Alex Len was once considered as one of the promising young big men in the NBA but all promises went cloudy especially after he has shown inconsistency playing for Phoenix.
Len at 24 is still young and can still improve under the right team and situation. Last year, he averaged about 8 points, 6 rebounds and 1 block shot.
Alex Len might end up playing for the Suns and get about 4 million worth of salary if no other teams would pick him up.
If all else fails, Alex Len may have some potential in Mixed Martial Arts. Look at how he threw Whiteside in this video:
Rain or Shine started the game on a positive note and got a 7 point lead in the first half. They continued the good run in the second quarter but Global Port put up a good fight in the second half only to fall short with the score of 98 to 96 in favor of Rain or Shine.
Rain or Shine was shooting at a high 50% while Global Port is only at 40%. It could have been higher if not because of Terrence Romeo who was triggered happy once again taking 27 attempts and only hitting 9 (33%). He led the scoring , though, with 28 points. But that is not the only issue in this game. Batang Pier also had a problem with their import Jabril Trawick who played only for 16 minutes, shot at 20% (1/5) and fouled out of the game. As per writing, we heard that Trawick will be replaced right away.
Rain or Shine’s import was a different story as Weatherspoon scored a team high of 25 while shooting 61%. He also got a help from tonight’s player of the game Ahanmisi with 17 points.
Watch the highlights from TV5.
The scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 98 – Weatherspoon 25, Ahanmisi 17, Almazan 15, Tiu 10, Chan 9, Washington 8, Cruz 4, Norwood 4, Ponferada 3, Yap 2, Belga 1. GLOBALPORT 96 – Romeo 28, Pringle 21, Anthony 12, Guinto 12, Arana 3, Mamaril 3, Trawick 3, Mamaril 2, Ababou 2, Van Opstal 0, Grey 0, Maierhofer 0.
Rondo displayed his awesome passing ability again and yet fans from Dallas wished he played like this when he was with Dirk. I guess he prefers DMC more and they actually work well together as a team sometimes the Kings seemed like they can get to the playoffs and if they do its because of Rondo.
I am not taking away anything from DMC and Gay however we all know what they’ve accomplished without Rondo, Its fair to say that they havent had a true point guard to this date.
I really hope that the Kings make it to the playoffs IMO, Rondo can also be effective against Curry and make him defend on the other end.
Here’s the highlight of his Amazing Performance that gave them the victory over Utah Jazz
Meralco’s Cliff Hodge and Petron’s Alex Mallari battled in a rap contest, The rookies came with their best rhymes,Cliff Hodge is a little rough on the edges while Mallari sounds unsnappy, these rookies maybe good ballers but they ain’t Jay’z, I say haller! Stay in basketball there you have a better career, because your rap only sound good if I drink 10 beers, Rookies I meant no disrespect , because inside the court I know what to expect. So lets just wait who is better, Cliff Hodge, Mallari or whoever. Watch the PBA thats what I say, love basketball everyday!
Cliff Hodge and Alex Mallari face off in a rap battle
A lot has happen in the boxing world especially with the pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao, For the past several years most of the fights and pre fights of Manny Pacquiao had been documented and featured on HBO. This fight against Timothy Bradley will once again be documented but how can HBO make the public interested in watching the HBO 24/7 when Pacquiao life is already well known? To be honest Timothy Bradley maybe an undefeated boxer but of all the recent fight of Pacquiao I am not as hype in to watching this. True Timothy Bradley is young and brave but I feel that he still lacks the skill to beat Pacquiao nevertheless I would never take away his chances of winning this bout. It would really be a long shot, contrary to what most expert say that Bradley could give Pacquiao a problem, I honestly believe that it is not the case. Anyways with out further delay lets just watch how the fighters prepare for this fight on this HBO featured series. Pacquiao vs Bradley 24-7 Episode 1 Video.
Forget the heartaches from loosing against Jordan, If its not for us its for them. Smart Gilas Philippines had a bad showing against the Jordanians and none of our players really stood up except for the naturalized player Douthit who is really not Filipino. Its funny right? Anyways Korea is a tougher team than Jordan so do I expect a win here. Nah! Smart Gilas dropped every important games as if they are not mentally ready for it and why do these things happen? I don’t know! All I know is that many Filipino are still supporting the Smart Gilas club and if they don’t win tonight we shall change the name of our National team to Smart Choker! Go Go Go Smart Gilas choke the Koreans! kidding aside I really hope they win this to still get a chance to qualify for the Olympics.
Smart Gilas needed to win this Championship not because it proves anything but because they needed some moral boosting to keep the team spirit high. Smart Gilas crushed the Indonesians with a score of89 -50. Under man Smart Gilas proves that they belong in the big league with dominating win after another in the SEABA tournament culminating to the SEABA championship crown. With four players in double figure Smart Gilas continues to improve and hopefully be able to catch up on their goals. Next up Jones Cup and FIBA Asia. Good luck team.
Smart Gilas impressive against the Indonesians, however this has not change anything as they still need to prove that they can win during the stage that matters the most. Smart Gilas secure a slot in the FIBA Asia championship in September 15-25 in Wuhan, China. Smart Gilas is expected to win the SEABA tournament and nothing less, to prove that they are ready to face the elite teams in Asia.
That’s the grim reality facing the Smart Gilas basketball team and Serbian coach Rajko Toroman in the FIBA-Asia men’s championship, an Olympic qualifying tournament, in Wuhan, China in September.
“Unless Smart Gilas wins the FIBA Asia championship, the team will be disbanded,” a very reliable source told Business Insight/Malaya over the weekend.
The competition is Asia’s qualifying tournament for the 2012 London Olympic Games, with only one Olympic slot up for grabs.
“The SBP leadership does not see any reason to continue funding the team should it fail to qualify for the Olympics,” said the source, who was informed of the impending move by a high-ranking official of the basketball association.
Samahang Basketbol Pilipinas president and business magnate Manny Pangilinan has poured a small fortune into the quintet bidding to make it back to the Olympics. The Philippines last saw action in the Olympics in Munich in 1972 with a team bannered by Robert Jaworski and Ramon Fernandez, among others.
The Olympic basketball build-up was a brainchild of former SBP executive director Noli Eala who patterned his blueprint after the North Consolidated squad conceived and bankrolled by former ambassador and businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, the basketball godfather under the late President Marcos in the early until mid-80s.
The Cojuangco formula consisted of hiring a competent foreign coach–in this case American Ron Jacobs, and tapping outstanding local players and reinforcing the squad with naturalized cagers which, at that time were shooter Chip Engelland, swingman Jeff Moore and center Dennis Still.
This master plan reached its successful climax in 1985 when the Filipino cagers, also bannered by Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic and Hector Calma, won the Asian championship In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Similar to what the Jacobs-coached squad did, the Nationals are currently playing as a guest team in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup as part of their seasoning and have performed well enough to rank second after the eliminations.
“The SBP intends to start from scratch if Smart Gilas fails in the China tournament,” the source said, although he did not say what fate awaits Toroman, who was hired shortly after Eala was tapped as SBP executive director.
Toroman steered Iran to the FIBA Asia championship in 2007 which gave the Iranians the right to represent Asia outside of host China in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Despite being beefed up by three PBA players, the Philippines, with the Serbian mentor calling the shots in his first major international competition for Smart Gilas, finished sixth out of eight countries in last year’s Guangzhou Asian Games.
World championship dark horses Serbia upset holders Spain to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday with a heart-stopping 92-89 win secured by Milos Teodosic’s three-pointer three seconds from time. Teodosic, who otherwise had a poor shooting day, launched the winning shot with a Spanish defender in his face to send his team mates and a handful of Serbia fans into raptures.
“This is a fantastic win and we hope it’s not our last, we now have to come down to earth quickly and prepare for the semi-final,” Teodosic, who finished the game with 12 points and eight assists, told Serbian television.
“I didn’t have a good game by my standards but I kind of made up for it with the final shot; it was a team effort and we wouldn’t be here now if everyone hadn’t performed,” he said.
The Serbians, emphatically beaten by Spain in last year’s European championship final, raced into a 23-13 lead in the first quarter and appeared set to avoid the late drama after leading 86-78 with four minutes left.
But the resilient Spaniards, led by Barcelona guard Juan Carlos Navarro who was the game’s top scorer with 27 points, drew level with tight defence and several fast breaks.
With time running out and Serbia’s last possession falling apart, Teodosic struck from nine metres and Spain, looking for a three-pointer to force overtime, lost the ball in the final three seconds.
“It was a mentally and physically exhausting battle, I feel great and I have to thank my team mates for playing their hearts out to make this happen,” Serbia captain Nenad Krstic said.
Serbia will meet on Saturday hosts Turkey in semifinal game.
Tournament favourites the U.S. play Russia and Lithuania take on Argentina in the other two quarter-finals on Thursday.
Manila, Philippines — Just when everybody thought that Argentina will be badly missing San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobili in Turkey, a familiar face emerges and silently makes a statement as the South American giants’ newest go-to guy.
Luis Scola, who plays for the Houston Rockets in the NBA, took charge on Tuesday, pumping in 37 points (22 coming in the second half) in 39 minutes of action, highlighted by a terrific 70 percent field goal shooting (14-of-20), in their 93-89 win against fellow basketball powerhouse Brazil.
The Argentines advance to the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA-World Basketball Championships against Lithuania this Friday (Manila time.)
Carlos Delfino, of the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA, and Hernan Jasen chipped in 20 and 15 points, respectively, for Argentina.
The 6-foot-9 Scola was particularly unstoppable in the fourth quarter, pouring in 10 points from a variety of shots in the final three minutes to crush the hopes of the Brazilian fans in the venue of their team making it to the next round. The captain of the Argentine national squad was a beast, finishing with nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals in another MVP-like performance.
“It was a great game. I wish we would have faced them later in the tournament,” said the 30-year old power forward in a post-game interview. “It was real close. Either team could have won. It came down to the little things.”
“I was blessed that I could make all the chances I took,” Scola added, as quoted in Fanhouse.com by Chris Tomasson. ”This is the way basketball is. Sometimes it goes in. Sometimes it goes out.”
The game was what every basketball fan would have loved and wished to see, and perhaps the finest showdown of the tournament so far. Brazil shot 56.7 percent from the field, while Argentina wasn’t far behind with a 56.4 clip. Both teams also came up with decent percentages from the three-point area, with Argentina knocking 11-of-18 treys (61 percent) and Brazil making half of their 24 attempts (Toronto Raptors’ Leandro Barbosa shone brightly in this category, going 5-of-9 from beyond the arc for the Brazilians and finishing with 20 markers).
“We knew it would be a big battle and a very physical one. It was surprisingly high-scoring,” said Brazilian guard Marcelo Huertas, who led his team with 32 points on a stellar 62 percent field goal shooting (10-of-16). “Carlos Delfino and especially Luis Scola made tough shots with hands in their faces. They played the pick-and-roll very well. That was the key of how they were able to score.”
With Ginobili and Philadelphia 76ers forward Andres Nocioni begging off from suiting for Argentina, the squad went to Scola, who delivered the goods and was very efficient all throughout the tournament. The three-year NBA veteran is currently averaging 30.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in the six games that Argentina played so far in the premier basketball tourney.
“I know the team is going to look for me at the end of the game,” said Scola, who signed a $47-million, five year pact with the Rockets recently. “I guarantee you there are many games when I missed shots at the end of the game and I will have more. Today I was able to make them. That’s how basketball goes.”
“Luis is great,” said Argentina center Farbricio Oberto, as quoted by Tomasson. “He has such stamina. He’s so thirsty to play basketball. He makes everything look so easy.”
STANBUL — Linas Kleiza scored 30 points Tuesday to help send Lithuania into the quarter-finals of the basketball world championship with a 78-67 win over China.
China jumped out to a 16-5 lead in the round of 16 game, but Lithuania used a 16-2 run in the second quarter to go ahead 36-31 with 3:20 left.
A 16-3 run then put Lithuania up 64-51 going into the fourth quarter. China came within 67-62 with 5:10 left, but Kleiza scored 10 unanswered points to put the game away.
Liu Wei scored 21 points for China, while Yi Jianlian of the Washington Wizards added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Lithuania was one of three teams that went undefeated through the five preliminary-round games. China was the only team to advance with just one win.
ISTANBUL (AP) — The shot bounced off the back rim, then the front, then finally fell out. With that, the United States walked off the court with a victory, and another warning: A world championship won’t come easily for this young team — if it comes at all.
The Americans survived their first tough test in Turkey, edging Brazil 70-68 on Monday when Leandro Barbosa’s shot rattled out at the buzzer.
“This game right here was an eye opener,” U.S. guard Derrick Rose said.
Kevin Durant scored 27 points and Chauncey Billups added 15 for the Americans (3-0), who essentially clinched Group B with the victory. But they have bigger goals than a group championship, trying to end a 16-year U.S. drought in this event.
This U.S. team has to do without Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and all the other players who led the Americans to the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, and those guys never needed breaks at the buzzer.
“We know that teams are really coming in here to try to win this tournament and we’re here to do the same,” said Rose, the only other U.S. player in double figures with 11 points.
After the Americans trailed most of the first 2 1/2 quarters, Lamar Odom’s dunk with 7:14 left put them ahead 64-62. But they couldn’t build on the lead during a tense final few minutes, and Brazil had two chances to send the game to overtime.
Following a miss by Billups, Brazil got the ball and Marcelo Huertas was fouled on a drive to the basket with 3.5 seconds remaining. He missed the first free throw and then the second intentionally, tracking it down in the corner and firing it underneath to Barbosa, who lofted a shot over Kevin Love, only to have it bounce off the back and front of the rim.
“I thought it was going to in, but it’s OK,” Barbosa said. “I think we did a great job, it was a great game. I don’t think the USA knew that we could cause problems for them and we did it.”
Barbosa finished with 14 points after a strong start for Brazil (2-1). Marcus Vinicius scored 16, and Tiago Splitter had 13 points and 10 rebounds while battling foul trouble in the second half.
With NBA big men Nene, Anderson Varejao and Splitter, Brazil was considered one of the teams with enough size to topple the undersized Americans. Nene had to pull out with an injury and Varejao sat out again while continuing to rest a sprained right ankle, so the Brazilians turned to a speed game to lead for much of the game.
They just couldn’t finish the upset, leaving the Americans needing only a victory over Iran or Tunisia, the bottom two teams in Group B, or another Brazil loss to earn the top seed from the group and three full days off before meeting the No. 4 seed from Group A on Sept. 6.
The Americans have plenty to work on before worrying about that, after needing a huge night from Durant and 31 minutes from Billups, the old man of the team at 33 who had their only basket in the final 6:50.
“I knew that in the first half that this was going to be a fourth-quarter game, a last two- or three-minute game, and I was preparing myself to just be ready,” Billups said.
Nowhere was the difference between this team and its predecessor more apparent than in the matchup with Barbosa. When the teams last met, in their 2007 Olympic qualifier, Barbosa entered as the tournament’s leading scorer before Bryant led a defensive effort that held him to four points on 1-of-7 shooting in an easy U.S. win.
There’s no defenders like Bryant here, and Barbosa took advantage in the first quarter by making two 3-pointers and scoring eight points. Brazil made 12 of its first 16 shots in the period and its first four 3-pointers, streaks that were snapped when Barbosa was just short on a half-court heave at the buzzer, leaving them with a 28-22 lead.
Brazil extended its lead to eight early in the second quarter and was still up seven midway through the period, but with Splitter on the bench with two fouls, and Barbosa and Alex Garcia joining him, the Americans cut it to one a couple of times.
Splitter’s dunk sent the Brazilians to the half with a 46-43 advantage.
The Americans finally grabbed the lead midway through the third, extending it to 61-55 after consecutive baskets by Durant. Barbosa scored the final four points of the period, though, and pulled Brazil within two heading to the fourth.
The crowd grew solidly behind the underdogs, cheering loudly for Brazil baskets and booing loudly when a small “U-S-A!” chant broke out in the fourth.
Brazil is coached by Ruben Magnano, who guided Argentina to victories over the U.S. in the 2002 worlds and 2004 Olympics, when the Argentines won gold. He nearly authored another upset, as players on both teams thought Barbosa’s shot was going in.
“I had Durant right in front of me, I couldn’t see,” Huertas said. “I was in the corner but I saw the ball tipped on both sides of the rim and went out. It was a big disappointment.”
U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski used his reserves liberally in the first two games, but gave much longer runs to the starters Monday after the backups were ineffective during their first stints.
Billups, who played in the 2007 victory over Brazil, thought it was good for his young teammates to have a close game so soon.
“We came out victorious, but for the young guys, just know how thin of a line it is. Possessions, turnovers, things like that that we talk about,’‘ he said. “Now they can see it.”
ISTANBUL (2010 FIBA World Championship) – Hosts Turkey got off to a dream start at the 2010 FIBA World Championship scoring the game’s first 14 points on four three-pointers and a dunk on their way to an 86-47 win over the Ivory Coast in Ankara.
Meanwhile, France scored the shock result of the day as they overcame a slow start to beat defending champions Spain 72-66 in Izmir behind 16 points and six rebounds by Mickael Gelabale, who had not played in a major international competition since the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.
In Istanbul, the USA pulled away from Croatia in the second quarter to record a comfortable 106-78 win but will hope to improve on their free-throw shooting performance (12 of 22) in the coming games.
Greece opened the day’s play in Ankara by surviving China’s second half rally to take an 89-81 victory behind 42 combined points by Ioannis Bourousis and Nikos Zisis.
Here is a look at the day’s other games.
Group A (Kayseri): Australia played from behind throughout, but did just enough in the end to avoid an upset, edging out Jordan 76-75. Serbia thrashed Angola 94-44 despite being without star players Milos Teodosic and Nenad Krstic and Argentina survived a fourth quarter rally by Germany to edge them out 78-74.
Group B (Istanbul): Slovenia used some balance scoring to get the better of Tunisia 80-56 while Brazil raced to a 22-12 first quarter lead and did not look back as they saw off Iran 81-65.
Group C (Ankara): Russia pulled away in the final frame to shake off Puerto Rico 75-66, a result all the more impressive as David Blatt’s team were without star player Viktor Khryapa.
Group D (Izmir): Lithuania overcame a 37-point explosion by Kirk Penney to beat New Zealand 92-79. Lebanon scored a surprise and important victory, getting the better of Canada 81-71.
Group A – Argentina, Serbia, Australia, Germany, Angola, Jordan Group B – USA, Slovenia, Brazil, Croatia, Iran, Tunisia Group C – Greece, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Russia, China, Côte d’Ivoire Group D – Spain, France, Canada, Lithuania, New Zealand, Lebanon
