Villeurbanne announced Dimitris Haritopoulos

A bargain!


ASVEL Villeurbanne announced the signing of Greek power forward Dimitris Haritopoulos(2.05-PF) via their official website. This will be the first time that Haritopoulos will play in a different league in Europe. He started his career in Aris Thessaloniki and after a tumultuous divorce with the team he went over to rivals Paok and also played for Panionios and Maroussi. In theory this will be the first time in his career that Haritopoulos will be paid on time and in full. He was even unlucky to play for Panionios the season that Elias Lianos had the unfortunate inspiration to step down as president and let others put the team in debt.

This season in Maroussi it was known in Greece that the team had no money whatsoever and the main reason that Haritopoulos and the others persevered was to get a better contract abroad. This has come to pass for Haritopoulos now who will soon be joining the rest of the players of Villeurbanne. He has averaged 12.1 points 7.6 rebounds in 14 games in the Greek A1 league this season.

Maroussi have almost certainly kicked the bucket and way or another their heading to relegation or disqualification from their league if the guarantor check bounces. Other players could soon follow Haritopoulos' example.

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Tony Parker will play for Villeurbanne

A long-heard rumor came true on Wednesday when Asvel announces the arrival of point guard Tony Parker, also its general director of basketball operations.


Parker (1.83 meters, 29 years old) arrives from San Antonio of the NBA, where he has played in each of the last 10 seasons. He led the Spurs to three NBA titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007, when he was chosen as the Finals MVP.

Last season, Parker averaged 17.5 points and 6.6 assists in 78 NBA games. He has accumulated 12,481 points and 4,285 assists in 746 regular season games, as well as 2,591 points and 682 assists in 138 playoffs showdowns. Parker started his career with INSEP and also played for Paris SG before joining San Antonio. He is also a regular member of the French national team, to which he led to the EuroBasket 2011 title game this summer. Parker was EuroBasket 2011's top scorer (22.1 ppg.) and was chosen to the All-Tournament team.

source : eurocupbasketball.com

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Casspi could play with Parker in France

The San Antonio Spurs would undoubtedly prefer to see them playing together in South Texas, but the prospect of Tony Parker and longtime Spurs favorite Omri Casspi teaming up in France is very much alive.


Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Monday that Casspi is giving strong consideration to signing with ASVEL in France's top division.

That's the same ASVEL club which claims Parker as a co-owner and as its vice president of basketball operations.

It initially appeared that Casspi -- after being dealt from Sacramento to Cleveland on June 30 in the final trade consummated in the NBA before the start of the July 1 lockout -- was a lock to play for perennial Euroleague power Maccabi Tel-Aviv in his native Israel in the event of the lockout bleeding into November or December.

But David Pick of Eurobasket.com reported earlier Monday that Casspi and Maccabi officials, after a sitdown, have mutually agreed that they would not be able to reach contract terms that both sides can stomach.

France isn't the only destination that Casspi -- coveted by the Spurs since he was drafted No. 23 overall by the Kings in 2009 -- is considering as a lockout alternative. Various reports in the Israeli media say he's drawn interest from clubs in Russia and Spain.

But ASVEL, situatated in the Lyon suburb of Villeurbanne, does have one clear advantage: Casspi and Parker share the same agent. They're both represented by CAA's Steven Heumann.

Last week in London on duty with the French national team, Parker told ESPN.com contributor Ian Whittell that he will play in his native France if he plays anywhere other than the NBA this season as opposed to seizing upon the interest Parker has generated from teams in China.

"My agent talked about China a little bit," Parker told Whittell. "... I'm not going to take any decision until the end of September, after the European Championships. I want to see if I'm healthy, if I'm hurt and by then we will also know a lot more what is happening with the situation of the lockout. 


"If I play [abroad], I will definitely play in France, for my fans, for my team ASVEL." 

As for the prospect of Casspi ultimately winding up alongside Parker in the French League, one source close to the situation said it really "might happen."

Casspi is currently nursing a injured left knee that threatens to knock him out of the European Championships (EuroBasket) later this month in Lithuania. Israel's only NBA player told reporters over the weekend that "right now my leg is in a bad state."

source : espn.com


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Nicolas Batum will play for Nancy during the lockout

Batum returns to France!


Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum has reached an agreement to play with French basketball club SLUC Nancy if the NBA lockout extends into the regular season, according to Julien Deschuyteneer of BasketSession.com.

He will sign an official contract with the team after a physical evaluation is performed. The Portland Trail Blazers forward will begin the season in French Pro A and the Euroleague with Nancy if an NBA lockout continues into the NBA regular season.


We knew contact discussions between the two parties were progressing, but nothing was sure yet. Especially as other clubs have expressed interest, including ASVEL according to information published in L'Equipe just ten days ago. Supporters of SLUC Nancy can therefore rest assured of one thing, that Nicolas will play for Nancy.

On Friday FIBA announced it would allow NBA players under contract to play in its leagues during the lockout, as long as they return once it's over.

Batum is currently playing for the French national team as they compete in 2011 EuroBasket. He scored 15 points in an exhibition win over Canada Thursday.


source : oregonlive.com

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Varese announced Yakhouba Diawara

Colpo grosso by Varese!


Varese announced the signing of French forward Yakhouba Diawara(2.01-SF) via their official website. The deal is valid until the season and so they bagged themselves a quality player with a European passport. Diawara is no stranger to Italy and before playing for Brindisi he had played for Fortitudo Bologna.

He started his career in Dijon as a youngster and after graduating from Peperdine he went back to Dijon and then played for Fortitudo. After that he played in the NBA for 3 seasons playing for Denver and Miami before returning to Europe for Brindisi. Last season he averaged 13.6 points and 4.5 rebounds in 30 games in the LegaA1.

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Cholet announced Robert Dozier

Another player who cashed in a good season in Greece.


Robert Dozier(2.06-PF) moved to greener or wealthier pastures if you like and Cholet announced the player via their official website. The deal is valid until the end of the season and Dozier will be filling the gab that Antywane Robinson(2.03-PF) left behind when he moved to Turkey.

Dozier was drafted by the Miami Heat in the 2009 Draft in the 2nd round and the 60th overall position. Since then he played for 2 seasons in Greece. The first season he played for Kolossos Rhodes and this past season he played for Paok where he had his breakout season and got noticed by Cholet. He averaged 10.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 33 games in the A1 league having his best games during the play-offs.

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Gravelines announced Marcus Landry

A quality scorer for Gravelines.


Marcus Landry(2.01-SF) is the new player of Gravelines Dunkerque as it was announced via the team's official website. The deal is for one season. He is the brother of NBA player Carl Landry(2.06-PF) and after a good season in the NBDL he will be taking his talents to the ProA in France.

This will be his first pro contract in Europe and he has also played for New York and Boston in the NBA and also Maine and Reno in the NBDL. This past season he played for Reno Bighorns in the NBDL averaging 17.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 53 games and also for Coamo in Puerto Rico averaging 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 10 games.

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Parker could play for Villeurbanne

Tony Parker played four seasons in France before being selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2001 NBA Draft.


If the lockout lasts into January, and it seems like it might, Parker has recently said that he will resume his French basketball career.

Parker held a press conference recently in France, and according to French basketball website BasketUSA, the 29-year-old point guard had some interesting comments on the lockout and a possible return to France.

On the lockout, Parker said that it "is a problem of rich," apparently intimating that the owners are at fault despite his signing a four-year, $50 million extension with the Spurs last fall. This isn't exactly a surprising stance, however, as there's no reason for him to blame his fellow players for the problems keeping the NBA from playing next season.

If the NBA doesn't play next season, or at least if the lockout lasts into 2012, Parker plans to give a big boost to ASVEL -- the team he part-owns and manages in France.

"If in January-February, the NBA says the lockout will last until the end of the season, I will come to France, but the NBA season can start anytime -- They will not say in October that the strike will last all year, it does not work like that," Parker said. "But if so, I'd head over to the ASVEL because I'm general manager and executive director."

ASVEL has already signed three players with names familiar to NCAA basketball fans in Jamie Skeen, Kim Tillie and former NBA player Hilton Armstrong, but Parker would definitely be a nice addition.

In fact, he might be able to be the first in the world to be named Most Valuable Player and Executive of the Year in the same season.

source : sbnation.com




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Roanne to land Rick Jackson and John Holland

Dynamic duo for Roanne


Another rumor that surfaced last night(at Interbasket forum) was that of Europe rookies, Rick Jackson(2.06-PF) of the Syracuse Orange and John Holland(1.96-SG/SF) of the Boston University Terriers. If this comes true then this will their pro debut in Europe playing in one of the most established teams in France and a former champion.

It seems that both players will forego any NBA camps and will make their way to France and possibly the Eurocup. Jackson averaged 13.1 points 10.3 rebounds 2.2 assists and 2.5 blocks in 35 games for Syracuse and Holland averaged 19.2 points 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 34 games for Boston University this past season.

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Picks of the day

Some interesting transfers.


Braunsweig added Serbian power forward Branko Jorovic who played for Kavala BC in Greece last season and averaged 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 27 games in the Greek A1 league.

Villeurbanne also added another player, center Hilton Armstrong(2.08-C) who had little playing time in the NBA last season playing for the Hawks and Wizards but getting very limited playing time. Another personal choice of Tony Parker for his hobby team.

Alba pinched the MVP of the BBL from Frankfurt and announced the signing of DaShaun Wood(1.85-PG) for the next 2 seasons. Wood followed head coach Gordon Herbert from Frankfurt. Wood averaged 19 points 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 42 games in the BBL.

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Villeurbanne announced Jamie Skeen

Tony Parker recommended him..


ASVEL Villeurbanne announced the signing of power forward Jamie Skeen(2.05-PF) via their official website. He signed a contract until the end of next season and this will be his first pro contract in Europe. Skeen was the revelation of the March Madness in the NCAA helping Virginia Commonwealth University to the final four. Skeen was a transfer from Wake Forest but he shone as a player of Virginia Commonwealth in his final season.

Although he plays as power forward he is a very good 3-point shooter and had a great season averaging 15.7 points 7.3 rebounds and 1 blocks in a total of 39 games last season with the Rams.

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Villeurbanne interested in Pat Calathes

Many teams will be interested this summer.


He is the not so well known brother of Euroleague champion Nick Calathes but this summer he will become well known too. We're talking about Pat Calathes (2.09-SF/PF) who has been playing for the last 3 seasons in Greece using his dual nationality and thus not occupying the slot of a foreign player. Calathes finally had his breakout season after 2 sour seasons in Maroussi where he struggled to get playing time in the overflowing SF position.

In Kolossos he was the go to man and the MVP of the team leading them safely past the relegation zone and into the play-offs once more. He averaged 14.3 points 8.1 rebounds 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 28 games in the A1 league. Now eurobasket.com says that Villeurbanne are interested in signing the talented Greek-American forward and next year he might be a France resident.

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CSKA announced Krstic and Mejia

2 new signings from CSKA.


Center Nenad Krstic (27 years, 212 cm) signed the contract with our club until the end of 2012-13 season. Serbian National Team captain joined CSKA after almost 7 years in NBA.

Krstic started his pro career in Partizan Belgrade earning the first round draft choice in 2002. He went overseas in 2004 and played for New Jersey for 4 seasons. Nenad started 2008-09 season in Triumph Lyubertsy, but his tint in Russia came to end in December, when he got back to America. Krstic played for Oklahoma-City until the February 2011 and was traded to Boston.

Krstic averages in NBA: 10.0 points, 5.4 rebounds in 25.2 minutes in 419 regular championship games, 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds in 25.2 minutes in playoff games.

Jonas Kazlauskas, CSKA head coach:
Nenad is a veteran player with the experience of European and American basketball. I used to meet him in the National Team games last years, I know him well for his play in Eurobaskets and World Championship. We need his experience, his strength under the basket, we need a center who can score from the distance not only from the paint. Krstic is exactly that kind of player.

Guard/forward Sammy Mejia (28 years, 197 cm) joined our team today. Dominican-American player signed 2-year contract with CSKA.

Mejia’s career has started from modest DePaul University, second round draft choice, NBDL and small European clubs. New York native was improving year-by-year statistically. Two seasons in Cholet made everyone serious about Sammy. He won the French League in his first year qualifying for the Euroleague. On second year he earned the Euroleague Game 5 MVP award and was named Foreign MVP in France.

Mejia’s averages for the last season: Euroleague – 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals in 32.4 minutes in 10 games, French regular championship – 18.0 points, 5.1 points, 4.0 assists, 1.0 

33.2 minutes in 30 games, French playoffs – 18.0 points, 5.4 points, 1.8 assists, 0.8 перехвата за 32.6 minutes в 5 games.

Jonas Kazlauskas, CSKA head coach:

Mejia plays 2 and 3 positions, he is good on pick-n-roll’s, able to find the teammates, knows how to score. We needed one more player who can attack the basket himself, who can link the partners. Mejia was a best foreign player in France, and that means a lot. You know that Lietuvos Rytas signed Eidson from France one day, and many people questioned that decision. But life proved them wrong. We hope that Sammy will show himself in a big club, that he will remain as valuable and good as he was in Cholet.

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Malcolm Delaney will play for Chalon

Tracking the whereabouts of former Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney has been a chore in recent weeks, as he’s traveled around the country for pre-draft workouts with nine NBA teams — including the Washington Wizards.


His journey came to an end Tuesday, when the Memphis Grizzlies welcomed the Baltimore native for a private evaluation. Yet there are no assurances the two-time all-ACC first-team selection will hear his name called during Thursday’s NBA draft.

Many draft experts are predicting he’ll go undrafted, a significant distinction with the potential of a prolonged NBA lockout looming.

So last week, Delaney took an unusual step towards eliminating some of that anxiety. He signed a conditional one-year contract with Elan Chalon, a team in France’s top professional league, Ligue Nationale de Basketball, based about 200 miles southeast of Paris.

Chalon General Manager Remy Delpon wrote in an e-mail that the agreement is worth $130,000 after taxes and stipulates Delaney will report to the team’s training camp in early August if he’s not on an NBA roster by July 20.

“It’s a back-up plan, and with people saying the lockout is going to be bad, I didn’t want to sit around and not make money,” Delaney said. “This is a big week, but I’m not as stressed as I would have been because I know I have something to fall back on either way.”

Though Delaney had explored playing overseas ever since declaring for the NBA draft without an agent last year, the tipping point for Delaney’s conditional contract came in April when the NBA decided to cancel its annual summer league in Las Vegas. It’s traditionally a proving ground for fringe prospects, but also serves as a key recruiting period for European teams looking for talent.

Now, July will likely be a dead period for undrafted free agents — and even those that are drafted — because once the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement expires on June 30, no teams will know for sure what the salary cap or rookie wage scale will look like for next season.

“It’s a fairly common maneuver by agents, and you’re gonna start to hear about a lot of [conditional contracts] once the lockout starts to take hold,” said Delaney’s agent, Andrew Vye of ASM Sports. “We just moved a little faster than most, and that was a calculated decision on our part to beat people to the punch. We were lucky enough to get a really good team to cooperate with us a little earlier than they normally do.”

source : washingtonpost.com

editor's note : If you read the entire article you'll agree that Chalon is not part of the the Euroleague.

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Bobcats' Diaw picks up $9 million option

Charlotte Bobcats forward Boris Diaw has exercised his player option for next season that will pay him $9 million.



Agent Doug Neustadt said Tuesday they informed the Bobcats of the decision earlier this week.
Diaw said after the season that with the potential labor uncertainty this summer, it was a "no-brainer" to pick up the option and avoid becoming a free agent until 2012.

The move comes after owner Michael Jordan criticized Diaw's play in the 2010-11 season. Diaw, who was nearly traded twice last season, could be a potential target to be moved as Jordan seeks to revamp Charlotte's roster.

The 29-year-old Diaw averaged 11.3 point and 5 rebounds last season.

source : usatoday.com


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Picks of the day

Busy day today transfer-wise..


The first 3 announcements of sort, come from the Beobasket agency where the motto is, announce them before the press does! First announcement is for Croatian head coach Drazen Anzulovic who didn't make it with Cibona but takes up the helm at Cedevita Zagreb instead.

The other announcement has to do with one of the most underrated big men in Europe, Serbian forward/center Marko Scekic(2.07-PF/C) who will continue his career with the Italian league finalist, Cantu. Scekic was transferred from KK Buducnost for the Italian play-offs and very soon he made a difference for Cantu averaging 12.1 points 5.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 9 games. Scekic will be an Italy resident for the next 2 seasons.

Croatian center Luksa Andric(2.10-C) will be continuing his career with the Turkish finalist Galatasaray for the next 2 seasons as well. He averaged 9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 42 games in the Turkish league.

In France now, local shooting guard Fabien Causeur(1.93-SG) renewed his contract with Cholet until 2013, that is for another 2 seasons as it was announced today via their official website. The youngster will probably be getting some more playing in the future. This season he averaged 6.9 points 2.9 rebounds 2.4 assists in 14 in the ProA.

Efes Pilsen were quite eager to announce Dusko Savanovic(2.04-PF) but it seems that they haven't paid Valencia the buy-out clause yet. It's not a measley amount too.. it's 1.5 million euros that need to paid to the Spaniards or else they could just as easily block the transfer.

Last but certainly not least Pete Mickeal(1.98-SF) is back with a vengeance, also with a 2-season extension on his contract but we knew that was coming anyway.

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Vaty in Gravelins for 2 seasons

And the first one for Gravelines is..


Ludovic Vaty(2.06-PF/C) will be a player of Gravelines for the next 2 seasons as it was announced via the official website of the team. Vaty spent last season in Orleans amongst an injury saga that kept him away from a transfer to the ACB.


Vaty played in Pau Orthez before Orleans and last season he averaged 8.2 points and 4.6 assists in 32 games in the ProA and also 6.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 14 games in the Euroleague playing for Orleans during season 2009-10. This past season he averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 24 games for Orleans in the ProA.

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Baskonia landed Thomas Heurtel for 4 seasons

Caja Laboral signed playmaker Thomas Heurtel to a four-year deal, fortifying the team's backcourt for years to come.


Heurtel (189, 22) spent last season playing in Spain on loan for Meridiano Alicante where he averaged 9.5 points and 2.4 assists per game. He grew up with Pau-Orthez and averaged 10 points and 6.2 assists per game during the 2008-09 French League season, his first as a full-time player, after which he was awarded the Meilleur Espoir PRO A 2009 trophy as the best prospect in the French League. Heurtel signed a four-year deal with Asvel Basket following that season, but never suited up for the club, instead spending one season on loan at Strasbourg in France and another at Alicante before Laboral bought out his deal to bring him to Vitoria. Heurtel has also played for the French national team at the junior level and won a silver medal at the 2009 Under-20 European Championships in Rhodes, Greece.

source : euroleague.net

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Thomas Heurtel moving to Baskonia?

The next logical step..


According to elcorreo.com, Thomas Heurtel(1.86-PG) could be Marcelinho Huertas' next backup. The French point-guard is still bound by contact with ASVEL Villeurbanne but the article implies that Baskonia has already to pay 145,000 euros to Villeurbanne in order to break the contract and will be offering Heurtel a 5-season contract. There will also be an NBA buy-out clause for every season in his contract as scouts believe Heurtel could make that step one day.

Heurtel has been a member of the Young National Teams of France and started his pro career in Pau Orthez. This season he played for Alicante in Spain on loan from Villeurbanne where he averaged 9.5 points 1.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 31 games in the ACB.

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Panionios to announce Ryvon Covile

But first something else needs to be settled.


Ryvon Covile(2.06-C) was recently waived from Le Mans and since yesterday evening he has been in Athens waiting to sign his new contract with Panionios. He will be replacing Nigerian forward/center Chinemelu Elonu(2.08-PF/C) whose performance didn't satisfy the new head coach of Panionios, Giorgos Bartzokas. Elonu averaged 7.6 points 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 9 games in the Greek A1 league.

Covile started the season in Le Mans averaging 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 9 games in the LNB but with limited playing time. He also averaged 7.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 6 Euroleague Qualifying games and 5 points and 5 rebounds in 3 games in the Eurocup. According to superbasket.gr Covile won't be signing his new contract before the existing contract of Panionios with Elonu is broken.

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