Category Archives: Lockout

by | September 3, 2011 · 4:09 PM

Amar’e Stoudemire forming Training Camp for Knicks Players

Who needs D'Antoni? I can hold a minicamp.

Amar’e Stoudemire has taken some time off of his acting, he will appear on the douche-fest known as Entourage this Sunday, to refocus on basketball and namely keeping his fellow Knickerbockers in shape. I am a GM has the details:

If the NBA and NBPA can’t come to an agreement in time to preserve the regularly-scheduled training camp, Stoudemire has organized a minicamp at the IMG Basketball facility in Bradenton, Fla. The camp is scheduled to run from Oct. 19 to Nov. 6.

According to several players, the Knicks’ captain sent out emails about the plan to all 10 players under contract for 2011-12, plus draft picks Iman Shumpert (who is already working out at IMG) and Josh Harrellson and a few free agents from the 2010-11 roster. Center Jerome Jordan signed with a team in Slovenia (with an NBA out), so he will likely not be available to attend a workout unless the lockout is resolved.

The NBA season is scheduled to begin November 1 but neither the NBA nor the NBPA has made any grand strides to guarantee that date will be met. Both sides have, however, agreed to meet more regularly including another lengthy session on either Wednesday or Thursday next week.

Honestly, Stoudemire might a bit too hopeful that the season could begin as soon as early December based on the timing of his camp. Teams will be given a month, when (if) the lockout is resolved, to hold training camps and have a free agency period. At least for players it will be a good opportunity to train with their teammates as long as they are not currently engaged in playing overseas but other than Jordan, it does not look as though any player currently under a locked out contract will be taking their talents across an ocean. For the Knicks’ sake, players should attend the camp if invited. There is too much hype surrounding the team and the last thing the players should do is start a season, if there is one, not in basketball shape. At the very least, it is a vacation in Florida.

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by | July 13, 2011 · 4:50 PM

NBA Lockout Day 13: Childress’s Warning

"Show me tha Euros player!"

Right now, playing overseas is a hot topic among NBA players that are in the midst of a pretty hefty lockout but maybe it’s time for them to listen to one guy that’s been over there before they decide to sign any papers.

In July of 2008, Josh Childress decided to sign an enormous three-year contract worth $20 million with the Euroleague club Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece.  The deal would have been the same as a three-year, $32 million contract in the NBA.  However, in his Euro contract the franchise paid his local taxes and even covered his agent’s costs.  In addition to the car and house supplied by the deal, it was a pretty sweet setup.

At the time, the lockout loomed in the distance and it looked as though owners were set to cutback on spending starting with contracts.  With this said, he was set to sign a $5 million per year contract and it made more sense for him to leave the league if there was money to be made.  So he left the Atlanta Hawks and took his game to Europe.

But, in a column by ESPN’s Ric Bucher, Childress is quoted as saying he wouldn’t do it again.

“No, I wouldn’t,” [Childress] says. “And I don’t know why guys would. I understand that guys really want to play. But you sometimes have to look at what you have and treat this as a business. The only way I could see it making sense is if you’re a player from a particular country going back. But for an American player with a good-sized guaranteed deal here, I can’t see why you’d do it.”

He has since  returned to the NBA and now plays for the Phoenix Suns under a five-year, $33 million contract.  That’s something he’s not willing to risk by playing in Turkey, Italy, Spain or even Greece again.

Such an injury wouldn’t have to end a player’s career to wipe out his contract but any lingering one would give a team to void a deal.  Contracts can end even if the guy can still play.

Additionally, he stated that playing in Greece wasn’t all that glamorous.  The team still had to endure long bus trips and even had to fly coach most of the time.  There was no being tired in Europe too with teams often enforcing a military style of harsh training.

But, the risks of playing in Europe aren’t strictly reserved to the players themselves.  In a blog post on Real GM Basketball, Erildas Budraitis states that these European teams have just as much to worry about.  Since 2008, contracts and salaries in the Euroleague have dropped substantially.  With an influx of NBA players willing to play but at a higher price than local Europeans that know the Euro-style of basketball, some GM’s may be reluctant to throw out hefty deals.

While it sounds like a good idea to bring in a superstar from the US, what would these teams do if the lockout ends and they decided to return to the NBA?  There’s a big ‘what if’ that has a lot of money tied to it.  It’s a risk that some teams may want to avoid.

It’s understandable that a lot of players want to keep playing.  They’ve done it their whole lives and now they can’t even communicate with the teams that turned their dreams into reality.  Instead, maybe they should just wait and find other means to keep their legs fresh and their minds in the game.  Yes, the lockout is very unfortunate but it wont last forever.

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by | July 12, 2011 · 8:47 PM

Taking Our Talents to the South Pacific

Heading the other direction.

While several players are mulling over the possibility of taking their talents over the Atlantic, some are thinking about crossing the Pacific instead.

Instead of talking about Turkey or Spain, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose are talking about Manila where they have been selected to take part in a pair of exhibition games for MVP Sports Foundation, which is set up to support Philippine sports and to develop Filipino athletes.

Other NBA stars set to make the trip are Kevin Love, Andrei Iguodala and Mario Chalmers.  This will be the first exhibition game played by active NBA players since Shaquille O’Neal and his squad went up against a group of PBA players in 1997 and slaughtered them.

This will also be the first on-court action Bryant has seen since he underwent surgery on his knee in Germany last month.  The platelet-rich plasma surgery used on the 32-year-old’s knee is still an unproven procedure but Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal have both undergone the same knee procedure.  Their results weren’t seen until two months later so it has yet to be determined how much the Black Mamba will really play.

Officials from Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the official basketball entity of the Philippines, extended the offer after the beginning of the NBA lockout almost two weeks ago.  Manuel V. Pangilinan, president of the SBP and owner of Talk ‘n’ Text (yes, that’s the name of a team there in the Philipines), has been the main force behind these talks and has two games set for July 25 and 26 at Araneta Coliseum.  Talks initially began while he and a group of his were in the United States discussing whether or not to purchase part of the Sacramento Kings.

Is Smart Gilas Pilipinas ready to take the court against NBA stars?

One game will be played against Smart Gilas, which is the developmental Philipine National team.  The team is made up of collegiate and amateur players.  The other game would be against a team of all stars from the Philippine Basketball Association.

For Smart Gilas, head coach Rajko Toroman considers this a great chance for his team to warm up for the Fiba Asia Championship in September in Wuhan, China.  Winner of this will be the only Asian team to punch a ticket to the 2012 London Olympics.

They have recently cancelled a series of European training camps in Portugal and Turkey this month due to several injuries.  Many of their players have also opted to play in the Governor’s Cup, which is expected to end in August.  However, they won the Southeast Asian Basketball Association Championship in Jakarta last month with only nine on the roster.

The Philippines have had a bumpy road with international play for some time now.  In 1963, they were suspended by FIBA for failing to host the 1963 FIBA World Championships after President Diosdado Macapagal refused to allow players from Yugoslavia and other communist countries to enter the country. Later, the Philippines, despite being the Asian champion, was forced to play in a pre-Olympic tournament in order to qualify in the 1964 Summer Olympics.

In 2001, they experienced a leadership crisis, which called for FIBA to intervene and enforce an election that resulted in Tiny Literal taking over.  Things worsened in 2005 after the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Basketball Association of the Philippines couldn’t agree on the formation of a new national team.  After months of meetings, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas was formed and basketball in the South Pacific was somewhat unified.

It’s an important two games for both sides and for many reasons.  The NBA has always been about growth worldwide and extending games to Asia is another step for the league.  Meanwhile, the Philippines is trying to become relevant to world basketball once again.  In the end, both sides win despite how lopsided the scoreboard will be.

For your viewing pleasure, Niño Canaleta of the Air 21 Express in the Philippines dunking over three grown men:

There’s a reason they call him Da Vinci of Dunk.

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by | July 10, 2011 · 7:22 PM

NBA Lockout Day 10: Lakers Willing to Change

Ettore Messina is ready to shake things up in LA.

As rumors swirl and the pundits debate on whether or not Kobe Bryant will be playing in Europe during the lockout, his team just added a Euro brain to their staff in order to keep the championship ball rolling.

The Lakers announced just last week that they will be adding European coaching legend Ettore Messina as a consultant to new head coach Mike Brown.  It’s a full-time position that will call for Messina to accompany the Lakers for games and practices at both home and on the road.

Both the Lakers and Messina have one thing in common: basketball success.  Messina was named one of the Euroleague’s top ten coaches of all time in 2008 as well as European Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2008 in addition to Italian Coach of the Year in 1990, 1993, 1998, 2001 and 2005.

Messina coached Virtus Bologna to two Euroleague titles in 1998 and 2001 with the latter one coaching Manu Ginobili.  He also ran Benetton Treviso (where he replaced Mike D’Antoni) and CSKA Moscow and won two more Euroleague titles in 2006 and 2008.

He has been in talks with NBA teams for head coaching positions for the last few years but never got the opportunity.  It was speculated that he signed a deal with the Toronto Raptors after they fired Sam Mitchell in December of 2008 but they ended up going with Jay Triano and Messina remained in Europe.  It hasn’t been speculated as to whether they talked with him after firing Triano at the end of the season but they have since hired on Dwane Casey as their new head coach.

He is now coming off of a two-year contract with Real Madrid who had been pursuing Rudy Fernandaz just last week.  Hoopsworld reported that Messina had been offered the deal in May but perhaps in light of the deal with Fernandez that fell through, he is now ready for the position.

In fact, it all makes sense.

Every off season for the past five or six years, Brown would travel overseas to stay with Messina for a few weeks at a time.  The position became open with the departure of both head coach Phil Jackson and his assistant Tex Winter.  Winter suffered a stroke in Manhattan, Kansas in 2009 but has been recovering very well.  Additionally, the coaching legend will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12, 2011, an achievement that everyone in the Lakers association thought he deserved for some time.

It isn’t anything different for a new head coach to bring a sort of security blanket along with him when assuming his new assignment.  We seem them do it all the time with veteran players and assistants in order to help them adjust to the new job.  Do you really think Tom Thibedeau wanted Brian Scalabrine to play or rather serve as support on that bench?

Additionally, Messina has accepted the fact that the road to coaching is a long one that calls for years of work as an assistant.  The NBA is a different beast and will take him some time to get used to.

He really does seem to be the right guy for the job too.  Winter’s was known for his triangle offense that essentially fell apart in the playoffs.  The Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets in the first round due to their ability to bang them in the post with David West looking on from the sidelines.  However, their offense was frustrated and shut down as the Dallas Mavericks’ zone defense that didn’t bite for the double team.  Subsequently, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum couldn’t find themselves open in the post.

It’s important to remember though that both Bynum and Odom were one reason the Lakers did so well last season.  Odom went home with the Sixth Man of the Year award and Bynum started to look like the beast we thought he would be.  Messina’s well known for his tendency to focus on player development especially in the post.  He is also known to have a deep admiration for Kobe Bryant.

Messina has been described as a top-down boss who likes to call the plays and is hard on players that don’t pull their own weight.  It has yet to be seen if he is ready to take a more backseat role for the organization and let Brown call the shots.

A lot of things could change with Phil Jackson and Tex Winter no longer calling the shots in LA.

Jackson was known for a highly lackadaisical style of coaching that allowed his own players to run the show but it seems like those days are over.  As stated above, the triangle offense is essentially dead in the NBA with the loss of Winter in LA and Kurt Rambis in Minnesota.  Even Brown has come forward and stated that they will not be running the triangle.

The plan is for the Lakers to run the ball up the court in order to conserve time on the shot clock.  Brown wants the ball up the court within three or four seconds with the hope that the offense will either develop a play or simply drive the lane.  Defensively, he wants his team staying spread out and attacking the ball.

Although it does seem a little basic and nonspecific, Messina is a good guy to bring in.  He is known as a tactical mastermind that loves to attack opposing coaches’ game plans.  At times, his teams have been known to run and gun for one game before turning into a squad relying primarily on their defense and half-court tactics.  He’s coached several types of ways and will be good insight for a team that is transition.

It does seem kind of funny for a team to be undergoing such transitions especially in the midst of a lockout that prevents them from doing much at all.  Bryant has always had his voice heard on this squad and they can’t even convene with him right now due to the lockout.

Additionally, if this team wants to move forward, it’s dire that they make a move for a point guard worth sneezing at.  The laid back system is gone and Brown needs someone running the floor.  Without free agency, they can’t go after anyone.  They draft hometown boy Darius Morris from Michigan in the second round but he’s only 20-years-old and is lacking athletically.

This team was supposed to cause some damage in the playoffs last season but were ultimately swept in the second round.  Now, they essentially lost most of their identity with Jackson retiring and by leaving what made them so successful for so long.  However, if ever a time to make such drastic changes, it’s now.

Bryant only has so much time left as a threat in the league and it’s time for them to utilize him appropriately.  Their system is broken and it’s time to change it up with more balance that doesn’t rely on him as much.  Additionally, a lot can change in this league during the current lockout with the possibility of contracts being highly limited in the future.  This may result in an influx of Euro players and style coming to the NBA and Messina may help with that.

During this confusing time for the NBA, one thing is for sure: a lot may change.  The Lakers are a staple of the NBA that has set the bar for success for so long.  They understand that it’s time for them to adapt.  This hiring will give them to ability to move in many directions while they groom what could be a future coach in the league.

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by | July 8, 2011 · 2:54 PM

NBA Lockout Day 8: Deron Williams to Turkey, Kobe to Follow?

Deron Williams has agreed to play for Turkey’s Beşiktaş Cola Turka, and now they’ve set their eyes on an even bigger prize: Kobe Bryant.

From a basketball standpoint, the signing of Deron Williams is the biggest acquisition for a European team ever.  This is the same team that nabbed Allen Iverson last season when no one wanted him, but Williams serves to be more than just a big name.  He will make a difference in this team’s play, and if (God forbid) the entire NBA season is cancelled, he will play the entire season for Beşiktaş.

This has the possibility to change the entire landscape of the lockout, as previously, the owners never believed that European teams would have the means to sign quality players.  The players have been threatening, but it’s a whole different animal to pack up your family and move to a new continent.

Now, however, the Player’s Association has a key weapon to use, and if Beşiktaş can find the money to shell out for Kobe Bryant, they’ve taken the league’s main draw, and that’s a crushing blow.  I’ve never been one to compare Kobe and Michael Jordan, but he is basketball’s most successful player since Jordan.  Imagine how the ’98 lockout would have ended if Jordan had gone overseas instead of retiring.  Things would’ve been completely different.

Now, I don’t see Kobe leaving the USA anytime in the near future.  Williams’ salary is less than half of the league’s average, much less than what he could earn in the States, and if Kobe retired right now, he’d be set for life.  As in, Magic Johnson set for life.  While he’s going to lose some money by staying, he can utilize the time off to let his weary bones rest.

And a 6th ring doesn’t count if it’s a Euroleague ring.

The players won’t want to make minuscule salaries (when European teams have a nasty habit of not paying), so any player of note who opts to go to Europe is only there temporarily.  But during their time there they will risk injury and will be running up their basketball odometer, and that is what frightens owners.  If a player is injured overseas, their NBA team could nullify the rest of their contract; this is still a highly undesirable outcome for the team.

It is a substantial threat, though, that players won’t be as hurt by financial constraints as once thought.

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by | July 5, 2011 · 7:19 PM

NBA Lockout Day 5: Rudy Fernandez Stays Put

Seeing rings or cash?

“Do I stay or do I go?”

It’s been five days since the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement expired after only being in effect for six years and a lot of players are asking themselves that very question.

It’s hard to have much sympathy though for these players after they have essentially been fed with a golden spoon for so long.  Even Eddy Curry was paid more money last season to not play in the NBA the salary caps of every WNBA team combined.

However, it is the players who have refused so many parts of a restructuring deal that would limit them to only 57 percent of basketball related income which reached over $3 billion last season.

Now, many are mulling over options to extend their careers overseas where money pays and glory is obsolete. A title in Europe doesn’t even approach the honor of hosting the Larry O’Brien in any U.S. City.

Some have other reasons though. Patty Mills has been offered a deal from his former coach Marty Clarke to play for Adelaide in Australia. He is hoping Mills will be attracted by increase playing time and abandon the $1.2 million he would earn by returning to Portland. However, even his agent has stated that he hopes he will sign for a more lucrative deal in Europe.

Conversely, we have the case of another foreign player who started his career in Portland. Rudy Fernandez was offered a six-year, $26 million contract with Real Madrid last week after the Mavericks traded the draft rights of their 26th overall pick, Jordan Hamilton, to the Blazers.  Under the former CBA that expired on July 1, Fernandez would earn $2.2 million next season and could become a restricted free agent with a $3.2 million qualifying offer for the 2012-13 season.

It has come to light that he would maybe earn even less under the restructuring of the CBA.  He was very vocal about wanting to return to Spain last season so it seemed as though he would take the offer.  If so, he would have only played out the last season of his contract in the NBA after the lockout ended before continuing on to Europe.

Today, he rejected the offer and opted to wait out the lockout, possibly earn a lot less money and stay in the country he vowed to leave. After the draft-night trade, Fernandez found himself on the defending champion Mavericks’ roster and an opportunity to actually compete.  Portland was not a good fit for Fernandez who only averaged 8.6 points a game last season.  He would rather fit in as a role-player on the Mavs with more shooting opportunities in their faster offense.  He will also be able to start at the two-guard spot for Dallas after only starting 9 games in his first three years playing for the Trail Blazers.

Rudy expressed his gratitude to Portland and his excitement about playing in Dallas via Twitter.

Might seem a little puzzling that he would turn down such a lucrative offer to play in his homeland but it’s simple: he’s taking his chance for something a little more important than money, a championship.

Sadly, this whinny European embodies an answer to the current problem in the NBA and that’s pride.  For too long, these players and owners have been focusing on the paychecks and not the honor.  We saw every ounce of it leave LeBron James during the Decision (brought to you by Vitamin Water) and we saw Michael Finley relinquish his when he signed with the Spurs a few years ago.  Hell, we even saw Karl Malone leave his pride behind when he went to LA and even that didn’t pay off for him.

Now, we have players tweeting about needing jobs and Dwight Howard focusing on where to take his next planking picture than actually working on getting out of the first round.

But their is still hope for honor in the NBA. Under the new CBA, we may see a lot of provisions that help restore what we the fans want to see.  A higher cap will help level the playing field and restrict contracts like Curry’s mentioned about.  With less money to spend on players and increase revenue sharing, well-run teams like Memphis will be able to attract better players without money even being the biggest part of the equation.

This is a chance for the players and owners to change the entire culture of the NBA.  It’s about the game and the honor tied to it.  Money can never be taken from the picture with so much cash on the line but they cannot pass up the opportunity to restore what a lot have ignored.  Pride is what will fix the game and now is the time to bring it back.

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by | July 4, 2011 · 10:43 AM

NBA Lockout: Day 4

I like Chinese

As we celebrate the 4th of July by blowing up cheaply made fireworks, the NBA lockout has reached its fourth day. Though only four days old, the number of rumors that have swirled in recent days is enough to fill the bag that held all of the rumors surrounding Carmelo Anthony last season. Players are continuing to mull their options if the lockout becomes protracted and many have expressed interest to play in Europe.

Add Pau Gasol and Serge Ibaka to the list of players who have expressed their interests to play overseas if the lockout prevents an NBA season. Ibaka is currently on vacation in Spain, where he played for two seasons before joining the Oklahoma City Thunder, and suggested that he would like to play there, if at all possible, if the lockout causes the cancellation of games in the NBA.

As for Gasol, Spain tops the list of possible destinations if he is forced to play elsewhere due to the lockout. This should come as no surprise as it is his native land and has plans to play for Spain in the European Championship in September in an attempt to grant Spain a bid to the 2012 Olympics in London. However, Gasol also expressed an interest in China.

China, it seems, has caught the eye of many NBA players who are facing the uncertainly of an extended work stoppage. Two agencies, the Wassermann Media Group and Landmark Sports Agency, are attempting to assemble barnstorming tours of China featuring the star players that they represent. The Wassermann Media Group represents 45 NBA players including Derrick Rose, who would likely headline any tour of China set up by the agency.

Landmark Sports Agency and Rob Pelinka represent the biggest American star in China: Kobe Bryant. (Sorry, Yao) As of right now a showcase featuring Bryant is in the preliminary stages but has the potential to be a financial blockbuster if it actually come to fruition. Amar’e Stoudemire has even shown interest in joining Bryant if the barnstorming tour happens as the result of the lockout. Yet, Stoudemire would only play if he could be insured in case of injury.

Needless to say, nothing is written in stone quite yet. The two agencies would likely have to work together if they were to put any tour of China together showcasing NBA players alongside some of the top Chinese players. That is just one of the hurdles any barnstorming tour would face.

China is notoriously skeptical of any outside interests entering their country. This comes with any communist government as they want to maintain total control over their populous and not have their citizens subjected to any outside influences that may go against the party line. Therefore, the Chinese government will have the final say as to whether any such basketball incursion by American players, and likely other nationalities from the NBA, will actually happen. Simply playing games for what would likely be sell out crowds would not be enough for the Chinese to grant approval to players looking to make the trip. They must see the tour as beneficial to Chinese basketball and to the local communities as well.

These are just a few of the obstacles facing any such tour of China, with the Chinese government being the giant red elephant in the room. However, insurance, marketing and television rights also pose a challenge. Do not get your hopes up that this idea will pan out any farther than it already has. It could, but it should be looked at as a sort of reach on the part of the agencies and players. Besides, this could all be for naught if the owners and the union hash out a CBA agreement before the start of the 2011-12 season.

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by | July 3, 2011 · 5:13 PM

NBA Lockout: Day 3

Decisions are hard

As the lockout has entered its third day information has surfaced that University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari is offering the facilities at Kentucky to former Kentucky players who find themselves currently without, well, work. He has also offered to help enroll former players into classes if they wish to pursue their degrees as they seem to have an increasing amount of time on their hands. This is a very generous offer from Calipari but it seems that this is his latest recruiting scheme.

Why not have a bunch of NBA players wondering the facilities at Kentucky? What prospective high school player would not be heavily swayed when weighing their options when they know that they could potentially be rubbing elbows with NBA players on a regular basis? However, the offer to get players re-enrolled in classes is good.

It would not be surprising if more schools followed suit and extended offers to former students/players to use their facilities. Yet, one has to imagine that the NCAA might intervene at some point.

Although this is a potentially beneficial step for players who attended college in the United States what are the options for foreign players or those that came directly from high school? Rudy Fernandez may have found an answer.

Fernandez, who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks during the draft, has been offered a contract to play in Spain. Struggling Spanish club Real Madrid has extended a six-year deal to Fernandez that would make him the highest paid player in Spanish ACB history. If he accepts the offer he would receive an estimated $4.35 million a year. If he were to remain in the NBA for the coming season, if there is a season, he would earn $2.2 million with the Mavericks with a qualifying offer of $3.2 million for the following season when he becomes a restricted free agent.

That is certainly a lot of dinero and more than he would likely earn throughout his career in the NBA. Judging by Fernandez’s past sentiments towards the NBA it may be just the offer he has been looking for. If he does sign with Real Madrid he would return to the Mavericks for the 2011-12 season, whenever it begins, before leaving the NBA for Spain.

With all the interest in Europe among NBA players right now Rick Steves should be raking in the dough with a spike in travel guide sales. At least someone is making money off this lockout.

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by | July 2, 2011 · 3:01 PM

NBA Lockout: Day 2

Sonny-er in Europe

In what will hopefully become a daily segment here at the Beef (depending on our work schedules and social lives) we will bring you a diary of sorts on topics related, directly or indirectly, to the NBA lockout. In a sense these entries will be little different from regular postings found here but since NBA news is scarce right now these musings will have to fill the void.

Several days ago I wrote about the possible exodus of young talent jumping ship and headed towards leagues overseas to continue their careers. Many players, including veterans hinted at the notion throughout the season as CBA talks stalled but I was speaking more along the lines of players who had previously attempted to join the league via free agency or who had gone undrafted. However, today brought news that Sonny Weems of the Toronto Raptors has decided to play in Europe for the coming season. He is not the first to make the decision to play in Europe. Nenad Krstic, Hilton Armstrong, and David Andersen have all chosen to play overseas next season. Like Weems, all of them became free agents this summer. Yet, Weems is more of a recognizable figure, to those who follow the sport, as a rising talent mired on a dreadful team.

Weems saw increases in his minutes and scoring last season with the Raptors and made the most of the opportunities before him. Toronto extended a qualifying offer to him but he turned it down as the current lockout leaves the entire NBA season up in the air for the foreseeable future. It is unknown where Weems will sign but the deal will be for one year, allowing him to return to the NBA after what will likely be a lockout shortened season.

The transition to the European style of play should not be difficult for Weems as General Manager Bryan Colangelo has cultivated a Euro-centric team in Toronto. Shooting big men, bad defense, and hard to spell names are the norm there. With the fifth overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the Raptors selected Jonas Valanciunas. Names do not get more Eastern European than that. Valanciunas is a 6’11″ center from Lithuania that has been compared to Krstic. No one knows for sure if he has quite the folded chair throwing abilities that Krstic has, though.

Colangelo and the Raptors were widely criticized by fans when they drafted Valanciunas as it was seen as Colangelo simply going after the most European name in the draft. However, some have come around to the notion that Valanciunas could be a viable contributor in the NBA. They cite his performance in an exhibition game against the Team USA Under 19 squad as evidence of that. In the friendly, Valanciunas scored 23 points and had 11 rebounds as Lithuania routed the United States 108-75. Unfortunately for him, no player in the NBA is under the age of 19 and he will be matched up against the best frontcourt players in the world. Obviously his performance against Team USA U19 must be taken with a heavy dose of salt but it is something to note.

As for Team USA U19 there is one player to keep an eye on: Tony Mitchell. He has been one of the team’s best players as they have advanced through the FIBA U19 World Championships in Latvia. Mitchell did not score in the most recent contest versus China but had eight rebounds to go along with smothering defense that helped Team USA shut down the Chinese. For the tournament, he is averaging six points on 50 percent shooting from inside the arc, nine rebounds (which leads the team), and 1.3 assists.

Mitchell is exactly the kind of player that the NBA cannot afford to lose as the lockout drags on. Yes, he has yet to play a single college game at the University of North Texas, but his upside is what teams are looking for when they are scouting college talent. He has already proved that he is a good rebounder with defensive instincts. Those two assets always translate well to the NBA. What the lockout may do is cause Mitchell to take pause when he must choose between another year of college or entering the draft next year, depending on how long the lockout goes on. It can be said that Harrison Barnes chose to remain in college rather than enter the draft this year because of the impending work stoppage. Perhaps a trend of players staying college longer than a year will emerge after a prolonged lockout. This is all speculation of course.

What is not speculation is that Mitchell should be watched. His stock is on the rise and if he can grow during the regular season it would not be surprising to hear his name more frequently as the NCAA basketball season approaches and beyond that. What he is doing with Team USA right now is very positive for his future.

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