10 Summer League Breakout Candidates

February 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Take the Las Vegas Summer League, for example. Players such as Klay Thompson and Derrick Williams are trying to parlay strong performances this summer into eventual NBA stardom with their teams.

The Las Vegas Summer League is a golden opportunity for players to earn an increased role in the NBA. For young players, their summer performance can earn them a rotation spot. For players hooping overseas, the summer is a chance to show NBA executives and coaches they belong on this side of the pond.

One needs to be put in a position to succeed, and the Las Vegas Summer League is among the primary avenues a player can take to put himself in that situation.

With 24 teams comprised of draft picks, young NBA players, D-Leaguers, international players and former pros, here is a look at the 10 players likely to benefit most from their exposure in Las Vegas. Golden State, Minnesota and – believe it or not – New York each have two players on the list:

Filed under AJ Mitnick, Columns

Olympic Qualifying Tournament Preview

February 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Kostas Papanikolau of Greece, the 2nd-round draft pick of the New York Knicks in 2012

Olympic basketball begins today … sort of.

And all those New York Knicks fans who are wondering about their new draft pick, Kostas Papanikolau, will likely get a chance to see him later this summer against Team USA.

Greece is one of the favorites in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament that begins today in Venezuela, and there are more familiar faces for NBA fans than one might imagine.

Andrei Kirilenko and Timofey Mozgov are representing Russia. J.J. Barea, Carlos Arroyo and Renaldo Balkman are representing Puerto Rico.

Al Horford is playing for the Dominican Republic, which will be coached by John Calipari (who cut Charlie Villanueva from the team). Al-Farouq Aminu and Ike Diogu are playing for Nigeria.

Sarunas Jasikevicius and Jonas Valanciunas are competing for Lithuania.

Bo McCalebb of Macedonia

Bo McCallebb, the pride of both New Orleans and Skopje, will be playing for Macedonia

The top three teams from the 12-team field will earn berths in the London Olympics, and the top two finishers will be in Team USA’s preliminary round group, which already includes France and Argentina.

My picks to win the three Olympic berths are Russia, Greece and Lithuania.

Here is a preview of the tournament and a rundown of the participants. The tournament runs through July 8, and we will be bringing you daily updates on SheridanHoops.com.

The teams are split into four groups of three who will compete in a round-robin format. The top two teams in each group will make it to the quarterfinals, which will be a one-and-done tournament, in which the winners of the semifinal games qualify for the London Olympics and losers battle in a death match of a bronze medal game.

Filed under AJ Mitnick, Columns Tagged with ,

Potential NBA Draft Busts And Steals

June 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Draft day can make or break the future of a franchise.

Using the No. 3 overall pick to select Adam Morrison ahead of Rudy Gay can set your franchise back for over a half a decade, but landing a gem like Tony Parker with the 28th overall pick can put a team in position to be a title contender for years.

With the increased luxury tax penalties of the new CBA set to be implemented in the 2013-2014 season, it has become even more crucial for teams to make smart decisions on draft day.

Check out the rest of the column at Sheridan Hoops!

Filed under AJ Mitnick

Spurs Sitting On Two Eurostash Studs

June 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The Spurs stars may be getting old, but their blueprint for winning remains as strong as ever.

They were beaten at their own game by former Spurs executive, Sam Presti, this season, but they still have a few more tricks up their sleeve with Erazem Lorbek and Nando De Colo.

Since that fortunate day in 1997 when the ping-pong balls magically awarded Tim Duncan to San Antonio, the Spurs have written the instruction manual on how a small market team can achieve sustained success.

Filed under AJ Mitnick

Five Early Entry Draft Gems – International

June 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

TEL AVIV — With the announcement of this year’s early entry candidates for the NBA draft, now is a good time to take a look at this season’s international crop.

There are no clear cut stars coming from abroad in this year’s draft, but there are a few names that have a good chance to be solid contributors to teams down the line.

Check out the rest of the column at Sheridan Hoops!

Filed under AJ Mitnick

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