Turkey shocked many observers last summer by finishing sixth at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, but they nearly shocked and embarrassed themselves in Palma de Mallorca before managing to advance out of Group C at EuroBasket 2007.
The talented Turks bounced back from blowout losses to Lithuania and Germany to beat the Czech Republic 80-72 and move onto the qualifying round in Madrid.
And now they hope the Czech contest was just the beginning of a big turn-around in the Spanish capital.
"We know what kind of power we have inside of ourselves. I don't know why we played like that the first two games, but I hope that we are going to play a lot better in Madrid than we did in Mallorca," said Turkey captain Ibrahim Kutluay, who rebounded from a zero-point showing against Germany to score 17 in the victory against the Czechs.
"We were not expecting to lose (against Germany) by 30 points. That loss was very bad. Fortunately we knew we could win this game and go to the next round. And we won because we fought more and had more hustle than we did in the other two games."
That hustle and fighting spirit was clearly lacking early in the tournament, and even coach Bogdan Tanjevic didn't know the reason why.
"I don't think it's intentional. I don't think anybody wants to play by themselves. All 12 of these teams are strong because they are here. How can I describe the difference from last year ... it's very strange for me," Tanjevic said after the Germany debacle.
The Bosnian was clearly happier after Wednesday's showing: "I'm satisfied to see my team play and show its real face."
Guard Ender Arslan admitted the team was still down before the Czech game but were able to find themselves, adding: "We talked and we said we are a good team and that we can beat any team in this tournament. We just had to start with this game. I hope we can show our real character in Madrid."
The two losses were hardly the results Tanjevic was expecting after seeing youngsters like Ersan Ilyasova, Ender Arslan and Engin Atsur emerge in the Far East last summer with the likes of NBA players Mehmet Okur and Hidayet Turkoglu not around.
Things were looking very promising for Turkey with their sights set on improving continually until they host the 2010 FIBA World Championship - knowing that big guns like Okur and Turkoglu were still available to be implemented into the team.
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source : eurobasket2007.org
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Turkey Find Second Chance In Madrid
Confident Repesa Leads Croatia
Croatia boss Jasmin Repesa is full of self belief.
He never doubted, for example, when he first got into coaching at the age of 22 that he would reach the big time.
“I believed that from the first day,” he said. “That’s why I started thinking about this job so young.”
That sort of confidence is what his players will need if they are going to realize their
Mario Kasun was one of the keys to Croatia finishing atop Group B.
dream of winning a gold medal at this year’s EuroBasket, or if they are to qualify for the Olympics.
Whatever self-belief they might have had going into the tournament looked to be damaged on Monday night as they walked off the court 85-77 losers to Latvia.
It was clearly restored 24 hours later after they pulled away from Portugal to win 90-68 and should be at an all-time high after a win over World Champion Spain.
Not once has Repesa wavered in his mission as coach of Croatia, since taking the reins of the team after EuroBasket 2005.
The National Team spirit was at an all-time low after the tournament because they had, somewhat controversially, suffered an overtime defeat to Spain in the quarter-finals.
Neven Spajiha was the coach of that team and an excellent one as well, but he lost his composure near the end of that Spain game.
Spajiha ran onto the court to remonstrate with the referees who had called far more fouls against his team than Spain.
The players felt victimized and clearly lost their focus in the next game against Slovenia, which they lost.
Slovenia, not Croatia, went to the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
Repesa had ample reason to lose his cool this summer when Nikola Vujcic, the captain of that 2005 team, announced he wasn’t playing this summer.
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source : eurobasket2007.org
Kobe Adored In The Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — More than 11,000 kilometres from home, fans were chanting his name, and Kobe Bryant was loving it.
No controversy. No tough questions. In the basketball-loving Philippines, no one was going to ruffle the feathers of a charismatic icon visiting to promote the sport, encourage kids to pursue their dreams and maybe sell a few pairs of his new line of shoes.
"I love Manila," a beaming Bryant told a crowd that started gathering at 6 a.m. outside a store in Manila, nine hours before he appeared. "The energy here is off the charts."
Bryant, fresh off a gold medal at the FIBA Americas championship, kicked off his five-stop Asian tour Wednesday.
A lot has happened to Bryant since his first trip to Manila a decade ago — three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and a rape case that was eventually dismissed but left many wondering if he would ever successfully polish the tarnish off his star.
The Manila public provided the answer. He was even touted as a role model for children, a tag that he didn't try to avoid.
"The important thing to remember when people talk about role models, they assume role models are perfect," Bryant said. "Nobody's perfect."
The key, he said, is not to duplicate mistakes, and to try to give back to the community with charity and efforts to spread the sport.
Bryant was still basking in the success of the U.S. basketball team, which earned favourable comparisons with the first two "Dream Teams" put together after professionals were allowed to compete at the Olympics.
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source : globesports.com
Mutombo Re-Sign With Rockets
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — It has taken nearly four months to get the agony of the Game 7 playoff loss to Utah out of his head. But Dikembe Mutombo is ready to look forward to one final NBA season with the Rockets.
"I will probably sign," Mutombo said Wednesday night at a reception for Basketball Without Borders, the NBA outreach program that is in its fifth year of assembling the top 100 African prospects. "I just need one more phone call. (Rockets owner) Les (Alexander) and I need to squeeze out one or two more things."
The Rockets made the 41-year-old Mutombo a veteran's minimum offer of $1.2 million in July and likely have upped that to $1.9 million, the most they would have available under the NBA salary cap.
"I will probably play one more year," Mutombo said. "Not half or part of a year. If I sign, I will be there on Oct. 1.
"They can only offer me a little contract, pay me only so much at this point. I know the Rockets are in that position. My mistake is that I didn't get into a position to sign a contract earlier in the summer. I let myself get pushed to the back, and that's what makes me a little mad.
"But I understand. They must look at the overall franchise and the future and where they are going and do what is best for them in the future. I'm just an old guy looking to play one more year."
The 7-2 center was productive last season, his 16th NBA campaign. Mutombo started 33 games during the stretch when Yao Ming was sidelined with a broken leg and finished the season averaging 3.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.01 blocked shots. New Rockets coach Rick Adelman wants the security of a veteran defensive force behind Yao for a potential playoff run.
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source : chron.com
Warriors Guard Still Sticking Around
Reports of seldom-used point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius' demise as a Warrior have once again been greatly exaggerated.
The Spanish newspaper Marca reported Wednesday that Jasikevicius had terminated his contract with Golden State and agreed with Greek club Olympiacos on a three-year deal that would net him $8 million.
But Jasikevicius' agent and a team spokesman shot down that theory, stating flatly that no such papers have been signed and that the rights to the 31-year-old former Euroleague star are still very much under the Warriors' control, thanks to the $4 million option Jasikevicius picked up in June.
Several times this off-season, various European media outlets have said that Jasikevicius' departure from the Warriors is imminent, but there has been no indication that Golden State is close to letting him go - despite the fact that he played only 312 minutes in a half a season after being acquired from the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 17.
Jasikevicius has wondered openly for months why the Warriors didn't flip him to another team before last season's Feb. 22 trade deadline.
"(Jasikevicius) wants to play," said Doug Neustadt, Jasikevicius' U.S.-based agent. "It's in Golden State's hands. If they want to move him to a spot where he can play, great, but they want to see value. They don't want to take a bad contract."
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source : mercurynews.com
EURO BASKETBALL 2007 (3rd Round Results) - Update 5 Sept 2007
GROUP A (Granada, ESP)
Israel - 87 - 83 - Serbia (16-23, 20-22, 25-15, 26-23)
Russia - 61 - 53 - Greece (15-8, 10-14, 19-16, 17-15)
GROUP B (Sevilla, ESP)
Portugal - 77 - 67 - Latvia (17-9, 11-15, 27-20, 22-23)
Croatia - 85 - 84 - Spain (21-28, 19-22, 27-15, 18-19)
GROUP C (Palma de Mallorca, ESP)
Lithuania - 84 - 80 - Germany (30-17, 19-15, 19-25, 16-23)
Czech Republic - 72 - 80 - Turkey (15-28, 16-18, 18-13, 23-21)
GROUP D (Alicante, ESP)
Slovenia - 67 - 66 - France (16-18, 15-21, 21-17, 15-10)
Poland - 70 - 79 - Italy (16-14, 19-27, 22-23, 13-15)
Croatia Win Sees Portugal Advance
Marko Tomas buried a three-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining as Croatia stunned Spain 85-84 to finish top of Group B in Seville.
The win, achieved in Seville’s San Pablo Pavilion, gained partial revenge for the Croatians who were knocked out of EuroBasket 2005 by Spain in the quarter-finals.
The result also put Portugal into the next round, while eliminating Latvia – the team that beat Croatia in the opening game, 85-77.Portugal upset Latvia on Wednesday.
“I’m really happy that we qualified for the next round with four points, that’s a big advantage for us,” said Croatia coach Jasmin Repesa.
“But, at the same time, we have to stay quiet and go game by game because we’ve seen many surprises already in this championship. I believed after the first big loss to Latvia, that we would get to Madrid. But I was worried how we played then.”
In a EuroBasket which has had several incredible finishes, this one ranks near the top.Croatia had trailed 50-40 at half time but returned to the court after the break and tightened up their defense.
Trailing 58-50, they went on a 10-2 run to tie the contest at 60 a piece.Davor Kus, who hit a three-pointer in that spurt, said: “We played a very poor first half when they had 50 points, but we were only down by 10.
“We said we had to improve on defense and when we did that, we were much more aggressive.”
Once they were back on level terms, the Croatians looked a far more confident side.
Leading 71-70, Marko Banic struck with a jumper in the lane and, after Berni Rodriguez missed from three-point range, Banic struck again with a long-range bomb.
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source : eurobasket2007.org
Barbosa Breaks Silence Over FIBA Disappointment
SAO PAULO, Brazil — Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa on Tuesday broke his silence after Brazil's disappointing performance in the Americas Olympic qualifying tournament.
Barbosa denied he was "unhappy or upset" during last week's competition in Las Vegas, instead saying he kept quiet in order to stay focused and give his best for Brazil.
"I never felt that way during the tournament, despite what many people said," Barbosa said. "I was just focused on our goal. My silence was not a sign of disapproval. It was just the way I found to give my best to the country that I love so much."
Brazil finished fourth in the FIBA Americas tournament and failed to earn one of two berths available for next year's Beijing Olympics. Only the United States and Argentina qualified.
"We worked hard to get it, but unfortunately we couldn't," Barbosa said shortly after arriving in Sao Paulo.
Barbosa and Brazil will have another chance in a 12-team world qualifying tournament next July that will determine the final three berths for Beijing.
"Now it's time to grab this last chance and do whatever possible to make our dream come true," Barbosa said.
Canada will also play in next summer's qualifier.
The NBA's Sixth Man of the Year last season, Barbosa admitted that Brazil's "best chance" was in Las Vegas.
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source : globesports.com
Yi Assured Rotation Role With Bucks
Those guarantees, according to the source, include Yi averaging more than 20 minutes per game and possibly as many as 25. Only such an assurance by Kohl eased concerns that with coach Larry Krystkowiak facing his first full season and GM Larry Harris under pressure to win now to keep his job, Yi would spend much of his rookie year on the bench.
Buck Harvey: Spurs lose Scola; They Aren't Alone
Luis Scola held a trophy Sunday night, and the Spurs will hear about that.
They will hear more if Scola ever holds one in June.
At least the Spurs have an excuse for trading the MVP of the Olympic qualifying tournament.
They are the champs, after all, with a set rotation.
But what about the rest of the league?
Shouldn't another team have out-bid Houston for this super-sized version of Manu Ginobili?
Scola wasn't really the best player in Las Vegas these past two weeks. Scouts would rank every player on the U.S. team higher.
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source : mysanantonio.com
NBA Board Of Governors Expand Use Of Instant Replay
NEW YORK, Sept. 5, 2007 – The NBA Board of Governors last week voted to approve the use by officials of instant replay to review all Flagrant Foul Penalty Two calls and player altercations, beginning with the 2007-08 season. Both actions were taken at the recommendation of the league's Competition Committee.
With respect to Flagrant Foul Penalty Two calls, the Competition Committee decided that viewing instant replay was appropriate in light of the serious consequence to a player of committing such a foul, which is ejection from the game.
With respect to player altercations, the Committee thought that the game officials’ first priority should be ending the altercation and that, in the course of doing so, they might not see a punch or other unsportsmanlike act committed by a player that might call for ejection. The use of instant replay will assist the officials in sorting out penalties after they have ended the altercation.
The NBA's Competition Committee comprises one representative of each of the thirty NBA teams and one representative of the National Basketball Players Association.
source : NBA.com
LeBron Still Hard At Work To Improve
Sometimes this job calls for courageous positions.
So let's take a leap and recognize that LeBron James has his act together.
Yes, we already knew that fact as related to the NBA and his team and reaching the Finals and creating a night to remember against the Detroit Pistons and all that stuff.
But after playing all those games well into June, the easy thing for James would have been to take the summer off.
Much was made, after all, of the fact that James played too much basketball before last season.
Instead, James lived up to his commitment to USA Basketball and helped the U.S. team win the FIBA tournament and ensure that the red, white and blue will have a chance to regain the gold medal in China next year.
Yes, James has a clause in his Nike deal that makes appearing in China beneficial, but those who know James and who have been around him this summer know that his commitment to country is not about money.
''The easy thing for him to do would have been to stay home,'' Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry said.
For James, the pursuit of the gold medal means something.
To that end, a collection of stars spent three weeks trying to merge into a team.
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source : ohio.com
Death Of Nelson's Dad 'Accidental'
DOVER, Del. (AP) -- The state medical examiner has listed the death of basketball star Jameer Nelson's father as accidental.
The body of Floyd "Pete" Nelson, 57, was pulled from the Delaware River on Saturday after a boater spotted it near Fox Point Park in Wilmington and called 911.
Because the manner of death is listed as accidental, the state medical examiner's office would not disclose the cause of death. Nelson's identity was confirmed by a scar on the right leg and two partially missing digits on his left hand. His Social Security card and driver's license also were found in a wallet.
Nelson, a welder for a tugboat company, was last seen Thursday working in a dry dock area in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pa. Divers and trained dogs searched the river all day Friday.
Jameer Nelson, who played basketball at Chester High School and Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, is the starting point guard for the Orlando Magic.
source : sportsillustrated.cnn.com
Nene Recovering From Calf Injury
A collective sigh of relief could probably be heard from the Pepsi Center on Tuesday after the news Nene was walking normally.
The Brazilian forward suffered a nasty-looking calf injury Saturday at the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament. He was wheeled off the court during the first quarter of a semifinal against Argentina. It was later diagnosed as a calf strain, and a somber-looking Nene was wheeled to a team bus.
According to Nuggets trainer Jim Gillen, there is still no timetable for when the Nuggets top post player will return to the court.
The 6-foot-11, 250-pound Nene has been injury-prone in recent years, causing him to miss significant playing time. Out of a possible 410 regular-season games in his five-year career, Nene has played in 277. In the past three seasons, he has played in 120 of a possible 246 games.
source : denverpost.com
