Rudy Fernandez 90
Europe's top national teams of the 2000s
After taking a look at the European players of the decade and top professional teams of the decade, BallinEurope today turns attention to the national level. Which teams from the 2000s will we still recall fondly in years to come? Below are listed eight key national squads from the passing ten-year span, the unforgettable basketball […]
The Innocents Abroad, Part one: Assessing Europe's NBA rookies and sophs
With the NBA regular season nearly one-quarter finished (yeesh, when did that happen?), Ball in Europe takes a look at the league’s freshmen and sophomores from The Continent. The NBA currently lists over 80 international players on its rosters, with exactly 50 coming from European quarters. About one-fifth of those are recent enough entries to […]
The European Player of the Year nominees are…
The nominees are in over at FIBA Europe and, with the exception of one (or two, thanks to Rubiomania) categories, voting could be pretty tight in the FIBA Europe Player of the Year 2009. Yes, Pau Gasol and Ricky Rubio are on the list in a threat to become repeat winners in the Male POY […]
Being Danilo Gallinari (in the NBA)
We all know the NBA needs specialists, and that this is a request asked particularly of non-American players who haven’t the status in the ‘States to claim balls and minutes while they’re newly arrived from Europe. Then, by fighting for minutes against and using smarts beyond the US players, young European players soon present more […]
Betting on basketball: MVP, tops in points, rebounds, assists
Tomorrow is the day: Eurobasket 2009 finally tips off. Naturally, Euroleague/Ball in Europe sponsor SportingBet.com has a plethora of odds and lines for your amusement, including some intriguing fodder for discussion in the form of individual-awards proposition bets. So you think you know not only who’s going to stand atop the podium when it’s over, […]
Best of the (basketball) net: Calm Before The Perfect Storm edition
The pickings for basketball-related news online this week were a tad slim, with that inevitable last-weeks-of-August malaise that conquers Europe annually and sends the entire continent on holiday really settling in. Ah well, Eurobasket 2009 tips off in a couple weeks, followed by national leagues awakening, and Euroleague/NBA isn’t that far off, really. In the […]
Team Spain unleashed … i mean, presented
No matter how the whole Minnesota Timberwolves/DKV Joventut thing works out, the 2009-10 international basketball season will be, to some extent, The Year of Ricky Rubio. Rubio was yesterday officially presented with the FIBA Europe award for 2008 Young Men’s Player of the Year by FIBA Europe secretary-general Nar Zanolin. Aside from bestowing Rubio with […]
Rubio "Ready to realize dream," declares for NBA
Spanish teenage sensation Ricky Rubio has issued a statement that he is ready to make the leap to the NBA, saying it’s his goal to enter the NBA for the 2009-10 season. “The hope and responsibility not to disappoint has given me the will to continue to work and I believe that I am ready […]
Short Monday's cigarettes
Not too much to tell you this morning, unfortunately… Evin Demirel writes a detailed report about the beginning of the new Euro-duo (Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum) in Portland. Paul Pierce told journalists of Eleftheros Tipos that he’s thinking about ending his career in Greece (found via The Hoop). Italian TV commentator and coaching legend […]
Welcome to the NBA, Rudy and Nicolas!
The NBA preseason has started. And while some NBA teams are heading to Europe and other European teams are playing in the United States, I had a particular look at the game of the Portland Trailblazers as they feature two of the most promising European talents making the big step to the United States this […]
Portland excited about Rudy Fernandez
The Blazers Blog at Oregon Live posted this video of Rudy Fernandez arriving at the airport in Portland. In some way to me it looks like Rudy is a perfect James Bond character, doesn’t he? Portland welcomes Rudy Fernandez
After the Olympics: What's the future of Spain?
The Spanish national team is the most successful European team of recent years. The silver medal at the Olympics only confirmed this trend. Besides the coaching question that reigns at the moment, I will today look at the future in terms of player material.