The NBA season starts tomorrow, but before the regular season begins, we’d like to present some NBA preseason pics and images of Andris Biedrins, Nate Robinson, Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Arroyo, Erik Spoelstra, Ersan İlyasova, David Andersen, Shaquille O’Neal, Danilo Gallinari, and others.

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(Photos are courtesy of the AP, Reuters, Getty Images, and the NBA)

Two international free agent centers that know how to get under the skin of their opponents, Anderson Varejão and Zaza Pachulia, came to terms with their respective teams yesterday.

On the day that teams could officially sign (and re-sign) free-agents, the two reached multi-year deals.

Varejão will remain with the Cleveland Cavs for a reportedly $50 million over six years.  That equals out to roughly $8 million a year, an improvement over the $6.2 million he was set to receive this year before opting out.

Although Varejão averaged only 8.6 points per game, but he shot nearly 54% from the  field, and provided energy and valuable harassment of the other team’s frontcourt players.

The 6-11 Brazilian will join a huge Cleveland frontline, already set with 7-2 Shaquille O’Neal and 7-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

The Cavs also announced the signing of guard Anthony Parker, Candace Parker’s brother, formerly of the Toronto Raptors and Macabbi Tel Aviv (Euroleague).

Also on signing day, the Atlanta Hawks locked up Zaza Pachulia, their 7-foot center that put up a solid 6.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 77 games off the bench for Atlanta last season.  The terms were not disclosed, but sources close to the team have said the deal is for four years.

Atlanta had four key free agents, Zaza, Mike Bibby, Flip Murray, and Marvin Williams, they are trying to re-sign.  With Zaza in tow and Bibby agreeing to a three-year deal, the Hawks are half-way to keeping last year’s playoff roster stable.

Links and Resources: Hawks reach deal with Zaza Pachulia (AP)

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

After being drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft, Aussie big man and Euroleague star David Andersen might finally become an Atlanta Hawk.

That’s all according to a report from El Mundo Deportivo, Andersen’s agent has informed his Spanish club FC Barcelona club that he wants to leave to play in the NBA.

Specifically, Andersen has a clause in his current contract that, if exercised, allows him to move on to the NBA.

If Atlanta signs Andersen, it would be great insurance in case backup center and unrestricted free agents Zaza Pachulia decides to leave the ATL.

The 6-11, 29-year old Andersen has spent the last ten years playing in Europe with club teams CSKA Moscow and Kinder Bologna, the latter of which he won the 2000-01 Euroleague championship alongside star guards Manu Ginóbili and Marko Jarić.

Andersen most recently won the 2009 ACB championship and FC Barcelona placed third in the Euroleague playoffs after defeating Josh Childress and Olympiakos.  The ACB Spanish league is considered the best league outside of the NBA.

Links and Resources: Will Aussie big man finally be a Hawk? (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Aussie David Andersen to the NBA? (Interbasket)

Early in the first quarter of game four between the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat, starter Al Horford was hit with his second foul.

Atlanta head coach Mike Woodson turned and called upon backup center Zaza Pachulia.

Already with a black eye suffered in game three, Zaza was nonetheless ready for battle again.

Despite the swelling in his eye, Pachulia immediately started to throw around his 275 pound frame, grabbing, pushing, tapping the ball out and cutting to the basket for easy layups.

Zaza would play sixteen first-half minutes, tallying 7 points and 10 rebounds at halftime.

“Zaza was huge throughout the whole game,” said Woodson, “We needed all of that tonight to survive.”

Zaza would finish the game with 12 points, a playoff career-high 18 rebounds and 2 steals.  All in 34 minutes of rugged inside play.

“I don’t care how Dwyane Wade shot or how Miami played or how we played, we don’t win that game without Zaza. Period,” said Atlanta forward Marvin Williams. “He was phenomenal. What he did for our team was huge.”

“(Zaza) was tough down there,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He was pretty much doing everything in traffic. Bodies were flying. Loose balls, he seemed like he came up with every one of them. He had a major impact on the game. Eighteen rebounds … he played very well.”

James Jones, the player that accidently gave Pachulia the black eye in game three, thought Pachulia was the difference-maker  in game four.

“Zaza was the guy who every time they needed a big play, he made it. Whether it was a rebound, a tip or a layup, he was the momentum breaker tonight.” said Jones. “I think he kind of sealed our fate.”

If he’s not careful, the center from the Republic of Georgia will be known for making a name for himself during the playoffs: along with Monday’s performance was last years playoffs when he got up in the face of Boston Celtic’s star Kevin Garnett in the Hawks’ Game four win.

“Whatever my team needs,” Pachulia said. “You have to do the little things to win the game.”

Links and Resources: ‘Rocky’ Pachulia punches Hawks into 2-2 series tie with Heat (CBS Sports), Paying the price for a big win (Atlanta-Journal Constitution)

DraftExpress reports that David Andersen, Australian center and Euroleague Star, is considering coming to the NBA for the 2009-2010 season.

One of the premier big men in the Euroleague, Andersen has an opt-out clause in his contract, and is interested in going to the American league this next season.  The problem?  “The fact that the Atlanta Hawks have shown little to no interest in his services” says DraftExpress.

I can’t imagine how Andersen wouldn’t be better fit than Zaza Pachulia.

The 6-11, 245lb Andersen was drafted 37th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2002, and has played for the Wollongong Hawks of the NBL.  He joined European club Kinder Bologna in 1999 and would win the Euroleague title in 2000-01 with stars Manu Ginobili, Marco Jaric, Antoine Rigaudeau, Rashard Griffith, and Matjaz Smodis.

Andersen would move on to Montepaschi Siena for one season (2003–04), before finally joining CSKA Moscow  from 2004–08, where he would win tw more Euroleague championships and become an All-Euroleague selection (2004-05).

Links and Resources: David Andersen to NBA? (Interbasket), European Roundup: Casspi coming along (DraftExpress.com)

The NBA’s only player to hail from the Republic of Geogia, Zaur (Zaza) Pachulia, went on American television news station CNN last night and plead for peace between his home land and Russia.  The conflict between the two countries over South Ossetia, which claimed independence from Georgia in the early 1990s, escalated last week when Georgian military entered the small unrecognized republic.

Since then Russian forces have since answered with a large scale bombardment in defending the 90% of South Ossetia’s population that holds Russian passports.

While most of the world’s attention is on the Olympics in Beijing, Pachulia calls this time “the most stressful of his life” as he tries to stay in contact with his friends and family who are half the world away.

“Because of my age,” says Pachulia, “A lot of my friends are still serving in the military. I have been able to get in contact with some of them, but others I have no idea. It’s scary – I just want the fighting to end. Innocent people are being killed or losing their homes, and that just can’t continue.”

Zaza is supposed to travel back to Georgia next week to begin playing with his national team as they try to qualify for the 2009 European championships, but now that is up in the air.

“There are more important things than basketball going on right now,” said Pachulia. “I want to go home and represent my country, but we can’t be playing games when we have to worry about the stadium we are playing in being bombed.”

Pachulia plans to continue to do all he can to help resolve the situation, but was quick to say that politics is not his game.

“I am not trying to talk about who is wrong and who is right,” he said. “The most important thing to me is that there be peace, and that the people of Georgia not have to live in fear for their lives or their homes.”

I normally try to stay away from these type of politics, but sometimes basketball and these kind of world events intertwine.  I think it’s necessary to see how professional athletes and how they deal and are affected with these real-world issues.   I can’t imagine having to go through something like this.  Or something like what Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic went through during the Kosovo war of the mid-late 1990s.

Links and Resources: Zaza Pachulia appeared on CNN yesterday afternoon (PortSpaces.com), Vlade Divac: NATO is Wrong on Larry King March 29, 1999 (YouTube)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Every Wednesday during the NBA season, Interbasket takes a closer look at ten international NBA players that has caught our eye. (This week is for period 01/16/2008- 01/22/2008)

So the three of the top-four scorers off the bench are international players– Manu Ginobili (19.1), Leandro Barbosa (15.4), and Andres Nocioni (13.5). Jason Terry is the other player at 14.4 points off the pine. Here’s hoping that Nene gets better, the 25-year old Brazilian had a tumor removed. It’s crazy that someone so young has a tumor at such a young age. Another Nugget power forward, Linas Kleiza scored a career-high 41 points against the Utah Jazz, nothing to sneeze at considering he plays with jackers Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. Denver rode the Lithuanian to 120-109 win. Kleiza shot 13-21, was 4-8 from three, 11-14 from the free throw line and also had 9 rebounds. Jose Calderon was huge in leading Toronto to a win over the Boston celtics putting up 24 points and 13 assists, including a three-point play with 10.5 seconds left that gave the Raptors the final margin (114-112). Andris Biedrins had a four game stretch in which he shot a combined 6-25, which essetially handed over the FG% lead to Andrew Bynum. With bynum out for 2 months, he may no longer qualify for NBA leaders anymore… Another player in the top-ten for FG% is Samuel Dalembert. The Haitian center (with Canadian nationality) is quietly having his best season in the NBA averaging a double-double and putting up career numbers in minutes (33), point (11.5), rebounds (10.1), and blocked shots (2.5). With Mike Bibby back, Beno Udrih‘s breakout season is going to most-certainly take a hit. Early on, Udrih’s minutes certainly have dropped. Before Bibby, Udrih was getting about 35 minutes of burn, with Bibby back he is getting just 21 minutes. Beno’s stats have remained around the same levels since Bibby’s return; for the four games the Slovenian guard has averaged about 12.3pts, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds — compared to his season numbers 13.8 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds, that doesn’t look so bad, but it’s doubtful he’ll be able to keep his efficiency up and something has got to give. I don’t think Bibby is going to be happy playing 28 minutes a game because well, Mike Bibby has never played less than 33 minutes a game. That’s something we’re going to keep an eye on. Zaza Pachulia was suspended for the Hawks’ game against the Denver Nuggets for conduct detrimental to the team. It seems that Zaur wasn’t too happy with being pulled out of a game against Portland Trailblazers. He apparently had some words for his coach, Mike Woodson. After two productive seasons, Pachulia isn’t getting nearly the same amount of playing time this season. Not only has his minutes dropped this season, it’s been hugely inconsistent due to head and toe injuries.

Sources: Nene Hilario: Tumor Benign (Yahoo), Zaza Suspended by Woodson (USA Today),