Jordan Farmar had perhaps his worst overseas game yet, scoring just 6 points in 24 minutes on 1-5 shooting (and a dismal 3-8 from the line), but Maccabi outscored Barak Netanya 33-24 in the fourth quarter and came away with an 87-85 victory.
Farmar added five assists, but also committed five fouls and lost four turnovers in his second game in the Israel Basketball League (IBL) and 8th game overall overseas. Maccabi is 2-0 in the IBL, and 9-1 in their three leagues combined. Maccabi Tel-Aviv plays next on November 3rd, in a Euroleague contest against Real Madrid, led by Rudy Fernandez.
We know Mikhail Prokhorov as a man of mystery, a tall Russian billionaire hell-bent on taking over the NBA one Deron Williams transaction at a time. But back in September, Prokhorov did more than just owning New Jersey’s currently-non-existent-because-of-this-ridiculous-charade basketball franchise, he’s been playing basketball — for charity, of course, because no one would pay Mikhail Prokhorov to play basketball:
There’s just so much to love here: Prokhorov’s shooting form (which looks like Chris Mullin’s, if Chris Mullin was sapped by the Monstars in Space Jam), his up-and-under post move that ultimately ends up on the other side of the rim, the awkward cut between his first shot and the “swish…” and so on.
Another reason to love it, from the video’s description (the video was uploaded this week):
New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov playing in a charity basketball game to raise money to support the victims of the Bulgaria boat sinking.
Prokhorov saying: “What makes a person different from an animal? The fact that (a person) can be involved in events like this. And events like this unite people, help us to survive our common tragedies, so the more events like this there are, the better it will be for our country. It leads to recovery, it leads to our becoming kinder to people, and for our country that’s very important.”
Good on’ya, Mikhail. But let’s hope, for everyone’s sake, that the next Net we see on the floor isn’t you. (Or half the guys you signed last season.)
The NBA lockout isn’t over yet, but it’s coming… and when it does, there’s a good chance it’ll include some sort of amnesty clause.
On a completely unrelated note, if the Nets, oh, say, decide to look for a small forward in free agency, here’s our thoughts on who they should target: Read more…
NBA Lockout has reached doomsday… again. But, Howard Beck shines a light at the end of Hell Tunnel (or the Tunnel of Love, Indubitably), writing that a deal is 95% done, and thus, nearly impossible to complete. Some of the things agreed upon: an increased (and increasingly increasing) luxury tax, an amnesty clause lasting the length of the CBA, and shortened contracts paired with tempered raises. With how far it’s come, the fact that a season could be lost over a few BRI percentage points… well, is probably entirely reasonable in someone’s eyes. But to me, it’s just stupid.
In his weekly Off-Season report — in an offseason that’s taken far too long — Net Income of NetsDaily reports an interesting rumor: Scottie Pippen as Nets assistant.
Without the Nets, Newark is hurting. No doubt that the lockout affects the local economy, but business know the Nets won’t be in Newark long anyway.
I’m not talking about Kris Humphries & Kim Kardashian. I’m not talking about Kris Humphries & Kim Kardashian. I’m not talking about Kris Humphries & Kim Kardashian. I’m not talking about Kris Humphries & Kim Kardashian… But if you want to look it up yourself, there’s more than enough news. Hint: there are problems.
Jordan Farmar and Bojan Bogdanovic had impressive games yesterday overseas; Farmar with 14 points & 7 assists, Bogdanovic with 18 points & 5 assists, both in victories. That doesn’t stop Sam Chadwick of BallinEurope to feel a tempered excitement about Bogdanovic’s future.
In the beginning of Deron Williams’s trip overseas, there was talk of an adjustment period. No more. Deron scored 23 points and dropped 8 dimes in Besiktas Milangaz’s 97-88 victory over Turk Telekom in the third game of the Turkish Basketball League. D-Will shot 8-15 from the floor, including 3-5 from beyond the arc, and got to the line six times (converting on four). He added two rebounds and a block to his statline.
Besiktas is now 3-0 in the TBL and (including prior games) on a six-game winning streak.
After three games, Deron is averaging 19.7 points and 7.7 assists in 32.7 minutes per game (though that number is misleading — Deron played just 23 minutes in game 1, then 37 in each of the past two), shooting 49% from the field and 50% (8-16) from beyond the arc.
Besiktas’s next game is on Saturday, Nov. 5th, when they face Fenerbahce Ulker — Bojan Bogdanovic’s club. Bogdanovic is low on Fenerbahce’s totem pole, scoring just 13 points in their first two games and shooting well under 30%.
No matter when the NBA season starts, chances are it’ll either run late (possible) or won’t be 82 games long. Stuffing 82 games into a season sans one month is a recipe for disaster. Even when the league does return (which, apparently, could be today), smart folks are floating ideas about overhauling the NBA schedule.
Hey, as long as we’re shortening the season, might as well do it right.
Kevin Arnovitz is one of those smart folks. Read more…
Jordan Farmar had one of his better all-around games in a Maccabi Electra uniform, scoring 11 points, dishing out a team-high six assists, and grabbing another team-high six rebounds as Maccabi Electra sustained a late rally by Partizan, winning 70-66. It was Farmar’s first game since sitting out the past two to rest an ankle injury.
Farmar is the shortest and slightest Maccabi player at 6’2″ and 188 lbs., and has never been a great rebounder, so to lead a team that has Richard Hendrix and Baby Shaq on its roster in rebounding is pretty cool. I only caught some of the first half, but Farmar attacked the basket early and scored six quick points in the first quarter… though he didn’t make another field goal for the game. He did knock down five of six free throws, which would indicate that he attacked the basket, and his six rebounds — all defensive — would argue the same the other way.
Maccabi Electra is in three — count ‘em, three — basketball leagues, so while most leagues only play one game per week, that’s tripled for Farmar. He’ll see the court again Saturday, against … Partizan again, who’s playing in both the Euroleague and the Adriatic League.
