position, more minutes, or both in his NBA season.

And it’s not like Fernández doesn’t have options.  ESPN reports that several European clubs, including powerhouses CSKA Moscow, FC Barcelona, Olympiacos, and Real Madrid, have been courting the Spanish guard-forward.

Fernandez, who paid more than $500,000 of his own money to buy his way out of his contract with DKV Joventut, believes he can earn 5 million € per season if he signs a 3-year contract in Europe. He is due to make $1.1 million from the Blazers next season.

Fernandez averaged 26 minutes off the bench and scored 10.2 points per game last season.  With Turkoglu in the mix, it’s unlikely that his role will expand much.  In addition, the Blazers traded Rudy’s best friend on the Blazers - backup point guard and fellow Spaniard Sergio Rodriguez to the Sacramento Kings on draft day. That means a lot less alley-oops this season for Fernández.

It hasn’t been a good week for Rudy’s Portland prospects.

The agreement between Türkoğlu and the Blazers is considered “in principle” because the it cannot be announced (become official) until July 08, 2009.  If the contract becomes official,  Türkoğlu will become the highest-paid Turkish athlete.

The lineups will include such players as Marko Jaric, Marc Gasol, Chris Kaman, Marcin Gortat or Hidayet Turkoglu. It is also possible that superstars Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol will join their national teams.

The situation of former NBA Finals MVP  Tony Parker is still up in the air – although he has already committed to the French team, he will  first have to help them win the additional qualifying round in August.

The teams that will meet in Gdańsk are ones of the best in the World – Germany, the defending champion - Russia and Latvia. On the 31st of August they will be joined by one of France, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal, Finland and Belgium. For three days, beginning on the 7th of September all visitors will be able to see two games per day.
The tournament was originally set to take place in the new arena situated on the border of the Cities of Gdańsk and Sopot.

Recently the venue has been changed – the players will now have the chance to experience the unique atmosphere of the Olivia Hall. Built in the 1970s as a hockey venue, the arena is still the home of GKS Stoczniowiec Gdansk hockey team but is also used for conferences, concerts and Asseco Prokom Trefl Sopot’s basketball games. The Olivia Hall with its facade designed to resemble a wave is one of the most characteristic buildings in the city.

Gdańsk History: What makes Gdańsk unique? Life in Gdańsk doesn’t end with the games. All visitors have a chance to experience the atmosphere of fighting for freedom – this is the place where Lech Walesa initiated the fall of communism. This is also the place where the Second World War started - the celebrations  of the 70th anniversary of this historical event will take place right before Eurobasket 2009 - on the 1st of September.

The leaders of the countries that were in the anti-Nazi coalition will be among the participants. It is confirmed that the city was already functioning in 997. Now, 1012 years later, the city allows the visitors to see world famous monuments like St. Mary’s Church – the largest brick church in the world. If someone isn’t keen on history or architecture, he can relax on a sunny beach, visit a stylish restaurant or a local pub. People living an active life can spend the nights dancing in one of the city’s many clubs and the days surfing or riding bikes along the shore.

In case of any questions concerning the City of Gdansk and Eurobasket 2009 in Gdańsk, please contact Piotr Pietrzak at the Bureau of City Promotion.

Additional Resources: Google Maps location of Gdansk, Poland (Google Maps), Gdańsk Poland Website (Official Website), Contact Gdańsk City Hall for more information

The tournament runs from July 02, 2009 - July 12, 2009.

Discuss the 2009 U19 World Championships

The 9th annual World Championships for U19 Men features 16 U19 national teams from around the world.

The coutries participating in the 2009 FIBA-sanctioned tournament are Angola, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Iran, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Spain, Syria, and the United States of America.

Just as with the World Championships, U19 teams need to do well in a regional tournament to qualify to play.  Angola (2nd Place-Africa), Argentina (Champion-Americas), Australia (Champion-Oceania), Canada (3rd Place-Americas), Croatia (3rd Place-Europe), Egypt (Champion-Africa), France (4th Place-Europe), Greece (Champion-Europe), Iran (Champion-Asia), Kazakhstan (2nd Place-Asia), Lithuania (2nd Placer-Europe), New Zealand (Host Country), Puerto Rico (4th Place-Americas), Spain (5th Place-Europe), Syria (3rd Place-Asia) and the United States (2nd Place-Americas).

Link: Official Website for the U19 World Championships

No one is second-guessing trading away Randy Foye and picking Jonny Flynn now…

• Sergio remains in Spain Doesn’t look like Sergio Llull will be in a Houston Rockets jersey anytime soon. Not much of a surprise as the Rockets prefer that Llull spend a couple years seasoning overseas.  Sergio’s  Spanish club Real Madrid recently exercised an option to keep the 6-3, 21-year old point guard for two more years.  Madrid also re-signed Belgian center Tomas van den Spiegel.

• Italian club Benetton Treviso signed former-USC guard Daniel Hackett to a one-year deal.  Hackett wasn’t drafted in the NBA Draft after playing for the University of Southern California, where he averaged 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists, helping his team to win the Pac-10 Tournament.

• Former NBA player Igor Rakočević and the Euroleague’s leading scorer last season leaves Tau Ceramica and signs with Efes Pilsen of Turkey, squashing rumors that Rakočević will be returning to the NBA anytime soon.  Efes Pilsen was last year’s Turkish Basketball League championships.

• The NBA has scheduled a Nuggets-Pacers game in Taipei, Taiwan.  The game is already sold out.  The exhibition game will be played October 08, 2009 in Taipei Arena.

• Interbasket reorganizes forum.  From the beginning, our subforums had a naming convention of “Famous Player + Country” to help attracts fans of specific players with the secondary focus on country-specific news.  With Interbasket continually growing, we decided that it was (FINALLY) time to take a different approach.   Over the weekend, we switched up the subforum names to take a more country-specific focus.  Nothing has changed in terms of forum functionality, but the move was more tangibly displaying our frame of mind.

The second annual tournament will feature the exact four teams that participated in the 2007 tournament; Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Basketball superstars expected to represent their national teams are Leandro Barbosa (Brazil), Luis Scola (Argentina), J.J. Barea (Puerto Rico), Pablo Prigioni (Argentina), Carlos Arroyo (Puerto Rico), Nenê (Brazil), and Carl English (Canada)

Team Brazil took home the 2007 championship by defeating Canada in the finals 74-61. Marcelo Machado of Brazil (pictured) was named MVP of the 2007 tournament.

The tournament is named after Genaro “Tuto” Marchand, a basketball leader and former president of the BSN, the Puerto Rican domestic league.

Official Site: Fiba Americas Tuto Marchand Cup 2009

Ok, maybe we’re jumping the gun with that title, but according to Rockets team physician Tom Clanton, it’s a definite possibility (discuss).

“At this point, the injury has the potential for (Yao) missing this next season and could be career threatening.” Clanton told the Houston Chronicle.

Hairline Fracture not healing
Official reports last week surfaced Yao’s foot injury is much more severe than initially thought, and now those reports may have been understatements. So much so that Yao’s professional career could be in jeopardy.

The 7-6 center from China missed last year’s playoffs because of an ill-timed foot injury.  He has spent the last couple months healing, but a report last week announced thay Yao’s foot wasn’t healing as expected and would need further evaluation.

Now comes this Yahoo report that the 28-year old’s cracked foot isn’t healing at all, and that he will miss a significant chunk of the next NBA season, if not the entire 2009-10 campaign according to a league source.

And according to that source, the prognosis sounds like it could be much worse than what the team is willing to divulge at this point.  “That’s all [the Rockets] will concede quietly, but they know it’s probably much worse.” said the source.

What’s going on with Yao the last few years?
At 28 years old, Yao should be entering his prime athletic peak, so what’s up with all these injury problems the last few years?

It could be a combination of several different things, but it’s probably due to a couple or related factors; first,  it’s not uncommon for giants like Yao to have injuries.  Their size and weight bear immense pressure down against their knees and feet, especially someone that plays an impact sport like basketball.

Secondly, the amount of basketball played most certainly has affected Yao’s health. The 325-lb pivot not only drudges through an 82-game regular season, another dozen or so playoff games,  hundreds of practices in-between, and not to mention his national team commitments for Team China that take away almost all of his time off in the summer.

The Rockets are refusing comment until further medical evaluation on Yao Ming can be done.

Links and Resources: Yao could miss entire season with injury (Houston Chronicle), Rockets could lose Yao for season, if not longer (Yahoo! Sports), Yao Ming not playing anymore? (Interbasket), Yao Ming not healing as quickly as expected (Interbasket), Kareem’s top international players doesn’t include Yao Ming (Interbasket)

“I can’t speak,” Casspi said through tears of joy. “I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life … I’m as happy as can be. We made history. I feel like I am in a dream.”

Only first round draft picks are guaranteed NBA contracts so if things go as normal, Casspi has the chance of becoming the first player from Israel to actually play in an NBA game.

For the last five years, 20-year old Casspi has been playing in the Israeli league, between clubs Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel. Casspi just finished in fourth place for the 2008-09 FIBA Europe Young Men’s Player of the Year Award, behind Ricky Rubio, Danilo Gallinari, and Kosta Koufos.

Four Israelis have come close to sutiing up in the NBA before, three of which have been selected in the second round of the NBA draft, but none have made the cut.

Most recently, in the 2006 NBA Draft, two Israelis were chosen in the second round. Lior Eliyahu was taken #44 by the Orlando Magic, and Yotam Halperin was selected #53 by the then Seattle Supersonics.  Neither player were able to stick and both returned to Europe.

Before that, Doron Sheffer, a star guard for the University of Connecticut, was chosen by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round in the 1996 draft.   That draft also featured Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Allen Iverson, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Peja Stojaković, and Steve Nash.

However, Sheffer never even made it to camp.  Because Doron wasn’t guaranteed a contract as a second-rounder, he decided to return home.

Back in 1999, the undrafted Oded Katash agreed to a two-year contract with the New York Knicks, but also never played due to the extended player lockout that year. Katash returned to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Casspi was the fourth international player selected in the 2009 NBA Draft, after Hasheem Thabeet (Tanzania), Ricky Rubio (Spain), and Victor Claver (Spain), who at #22, was selected one spot before Casspi.

Barring injuries, Casspi should be wearing a Kings jersey when the NBA regular season begins, thus living out one of his childhood dreams, but Casspi won’t be satisfied simply with wearing the purple and black.

“Anytime you fulfill a dream a new one arises,” he said. “I’m in a great place now and the goal is to become a legitimate NBA player.”

Links and Resources: Casspi 1st Israeli taken in 1st round of NBA draft (AP), 2009 Draft: 14 international players chosen (Interbasket), Two Israelis taken in NBA Draft (YNet)

Sorry, we couldn’t find any photos of Victor Claver, Sergio Lull, and Emir Preldzic.  All three players weren’t in attendance at Madison Square Garden. Goran Suton also wasn’t there, the center from Bosnia watched the NBA draft from his home in East Lansing.

The Memphis Grizzlies had the #2 overall pick in last night’s draft and selected center Hasheem Thabeet of Tanzania.  Even after unloading Milicic, the Grizzlies still have three international centers on their roster - Thabeet, Marc Gasol of Spain, and Hamed Haddadi of Iran.

Miličić was infamously selected #2 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, right after LeBron James, and before the likes of current NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony (#3), Dwyane Wade (#4), and Chris Bosh (#5).

That year’s draft had a record high 21 international players selected and also included David West (#18), Boris Diaw (#21), Leandro Barbosa (#28), Josh Howard (#29), and Mo Williams (#47).

This will be Miličić’s fourth NBA team in his seven-year NBA career.  He started out with the Detroit Pistons before being traded to Orlando then Memphis, and will now suit up for New York.

The fourteen players ended a sex-year slide in which fewer and fewer international players were chosen, from a record high of 21 international players chosen in 2003 to 2008, when there were just thirteen players selected.

There were definitely some surprises, none bigger than Ricky Rubio slipping to fifth where many mock drafts had him going as high as #2, but no lower than #4. With the fourth pick, the Sacramento Kings decided to go with another 6-5 player, combo-guard Tyreke Evans, instead of Rubio.

In not so much of a shock, Hasheem Thabeet went #2 to the Memphis Grizzlies. The 7-2 center is seen as another Dikembe Mutombo, a player that can change the game on the defensive side of the court.

1. Hasheem Thabeet, Tanzania (#2 to Memphis) >
2. Ricky Rubio, Spain (#5 to Minnesota)
3. Victor Claver, Spain (#22 to Portland)
4. Omri Casspi, Israel (#23 to Sacramento)
5. Rodrigue Beaubois, France (#25 to Oklahoma City)
6. Christian Eyenga, Congo (#30 to Cleveland)
7. Sergio Lull, Spain (#34 to Denver)
8. Jonas Jerebko, Sweden (#39 to Detroit)
9. Henk Norel, Netherlands (#47 to Minnesota)
10. Sergiy Gladyr, Ukraine (#49 to Atlanta)
11. Goran Suton, Bosnia (#50 to Utah)
12. Nando de Colo, France (#53 to San Antonio)
13. Patrick Mills, Australia (#55 to Portland)
14. Emir Preldzic, Slovenia (#57 to Phoenix)

Fellow Spaniard Victor Claver was another surprise. The high-flying forward was the third international player selected in the draft, and picked much-higher than expected at #22. Claver was one selection higher than Omri Casspi (#23), the Israeli player slated to go third in many mock drafts.

Jonas Jerebko was primed to become the first Swede to be drafted in the NBA’s first round, but the 6-9, 22-year old forward fell to Detroit Pistons in the second round at #39.

Buoyed by Michigan State’s run in to the NCAA finals, 6-10 center Goran Suton was selected at #50, it’s no surprise that the Utah Jazz picked the Bosnian pivot up, Suton fits the bill for the Jazz perfectly.

One of the biggest shocks was how far Aussie Patrick Mills fell. As with Rubio, buzz was strong after Mill’s performance in the 2008 Olympics. He was booked as a late-first rounder in many mock drafts, but the 5-11 Aborigine point guard slipped all the way down the late-second round to #55, only five picks from the end of the draft.

Other international players selected were Rodrigue Beaubois, Christian Eyenga, Sergio Lull, Henk Norel, Sergiy Gladyr, Nando de Colo, and Emir Preldzic. Barring coming over and having great rookie camps, Claver, Lull, Gladvr, Suton, Mills, and Preldzic are all expected to stay/go overseas for more experience.

Links and Resources:  NBA Draft Second Round Picks (ESPN),  Just 13 International Players Chosen in the 2008 NBA Draft (Interbasket),  Rubio goes fifth, Thabeet drafted #2 (Interbasket),  International Players you should know in the 2009 NBA Draft (Interbasket), Spanish Basketball Forum (Interbasket), Patty Mills in, Greivis Vasquez out (Interbasket), Jonas Jerebko: First Swede drafted in NBA’s first round? (Interbasket), Patrick Mills, Joe Ingles among four Aussies in NBA Draft (Interbasket), Spain’s Victor Claver joins Rubio in 2009 NBA Draft (Interbasket), After UNC Loss, Goran Suton’s Future Looking Up (Interbasket)

The Spanish phenom point guard was selected with the fifth pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA Draft.  Rubio fell, most-likely because of a combination of his agent’s demands to play in California, his contract buyout, pre-draft chatter, and underwhelming workouts.

All those factors seemed to have dulled the hype that was built up from Rubio’s performance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The other international player that was supposed to go in the top five picks was Hasheem Thabeet.  The center from Tanzania and Co-Big East Player of the Year was taken by the Memphis Grizzlies with the #2 pick.

As of 17:30 PST, the draft board looks like this:

#1. Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers)
#2. Hasheem Thabeet (Memphis Grizzlies)
#3. James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder)
#4. Tyreke Evans (Sacramento Kings)
#5. Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves)
#6. Jonny Flynn (Minnesota Timberwolves)
#7. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
#8. Jordan Hill (New York Knicks)
#9. DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)
#10. Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee Bucks)

Versatile forward James Harden was taken third by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Tyreke Evans was selected #4.  Interesting that the Kings went with Evans; rumors must have been true that Rubio didn’t perform so well with his secret workout in Sacramento this past week.

Minnesota also had the sixth overall pick, and picked combo guard Jonny Flynn out of Syracuse. Stephen Curry was taken #7 and is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry.

Interbasket has done its best to gather the articles and quotes concerning the intenational man (er, teenager) of mystery, Ricky Rubio.

We’ll be continually updating the quotes throughout the day, so check back every hour or so…

• “Then I will play with my friend Marc Gasol. If Memphis takes me, Memphis takes me. But we will see what happens tomorrow.” said Rubio when asked about potentially being drafted by Memphis with the #2 pick. “It’s the NBA.  For me all the teams are OK.”

• If the Grizzlies don’t use the second pick in the NBA Draft on the consensus second-best player in the draft, they had better hope (Rubio’s) a bust. Or they’ll look ridiculous. It’ll be like the Pau Gasol trade, only worse. - Memphis Commercial Appeal

• “Don’t count Ricky out yet as a King, and don’t count him in yet.” said Dan Fegan, Ricky Rubio’s agent. “I’ve known Geoff (Petrie) for over 20 years, and in my experience he is a very deliberate thinker who will examine every aspect of a draft candidate and trade possibilities before he makes a final decision.”

More quotes after the jump:

• “All the options are out there. Everything is still on the table. I think there are four or five guys that are the most likely possibilities,” Memphis general manager Chris Wallace told USA Today, who have the #2 pick in the draft. “We haven’t gotten down to say: ‘There is one guy. It’s over. That’s it.  We don’t have to take the test until Thursday evening.”

• “Rubio, once his jump shot develops into a weapon, seems destined for greatness.  In my book, there are two sure things in this draft: Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio. The Grizzlies should take advantage of being in position to draft a potential franchise point guard. Does Rubio have flaws? Sure. His perimeter shot needs work, the 18-year-old has to fill out and we’ll see about his defense. But he’s heady, flashy and a natural leader on the floor. If the Grizzlies pass because of financial issues or because they are scared he won’t sign, they will regret it.” - Chris Mannix, CNN/SI
  

• “I don’t see Rubio being that dynamic player now.  I think he’s got a lot of potential. He’s a very flashy player. He has a great mind for the game and he’s a terrific passer. I don’t see him — just physically, and because he doesn’t shoot the ball very well — I don’t see him having an impact as a rookie.” said Danny Ainge, the Boston Celtics’ executive director of basketball operations and general manager.

• “He is, in my opinion, one of the best passers I have ever seen and has a great basketball IQ, I compare Ricky Rubio to Wayne Gretzky in his prime. He sees plays two and three passes ahead.” said ESPN international-basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla. “Honestly, he’s not in the category of player as Pistol Pete, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, but he’s the best passer to come into this draft in a long, long time.”

• “(Rubio) could become a mini Magic Johnson and make everyone around him better.” said Aran Smith, President of NBADraft.net

• “What’s intriguing about Rubio is we don’t know anything about him. What we hear isn’t very concrete. So he’s a big mystery man.” said Jim Kozimor, former Kings announcer.

• “(Rubio’s) a new breed – he’s been compared to the lead singer in one of those boy bands,” said ESPN basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla. “He’s got that kind of persona along with a game that personifies flair and excitement.”

• “I think the dude is just all hype. I can’t even front. I’m just going to be real with you guys.” - fellow point guard prospect Brandon Jennings on Rubio.

• Ricky Rubio separating himself from the competition: “For me, the difference from the other point guards is that I play against the professional guys, not the young players… I have the Olympic games experience…”

• “The Ricky Rubio situation I think I went a little overboard by calling him all hype. He’s a great player. He has the most experience out of all of us in this draft. He’s been playing pro ball since [he was] 15. So about him being over-hyped, that was wrong of me.” Brandon Jennings told the Washington Times. “I have much respect for the dude. We did a photo shoot together for Slam Magazine, so I got to know him off the court. He’s a real good guy.”

• Rubio on all the pre-draft talk: “I don’t think about what they say about me.  I only think about my objective. I have my own dreams and I don’t listen to people who say you’re going to be in the top or you’re going to be all hype. I don’t care. We’re going to see what they can do on the court. I talk on the court.”

Links and Resources: Rubio has no concerns, even if others do (New York Times), Intrigue in NBA draft starts at No. 2 with Memphis (Yahoo/AP), Ricky Rubio : The Next Pistol Pete / Drazen (Interbasket Forum), Grizzlies gambling if they choose any player other than Rubio (Memphis Commercial Appeal), No easy fixes, answers for Kings (Sacramento Bee), Jennings: Rubio ‘a really good guy’ (The Washington Times), Phone ringing for Grizzlies’ GM as draft nears (USA Today), Hot Draft Questions (CNN/SI)

• Retweeting Kareem (@kaj33) - My top 10 Intl’ players in the league & why http://bit.ly/GsBl2 Update: Kareem answers why Yao Ming wasn’t included in his list of top international players -“Because #Yao has been injured so much I didn’t want to deny another player a spot. But certainly Yao is one of the top centers in the NBA”

• It’s June 25th, 2009, and that mans the NBA Draft is finally here.  Draft starts at 7pm Eastern at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

• Ricky Rubio separates himself from the competition: “For me, the difference from the other point guards is that I play against the professional guys, not the young players… I have the Olympic games experience…”  ’Nuff said.

• “They say if we draft you, we want you to come over and just control the game. If you’re going to be our guy, we want you to come over, even if you don’t score, we want you to be able to control the game.” - Hasheem Thabeet talking about his visits with NBA teams.

• The complete first season of Shirts & Skins is released on a two-DVD set.  The reality series features John Amaechi and Sheryl Swoopes and follows the San Francisco Rockdogs, a gay basketball team, as they deal with interpersonal relationships, religion, and more as they prepare for the National Championships.

• Yao Ming not healing as quickly as expected:  A medical evaluation revealed that the hairline fracture in Yao’s left foot is not responding to the current treatment program. “Yao is not experiencing any pain in his left foot, however, the results from the CT and bone scans we performed over the past two days indicate that the hairline fracture has not responded to the degree that we expected.” said Rockets physician Dr. Tom Clanton.

• Wálter Herrmann back to Europe? To create some salary cap space, the Detroit Pistons decided not make a qualifying offer to forward Walter Herrmann, making the Argentine Fabio-lookalike an unrestricted free agent on July 1.  Hermann is expected to return to play professionally in Europe.  Herrmann played professionally overseas for 10 seasons before coming to the NBA in 2006.