The cynical would joke that a Denver Nuggets season wouldn't be complete without a catastrophic injury to Nene, the Brazilian big man who this year -- a superb campaign, really -- played in at least 65 games for the first time since 2004. But there you go: in the Nuggets' final game of the 2008-09 season, Nene suffered a fractured arm in the fourth quarter, according to the Denver Post. He left the gym wearing a cast.
There's no word on how long rehab will take. One would assume the injury may affect Nene's reported plans to play for Brazil in this summer's Copa America. Brazil needs to finish top five in the Copa (assuming already World-qualified Team USA also finished top five) to automatically qualify for the 2010 World Championships in Istanbul. Brazil's coach said Anderson Varejao has tentatively committed, but the Cavalier will likely enter free agency in July. Missing its two top big men could be trouble for the Brazilians.
Charlie Villanueva is being sued for allegedly assaulting a man at a nightclub in Milwaukee in February. It's too early to determine if the suit has merit -- neither Villanueva nor the Bucks have commented on it -- but it's certainly out of left field.
NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day. Want to submit an item? Hit us up on Twitter (@NBAFanHouse, #essentials).
* "During a recent trip to Toronto earlier this month, Matt Bonner talked with the media about how the combination of his grandfather - a 'Newfie' as he affectionately referred to him - and his wife being from Canada has led him to feel a strong connection to this country. Bonner also recently discovered that he has some cousins who are Canadian. Because of these factors Bonner has decided to file the necessary paperwork to gain his Canadian citizenship. Not only that, but he's also expressed a strong desire to play the Canadian national team." -- Hoops Addict.
In retirement Vlade Divac has stayed active in sport. The old Kings star served as a scout for the Lakers, ran a Spanish club and will now train his sights on building Serbia's Olympic hopes in 2012 and beyond. On Tuesday, Divac was elected president of the Serbian Olympic Committee.
Divac's quick ascension met with some internal strife, as nuts as that sounds to us on the outside. Divac is promising to upset the metaphorical apple cart; Serbia's effort in Beijing were panned as disorganized and feeble. Divac's priorities are focused on building some institutional strength to get Serbia on the right track.
After winning Olympic gold this summer, several members of Team USA immediately said they'd like to represent their country in the 2012 Olympics, as well. The catch, though, is that playing for Team USA has now become a three-year commitment, and anybody wanting to suit up in London would almost certainly have to commit to playing in the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey, as well.
Needless to say, at least a couple of key members of the Redeem Team might be a little bit busy in the summer of 2010 -- LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, for starters, will be sorting through dozens of job offers from around the league. You have to figure they'll be granted exceptions, but at least one player is willing to commit to Turkey for the right to play in London: Kobe Bryant.
Pardon me if this seems out of the blue, but as teams like the Thunder and the Wizards plumb depths impossible, fans are getting into draft spirit. It's all fun and facetiousness at this point, though you hear a lot of names. Actually, you hear a few names repeatedly. At the top of that list sits Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio.
Rubio has been on everyone's breath for a few years now, and his awesome showing in the Olympics gold medal game in August only bolstered his stateside reputation. Until Derrick Rose last June, a guard had not gone No. 1 this decade -- the only other top picked guard in the past 25 years is Allen Iverson. Still, Rubio has fans from New York to Sacramento and all points in between in dry heaves.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
James Singleton of the Dallas Mavericks is back in the NBA after spending time overseas. When you hear about his experiences you'll understand why NBA players may not be rushing to leave. In this video we ask James which teammate could fight in the MMA (the answer will surprise you), what he thinks of team owner Mark Cuban and why anyone who breaks into his house should watch out.
Josh Childress is gone but not forgotten -- in case the trademark 'fro and the Greek uniform didn't tip you off, that's him in the video above (via Skeets) putting two on the board for Olympiacos. Childress was also the subject of a wide-ranging interview with Pete Thamel of the New York Times in which he discussed, among other things, why he made the jump overseas:
I did it because it was a better situation for me. Regardless of what people say. A lot of people said "he's not a competitor" or "he's going to the J.V. league." I read it all over the place. I think it was a lot of chat room stuff and in a few papers.
To those guys I would say, "I'm in situation where I get paid double, my role increases, I have no expenses and I move to a nice city." How many guys wouldn't do that, regardless if you're a lawyer or a doctor? In a business sense, if I were to tell people that I passed on that deal, I would be stupid.
What began as a neat, almost inspiring story of gratefulness has turned into an ugly power struggle in which no one looks particularly classy. Samuel Dalembert, a Haitian refugee who spent a chunk of his formative years in Montreal, rushed through the procedure to become a Canadian citizen two summers ago in order to help his adopted home nation qualify for the Olympic basketball tournament. Canada didn't make it into the field during 2007, so the pre-Olympic qualifiers in Athens this July would be the only path.
During the tournament, Dalembert had a spat with coach Leo Rautins over something or other, possibly the presence of Dalembert's girlfriend and brother in Athens, or the fact the Canadian team's dinner plans didn't fit into Dalembert's gameday diet. Then, all of a sudden, Rautins kicked Dalembert off the team as Canada floundered. No Olympics for Sam, no Olympics for Canada.
And now Dalembert says if Rautins remains head coach of the team, the Sixer won't play for the nation again. From Michael Grange of the Toronto Globe & Mail:
"I will say no," Dalembert said yesterday when asked if he would play for Rautins again. "You never know. You get one slap; you don't know when you're going to get another slap again. I'm not ready for that."
Rautins still has a job. After watching Canada a little in July and back in '07, I imagine Rautins will not have a job for long. Without knowing the full details of the spat, it's impossible to know if it's the right result. But based on what we have, Rautins seems more like a cocky Alpha coach than Dalembert seems like a diva.
Brandon Jennings bucked tradition when he decided to skip a season of indentured servitude in the NCAA in favor of Europe, and he did it again when it came time to sign a shoe contract. Instead of going the traditional route and choosing between Nike, adidas or Reebok, Jennings went with Under Armour, which plans to make him the centerpiece of their emerging basketball division. From CNBC's Darren Rovell:
Jennings is the first basketball shoe endorser for the brand, which has signed him to a multi-year contract that is incentive based. Although Jennings has a three-year deal with the Italian team, it is well known that he has an out after each year.
"The endgame is for Brandon to make it the NBA and be the impact player that everyone is predicting that he'll be," said Steve Battista, Under Armour's senior vice president of brand.
Under Armour has been making basketball apparel for two years, but Jennings' signature kicks will be the first shoe they've actually released. I don't know any more details about the incentives, but I imagine a chunk of change hinges on which pick he ends up being selected with once he enters the NBA draft, which will presumably happen next spring.
The cynical would joke that a Denver Nuggets season wouldn't be complete without a catastrophic injury to Nene, the Brazilian big man who this year -- a superb campaign, really -- played in at least 65 games for the first time since 2004. But there you go: in the Nuggets' final game of the 2008-09 season, Nene suffered a fractured arm in the fourth quarter, according to the Denver Post. He left the gym wearing a cast.
In retirement 
After winning Olympic gold this summer, 
Pardon me if this seems out of the blue, but as teams like the Thunder and the Wizards plumb depths impossible, fans are getting into draft spirit. It's all fun and facetiousness at this point, though you hear a lot of names. Actually, you hear a few names repeatedly. At the top of that list sits Spanish point guard 
James Singleton of the Dallas Mavericks is back in the NBA after spending time overseas. When you hear about his experiences you'll understand why NBA players may not be rushing to leave. In this video we ask James which teammate could fight in the MMA (the answer will surprise you), what he thinks of team owner Mark Cuban and why anyone who breaks into his house should watch out. 
What began as a neat, almost inspiring story of gratefulness has turned into an ugly power struggle in which no one looks particularly classy. 
