With Hedo Türkoğlu ready to sign on the dotted line with the Toronto Raptors tomorrow, there aren’t too many international NBA free agents left to be had.

Interbasket scanned the list of remaining foreign-born free agents and came up with our top ten international free agents, both restricted and unrestricted, still swimming about in free agent waters.

1. Linas Kleiza, Lithuania (r) – With Denver trying to re-sign the Birdman, Chris Andersen, the Nuggets may not have enough money in the tank to keep the restricted Kleiza from walking away without going into the luxury tax.  Kleiza’s ability to run the floor, attack the basket, and finish with momentum and strength reminds you of a Baltic Karl Malone.  On top of that, Kleiza is a reliable three-point shooter and can take other power forwards off the dribble in the half-court.  In the right situation (see: more minutes), Kleiza can have (another) breakout year.

2. Anderson Varejão, Brazil (un) – Varejao opted out of his contract last week and is testing free agent waters.  Varejao is obviously looking for more than the $6 million that the Cavs were going to pay him this coming season. Cleveland signed the 35-year old Shaquille O’Neal and still has Zydrunas Ilguaskas in tow, so will they go after Varejao?  Do the Cavs want to deal with another Varejao holdout as they did in 2007 when the Brazilian backup missed an entire month of games.

3. Marcin Gortat, Poland (r) – Gortat is a restricted free agent, despite being courted by the Houston Rockets, and reportedly offered a huge offer sheet by the Dallas Mavericks, the Magic can have the option to match the offer and keep the 7-0, 240lb Polish center.   With Turkoğlu likely out of the picture and if the Magic aren’t aiming for another free agent this year (or the next), Orlando has the money to match and keep Gortat.  Whether Gortat is worth the reportedly $5.6 million/year that Dallas is willing to give him is the real question.

4. Wálter Herrmann, Argentina (un) – Anyone need a three-point specialist with a long, silky, blond ponytail only seen on covers of romance novels?   The Detroit Pistons are reportedly letting the Argentine shooter walk without an offer. If Herrmann doesn’t get a NBA contract, he’ll be welcomed back, with open arms, in Europe where the 6-9 forward started his career.

5. Zaza Pachulia, Georgia (un) – The Hawks are close to signing David Andersen, a big man from down under and Euroleague star, as insurance in case Pachulia goes elsewhere. It will be a huge shock if the Hawks look anything like the team of this past season. With Mike Bibby, Flip Murray, Marvin Williams also free agents this summer and with Andersen possibly coming onboard, Zaza may not get the attention from the Atlanta Hawks he expects.

6. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, England (un) – The Toronto Raptors were happy with their late-season pickup, and extended Mensah-Bonsu a qualifying offer in late June. The high-energy journeyman averaged 5.1 points and 5.4 rebounds and 13.8 minutes in 19 games with the Raps.   As a restricted free agent, Pops can sign an offer sheet with another team, but Toronto now owns the right to match the offer.

7. Rasho Nesterović, Slovenia (un) – The once baby-faced center has moved into the category of “great veteran and locker room guy.” At 33 years old, Rasho’s basketball peak are several years behind him, but the 7-0 center has at least a couple years left in him as a solid backup for a team looking for a veteran with playoff experience, and uh…  a locker room guy.  Nesterović’s career averages are around 7 points on 50% FG shooting, 5 rebounds and one blocked shot a game.

8. Jamaal Magloire, Canada (un) – The long-armed Magloire played spot minutes as backup center for the Miami Heat last season and did a serviceable job. The 7-0 former all-star center from Canada has said that he would like to return to the Miami Heat, so much so that he would re-sign at a discounted price.  Whether or not that will happen for the 31-year old Magloire will play out over the summer. The Heat selected 6-9 Robert Dozier, who is may play a little center, but is definitely under-sized.

9. Sean Marks, New Zealand (un) – With Tyson Chandler injured, the 6-10 Kiwi played in more games in 2008-09 than in any other season of his 9-year career. Marks’ one-year contract with the Hornets, worth 1.1 million last season has expired and no word on whether the Hornets are looking to bring back the 33-year old (34 when the season starts). The 2009 NBA Draft yielded backcourt players, Darren Collison and Marcus Thorton, so unless the Hornets make a move to obtain another big man, Marks may be in New Orleans at least another year.

10. Johan Petro, France (un) – The 7-0 French center has played for two teams in three NBA season since being drafted by the Seattle Sonics in the first round of 2005.  It looks like the 23-year old will be looking to move onto his third team as the Nuggets aren’t expected to make a qualifying offer.  Without an offer, Petro becomes an unrestricted free agent.  My guess? Petro will be headed to Europe.

There are also international free agents that have left the NBA, but are free-agents in the eyes of the NBA nonetheless.  That list includes Carlos Delfino, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Ersan Ilyasova.

Many teams have already agreed in principle with some free agents (Turkoglu with Toronto, Gortat with Dallas), but cannot be announced or become official until tomorrow, Wednesday, July 8th, 2009.

* (r) = restricted (un) = unrestricted

• Phoenix Suns trade SHAQ for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic (discuss).  Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James TOGETHER…  in Cleveland.   Kind of anti-climactic, no?  Apparently, Shaq discovered that he was traded via Twitter (@THE_REAL_SHAQ)

• 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.

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 the two Olympic Basketball Groups now set and determined, which group would you rather be in?  Or as a thread in our Olympic Basketball Forum asks, “which is the Group of Death, A or B?”

The twelve participating national teams were randomly drawn into two separate groups..  Each of the two group will have six teams, with the top four teams from each group advancing into the quarterfinals.   Here is what the groups look like:

Group A: Argentina, Australia, Croatia, Iran, Lithuania, and Russia
Group B: Angola, China, Germany, Greece, Spain, and USA

Group A
In group A, we have the aging gold medalists from the 2004 Athens Olympics, Argentina.  With age, an injury to Manu Ginobili, and the lack of Pepe Sanchez and Walter Hermmann, they’re not as fearsome as they were in 2004 or even 2006, but certainly cannot be overlooked.

Also in Group A are three very solid European teams.  The 2007 Eurobasket surprise champions Russia, led by the do-it-all Andrei Kirilenko and Victor Khryapa.

Even without stars Arvydas Macijauskas and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Lithuania is always a force to be dealt with as they’re battle-tested with Ramunas Siskauskas and Sarunas Jasikevicius.  Then we have the revamped Croatian squad that went unbeaten in the recent Pre-Olympic World Qualifiers, thanks to efficient performances by Marko Tomas.

Rounding out Group A is a competitive Aussie team with David Andersen, Brad Newley and Andrew Bogut, and a not so competitive Iranian team.  All in all, this group is probably the most-rounded of the two groups.

Group B
Group B features two of the favorites of the tournament – the United States (now with preparation and urgency!) and Spain, the 2006 World Champions.  The Spaniards are a disciplined, emotional, talented, and stacked team – a deadly combination.  Not far behind these the USA and Spain, is Greece.  Team Hellas just came off a 4-0 record in the World Qualifying Tourney, defeating their opponents by a sick 32 points a game, including a complete 57-point drubbing of Lebanon. Yikes.

I would place hosts China and the Dirk Nowitzki-led Germans in the same tier.  No two teams need more from their NBA stars than these two teams.  China has the pressure to do well on their homecourt, they have Yao Ming coming off injury, a young and talented 7-0 Yi Jianlian, and Wang Zhizhi coming back to the National Team.  Together they form the new version of the Great Wall.  Germany has really tighetned up their supporting cast, adding a naturalized Chris Kaman and solid outside shooters that will make teams pay for paying too much attention to Nowitzki.

Also in group B, is the perennial African champion Angola.  This team continues to improve year over year as they have the best organization and support of all African teams. Led by Eduardo Mingas, Olimpio Cipriano, and Joaquim Gomes, the Angolans are never an easy squad to defeat.

So which group is tougher?
Well, it all depends on which perspective you are taking. You have five competitive teams in Group A, but you also have Iran in that same group.  Group B has three top-tiered teams, with a three decent teams in Angola, China and Germany, each with an decent chance of upsetting any team.

It really comes down to which likely-scenario is tougher – With Group A, there are five teams with similar chances advancing unto the next round, so four teams out of five, with the sixth team Iran unlikely to make any noise.  However in group B, it’s essentially three teams fighting for one spot because the United States, Spain and Greece are very likely to qualify into the next round.

So with that said, if I were a national team, chances are better to advance in group A scenario.

Links and Resources: Which one is the “group of death”, A or B? (Interbasket Forum), Olympic Basketball Forum & Message Board (Interbasket)

This week we pay tribute to Zeljko Rebraca. We also look at the Yao’s anger, dissect Steve Nash‘s comments, Diaw’s disappointing season, Nene’s back, the Brezec and Herrmann trade, under-rated Fabricio Oberto, Juan Carlos Navarro finding his stride, and plead Don Nelson to play Andris Biedrins more minutes. 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 12/12- 12/18/2007)

Yao Ming is Angry and Steve Nash isn’t Happy.
Two of the nicer guys in the league, both on and off the court, are Yao Ming and Steve Nash. I’ve seen both guys get a little competitive in games; showing their emotions, but I don’t recall a time when either have spoken up as strongly as both had this past week.

We start out with Yao, whose Rockets were down six against Toronto. Yao looked at his team and shouted “Let’s go! Wake up! Let’s go!” Well, the Rockets didn’t wake up or go, they ended up losing the game 93-80.

Yao was not happy after the game.

“I feel this is the worst game I ever had in my career,” Yao said. “When we played on the court, no intensity, no patience, no (adherence to the) game plan, don’t know our game, don’t know their game, no trust (of) each other, no defense. I hate this game. I hated it. It’s all on us. Us. I’m one of us.”

The next night was more of the same, and then some. The Rockets lost to the Philadelphia 76srs, basically the same team they defeated last year by 50 points. Yao went off “When you are soft yourself, everything will feel tough,” Yao said. “It’s not because they are so tough. It’s because of how soft we are.” If Yao Ming is talking about your toughness, then there is something definitely off — read into that sentence however you like.

Steve Nash hasn’t been happy with the Sun’s play and recently called out a teammate in an interview after one of their loss to the Hornets – “I wish I could come up with a way to make sure each guy is ready to play. What do you do? Have an interview with each guy before each game to make sure he understands?”

So who is Steve referring to? Looking at Phoenix’s top-nine players we can assume that Nash isn’t talking about himself; he’d be the first to admit his mistakes. One can immediately eliminate Brian Skinner, Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks, and Raja Bell; those guys’ games are based on hard work and playing right. And you just know it ain’t Grant Hill. For some reason, I just don’t think it’s Leandro Barbosa, who seems to play in one speed – fast.

So who does that leave?

Many believe the player Nash is speaking of is Amare Stoudemire, who is lackadaisical on offense without the ball, and non-existent at times on defense, but that’s mostly been the case, so maybe Amare’s turned it down a notch? A more solid reason to assume it’s Stoudemire is because he was recently seen arguing with Raja Bell on the court and with Marcus Banks on the bench. If you’re arguing with Raja Bell on the court and you aren’t on the opposing team, odds are you aren’t giving forth your best effort.

Diaw on the Outs?
Or perhaps Nash could have been referring to Boris Diaw, who admittedly came into camp out-of-shape. Diaw’s stats have suffered across the major categories having dropped since his breakout-year in 2005-06 when he filled in for the injured-Amare Stoudemire.

Now with Stoudemire back and the Suns bringing in Grant Hill, who does everything that Boris can do, only better (except maybe passing), Diaw’s skillset has became redundant.

Recently Boris’s defense has been called into question, or should I say his lack of defense. His D has been publicly blasted by Sun’s coach Mike D’Antoni, “(Diaw’s) got to pick it up. At some point, you’ve got to pull the plug, and that’s what I’m doing” And then you add Suns general manager Steve Kerr comments on top of that “If we’re ever going to be a championship team, we have to improve defensively.” it doesn’t sound promising for the French point-forward. It’s no surprise that Diaw’s names is coming up in trade rumors.

Nene ready to practice
After looking at several Nuggets boxscores this season and not seeing Nene listed, I just assumed that he was injured and was out for the season. Really, can you blame me? I had no idea that he was injured, didn’t even know he had already participated in five games this season. Apparently, Nene had injured his thumb November 7th in a game against the Boston Celtics and needed surgery plus six weeks to repair it. He was cleared this past Tuesday to begin light drills.

The 6-10 Brazilian power forward is in his fifth season after a disappointing Fiba Americas Championship in which Brazil failed to win a berth to the 2008 Olympics. Nene is coming off career-highs in points, rebounds and blocks last season.

New life for Brezec and Herrmann
Looks like the Bobcats have given up on Primoz Brezec and Walter Herrmann. The former just hasn’t returned to form after his injury and the latter just hasn’t been able to build on his fantastic finish to last season. The Bobcats sent Brezec and Herrmann to the Detroit Pistons on Friday, December 14th.

Primoz Brezec had been Charlotte’s starting center since the expansion, but with his injuries and the new situation, he was looking to move on “I wanted to get out of Charlotte. It was just not a good opportunity for me, with a new system, a new coach.” It seems as if Herrmann wasn’t very happy with his spot minutes either “In Charlotte, I didn’t play, just five minutes, 10 minutes,” Herrmann said. “Here in Detroit, it’s different.”

The Pistons have apparently been looking at both players for some time: “We talked to Charlotte about Herrmann earlier this season and had spoken to Charlotte last season about Brezec. So for this deal to come together today to get these two guys we like, it’s a really good deal for us and we feel fortunate to make the deal,” said Pistons GM Joe Dumars, “(Brezec) can step out and flat-out shoot the basketball. Just that length and size and ability to shoot the basketball is appealing to me, especially with the way the game is being played today, especially with the way we play as a team. In terms of Walter Herrmann … he has an energy and a toughness I like. That’s why we were interested in these guys.”

The Pistons gave up Nazr Mohammed in order to get the Slovenian center and Argentinain forward who looks a lot like Fabio. In order to give roster spots to the two new players, the Pistons waived Ronald Dupree. The 7-1 Primoz Brezec sounds as if he has a better shot at gaining minutes in his new situation, as Rasheed Wallace (6-9) and Jason Maxiell (6-7) are more power-forwards than they are centers.

Not Bad for a Second Thought Part II feat. Fabricio Oberto
Last week we discussed how Jose Calderon only became an NBA player when he did mostly because a supposed-better player, Roko Leni-Ukic decided to stay in Europe.

The case can be said for Fabricio Oberto whom only signed with the Spurs when his National teammate, the European superstar, and 2004 Olympics MVP Luis Scola decided to stay in Europe.

Fabricio Oberto, the Argentine “center” for the San Antonio Spurs, has been called the most “ugliest productive player” and a “Bull in a China shop” by his Coach Popovich. Most would probably take that as an backhanded compliment, but considering the source of the quote and the team that he plays on- it’s most definitely an all-around compliment.

On the heels of a 9 point, 16 rebound game in a loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, Oberto went 10-11 from the floor, good for 21 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and no turnovers in a win over the Denver Nuggets. His performance brought back fond memories of his 11-11, 29 point 10 rebound performance last season against the Suns (that was also Oberto’s first career double-double).

For the season, the 32-year old Oberto is putting up career highs in minutes, points, rebounds… well, all across the board. And if Fabricio shot a little more often, he would lead the league in overall FG% (at 66.7%), however since Fab only averages 4 shots a game, he doesn’t qualify (he must make 3.7 FGs a game to qualify, Oberto currently makes “only” 2.9).

Navarro Finding his Stride, Shot
Juan Carlos Navarro is getting his opportunities and is catching up with the speed of the NBA. JCN hit two huge threes in win over the Orlando Magic on Monday. Both Navarro’s two crucially-timed 3-pointers, with 2:58 and 45.6 seconds left in the game, gave Memphis six point cushions at the time.

After a very rough start in which his shooting percentages hung in the 20% area, the 27-year old Spanish rookie and former all-Euroleague player has turned it around. Juan has brought up his percentages and is now shooting 40.5% from three, 90.9% from the FT and 44.6% from the field overall.

La Bomba has gone from the bench to starter back to the bench and is starting once again, and that’s reflective of his season thus far. Part of that is his lack of consistency, but a larger part could be his defense. Though Navarro gives effort, he can’t help but find himself being posted-up game after game. Offensively, Navarro has shown that he can succeed when given his opportunity and FG attempts. Look for him to improve on both ends as the season progresses and he starts to learn the NBA nuances.

Zeljko Rebraca Hangs Up His Sneakers
Former Detroit Piston, Atlanta Hawk and LA Clipper Zeljko Rebraca has decided to call it a career. The great Serbian forward-center spent roughly 6 seasons, most of them plagued with injury, in the NBA before being waived by the Clippers earlier this year.

Rebraca then signed with Pamesa Valencia in hopes of rejuvenating his career in Europe. However Zeljko couldn’t get back to playing form because of his consistent minor injuries and his recent procedure to prevent the recurrence of irregular heartbeat symptoms.

Originally drafted in 1994, Rebraca decided to stay in Europe where he garnered many championships

Playing in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Rebraca and his Yugoslavian teammates received a silver medal and Rebraca was named the MVP.

In 1997, playing for Benneton Treviso, Rebraca won Italian League Championships. In 1998, Rebraca joined Dejan Bodiroga, Aleksandar Djordjevic, Dejan Tomasevic, and Predrag Drobnjak on the Yugoslavian National Team winning the Fiba World Championships.

Then in 1999-01 playing for Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, Rebraca won two Greek Championships from 1999-01 and one EL championship during that stretch. What stod out to many was his Final Four performances in Thessaloniki and during the final vs Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Though drafted by the Seattle Sonics before being traded to the Pistons, Rebraca came to the NBA for the 2001-02 season and spent nearly three seasons with Detroit before being involved in the trade that brought Rasheed Wallace to Motown. The Pistons went on to destroy the Shaq-Kobe-Karl-Malone-Gary-Payton Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals.

Though Rebraca came late to the NBA (he was 29 at the time) and never amounted to more than a backup center with averages of 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 52.7 FG% in six NBA seasons. Rebraca was a super player in the late-1990s in European basketball, when international players were gaining legitimacy. He will be missed dearly on the court. Discuss his career and send well-wishes in our forum.

Nellie, Give Andris Biedrins More Minutes!
Ok Nellie, I am beginning to think you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s one thing if I didn’t live in the Bay Area and wasn’t able to catch the majority of games, but that’s not the case. What else can Andris Biedrins do to earn more minutes?

Let’s take a look at Golden State’s last game. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Biedrins put up 12 points and 7 rebounds in only 13 minutes. Let me say that again — 12 points and 7 rebounds in 13 minutes! The guy is leading the league in FG%, 9th in offensive rebounds per game and is nearly putting up a double-double in only 26 minutes! Nba.com has him #7 overall in rebounds per 48 minutes. Did I mention that the Latvian center with great hands and timing is only 21 years old?

Nelly, I know you’re all about match-ups and trying to mess with the other team by playing small-ball, but I think you’re holding back a player that can not only be a great center, but giving Biedrins the experience now will only serve to benefit the Warriors when the playoffs come around. Just wanted you to know that.

Sources: Yao fumes about team’s woes (Houston Chronicle), Who is Angering Steve Nash? (Sporting News), Suns debating whether or not to make a major move (Yahoo), Diaw Trade Rumor Mention (Chicago Tribune), Fabricio Oberto’s a Perfect 11-11 Against the Suns (Interbasket), Futures Market: Pistons Acquire Herrmann and Brezec (NBA.com), Brezec Wanted Out (MLive.com), Zeljko Rebraca Retires (Interbasket), Rebraca Undergoes Heart Procedure (ESPN), Zeljko Rebraca Waived (Interbasket)

News Around the World 11/14/2007: NBA International Report
(interbasket.net) — Yao Ming leads us off this week as he was named NBA player of the week for November 12th (Tracy McGrady won the honor the week previous) as Yao averaged 27.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. The Houston Rockets are now 6-2 dropping their second game last night – Darko Milicic went at Yao all night to the tune of a season-high 20 points (and Rudy Gay served up a highlight facial on Luis Scola). Last week I spoke a little too soon about Yao’s early rebounding as a sign of things to come; in the three games since, he’s averaged only 8.3 a game which is more Yao-like. At least he’s still blocking shots at a much better rate (2.5/game).

Manu Ginobili continued his fantastic play. He’s averaging 19.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 and 2.4 assists assists in just under 29 minutes off the bench. The Spurs are 7-1 blah blah blah. Ho Hum.

Not to be outdone, the other South American super-six man Leandro Barbosa poured in a career-high 39 points against Orlando Saturday. Barbosa just wasn’t just busy attacking the basket and hitting threes (he hit eight), he also had 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in that game. Barbosa is avergaing 19.1 pts on a career-high (barely) 48.4% from the field.

What ‘s up with Steve Nash and his scoring binges this season? Is he taking cues from Leandro Barbosa? Maybe teams are taking the Mavs approach with the “let-him-shoot-so-he-can’t-involve-his-teammates” or Nash is just being more aggressive this season? Nash has already scored 30 or more points this season three times. His efficiency hasn’t suffered any as he’s shooting a blazing 57.8% from the field overall, 54.3% from three (!) and has yet to miss a free-throw (20-20) in averaging a career-high pace of 20.6 ppg. Only bad thing I can say is Nash’s assists-to-turnover ratio isn’t very Nash-like at 2.1 assists for every turnover.

Stay in Europe, Rudy!
Lots of Spanish NBA players in our news this week, and none of the news is overwhelmingly great news in fact, most of it is bad.
In the last two seasons, Pau Gasol has averaged 20.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2 blocks a game. So far this season, Gasol’s stats are down significantly across those categories. Generally, I don’t make much of early season stats, particularly points, but sometimes there is something so glaring that I believe it indicates something larger. Gasol has only blocked a total of three shots in six games this season – this from a guy that’s rejected an average of 1.8 per game throughout his career? In the two losses to Utah and Portland, Gasol had just eight total rebounds in both games, went scoreless in the second half of both games, and taking a total of one shot. So why? Is he unhappy with Rudy Gay’s more involved role? Unmotivated by the prospect of another long NBA season without a chance at a championship? Easier to complain in Spanish when you have Spanish National team member Juan Carlos Navarro (who is shooting 28.6% and finally hit his first two-point field goal last night)? Maybe Gasol is miffed by the conspiracy he insists is going on with Jorge Garbajosa minutes in Toronto? Not sure.

Speaking of a Spaniard’s declining minutes this season — Nate McMillan’s early season assertion that Sergio Rodriguez had fallen behind rookie Taurean Green for the backup PG duties haven’t come to fruition yet. I don’t know if it was just lip service to fire up Rodriguez, but he referenced Sergio’s lack of three-point shooting for his reasoning. Though Rodriguez’s minutes have fallen (12mpg last season compared to about 9 this season), he has obviously outplayed Taurean Green and impressed the coach enough to handle at least some of the backup PG duties. This is a good time to bring up that Rodriquez hit an important three pointer followed by a layup to put the Blazers up 87-82 in their win over the Pistons last night. So far, Taurean has only played 2 minutes in the Blazer’s seven games this season.

I’m sure at least a few of these players are in the ear of Rudy Fernandez, and it can’t be helping his case to come over to the NBA any sooner.

Maybe he just needed to let it off his chest.
Andrei Kirilenko is playing like the old AK-47, his last three games Kirilenko has averaged 13.3pts, 9.3rebs, 9.3asts, 2.6stls, and 2.6blks. AK’s statlines for the last three (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks) look like this- 15-8-8-0-3 against Sacramento, 15-12-9-4-1 against Memphis, 10-8-11-4-3 against Seattle.

Many unfamiliar with the Warriors roster probably wondered why they traded Jason Richardson away this off-season. J-Rich played such a huge part in their playoff run last season. Not to diminish Richardson’s importance, but a big reason why the Golden State management didn’t flinch was because they had a promising second-year, English player Kelenna Azubuike on their roster. Kelenna has a smooth jumpshot along with a 40-inch vertical leap, and the ability to get to the free-throw line (sound familiar?). Let’s not forget that the decision was a little easier when they looked at their books; Golden State is paying Kelenna the minimum, while J-Rich is set to make $11 million this year and 40 million over the next three years. “We liked him last year. He was just awful young,” Warriors coach Don Nelson said. “He’s worked hard this summer and it looks like he’s a player. … A real player.”

By many accounts, it’s not difficult to cheer for a guy like Azubuike. He’s a nice guy with no-attitude on or off the court and is a strong aggressive player that plays hard, slashes, and can get to the rim with regularity. After leaving Kentucky early to help his family pay for his father’s misdeeds, Kelenna wasn’t drafted in 2005. He tried to catch on with the the Cavs and Rockets, but was eventually waived by both teams. On both occasions, Kelenna landed in the NBDL. He led his team to the championship and was named all-NBDL in 2005, then led the NBDL in scoring his second year. The promising guard is averaging 18.8pts, 5.2 rebounds and shooting 53% from the field this year.

Jose Juan Barea is getting a lot more run this year and he’s doing an efficient job — shooting 57.1% from the field, leading the league in 3pt% at 70%, 100% from the FT line (7-7) while averaging 9.7 points a game. However his biggest strength has thus far been negated; penetration and dishing the ball. Barea is averaging only 1.4 assists with 1.2 turnovers in his limited playing time.

Yi Jianlian continues to impress; playing his best game (statwise) against fellow countryman Yao Ming. “I hate to say this,” Yao said “but he may be better than me.” Take it easy Yao, let’s not get crazy yet. Though the Houston Rockets walked away with the win, Yi gave the Buck’s management a reason to smile with early career-highs of 19 points, 9 rebounds and tying his high of 3 blocks. Overall Jianlian is averaging 11.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks and has scored in double-figures his last four games.

Walter Herrmann can’t seem to find his range. After skipping out on the Argentine National Team this summer to focus on his game. With his extra training. it’s mind-boggling how he hasn’t improved upon his strong finish to the 06-07 season. Instead Herrmann is shooting a horrendous 23% from the field, and is 0-4 from three this season. Herrmann’s bad start has him riding the bench, and has recorded DNPs in a couple games before coming in for garbage time last night against the Miami Heat.

Remember, this was the same way Walter started out last season — Herrmann displayed little to nothing in the preseason, was on the verge of being cut, and along with the injuries he sustained added up to a terrible start. The start continued into his season until after the halfway mark of last season when he finished so strong that his name was brought up for Rookie of the Year and not one giggle was heard – that’s a serious turnaround.

It looks like it might be deja vu this year, hopefully for Herrmann, the work he put in this summer starts to show sooner than later. Even though things may have opened up for Herrmann when Adam Morrisson got hurt, nothing is ever guaranteed as tough-as-nails rookie Jared Dudley has been taking Herrmann’s minutes and been producing.

Random NBA notes: Ugh, Stephon Marbury. What a complete fool. I know I am not privy to all the details and this involves Isiah Thomas, which further muddies the situation, but I can’t help but jump to conclusions with this guy. When does one become smart enough to recognize a pattern in their career? It seems every team Marbury leaves- gets better, and I read that he’s been with 12 coachs in 12 years — probably none of which have ever been completely satisfied with his performance. How about them Celtics? An interior presence, a great outside shooter, and a versatile swingman. Only unbeaten team at 6-0, not bad, but lets stop all the comparisons to the mid-80s Celtics. Thanks. With all this talk of rookies Kevin Durant and Yi Jianlian, don’t forget about Jeff Green. The rookie from Georgetown is making the most of his time off the Seattle bench and he doesn’t have the green light a la Durant. Green scored 12 points, all in the second quarter against Orlando, on an impressive array of jumpers, drives and even a 10-foot hook.

Sources: Yao, Garnett Named NBA Players of the Week (NBA.com), Father’s bad choices reflecting on son’s future (CBS Sportsline), Rookie Yi impresses elder statesman Yao (Yahoo Sports), Gasol Struggling and Unhappy (Yahoo!), Gasol claims Raptors have grudge against Garbajosa (Sportsticker), Sergio Rodriguez Falling in Portland (Interbasket Forums), Seattle vs. Orlando Recap 11/13 (Yahoo!)

Puerto Rico 97: Brazil 75
The answer to the question: What’s Up with Puerto Rico? may have been answered. Maybe they needed something to wake them up. Just yesterday, they were only two minutes away from being eliminated and leaving Las Vegas for good.

Puerto Rico’s future depended on the outcome of the Argentina-Panama game and things weren’t looking good. With over two minutes remaining and Panama up seven points, it looked as if Puerto Rico wouldn’t be able to sneak into the second round of the FIBA Americas Tournament which meant no chance to redeem themselves from an embarrassing 1-6 record (including the Tuto Marchand Cup), but when Argentina stormed back to eventually blow out the Panamanians in overtime. The Puerto Rican team got an injection of new life.

“We definitely have a second chance and we understand that. It’s a chance that the sport’s given us and we have to take advantage.” Said Carlos Arroyo.

Take advantage they did as they opened the game on a 14-4 run. The Puerto Ricans would lead by 11 at halftime and would see that lead swell to 25 points. Elias Ayuso scored 24 points for Puerto Rico. Peter John Ramos (!) and Filiberto Rivera both had 14 points, Arroyo finished with 11.

Brazil on the other hand, went from being an undefeated powerhouse just two days ago, to being blown out by 37 points by the Americans and now defeated handily by a Puerto Rico team that wasn’t even supposed to be there. How quicky fortunes can change; Puerto Rico looks like a team to be reckoned with and Brazil’s luster has definitely been muted.

There was some good news for Brazil though – Leandrinho Barbosa shook off his awful performance against the Americans and a rough first half against PR, finishing with 34 points, 26 in the second half, on 10-for-20 shooting and 12-for-13 from the free throw line.

Argentina 86: Venezuela 63:
With the absences of Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Fabricio Oberto, and Walter Herrmann, no one was sure how Argentina would fare in this tournament. Yes, they still have Euroleague superstar Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino, but could those two prop up the defending champions? Keep in mind that Delfino has played only sparingly for the national team and only this year started getting playing time in the Piston rotation.

Carlos Delfino continues to answer the critics. The Toronto Raptor had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Argentina hit 14-26 three-pointers in an 86-63 victory over Venezuela. Argentina continues to fill the holes left by their NBA counterparts with lesser-known players; particularly one of the best Euroleague point guards Pablo Prigoni, as well as Diego Logrippo, and Paolo Quinteros.

However, this time it was Roman Gonzalez. The 6-11 center contributed 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting to lead Argentina, who remains as the only other unbeaten team besides the USA. The two teams will meet Thursday to close out the second round.

Canada 95: Uruguay 88
It goes without saying that when you come across upstart Uruguay in this tournament, you’ll have to deal with Esteban Batista, their physical yet mobile 6-10 center who came into the second round as the leading scorer and rebounder (23 and 14.5) of the tournament.

Canada decided to fight fire with fire as they used their size to physically battle Batista – limiting him to 16 points on 6-15 shooting and more importantly, only 6 rebounds. In the previous four games, Batista was averaging five offensive rebounds a game, against Canada, he only had one.

Big respect to the trio of Canadian frontcourt players that kept Batista in check while still contributing offensively – 6-10 center Jesse Young had 22 points, 6-9 Levon Kendall had nine points and nine rebounds and 6-11 Samuel Dalembert had 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks for Canada.

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