Yi Jianlian has spent most of the season injured, but the 7-0 forward from China has been living up to expectations when he has played. In his third season, through 10 games Jianlian is averaging career highs of 16.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks a game.

(Discuss the Yi Jianlian and New Jersey Nets in our forum)

In the image above, Jianlian battles with Nick Collison of the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 28th, 2009. The Thunder ultimately won the 105-89, but not before Jianlian matched his career high with 29 points and pulling in 7 rebounds.

This week’s quick international roundup of the player performances during the last few days. This post includes discussion about Yi Jianlian‘s return to the New Jersey Nets, Pau Gasol‘s extension, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah’s contributions to the Chicago Bulls, J.J. Barea’s career year, and Žalgiris Kaunas fills their head coach position.

• Yi Jianlian returned to the New Jersey Nets last night. The 7-0 Chinese forward came off the bench and scored 22 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, in 30 minutes.  Even with Yi, the Nets weren’t able to pull out their third win this season, ultimately losing their 27th game to Minnesota 103-99.

• Is the Jordanian basketball league going to be cancelled? The Premier league may be cancelled so as Jordan can properly prepare their National Team for the 2010 World Championships (discuss).

• Pau Gasol agreed to a three-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. No doubt the league-leading Lakers understand the importance of the 7-0, 29-year old Spanish superstar. The Lakers started out 8-3 without Gasol, and are 15-1 since Gasol returned to the lineup. For the season, he is averaging 17 points and a career-high 12.6 rebounds per game.

• Joakim Noah grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds against the New York Knicks, unfortuanately the Bulls lost their second straight 88-81.

• In the last five games Luol Deng has averaged 23 points on 51% shooting, almost 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, all are above his career averages. Deng scored 21 or more points in each contest. The Bulls are 2-3 in the last five.

• Iranian Superlague club Pasargad Shiraz hired Hossein Owji as their new coach (via Basket-Spot).

• José Juan Barea is having a career year for the Dallas Mavericks. The 6-0 guard from Puerto Rico is averaging 9.9 points, 4.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and shooting 44.6% from three. Barea has started the last 8 games and the Mavs have won six of those games.

• Žalgiris Kaunas filled the open head coach position left by Gintaras Krapikas with former Lithuanian national team coach Ramūnas Butautas. The 45-year old Lithuanian is the son of Stepas Butautas, former Soviet player that won silver in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

The Nets season just continues to be cursed.

Chinese forward Yi Jianlian, who has missed 15 games this season, will miss at least another week after being injured by New Jersey Net’s teammate Sean Williams during practice

Yi needed 50 stitches to close a cut upper lip after being inadvertently elbowed by Williams during a 3-on-3 scrimmage.

Jianlian, the starting power forward for the Nets, was excited at the prospect of returning Sunday against the New York Knicks, now the 7-0 forward will have to be held out another week.

That may be a good thing, says the Nets’ new head coach Kiki Vandeweghe, as it gives Yi another week to fully heal up his sprained right knee.

“Sometimes these things work out for the best,” Vandeweghe said. “(Yi) really wanted to get back, was very anxious to get back, so maybe he was hurrying himself a little bit and he’ll be fully recovered when he gets back.”

Iran successfully defended their Asia Champions crown last night, dropping favored-China in a laughable 70-52 win.

Led by Memphis Grizzly center Hamed Haddadi‘s 19 points and 17 rebounds, Iran dominated the Chinese in the first two quarters; outscoring their opponents by 11 in the first quarter and by six in the second.

The Iranians took a 17-point lead into halftime, see the lead balloon up to 25, and would never look back.  This was China‘s first ever loss in an Asiabasket gold medal match.

This year’s win is significant because it signals a new age in which Middle-Asia teams, namely Iran, Jordan and Lebanon,  may have finally caught up with their East Asian brothers.

Up until 2007, China had won 14 of 16 Asia Championships.  And East Asian teams, the Philippines, Korea, and Japan, have taken the title in every other year previous to 2007.

Iran’s win is much more significant this year because they went against a Chinese team,  even without Yao Ming, that was still favored to win the tournament.

In Iran’s win in the 2007 Asiabasket, the Chinese fielded their junior team, having already automatically qualified as the hosts of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Now Iran can be truly crowned the Kings of Asia, having won the 2007 and 2009 FIBA Asia Championships, the 2009 Asia Cup, and the 2009 Williams Jones Cup.

Hamed Haddadi, who was named MVP of the tournament, shot 9-17 from the field, shredding the Chinese interior and scoring 9 points in 12-4 run in the fourth quarter that slammed the door shut on any thoughts of a Chinese comeback.

Oshin Sahakian was the only other Iranian to reach double-figures with 10 points.  Javad Davari added 9 points and 6 rebounds.

Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, who came in averaging over 18 points, failed to reach double-figures for the first time in the tournament, finishing with just 8 points.  The star guard did pass out 6 assists.

The Iranian defense held Yi Jianlian to just 11 points on 5-17 shooting, while Sun Yue, Shipeng Wang, and Liu Wei combined to shoot just 3-15.

Wang Zhizhi was China’s only consistent threat, the former NBA player shot 10-16 from the field, and scored a game-hih 24 points and added 8 rebounds.

In the third place game, Jordan took the final berth to the World Championships by defeating Lebanon for the second time this tournament, 80-66.

Lebanon finished without a medal for the first time in three championships, having earned a silver in the 2005 and 2007 FIBA Asia Championships.

In the classification rounds, Chinese-Taipei took fifth place over Qatar 87-79, while Korea edged the Philippines, 82-80 on Donggeun Yang’s jumper with one second remaninig.

RP’s James Yap’s missed a three at the buzzer that would give Korea seventh place, and the Philippines would finish eighth.

Yi Jianlian and Hamed Haddadi came up big for their respective national teams last night, propelling each squad to an unblemished 5-0 record in the 2009 Asia Basketaball Championships.

With the two NBA big men leading their teams over Jordan and Korea, China and Iran are now the remaining teams without a loss.

China to the quarterfinals undefeated
Yi wasn’t just big, he was huge as he scored 29 points, pulled down 18 rebounds, passed for 4 assists, and blocked 2 shots, all game-highs, against Jordan, who was also 4-0 coming into the game.  China won the game 89-83 in what was the closest challenge to China in the tournament.

Wang Zhizhi added 23 points and 8 rebounds for the victors.  Rasheim Wright led Jordan with 28 points, but the 6-3 Jordanian guard needed 22 shots to achieve his total.

Iran also undefeated going into quarterfinals
Hamed Haddadi was strong in the middle for Asiabasket defending champions Iran. The 7-2 Haddadi put up 21 points, 16 rebounds, 6 blocked shots, and 4 assists in pushing Iran over east Asian squad Korea, 82-66.

Haddadi completely dominated Ha Seung-Jin, formerly of Portland Trailblazers, as the 7-3 Korean center managed just 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 turnovers in 25 minutes of play.

Iran was led in scoring by Hamed Afagh’s 24 points.  Donggeun Yang led Korea with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Asiabasket Quarterfinals
After the fifth day of games, the Asiabasket quarterfinals are set for August 14, 2009:

• Jordan vs. Philippines, 14h00 (GMT+8)
• Qatar vs. Iran, 16h00 (GMT+8)
• Chinese-Taipei vs. China, 19h00 (GMT+8)
• Korea vs. Lebanon, 21h00 (GMT+8)

For the entire Asia Basket schedule, click here.

Title: Asia Championships of Basketball
Location: Tianjin, China
Official Website: http://china2009.fiba.com/
Description: The 2009 FIBA Asia Championships of basketball (discuss) will be held in Tianjin, China from August 6-16, 2009 with 16 teams divided into four groups.

The sixteen teams competing for the gold and a spot in the 2010 World Championships are hosts China, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.

Discuss the 2009 Asia Championships of Basketball in our forum.

Despite the absence of Yao Ming, the tournament still features many national stars in Yi Jianlian (China), Hamed Haddadi (Iran), Kim Min-Soo (Korea), Rony Fahed (Lebanon), Zaid Abbas (Jordan), Sun Yue (China), Lin Chih-chieh (Chinese-Taipei), Samad Nikkah (Iran), Fadi El-Khatib (Lebanon), Wang Zhizhi (China), Yuta Tabuse (Japan), and Tien Lei (Chinese-Taipei).

The top three teams from the four groups advance to the second round of the championship.

* Group A: Japan, Korea, Philippines, Sri Lanka.
* Group B: Chinese Taipei, Iran, Kuwait, Uzbekistan.
* Group C: China, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar.
* Group D: Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, UAE.

The top three overall teams will automatically qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.  Even without finishing in the top three, there is still a chance to qualify for the WBC as 3-4 more teams can be selected as wild cards by FIBA to complete the 24-team field.

Recent evidence referencing a Sports Illustrated-China piece suggests that Yi Jianlian, the 7-0 forward from Heshan City, China, is much older than 21 years old, as all his official NBA profiles report.

The document is Yi’s senior registration form at Binhe Middle School, which has a picture of a young Yi and seems to have been filled out by Yi himself.  The form is from 1997 and lists his date of birth as Oct. 27, 1984, and not October 27, 1987 as it’s found on NBA.com.

You can see in the image to the left, on the first line next to Yi Jianlian’s photo that it shows his birth date to be 1984.10.27 (click on the image to make it larger)

For more information and discussion, please check out our discussion thread dedicated to this. You can also see the full document in this thread (not that it’ll do you much good unless you can read Chinese).

Since Jianlian has become an NBA prospect to being a player with the New Jersey Nets, rumors and controversy surrounding the Yi’s real age has followed him where ever he has been.

And Yi has asserted in the past that his birthyear is 1987, and he has also denied to answer any questions concerning his age “I have no comment on that,” Yi said through translator Roy Lu back when when the then supposed-19-year old was on his way to his first practice with the Milwaukee Bucks.

No word on whether this document was discovered during a recent crackdown that found at least 36 Chinese players “age-shaving” or lying about their ages in order to qualify for youth tournaments.  Chinese authorities have pledged to put an end to age fraud, which apparently is very common in China.

Links and Resources: Source: http://mengxiaowan.blog.sohu.com/106788872.html (Sohu), Yi Jianlian, 1984 Evidence? (Real year of birth) – Interbasket forum Chinese crackdown finds 36 basketball players gave false ages (AP), Yi Jianlian’s profile and age (NBA.com), China basketball opens fire against age fraud (People.com.cn)

Injuries to NBA Stars and the Olympics
With training camps in full swing, a list of NBA players that participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics are recovering from minor injuries, including Manu Ginobili, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bogut, Carlos Delfino, and Yi Jianlian.

So far, only Ginobili will miss significant time this season.

However, no doubt injuries to these players, and any prospective injuries to players such as Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Luis Scola, Linas Kleiza, Fabricio Oberto, and any players from USA squad (except Carlos Boozer) during the 2008-09 season, will bring the perennial arguments about whether players should be allowed to represent their countries when under NBA contract. (Of course they should)

Nets hope Yi Jianlian’s play and roots invigorates ticket sales
The New York Times article talks about how Yi Jianlian’s presence on the New Jersey Nets is drawing Chinese fans online and off.  The Nets’ website can now be translated into simplified Chinese, and nearly 30% of the site’s traffic originates in Asia.  In the wake of the obtaining Jianlian, the Nets have hired a multicultural advertising agency, and have plans for game night promotions centered on Yi and the Chinese community.   But even with Yi’s popularity back home and being the only Asian player east of the Mississippi, he still plays in the shadow of Yao MIng. “Right now, everybody is more into Yao because Yi is still nearly a rookie. said Sunny Moy, president of the Asian American Youth Center.

CSKA winless during Euroleague American Tour 2008
CSKA Moscow lost handily to the Orlando Magic 94-66 and then lost to the Toronto Raptors a few days later 86-78.  Moscow had issues dealing with NBA bigmen Dwight Howard Chris Bosh.  HOward dominated inside with 28 points and 10 rebounds on 10-for-12 shooting while Bosh put up 24 points and 10 rebounds on 7-16 shooting. “

To be honest with you, we can’t lose another game against a Euroleague team.” Bosh said after the game.  The Raptors are now 6-2 against Euroleague teams, losing to Real Madrid last year in Spain and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in 2006 in Toronto.

Next up on the Euroleague American Tour is FC Barcelona taking on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, October 18th.

Top-10 NBA Jerseys Sold in Europe
The NBA released the top-ten most popular NBA jerseys sold in Europe include five American players, three of which are in the top five and five European players… no Dirk Nowitzki or Manu Ginobili?  Anyways, here’s the list:

1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
3. Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
6. Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets
7. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
8. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
9. Marco Belinelli, Golden State Warriors
10. Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors

Nathan Jawai‘s rookie debut hits Snag
The 21-year old Aborigine rookie from Australia Nathan Jawai is being held up from continuing practice with the Toronto Raptors because of medical concern. Apparently there are concerns about the 6-10, 280lb rookie’s heart, or “cardiac issues” that showed up in a routine pre-camp cardiac tests held on a treadmill.  “I’m fine, I’m normal,” Jawai said yesterday. “I haven’t had any symptoms or anything. I’m breathing okay and everything’s fine. I’ve played for four or five years now and I haven’t dealt with it before. I’ve had no problems with it and it just basically showed up then. It’s frustrating but I’m kind of handling it okay.”

Brandon Jennings Update & Debut (+ Josh Childress)
The New York Times features an update on Brandon Jennings and how his decision earlier this year to forgo the normal path to the NBA, in the face of college ineligibility and the NBA age-minimum rules, has paid off so far. The money is there with a 1.2 million contract with Italian club Lottomatica Virtus Roma and a 2 million dollar endorsement deal with Under Armour, now if the 19-year old can do it on the court and survive the cultural shift off it, he could be blazing the trail for future academically-challenges American high school hoopers that can’t make the grade.

Sonny Vacaro, who was behind Jennings’ move overseas has heard from 12 other elite basketball players (and their families) interested in possibly making similar moves.

Now Jennings has to follow-through on the court, and early results have been good, as the 6-2 point guard averaged 20 points through five exhibition games, “He’s one of the top talents that I’ve ever seen.” said Dejan Bodiroga, European legend and Roma’s general manager.

Jennings/Childress Update: Though Brandon’s been doing well in preseason scrimmages, his professional debut wasn’t quite as successful.  On Monday, Jennings came off the bench, as almost all younger players do in Europe, and scored seven points (3-10 fg), grabbed two rebounds and passed for two assists in 21 minutes. Lottomatica Roma barely won 83-81 over little-known club Eldo Caserta

Josh Childress fared much better in his debut for Olympiaco, who cruised to a 90-65 win over Egaleo.  In only 23 minutes of action, Childress scored a team-high 16 points on 4-9 from the field and a perfect 8-8 from the floor.

White Collar Crime: Devin Harris Hustled in London
Widely circulated and reported yesterday by Ball Don’t Lie is a video of Devin Harris being schooled (more like hustled) by a British streetballer in v-neck and jeans… I don’t see it as that bad.  Yes, a little embarrassing for an NBA player to have the ball put in-between your legs and scored on by a what he thought was a regular Joe Sixpack, but it’s a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t-situation for Devin and I don’t think it reflects on him badly at all.  Full story behind the video can be found here.

Monta Ellis suspened 30 games for Lying…
Whoa. Monta Ellis suspended 30 games for lying about how he seriously injured his ankle. The 22-year old guard injured it in a Moped accident, but told team officials that it happened during a pickup game in his native Mississippi, only to come clean later on.  Haven’t we learned anything from about lying after going through the Vladimir Radmanovic ski-gate?   It’s not so much the games he’ll miss, Ellis’s injury would have had him out a while anyways, but Monta will lose out on $3 million dollars during his suspension but I guess it’s better losing your money having fun on a moped than watching your 401K disappear in a financial crisis…

Coming Soon: NBA Regular Season Games in London
Sounds like the NBA will be playing some regular season games in London sometime between now and before the Olympics hit in 2012…  “Although we have no plans on the drawing board, it has been suggested to us that we should schedule in the next three years or so some regular-season games here – more than just one – on a regular basis,” said NBA Commish David Stern. “It’s fair to say that we’ll see a minimum of one and possibly more regular-season games by 2012.”

The globalization of the game continues as David Stern does his best to keep the NBA a big part of the world’s progress.  Stay tuned.

Links and Resources: With Yi, Nets are hoping to tap a new fan base (New York Times), Orlando Magic 94-66 CSKA Moscow (Euroleague.net), Bosh has 24 points, 10 rebounds in Raptors’ win over CSKA Moscow (Canada Press), Warriors suspend Ellis for mo-ped accident (Yahoo!), Radmanovic lies about injury (ESPN), Stu Does it Again (Basketball 24/7), Brandon Jennings Paves Path from High School to European Pro Leagues (New York Times), Brandon Jennings & Josh Childress Debut (SLAM), Top-Ten most popular NBA jerseys sold in Europe — related forum thread (NBA.com) Aussie Jawai forced to sit for Raptors after cardiac screenings (Fiba), No heart problems in family history, Jawai says (Toronto Star), NBA: London Calling (SkySports), NBA’s Monopoly and Basketball Globalization (Interbasket)

The Olympic basketball’s final four has been determined, and there are no surprises as Argentina, Lithuania, Spain, and the USA, the top four seeds going into the round have advanced.

The four teams have a combined record of 21-3 with the United States the only undefeated team left in the field.  Argentina, Lithuania and Spain are each 5-1.

To watch the games live, you’ll have to determine whom is your local official Olympic partner.

August 22, 2008 Game Times
20:00: Spain vs Lithuania (discuss the game)
Watch Live in Argentina, Lithuania, Spain, USA

22:15: Argentina vs. USA (discuss the game)
Watch Live in Argentina, Lithuania, Spain, USA

If the above providers don’t work, click here to find your specific local partner in your region or country.

Olympic Basketball Quarterfinal Recaps:
Spain defeated Croatia 72-59 behind 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots from Pau Gasol.  As with their two other losses previous to this game, the Croatians couldn’t find the mark from three, shooting only 5-17.  Marko Banic led the Croatians with 15 points.   Felipe Reyes chipped in 13 and Jose Calderon added 10 for the Spanish team.

Lithuania put away host China in the second match of the day 94-68.  The game was only a two point difference after one, and from there the Lithuanians pulled away with each subsequent quarter, outscoring the Chinese team by 9, 6, and 9.  Sarunas Jasikevicius hit 5-6 threes, scored 23 points, and dished out 6 assists.  Linas Kleiza and Ramaunas Siskauskas added 15 each.  Team China was led by Yao Ming 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Yi Jianlian added 11 points and 9 rebounds.

The Aussies kept up with the Americans, keeping tight after one, and only down 12 at half.  That was until Team USA used a 14-point run to start the third that opened up the game.  Kobe Bryant scored 25 points for the Americans in his first game of the tournament in which he shot better than 50% from the field.  Lebron James added 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Carmelo Anthony scored 15 for the USA.  Patrick Mills was amazing again against the Americans, the speedy 5-11 guard scored 20 points with 3 steals.  Glen Saville socred 13, and Joe Ingles added 11 hitting all four of his shots.

Everyone expected the Argentina-Greece match to be the most competitive, and they were right.  Behind Carlos Delfino’s 15 fourth quarter points, great individual defense by Pablo Prigioni, and Manu Ginobili scoring Argentina’s final seven points, the defending Olympic Champions held off Greece 80-78.  Greece had a stretch in which they threw the ball away three consecutive possessions, allowing the Argentinians to build a lead before riding some hot three-point shooting back into the game.  Ginobili’s layup put Argentina up 5 with 46 seconds left, Greece’s Panagiotis Vasilopoulos banked in a three.  And after a missed three by Ginobili on the other end, Vasileios Spanoulis dribbled up-court, shot a straight-away three that was just short to make the final margin.

Manu Ginobili led Argentina with 24 points, hitting 6-13 threes.  Carlos Delfino scored 23, Luis Scola had 11 points and 8 rebounds and Pablo Prigioni added 7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists.  For Team Hellas, Antonis Fotsis led the Greeks with a double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds) and received some surprise offensive contribution from Konstatinos Tsartsaris with 13 points.  Tsartsaris had scored only 9 points total in the five games previous.  Ioannis Bouroussis remained solid again with 12 and 3 rebounds.

Links and Resources: Watch Olympic Basketball Live Online (interbasket), NBC Olympics Live Basketball Coverage (NBC Olympics),

Day one of Olympic Basketball has finished with Russia, Germany, Spain, Lithuania, Croatia, and the USA getting their first wins.

Russia 71 : Iran 49 (Russia-Iran Boxscore)
Despite the 71-49 score, Russia didn’t have quite as easy a win as expected, though a late run in the game made for the final margin against feisty Iran.  Russia was outscored 16-8 in the third period, and Iran pulled within 8 points going into the fourth period 46-38.  Russia would go on a 25-11 run of the final period.

Naturalized J.R. Holden scored 19 points for Russia while Andrei Kirilenko added 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.  Viktor Khryapa, a key Russian player that had been a question mark for the Olympics, played 20 minutes and put up 8 points and 5 rebounds.  For Iran, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami scored 16 points, but also had 7 turnovers.  Iranian 7-2 center Hamad Ehadadi added 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks.  (comment on the game).olimpio cipriano defends germany\’s chris kaman” src=”http://www.interbasket.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/oly1-cipriano-kaman-rs.jpg” alt=”" width=”237″ height=”193″ />

Links and Resources: Russia put away gritty Iran in men’s opener (FIBA), Russia-Iran Boxscore (FIBA)

Germany 95 : Angola 66 (Germany-Angola Boxscore)
Playing in Group B, Angola is not going to have a lot of opportunities to advance.  Germany was one of their chances to get a leg up.  Unfortunately, Angola’s offense was erratic, and their defense wasn’t much better, giving up 54 points at halftime, 17 of those to Chris Kaman.  Kaman ended the game with 24 points and Dirk Nowitzki took a backseat with 23 points and 6 rebounds.  Together the NBA duo combined to shoot a blistering 17-21 from the field, and the German team shot 58.6% for the game.

Eduardo Mingas put in 24 points and 3 steals for the Angolans, while Olimpio Cipriano and Joaquim Gomes both played roughly 30 minutes, but combined to shoot only 2-13 from the field, though Gomes did have 8 rebounds.  Carlos Morais added 14 for the Angolans. (Angola-Germany Live Discussion)

Links and Resources: Kaman, Nowitzki power Germany past Angola (FIBA), Germany-Angola Boxscore (FIBA)

Spain 81 : Greece 66 (Greece-Spain Boxscore)
The big game of the day didn’t turn out to be much of a competition as Spain easily defeated Greece without much of a fight.  The Spanairds just seemed to be a couple steps ahead of the Greeks on both ends of the court.  It also didn’t help team Hellas that they shot 11-24 (46%) from the free-throw line.

Outside of the free-throws, the two team’s stats weren’t that dissimilar, but the difference was on the court, the Spanish just executed better on both ends and showed why they, along with the USA are the favorites to medal.  Rudy Fernandez led Espana with 16 points.  Jose Calderon added 13 points and Pau Gasol chipped in 11 points and 7 rebounds.

Former Houston Rocket Vasileios Spanoulis scored 15 points and had 4 turnovers for the Greeks, and Dmitrios Diamantidis put in 14 poinrs, 3 assists and 3 turnovers.  Spain has now defeated the Greeks in four straight contests.  (Greece-Spain Live Discussion)

Links and Resources: Spain win to continue recent dominance against Greece (FIBA), Greece-Spain Boxscore (FIBA)

Lithuania 79 : Argentina 75 (Argentina-Lithuania Boxscore)
In the game of the day, Lithuania squeezed by Argentina with the help of a big three-pointer from their 6-8 power forward Linas Kleiza.

With 3:23 remaining in the game and Lithuania up 11 points, Argentina would stage their come back.  Luis Scola‘s layup would complete eleven straight points that would tie the game at 75 with 1:33 left.  Lithuania would go scoreless from the beginning of the Argentina’s run until Kleiza’s three pointer with 2 seconds remaning.  A span of almost three and a half minutes.  An errant inbounds by Scola and a Siskauskas free-throw would make for the final score.

And the Lithuanian’s knew they were lucky to pull this one out, without Kleiza’s three, the Lith’s finish to the game was horrendous.  Instead they walk out of day one with a big win, “Argentina is the Olympic champion and it speaks for itself,” Jasikevicius said. “For us to start the Olympics in this way, it’s incredible.”

Kleiza led the Lithuanians in scoring with 13 points, shooting a perfect 3-3 from three and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.  Robertas Javtokas had 12 points and 5 rebounds.  Siskauskas, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Marijonas Petravicius each added 10 points.  Jasikevicius also had 8 assists and 5 turnovers.

Argentina was led by Manu Ginobili’s 19 points, though he shot only 6-15 from the field including 1-7 from three.  Also shooting 1-7 from three was Andres Nocioni, whom scored 15 points on 5-14 and pulled in 9 rebounds.  Carlos Delfino added 13 points and 6 rebounds.  Fabricio Oberto chipped in a near double-double with 9 points and 11 rebounds.  (Argentina-Lithuania Live Discussion)

Links and Resources: Kleiza kills off Argentina with late three-pointer (FIBA), Argentina-Lithuania Boxscore (FIBA)

Croatia 97 : Australia 82 (Croatia-Australia Boxscore)
The story of the game was the Croat’s efficient three-point shooting.  They balanced their amazing 12-16 from beyond the arc, with fantastic defense.

Croatia limited Andrew Bogut to just one total rebound as well as four turnovers.  Bogut also had 10 points.

Though Croatia was able to hit 75% of their three-point attempts, they were surprisingly led by two players that did not even attempt a three pointer.  Croatia’s 6-10 center Nikola Prkacin and 6-8 forward Marko Banic each scored 16 points.  Prkacin contributions only took 11 minutes of play, he and Banic combined to shoot 12-13, all within the arc and 8-9 from the free-throw line.

With Prkacin and Banic holding down the offensive interior, it allowed for Marko Tomas (4-4) , Zoran Planinic (2-2), and Davor Rus (2-3) to bomb away from the outside.  Marko Tomas and Planinic scored 12 points each, Kresimir Loncar added 10 points, and recent Toronto Raptor signee Roko Ukic put in 9 points.

Matt Nielsen of Lietuvos Rytas, led the Boomers with 13 points with 5 rebounds, David Barlow had 12 points, and Patrick Mills scored 9. (Australia-Croatia Live Discussion)

Links and Resources: Croatia gun down Boomers in Beijing (FIBA), Croatia-Australia Boxscore (FIBA)

USA 101 : China 70 (China-USA Boxscore)
The home country crowd erupted as Yao Ming hit a three pointer China’s first possession, giving the home team a 3-0 advantage over the favored Americans.  It would become a theme throughout the first half.

Even though it was expected that China would come out energetic and focused, it wasn’t expected that the Chinese would be tied with the United States at 29 apiece with six minutes before halftime.  Bolstered by blistering three-point shooting in the first half, the Chinese hit 8-12 threes in their first 16 minutes before finally misfiring on the final four attempts.

And in the span of those final four minutes before halftime, the US outscored China 14-5, to open up a 12 point spread.

The third quarter saw the Americans more than double their lead by wearing down Team China, forcing them into seven of their 18 turnovers in the quarter and outscoring the Chinese 25-11.  The United States wouldn’t be seriously threatened from then on.

Despite the score, Team China played well and showed a greater understanding against the Americans.  However, the game showed that their guards still had some work to do as Dwyane Wade was able to easily pick both of China’s point guards’ pockets (Liu Wei and Chen Jianghua).  Yi Jianlian relied way too much on dribble moves that ended up in fadeaway jumpers that barely hit the rim.  Jianlian started out 0-7 before hitting some garbage time baskets that included a spectacular follow-up dunk dunk over Carmelo Anthony.

Dwyane Wade continued his efficient play with 19 points on 7-7 shooting in just 20 minutes of play.  LeBron James added 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 tremendous blocks.  Kobe Bryant shot 6-14, but only 1-7 from three, including a team-leading 3 turnovers (tied with Jason Kidd).

Yao Ming led the Chinese with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  Zhu Fangyu contributed 11 points, 8 rebounds, and outside of Ming, Zhu looked to be the most prepared player on the court.  As mentioned before, Yi Jianlian scored nine points, the 7 of which was during garbage time. Wang ZhiZhi and  Sun Yue, the recent Laker signing, added 8 points each. (China-USA Live Discussion)

Links and Resources: Americans win over China in thrilling Olympic encounter (FIBA), China-USA Boxscore (FIBA)

With a few days left before Olympic basketball begins, Interbasket is previewing the twelve national teams participating in the tournament.  We reviewed the six teams in Group A on Tuesday, and we’ll be reviewing Group B today. (Click here for Olympic Basketball Group A Preview).

With the United States, Spain and Greece all in Group B, the group is obviously the tougher group of the two. Unlike Group A where five teams have a chance for four spots with Iran a 100-1 chance to win a game, Group B will likely have one spot for either Angola, China, or Germany assuming that the heavyweights take the top-three spots.

United States Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 1 (832.2)
Qualified: 2007 Fiba Americas Tournament (Gold)
Roster: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams
Facts: If the USA wins the gold, Jason Kidd will join Larry Bird as the two oldest basketball Olympic gold-medalists (Larry was an older 35, beating Kidd by a few months).
Note: This may be the first real group of US players that are coming in with a real sense of urgency and respect (basketball-wise) for their opponents.  “For too long, we’ve been saying it’s our game,” said USA coach Mike Krzyzewski. “It’s really the world’s game. You can’t be arrogant and win.”

I’ve followed their U.S. coverage and their play and teamwork seems as cohesive as I have seen a US team with a couple exceptions. Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade have proven they haven’t completely bought into the team concept when they step on the court as they’ve broke the offense many times to go one on one with only mixed results.  Wade has converted on his individual forays, while Kobe has not.

This type of play will hurt the US especially against more disciplined teams such as Greece, Spain and Argentina, but if they make the shots that will add to the US’s intimidation factor.  And though the intmidation factor is not nearly as it was in the previous years, the USA still can seem imposing.

“(The USA) can intimidate a lot of people,” said Australia‘s Chris Anstey.

The key for the USA and their intimidation is their defensive ball pressure and offensive flow.  One feeds into the other, and if the US runs into a defensive team with capable guards (see Greece, Spain, Argentina and Croatia), it can cause major problems for the United States.

Every time Jason Kidd has put on a USA jersey, he has been an important player for the United States, but his needed impact is less necessary this time around with the growth and skills of the spectacular Chris Paul and powerful Deron Williams.

Outside of needing work on his help defense, Carmelo Anthony continues to be the most-adapted international player on team USA, Instead of being the explosive scorer he is in the NBA, Anthony is quietly getting 15 a game by letting the game come to him.

LeBron James is adapting, though he’s been tempted to shooting fadeaway jumpshots as he does in the NBA, his amazing shooting percentages in the FIBA tournament of the America and the recent pre-tourney games shows he is picking and choosing his spots.  (He averaged 18 ppg in the TOA on 76% from the field and 63% from three).

The play of the big guys, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh, will be particularly important against the more competitive teams.  Howard is at that stage of his career where consistency is still an issue.  Some days he looks like a thinner, more athletic Shaquille O’Neal and other days he seems content, almost biding his time, watching LeBron, Carmelo, and Wade get their shots.  I think the US is definitely one of the favorites, it’s how this team will respond to being challenged will be the true test; will they come together or will they be tempted to play one-on-one?  USA’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. China (22:15 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), US survives toughest test, beat Asutralia by 11 (Associate Press)

Spain Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 3 (580)
Qualified: 2006 World Championships (Gold)
Roster: José Calderón, Rudy Fernández, Jorge Garbajosa, Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Carlos Jiménez, Raúl López, Álex Mumbrú, Juan Carlos Navarro, Felipe Reyes, Berni Rodríguez, Ricky Rubio
Facts: A tribute to how strong this Spanish team is, they won the 2006 World Championships without leading scorer Pau Gasol, whom was injured the game before.  Espana’s medalcount stands at 97 total medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, placing them 34th overall in the world, behind Greece.

Note: The Spaniards are a disciplined, emotional, talented, and they don’t just want to beat you, they want to embarrass you.

The Spanish National Team hasn’t changed much in the last two years and they’re bringing almost the same squad as they had in the 2006 World Championships (where they won first), and the 2007 Eurobasket (where they took 2nd).

Speaking to the talent of the Spanish team, they boast seven players that have played, currently play, or will play in the NBA, the most in the Olympics outside of the USA.

Spain brings back 10 of the 12 players from those two tournaments, only swapping out point guards Carlos Cabezas and Sergio Rodríguez with point guards Raul Lopez and Ricky Rubio, arguably the best 17-year old basketball player.  With only minor changes to the team, and without significant losses to their core, Spain’s chemistry and gameplan will be amongst the strongest, if not the strongest, in the field.

With that said, Group B has the best guard play in the tournament, and Spain boasts a really strong backcourt in fiery Jose Calderon, La Bomba Juan Carlos Navarro, solid Raul Lopez and teen phenom Ricky Rubio.  Look for Calderon to be all over the floor this tournament, whether because of opponents or self-inflicted.  Also look for opposing fans to hate him.

Their frontcourt is nothing to sleep on either with their cog Pau Gasol and brother Marc are intense on the inside.  Swingman Rudy Fernandez is a better-Carlos Delfino – much better.   Carlos Jiménez is one of those players that is more than willing to sacrifice any individual accolades so that his team succeeds, that’s a nice way of saying he’ll do the real dirty work.

Spain has been looking great in preliminaries blowing out contenders in Argentina and Lithuania.  I know that using friendlies as a gauge is flawed, but I think it does help to determine a team’s preparedness, especially when playing against other senior national A teams.

Pau Gasol is weary about the competition, but it doesn’t phase his confidence “There are several big teams in the competition, such as Argentina or Greece — and especially the United States is very strong this year,” the Spanish superstar said “Once we are in the quarter-finals we will begin to make plans. We must demonstrate to everyone why we came here as the favorites.“ 

Their first step towards those quarterfinals is a huge one, they’ll play Greece in their first 2008 Olympic match.  That’s going to be one intense game, people.  Spain’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. Greece (14:30 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), Kobe can Wait, says Spain’s Gasol (AFP), What about Carlos Jimenez? (Interbasket)

Greece Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 6 (429)
Qualified: 2008 World Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Roster: Yiannis Bourousis, Dimitris Diamantidis, Antonis Fotsis, Andreas Glyniadakis, Theodoros Papaloukas, Michalis Pelekanos, Giorgos Printezis, Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Vasileios Spanoulis, Kostas Tsartsaris, Panagiotis Vasilopoulos, Nikos Zisis
Facts: Throughout its history, Greece has totaled 104 total medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, placing them 33rd overall in the world (behind New Zealand and ahead of Spain).

Note: Not far behind USA and Spain, is Team Hellas.  Aggressive on offense and defense, the Greeks have an all-world defense led by their starting backcourt of Theodoros Papaloukas and Dimitris Diamantidis.

The Greeks came off a unbeaten record in the World Qualifying Tourney (4-0) defeating their opponents by a decisive 32 points a game, including a complete 57-point drubbing of Lebanon.  Yowza.

Along with the United States and Spain, Greece’s backcourt is amongst the strongest in the tournament with all-European player Theodoros Papaloukas, defensive genius Dmitrios Diamanditis, the fearless Vasillis Spanoulis, and solid Nikos Zisis.

Theodoros Papaloukas is a pure point guard that stands 6-7, and is arguably been Europe’s most successful player in recent history, as well as being the Euroleague’s all-time leading assist man and thief.  Diamantidis is the Joe Dumars of the Euroleague, quiet, smart and known for his defensive prowess, the Octopus Man has being named as 2007 Euroleague Final MVP,  2005, 2006 and 2007 Euroleague Best Defender, 2006-07 All-Euroleague First Team.  Spanoulis provides an aggressive player that can get to the basket and Zisis a consistent perimeter threat in both running the offense and shooting the three.

Zisis is coming off a shoulder injury from the World Qualifiers, but should be ready in time for Greece’s first game matchup against Spain.

On the frontline is the 6-10 Antonis Fotsis, a skilled athelete with a knack for rebounding the ball can also step back and shoot the three.  6-9 Sofoklis Schortsanitis who was a force in the 2006 World Championships, but since has had trouble controlling his weight and 6-11 center Yiannis Bourousis.  Bourousis will fill the space of the national team center mainstay Lazaros Papadopoulos, whom wasn’t included on the Olympic roster.

Greece has been running on all cylinders as of late, that’s not good news for Group B, or the rest of the world for that matter.  Their first test is going to be a good one, they’ll be playing recent nemesis Spain.  Expect some sparks to fly.  Greece’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. Spain (14:30 local time)

Links and Resources: Zisis to undergo intensive treatment (FIBA), Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia),

Germany Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 9 (284, tie)
Qualified: 2008 World Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Roster:  Patrick Femerling, Robert Garrett, Demond Greene, Steffen Hammann, Jan Jagla, Chris Kaman, Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Ohlbrecht, Pascal Roller, Sven Schultze, Konrad Wysocki, Philip Zwiener
Facts: Dirk Nowitzki will join Sarunas Jasikevicius, Manu Ginobili, and Andrei Kirilenko as the flag-bearer for Germany, which apparently is odd because only German Gold Medal winners who took part in several olympic games were considered. Germany’s total medalcount is at 648 for both Winter and Summer Olympics, putting them 5th in the world.

Note: This is Dirk Nowitzki’s first Olympics and the pressure is on. Because Deustchland is still all about Dirk Nowitzki, the burden for him to perform is at its highest since he led Dallas to the NBA Finals two years ago.

Recognizing the reliance on Germany’s best hooper, Team Germany has continue to fine-tune and tightened up Dirk’s supporting cast.

They’ve added naturalized American 7-0 center Chris Kaman whom will take a huge load off of Nowitzki by holding down the interior and pulling in his share of rebounds – Kaman averaged 8.6 rebounds and added 12.6 points to boot in the FiBA World Qualifying Tournament.

Germany has also tweaked the players outside the paint with solid preimeter players and outside shooters in Pascal Roller, Steffen Hamman, Demond Greene, and Robert Garrett.

Robert Garrett is 6-4, but Roller stands only 5-11, and Hamman and Greene at 6-1.  With significant players lacking in height, Germany will really miss their warrior in the paint, 6-9 Ademola Olulaja, whom pulled out of the Olympics after reportedly being diagnosed with a tumor in his spine.  With Okulaja out, the 33-year old, 7-1 center Patrick Femerling and 6-8 Konrad Wysocki will be called upon to contribute in the German frontcourt.  With all that said, this team’s fortunes begin and end with Dirk Nowitzki, and the 7-0 German has always delivered in international tournaments. Germany’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. Angola (11:15 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), Nowitzki will be flag-bearer for Germany (Spiegel.de), Concerns raised over Okulaja’s health (FIBA)

China Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 11 (252.7)
Qualified: Host
Roster: Yao Ming, Liu Wei, Yi Jianlian, Chen Jianghua, Weipeng Zheng, Chen Jianghu, Sun Yue, Wang Zhizhi
Facts: China has 319 total medals in both Winter and Summer Olympics, ranking them 15th in the world. Among the 433 torch bearers in the final Olympic torch relay from the Forbidden City to Beijing, Yao Ming was the ninth bearer.  Yao will also be the China’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremonies, this is the second consecutive Olympics that Yao has the honor of bearing the flag, he also did so in Athens 2004.  Including 2008, Chinese Basketball players have beared the flag for China in the opening ceremonies in seven straight Olympics Wang Libin (1984), Song Tao (1988), Song Li (1992),  Liu Yudong (1996 and 2000), and Yao Ming (2004 and 2008).

Note: Host team China has the pressure to do well on their homecourt.  Despite the obvious lofty expectations, Team China’s goal is progress, and that is to make it into the quarterfinals.  With USA, Spain and Greece all in China’s group, that would be a great accomplishment for the host team.

Chinese superstar Yao Ming is coming off another leg injury and whether his timing and stamina will be up is a concern for China.  “I went several months without playing and it’s hard.” Yao said.

Even if Yao doesn’t score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds in a game, the 7-6 center’s presence is invaluable to Team China on both ends of the court.  Teams have to be concerned that the Chinese giant is more than capable of getting 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Like the Aussies, the strength of the Chinese team is their frontcourt.  With the new walking great wall, veterans Ming, Wang Zhizhi, and newcomer Yi Jianlian (taking place of Mengke Bateer) standing at the frontline, they will certainly be imposing.  A couple issues with the big men is that they are all turnover prone, how well they will move their feet and how quickly they can get to rebounds, as none of the three are lightning quick or are naturally strong rebounders.

China has never had a problem filling their frontline with talented big men, but the question has always been whether China will have the capacity in the backcourt to finish off competitive games.

Liu Wei is an experienced international player and should do a decent job running the point as he played 10 years with Yao Ming and this will be his third Olympics.  Liu’s backup is Chen Jianghu, whom participated in the 2007 Nike Hoops Summit as part of the World All-Star team, is new to the National team and tends to play sporadically.

Even with all the questions about China’s National Team, Li Yuanwei, deputy director of the Chinese Basketball Association thinks this National team is the best team China has ever fielded: “I think the Chinese teams at the Beijing Games are the best.” We’ll have to wait and see.  China’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. USA (22:15 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), China has best basketball teams in history, top official (Xinhua), Olympic Torch Relay begins final leg to Beijing (China Daily)

Angola Olympic Preview (discuss)
FIBA World Ranking: 14 (206)
Qualified: 2007 African Championships (1st)
Roster: Carlos Almeida, Felizardo Ambrosio, Milton Barros, Abdel Aziz Boukar, Olimpio Cipriano, Armando Costa, Luis Costa, Vladimir Geronimo, Joaquim Gomes, Paulo Leonel, Eduardo Mingas, Carlos Morais.
Facts: This will be Angola’s fifth-straight Olympic Games as the sole representative from Africa.

Notes: Angola is the perennial African champions, and have won the last nine of ten African Championships, dating back to 1989.  Despite the continental success, Angola has never placed higher than 10th in either the Olympics or the World Championships.  The southwestern African nation is looking for a lot more progress this time around.

Angola is assuming that powerhouse USA, Spain and Greece will advance to the quarterfinals so, they’ve marked the calendars for their games against Germany and China.  “Spain are world champions, and Greece and the U.S. are just very, very tough.” said Carlos Almeida, Angola’s veteran shooting guard. “China and Germany are tough teams but we will try to steal those games.  We know we have the ability to beat them.”

Defeating Dirk Nowitzki and Yao Ming’s teams would basically guarantee Angola a spot in the next round.

Angola comes back with a similar gameplan as in past tournaments – small ball.  Always seemingly bringing a roster that is lacking a legitimate big man, Angola plays small ball with their tallest players only standing at 6-8; leading scorer and rebounder Joaquim Gomes.  Abdel Aziz Boukar is also 6-8 and Felizardo Ambrosio is 6-7.

What the Angolans lack in height, they make up for in speed, energy, and athleticism, quite possibly matching the USA in overall athelticism.  Team Angola has will be led by the three-headed forward combination of Joaquim Gomes, Eduardo Mingas, and Olimpio Cipriano.

This threesome has consistently been Angola’s leading scorers over the last several tournaments, and we would assume that this will remain the case.  The 29 year-old Mingas and 27-year old Gomes have played together since the 2002 World Championships, with Cirpriano joining the tandem in the 2004 Athens Olympics.  Angola’s First Game: August 10th, 2008 vs. Germany (11:15 local time)

Links and Resources: Basketball at the Summer Olympics (Wikipedia), Angola aims to give China the elbow (Guardian.co.uk)

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)

The Milwukee Bucks traded away Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons for Richard Jefferson of the New Jersey Nets. Though the trade happened on the day of the 2008 NBA Draft, no draft picks were exchanged.

Even though no draft picks were swapped, the move signals to the potential picks Milwaukee or New Jersey will make in tonight’s NBA draft. The Bucks pick at #8, while New Jersey has the #10 pick.

Yi Jianlian, the 7-footer from China selected sixth overall in the 2007 NBA draft, spent one up-and-down season in Milwaukee. After a promising start to the season, Yi faded during the second-half, finishing off the season wih 8.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and failed to make either All-Rookie Teams. But that didn’t deter the Nets from pursuing the promising 20-year old. “We feel that Yi can be a very special player,” said Rod Thorn, the Net’s GM, “He is a 20-year- old seven-footer who shoots the ball extremely well, and he is an excellent addition to our frontcourt. ”

And no doubt Jianlian and his agent are happy that they’ll be moving to a city with a much larger Asian population, which was the main point of contention when Yi held out last year after being selected by Milwaukee. Around 3.5% of the Wisconsin city’s population is Asian and if the state is any indication, half of that 3.5% is likely to be of Hmong descent (re: Not Chinese), while in East Rutherford, New Jersey (where the Nets play), the Asian population is roughly 10.6%.

Jianlian was packaged with Bobby Simmons, the NBA’s Most-Improved Player in 2006. “Bobby Simmons is a veteran NBA player who has averaged 10 points for his career, and should be a rotation player for us.” said Thorn.

The 6-7 Richard Jefferson, a part of the 2004 USA Olympic team that brought home the Bronze, has spent his entire eight-year career in New Jersey, and averaged a career best in points (22.7) last season. He has career averages of 17.4 ppg, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.

“We certainly gave up a good player, but to get a good player you have to give up a good player. With Yi, we feel his upside is very up,” Thorn said. “We feel strongly (Yi’s) going to be a real good player for us.”

Sources and links: Yi Jianlian traded to New Jersey Nets Supposedly (Interbasket), Nets trade Jefferson to Bucks for Yi (Yahoo Sports) 2007-08 NBA All-Rookie Teams (NBa.com), Latino, Asian numbers rising (JSOnline), Chinatown in Milwaukee? Just maybe (JSOnline)

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 01/30/2008- 02/05/2008)

Pau Gasol + Kobe + Bynum Shakes Up the West
After months of mild media speculation and uninspired play by Spanish superstar, world champion, and NBA all-star Pau Gasol, the Grizzlies shipped the unhappy Gasol tot he Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Javaris Crittenton, Kwame Brown and two first round draft picks.

The move left many GMs around the league with their jaws dropped and scratching their heads. Much like how I envision an orangutan. “They got Pau Gasol for how much?!” seemed to be the consensus.

And it’s true, it may have made sense on paper, salary-wise, but it didn’t make sense in any other type of logic. The Lakers got themselves a bargain. It was like the Lakers had a NBA-sanctioned 70% off coupon that could applied to the trade without restrictions. “Oh you want us to also throw in Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, $3,000,000 and an iPhone? Sure, but I have this discount coupon here so you only get Kwame, Crittenton, and the rights to Pau’s slower, awkward brother, Marc.”

Pau Gasol played his first game in the Laker’s purple and gold Monday night and made quite the impression. Despite being hit with three quick personal fouls in his first twelve minutes of action, Pau ended the game with 37 minutes, 24 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists.

And the important thing is that the Lakers won despite Kobe scoring only 6 points in the game. It’s always great to work in a new player and have them perform well in their first game, it’s even better if it ends in a win. Nothing gels a team like winning; little mistakes, personal nuances, a missed passes are muted significantly when the game ends in a win. not to mention the confidence it builds in the new makeup of the team.

Up and Down Week for Hedo Turkoglu
Hedo Turkoglu was snubbed for the all-star reserves last week. That didn’t stop the 6-9, 28-year old Turk from being honored as the NBA player of the week for week ending January 27th.

And on Monday night, Hedo recorded the first triple-double of his career 13 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds in a loss against the Mavericks. Previous to that game, Turkoglu was really pushing for an all-star berth with his performances in eight straight games where he scored 20+ points — for averages of 24.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists.

Beno Udrih Back to the Bench
I feel for Beno Udrih. Never given the chance to play much in San Antonio, then after being released by the Spurs before the season, Beno got the opportunity to take over for the Sacramento Kings with an injury to Mike Bibby.

Beno signed with the Kings and immediately seeing time on the court.  He played well in Bibby’s absence, and was able to show the haters why, year after year, he was on the bench in San Antonio.

The reason why was that Beno Udrih had potential, but was playing behind Tony Parker and Beno’s style not aligning with Popovich’s equated to little or no minutes. With Mike Bibby back, after Beno started 27 consecutive games, Udrih is riding the pine again.   Now at least the left-handed Slovenian is still getting 15 minutes of burn every night, a lot more than he was getting in San Antonio.  The question is whether Udrih is happy playing backup in Sactown or is he going to use his recent accomplishments to see if the grass is greener elsewhere?

So Which International NBA Players Have Next?
We all know about perennial international superstars Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Yao Ming, but who are the up and coming international players? With the all-star game reserves being named last week, it got me thinking. Who are the international potential all-stars in the NBA?

The only requirements is that they haven’t played in an all-star game (eliminating Tony Parker, Andrei Kirilenko, and Memo Okur), and are 26 years old or under. Oddly enough, that leaves out two promising rookies, the 27 year-old Luis Scola and Juan Carlos Navarro. I listed the players in their likelihood of making an all-star team…

Luol Deng – Lost in the Bull’s disappointing season and recent injuries, when Luol Deng is on the court, he is the face of consistency. Sweet mid-range game, high basketball IQ, long arms, and a demeanor that reminds me of Tim Duncan, Deng has the potential to be a NBA superstar.

Andris Biedrins – If you read this column anough, you know I really have high hopes for Andris Biedrins potential. The fact that he is averaging around a double-double when no plays are called for him, and leading the league in FG% shows the potential this Latvian has. Here’s hoping the addition of Chris Webber doesn’t negatively affect Biedrins…. well, effectiveness.

Linas Kleiza – The question with this 23-year old Lithuanian bull is how much he is benefiting from the system and the looks he gets brought by the power-scoring duo of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. I don’t think that that should be a question at all, I tend to take the other side of it. To be the third-leading scorer (12.7) on this Denver team and doing it in only 25 minutes only highlights how much of a tough cover Kleiza is.The 6-8, 245lb Kleiza is strong, hits the boards, runs the break, attacks the basket off the dribble and gets to the line three times a game in limited minutes… the way he is built and his aggresiveness reminds me of a Karl Malone and without the elbows and kicks to the groin, but with a three-point shot you have to respect (Kleiza is shooting 35% from beyond the arc).

Yi Jianlian – If his recent performances are any indication, Jianlian is slowing down. Even then, he has shown enough skill and athletic ability to become an NBA all-star. He surprised many with his midrange game. All of those traits allow Yi Jianlian to be so high up on this list. “He’s expanding his game. I like the fact that he’s aggressive taking it to the basket. I like the fact that he’s offensive rebounding and trying to go up there. The strength factor and conditioning and getting used to 17 games in a month, that just comes with experience.” said Larry Harris, the Buck’s GM.

(Speaking of Yi Jianlian, remember when yao ming was being voted into the all-star game and everyone was complaining about how he only got into the game because of all the Chinese voters? Well, where are all those people now? If that theory was true back then, which it wasn’t, why isn’t it true now? According to that logic, wouldn’t Yi Jianlian be the starting forward for the east for the rest of his life?)

Jose Calderon - The emotional Jose Calderon is the face of consistency and efficient point guard play. He’s more John Stockton than he is Jason Kidd — no, not because of that, but because you’re not very likely to see behind the back pass from Calderon, yet he’ll end the game 12 assists. The Spanish PG leads the NBA in assist-to-turnovers at 5.62, way ahead of second-place Brevin Knight (4.41), fourth-place Chris Paul (4.06), Chauncey Billups (3.44), Brandon Roy (3.05), and Steve Nash (3.04).

On top of that, Calderon is one of those rare players that is shooting better than 50% from the field (52.9%), 40% from three (44.6%), and 90% from the line (91.6%) this season. If he can finish the season above those marks, while maintaining the minimum requirements, Calderon will join a very-select group of players to have ever accomplished that — Larry Bird, Mark Price, Reggie Miller and Steve Nash. Not bad at all.

Andrew Bogut – Bogut is having a quiet season only because he plays in Milwaukee. If he played in New York, we’d be talking about the young Aussie’s promise. Seriously, is there any other team in the NBA that no one cares about more than the Milwukee Bucks?
Bogut is putting up similar yet decent numbers up for the second straight season, on a team where perimeter guys like Michael Redd, Mo williams, Bobby Simmons and Charlie Bell get up a lot of shots. Currently putting up about 13-14 points, 8-9 rebounds, 2-3 assists on 52% from the field, Andy needs to assert himself offensively because he certainly has the potential to be a 20-10-4-2-blocks guy given more of an opportunity.

Leandro Barbosa – The quiet sixth man is this era’s Vinne Johnson in the sense that both come off the bench and can heat things up immediately. The Brazilian Microwave utilizes his speed and awkward three-point shot to the tune of roughly 17 points a game for the high-scoring Suns.

If Barbosa were in a different situation, one that saw him starting on a non-contender, it’s not out of the question that he could easily put up 25 a night. What? 25 a game, Stuart he is playing 30 minutes a game as it is! Yes, the Blur from Brazil is averaging 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in just over 30 minutes a game, but he is doing that sharing the basketball with Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Grant Hill, and Shawn Marion (now, Shaquille O’Neal).

Kelenna Azubuike – Azubuike dominated the NBDL and it was plainly obvious that he belonged in the NBA. And you can tell with some guys that come up from the developmental league if they’re ready. I believe that not only is Kelenna ready, but he can easily be a 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assist guy given the minutes. And with his ability to not only get to rim, but finish at the rim and shoot the three, Kelenna has the potential to be a dangerous offensive threat. Unfortunately, at 6-5 Azubuike is a tweener (or in laymans terms shooting guard/small forward) and finds himself playing behind the faster Monta Ellis, the bigger Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, and fighting for time with another international Warrior that is similar in size and skillset, Frenchman Mickael Pietrus. It’s crowded in Golden State, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Azubuike, much as what I think Beno Udrih will do, leverage his performance this year into a better (individual) situation where he’ll see more court time.

Sources: Hedo Turkoglu, Al Jefferson Named Players of the Week (NBA.com), Yi Taking Road to Stardom (JSOnline.com), NBA Assist-to-Turnover Leaders (ESPN), Only Players to accomplish 50-40-90: Steve Nash Wins MVP (Nba.com)

Every Wednesday during the NBA season, Interbasket takes a closer look at ten international NBA players that has caught our eye. (This week is for period 01/23/2008- 01/29/2008)

Cleveland Hurting
The Cleveland Cavs are playing great since the first of the year, but have hit a touch stretch with injuries to Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao. Pavlovic is scheduled to be out for a couple months and Varejao severely sprained his ankle and will be out for about four weeks. I won’t say anything about both of those guys being out a significant chunk of the season with contract disputes.

Roko Leni-Ukic who?
It’s nice to see Jose Calderon getting some press for his consistent, smart, efficient, and emotional leadership. Especially for someone whom was an afterthought because the undrafted Spaniard only finds himself in Toronto only because the Raptor’s 2005 draft pick, Roko Leni-Ukic decided to stay in Europe.

Although Calderon is leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.44-to1), Jose is surprisingly garnering some buzz to be included in the Eastern conference all-star reserves this year. Is it going to happen? Doubtful, but it’s good press for the Spanaird and it plants the seed in the media’s brains for future considerations.

The third-year guard is having his best season statistically for the 25-20 Toronto Raptors. Calderon is getting 10 more minutes a game this season and putting up career-highs in points (12.3), assists (8.8), rebounds (3.2), steals (1.1), FG% (52.1), 3pt (44.8), and FT% (91.6). Calderon is 26 years old and hitting his prime, so look for him to improve upon his stats in the coming years, well, depending on what happens with TJ Ford.

Should Turkoglu be an All-Star this Year?
Hedo Turkoglu is becoming increasingly under-rated this season. Even with a huge win, on national television, against the best team in the NBA (Boston) it was clear to anyone who was watching that the Magic’s go-to guy in the fourth-quarter was Turkoglu. However, only a sprinkle of the all-star reserve prediction pieces have mention of him, and even then the 27-year old Turkish star still misses the cut in all those all-star-reserve guesses. “If I make it I’ll be the happiest guy in the world,” Turkoglu said, “But if I don’t make it, it just shows that I have a long way to go and I’ll come back next year even harder.”

Understandably, Turkoglu’s nomination puts the voters in a tough spot. Though Hidayet is playing his best ball on a winning team, he still has to beat out players like Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Richard Jefferson, Gerald Wallace, Caron Butler and Antwan Jamison. That will be difficult considering Pierce and Bosh are likely to make the team, and the latter three are also having their best seasons. In my eyes, voters are going to have to decide between Hedo, Jefferson, and Jamison. If New Jersey was winning more games, Jefferson would easily be there, but do the Nets right now deserve two players? I don’t think so. Does the Wizards also deserve two? Maybe.

I Heart Andris Biedrins
Speaking of under-rated, If you’ve been reading my updates, you can tell that I am more than enamored with one Andris Biedrins. I have the benefit of watching him play on a consistent basis and the man is truly unsung when the media talks of the Golden State Warrior’s success.

Perhaps motivated by the Warrior’s attempt to bring back Chris Webber to the bay area to bolster their middle, the Latvian had a career-high 26 rebounds the other night against the New York Knicks. “Of course I take it a little bit personally because that’s my job,” Biedrins said. “My job is at the defensive end, rebound and block shots. I try to do my job as good as I can.” Biedrin’s career-high was also the highest amount a Golden State player has ever pulled in, in over 25 years.

Biedrins had 10 rebounds in the first quarter alone, single-handedly out-rebounding the Knicks by one. Biedrin’s 26 rebounds were the most by a Golden State player since Larry Smith had 31 on March 28, 1981 – before Biedrins was born. Biedrins previous career high in rebounds was 18, which he accomplished four times in his career.

Nene Recovering, Apologizing
Nene issued a statement to apologize for incorrect posting made on his official website that said his testicular cancer tumor was benign, when in fact it was malignant. The doctors that removed the tumor said that the tumor was ioslated and are expecting Nene to make a full recovery. Amazingly, Nene is expected to be back on the this year, some expect to be as early as April of this year.

Sefolosha Getting his Chance
The one good thing about the Bulls under-achieving this season is Thabo Sefolosha getting some run. With the Bulls riddled with injuries and not showing any real potential for turning their season around anytime soon, Chicago has turned to developing their young(er) talent. Thabo Sefolosha, a combo-guard from Switzerland known for his long arms and defense, has had four straight games of double-figures. And Sefolosha has played over 20 minutes in his last ten games (nine of which he has started) and has averaged 10.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.7 steals in 30.6 minutes a game. Thabo has also recorded his first and second double-doubles of his career during the ten game run.

Unfortunately, we can’t say the Bulls have been awesome in that span, they haven’t (they were 4-6 in that span), but it’s nice to see Sefolosha getting some minutes.

Mbenga Back
After being waived by the Golden State Warriors, DJ Mbenga eventually found himself wearing the Laker gold two weeks later. Mbenga was signed to try and fill Andrew Bynum’s shoes after the youngster went down with a knee injury that will keep him off the court for six weeks. The Lakers begin a grueling nine-game road trip that will really test their mettle. They couldn’t have picked a better replacement in Mbenga, who has gone through his share of battles.

International Representation in the 2008 Rookie-Sophmore Game
Four international players will be represented at the annual NBA Rookie-Sophmore game. Andrea Bargnani, whom has had an overall disappointing second season will join second-year sensations Rudy Gay, Brandon Roy, and LaMarcus Aldridge on the sophmores squad. The rookie team is headlined by Kevin Durant with the surprising Chinese seven-footer Yi Jianlian, the tricky, long-range bomber Juan Carlos Navarro from Spain and somewhat-disappointing Argentinian Luis Scola. Jianlian is listed as 20 years old and Bargnani is 22 years old, while Navarro and Scola are both 27-year old and veteran Euroleague players.

Sources: Stein Line All-Star Reserves (ESPN), Calderon’s All-Star Chances Slim (Toronto Star), Hedo beats buzzer, aims for All-Star berth (Turkish Daily News), Biedrins Makes His Case On Boards (San Francisco Chronicle), Mbenga signs (Yahoo Sports), Jackson will be traveling light (LA Times), Roy and Durant lead rosters for NBA Rookie Challenge (Seattle PI)