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Chris Kaman Bin Ein Berliner (Or, Dirk Has a Friend in Beijing)

Posted: Jul 2nd 2008 5:25 PM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Clippers, Los Angeles, FIBA, Beijing, Europe

A throwaway comment from Chris Kaman months ago, in which the Clipper revealed his great-grandparents were German immigrants, has spiraled out of control. Ball in Europe reports Kaman will join Dirk Nowitzki and the German national team for this month's Olympic qualifying tournament and -- hopefully -- the Beijing Olympics.

Kaman received an expedited German passport, which allows him to compete ASAP. The Germans need the help, too: in the qualifying tournament, they share a group (the toughest) with Greece (the 2005 European champs), Slovenia (Rasho! Sasha!) and Croatia ... and need to finish in the top two just to finish to the elimination round, of which only three of the six remaining teams gets a crack at Beijing.

Other threats to a Kaman-Nowitzki appearance in Beijing include Brazil (a virtual lock to qualify, even without Leandro Barbosa) and Samuel Dalembert's Canadian squad.

One-Third of Team USA's Corps of Big Men is Recovering From Injury

Posted: Jun 29th 2008 9:48 AM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Magic, NBA Injuries, USA Basketball, Beijing, USA

1 COMMENT

The small size of the final roster for the U.S. men's basketball team heading into the Olympics was noted last week, when the line-up became official. Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski opted to add a extra point guard and a full contingent of wings rather than keep Tyson Chandler in the mix. The big men? Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, and Dwight Howard ...

... who, according to ESPN's Chris Sheridan, is recovering from a stress fracture in his sternum, and has not been cleared to practice yet. Howard was forced to sit out a one-day mini-camp, but expects to be ready for the start of training camp on July 21. Howard told Sheridan the injury still hurts, but that doctors tell him he'll be OK.

In light of the injury -- which you know Colangelo and Krzyzewski were aware of when they took Boozer and Deron Williams over Chandler -- there's a risk of Team USA being left short at some point. But that's nothing new. Coach K had Chandler on his bench last summer at the Tournament of the Americas in Las Vegas ... and Coach K left Chandler on the bench. The team, replete with wingmen, was still able to rebound effectively and dominate the competition.

Boozer is an elite rebounder, and Bosh is pretty good in that area. Even if Howard -- the best rebounder in the NBA -- remains too hobbled, the Americans should survive.

Columnists Should Not Tell Dwyane Wade What He Should or Should Not Do

Posted: Jun 23rd 2008 10:47 AM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Heat, NBA Media Watch, Miami, USA Basketball, FIBA, Beijing, USA, Americas

1 COMMENT

Greg Stoda's Palm Beach Post column headlined "Dwyane Wade Should Not Play in the Olympics" would seem quaint were it not so cynical and headstrong (via TrueHoop). In the piece, Stoda argues that Wade is being selfish for rejoining U.S.A. Basketball this summer, insisting the real motives for his play in Beijing are marketing cash and pride of self. And from the get-go, Stoda tells Wade (bluntly) to decline Jerry Colangelo's invitation.

Color me liberal, but don't you think we ought to let Wade make this decision? The thought of deferring to corporate employer over nation and self is extraordinarily silly; it's Wade's offseason, and so long as his employer has agreed to let him go play basketball and he is healthy enough to do so, why shouldn't he? Why is it assumed -- just because Mickey Arison pays him $14 million a year -- that anything Wade does should be done with Miami on his mind? Wade, of course, performs his end of the bargain during the NBA season.

Yes, he was injured last season. But it was the Heat who -- mired in embarrassing depths -- shut Wade down early. (The team also shut down Udonis Haslem and Shawn Marion, who did not appear a fraction as injured as Wade, and Pat Riley trotted out a parade of D-Leaguers as the losses piled. Go figure.) If Wade is comfortable with his physical condition, and the team is comfortable with his physical condition, there should be no issue.

In spite of this, Stoda goes out of his way to indicate the Heat secretly hate that Wade's going to Beijing, that Wade cares more about promoting "The Wade Corp." than winning gold for the United States, and to generally diminish any sort of patriotism Wade has shown in previous media interviews. Basically, Stoda thinks Wade is a selfish liar, and Stoda thinks he (a columnist for a daily newspaper) knows what's best for a wealthy, 26-year-old man near the top of his profession. Anyone else have a problem with this?

Yi Jianlian Back on Hardwood, Playing Well

Posted: Jun 15th 2008 1:10 PM ET by Tom Ziller (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Bucks, NBA Injuries, FIBA, Beijing, China, Asia

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A few months after Chinese star Yao Ming ended his NBA season early to have his foot surgically repaired, China's #2 basketball player, Yi Jianlian of the Bucks, joined his countryman on the shelf. Chatter had folks believing each could have played through the injuries, but that might have cost them full health for the Beijing Olympics. Yi's situation received less scrutiny, partly because Yi < Yao and partly because Yi's team sat mired in a run for the league's worst record instead of the league's championship.

While Yao's recovery has been rather public, Yi hasn't gotten much pub stateside as he works back toward Beijing. But the Buck is back on the court for the Chinese national team's exhibition gauntlet, and the early reviews are good: BrewHoop reports Yi went for 18 points and 13 rebounds in 28 minutes against a B-team from Croatia.

Back in March, reports out of Milwaukee had Yi suffering from fatigue. BrewHoop also posts up the Chinese team's summer schedule: the team has something like 15 exhibitions scheduled before the Olympics, plus several blank weeks assumed to be set aside for practice. If Yi was tired this season, after 50 games and limited summertime national team commitments, how's he going to feel three weeks into Scott Skiles' preseason boot camp?

Yao Interview Should Quash the Chinese Fear

Posted: Apr 15th 2008 6:00 PM ET by Will Brinson (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Rockets, Western, NBA Injuries, Beijing, China

1 COMMENT

One would assume that the entire country of China is terrified of the prospect that Yao Ming might not make a full recovery in time for the Olympic games in Beijing. Fear not, sweet Chinese people! Yao is apparently doing just fine, and in a recently released interview, he talks all about his workout schedule (1:15) and the (13 million?) hit count that reebokyao.com has generated (2:32), and how much that means to him, knowing that he has a lot more than just Dikembe Mutumbo backing him up.

I'm not entirely sure how much this will subdue any conspiracy from Rocket fans that Yao is more concerned about the national team than his NBA team -- not a believer in that one personally, but it's worth noting -- but it should do a lot to let fans know that he will be healthy by the time China gears up for Olympic basketball.