Andrey Vatutin 7
Official first proclamation of Euroleague "Group of Death" status goes to…
It happens every time there’s a group draw in international competition. Begun by some twit sports journalist during the 1990 World Cup (if BiE recalls correctly), it has become requisite to label one bunch the “Group of Death,” as though advancement to subsequent rounds is any more difficult for the, say, no. 5 seed in […]
Euroleague American Tour dates announced; Russian, Spanish champs to visit U.S. in October
CSKA Moscow and Caja Laboral Baskonia have been chosen to represent The Continent on the annual Euroleague American Tour. The slate of games will feature four NBA teams. On October 14, the Baskonians will be facing off against the Memphis Grizzlies, that team with the Spanish connections historically, while CSKA Moscow takes on those dynamic […]
Thorn-y situation for Mikhail Prokhorov as club president unexpectedly steps down
Rod Thorn, known as the GM who drafted Michael Jordan and the president of the New Jersey Nets since 2000, will be leaving the club when his contract expires on Wednesday. This leaves a vacancy at the position for Mikhail Prokhorov’s newly bought club and represents the first potential headache for the Russian owner. ESPN […]
Wall Street Journal profiles Robin to Prokhorov's Batman
While you may have heard of incoming New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, what do you know of his basketball deputy, a guy named Sergey Kushchenko? The Wall Street Journal is running a piece on Kushchenko, who even more than his billionaire boss is credited with the success of CSKA Moscow basketball’s success in the […]
In Moscow, front-office all-star Vatutin adds to the CV
In what was surely merely a formality, Andrey Vatutin has had the title of “CSKA Moscow club president” added to his existing position of CEO. This career move represents the crowing glory for Vatutin, who has worked his way up from press officer with the Russian Basketball Federation in 1997, to success with Ural Great […]
Quotebook: Euroleague 2009-10 draw
Not only was yesterday’s Euroleague group draw an official tipoff of sorts to actual play in the 2009-10 Euroleague season, it also marked the first opportunity of the year for league chiefs to publicly swell with pride at their teams, show off (mostly) gaudy neckties, talk some diplomatically-worded trash, and provide good quotes for blogs […]
Crisis reaches Russia – Delfino refuses to play
Our contact in Russia has informed us about some major development in Russia. According to him, the global financial crisis is having a direct effect on the Russian basketball. If you really think about it, it just makes sense and critics of high-paying Russian investors are finally proven right. He also explains why Russia is […]