The Toronto Raptors didn't put together a summer league team in large part because many of their players will be competing in international tournaments with their national teams this summer. I figured, since so many of our players will be participating, it'd be a good idea to create a separate thread for the tournaments. This isn't like World Championships or the Olympics. FIBA has split up the basketball world into 5 zones (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania). Every 2 years, each zone holds their own tournament. The two that will be of most interest to Raptors fans (and really, are the most interesting anyways) will be EuroBasket 2007 (held in Spain) and the FIBA Americas Championship 2007 (held in Las Vegas, USA). I'm not sure if these tournaments will be televised, but if they are, I will post up TV schedules. I'll also post summaries of the two tournaments that will have Raptors playing in them, as well as regular updates and articles about how those players are performing. This can become a thread for general discussion about the tournaments, as well. ----- <font size=""3"">FIBA Americas Championship 2007:</font> Chris Bosh ( USA) Carlos Delfino ( Argentina) <font size=""3"">EuroBasket 2007:</font> Andrea Bargnani ( Italy) Jose Calderon ( Spain) Jorge Garbajosa ( Spain) Rasho Nesterovic ( Slovenia) Uros Slokar ( Slovenia) * Roko Leni Ukić ( Croatia) * * These players aren't likely to be on our roster this season (Slokar's a FA and Ukic will stay overseas), but they still have a connection with our franchise and I figured it'd be interesting to follow them.
<u><font size=""3""><div align="center">The FIBA Americas Championship 2007 </div> </font></u><div align="center">When: August 22nd - September 2nd Where: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA <font size=""3"">Format</font></div> The tournament goes through three phases. The 10 competing teams are divided into two groups (Group A & . The First Round consists of a round robin schedule, with each team playing four matches (one match against each team in their Group). This stage will last five days. At the end of the round robin games, the top four ranked teams from each Group will advance to the Second Round. The top four finishing teams from Group A & B (8 teams in all) will then form a single Second Round Group. In the Second Round, each team will play four more matches (one against every advancing team from the other Group). After each team has finished their next four games, the top four placed teams will advance to the third phase. The final four teams will finish the tournament in a playoff format and will be seeded according to their standing from the previous round. The semifinals will take place on September 1st, with the 1st ranked team playing the 4th ranked team and the 2nd ranked team playing the 3rd ranked team. The finals will take place on September 2nd, with the losers in the semifinals playing for 3rd and 4th place and the semifinals winners playing in the gold medal game for 1st and 2nd place. <font size=""3""><div align="center">Ramifications</div></font> The first two teams will advance to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th place finishers will go on to participate in the 2008 Basketball Olympic Qualifier, where they will be joined by four European teams, two African teams, two Asian teams and one team from Oceania. <div align="center"><font size=""3"">Group A</font> ------------------- Argentina Mexico Panama Puerto Rico Uruguay <font size=""3"">Group B</font> ------------------- Canada Brazil United States US Virgin Islands Venezuela FIBA Americas Championship 2007 Official Website</div> <div align="center">NBA.com's Preview</div>
The player(s) I'm gonna follow the most are Andrea Bargnani and Jorge Garbajosa. I'll follow Bargnani to see if he has added more dimensions to his game and Garbo, to see his movement and if he can come back and play 100%. I'll keep an eye on Calderon and Ukic, because I wanna see if Calderon got any better, and Ukic because I haven't seen much of him, and I would like to see his game.
<div align="center"></div><u><font size=""3""><div align="center">EuroBasket 2007</div></font></u> <div align="center"> When: September 3rd - September 16th Where: Spain (Alicante, Granada, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, Sevilla)</div> <font size=""3""><div align="center">Format</div></font> With 16 teams, the European Championships has significantly more teams than any of the other tournaments and, as a result, has more games and 5 phases. 15 of the 16 teams have already qualified for this tournement and the last spot in Group A will be given to the team that wins a qualifying tournament during the summer (Bulgaria, Hungary, Bosnia & Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Sweden, Estonia, Israel, Belgium, Ukraine, and Denmark are all competing in that tournament). Once all 16 teams have been determined, the Preliminary Round begins. The 16 teams are divided into four groups (A, B, C, and D). The Preliminary Round consists of a round robin schedule, with each team playing three matches (one match against each team in their Group). This stage will last four days. At the end of the Preliminary Round, the top three ranked teams from each Group (12 teams in all) advance to the Qualifying Round. The three advancing teams from Group A and B will be combined to make Group E, while the three advancing teams from Group C and D will be combind to make Group F. In Group E, the three Group A teams will each face the three Group B teams once. In Group F, the three Group C teams will each face the three Group D teams once. After each team has finished their games (this stage will last five days), the top four teams from each Group will advance to the next phase. In the Quarter-Final Round, the eight teams will be seeded in a playoff format according to their standing in the previous round. The top two Group E teams will play the bottom two Group F teams and the top two Group F teams will play the bottom two Group E teams. This stage will only take two days. Four teams will advance from the Quarter-Final Round to play in the Semi-Finals. The remaining four teams that failed to qualify will play each other in the Classification Round and over the course of the rest of the tournament will play for 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th place. The Semi-Finals will take place on September 15th, with the four Quarter-Final winners playing each other. The two winning teams from this round will advance to the Final Round and play for 1st and 2nd place, while the losers will play for 3rd and 4th place. Both games will take place on September 16th. <font size=""3""><div align="center">Ramifications</div></font> The first two teams will advance to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th place finishers will go on to participate in the 2008 Basketball Olympic Qualifies, where they will be joined by three teams from the Americas, two African teams, two Asian teams, and one team from Oceania. <div align="center"><font size=""3"">Group A</font> ------------------- Greece Russia Serbia Qualifying Tournament Winner (tbd) <font size=""3"">Group B</font> ------------------- Spain Croatia Latvia Portugal <font size=""3"">Group C</font> ------------------- Germany Lithuania Turkey Czech Republic <font size=""3"">Group D</font> ------------------- France Slovenia Italy Poland EuroBasket 2007 Official Website</div>
<div align="center">Argentina Stars Hungry for Glory</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">BAHIA BLANCA (FIBA Americas Championship) - Carlos Delfino and Luis Scola claim Argentina are confident of success at the FIBA Americas Championship - despite the absence of several key players. The Argentina squad arrived in Bahia Blanca, south east of Buenos Aires, for a training camp on Tuesday morning ahead of the competition which takes place in Las Vegas from August 22 to September 2. Olympic gold medal winners Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Walter Hermann, Pepe Sanchez, Andres Nocioni and Ruben Wolkowisky have opted not to take part. But Toronto Raptors guard Delfino insists the team "will have more energy and hunger for glory than the one that won the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens". Houston Rockets power forward Scola played down the effect the absences would have, vowing the team will secure one of the two automatic qualification berths for the 2008 Olympic basketball tournament in Beijing. The 27-year-old said: "Too much importance is being given to a theme which does not deserve it.The ones that didn't come have the right to rest and we are here because we want to be here. "Argentina will go to Las Vegas with a competitive squad and our possibilities of qualification are intact." On August 1, Argentina will entertain Uruguay in a friendly game at the Osvaldo Casanova stadium, Bahia Blanca, and two days later they fly to Mar del Plata city to face Spain.</div> <div align="center">Source: FIBA Americas 2007 Official Website</div> I'm hoping all those no-shows will mean we get to see more Delfino.
<div align="center">Garbajosa Hopeful of EuroBasket berth</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Jorge Garbajosa remains optimistic he will be fit to help fire Spain to EuroBasket glory later this year. The Toronto Raptors forward is currently recovering from ankle surgery, but has travelled with his team-mates to Cadiz where Spain have started preparations for the tournament in September which will take place on home soil. However, Garbajosa, who proved to be a pivotal player when Spain clinched gold at last year's FIBA World Championship, prefers to remain cautious. "I am confident," he said. "I really want to help my team achieve the European title in Madrid. "I feel well considering the limited time I've had since I began my rehabilitation and that's good." Garbajosa was enjoying a fine rookie season in the NBA when he suffered the injury at the end of March. The 29-year-old fell awkwardly in a game against the Boston Celtics and was forced out of the remainder of the campaign. "I still need to undergo my last stage of rehabilitation," he admitted. "I will not be at the same level as the rest of my team-mates and hence, I will have to do specific workouts to strengthen my ankle."</div> <div align="center">Source: EuroBasket 2007 Official Website</div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Chris Bosh, TOR 6.8 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 0.5 BPG, .654 FG%, .400 3FG% The draft class of '03 was celebrated last summer with the naming of the tri-captains, but Bosh had a breakout year in '06-07 as he averaged career highs in points (22.6) and rebounds (10.7) and making the All-Star game and the playoffs, showing that he belongs in the same strata as his fellow classmates. Bosh was a role player at the WCOB, but with Brand not competing this summer he is the frontrunner for the starting four spot. Despite not starting any games in Japan, Bosh was the team's third leading rebounder.</div> <div align="center">Source: NBA.com</div> --------------- <div align="center"><u><font size=""3"">From the USA Inter-Squad Scrimmage</font></u></div> Chris Bosh's statline: <div align="center">http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/1350/chrisboshstatlinecc3.png"></div> [b]Shapecity <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Chris Bosh looked great in this game for the White squad. The only thing I didn't like about his game today was when he tried to shoot from behind the arc. He doesn't comfortable shooting out there yet, but rebounding he was aggressive, and did a nice job of finding the openings within the zone.</div> <div align="center">Link</div> --------------- <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Word is American basketball stars were having problems catching Jason Kidd?s great passes during USA Basketball?s mini-camp last weekend in Las Vegas. One of the passes hit Chris Bosh?s chest so hard it sounded like some ribs broke.</div> <div align="center">Source: Denver Post</div> Damn you, Jason Kidd....
The player(s) I'm gonna follow the most are Andrea Bargnani and Jorge Garbajosa. I'll follow Bargnani to see if he has added more dimensions to his game and Garbo, to see his movement and if he can come back and play 100%. I'll keep an eye on Calderon and Ukic, because I wanna see if Calderon got any better, and Ukic because I haven't seen much of him, and I would like to see his game. If Jason Kidd hurt his ribs, OH MAN! Kidd in the Nets forum will never hear the end of it!
<div align="center">Even a little bit of Nash "worth it"</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">RIO DE JANEIRO -- No pressure Steve Nash, but Leo Rautins has an offer for you: Name your minutes. Rautins said yesterday that the door has yet to close on getting the former NBA MVP back into a Canadian uniform in time for the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament in Las Vegas next month. "Ideally, it would be a no- pressure situation," the Canadian men's basketball coach said. "If he does play, it will be a limited-minutes situation. We don't need to tax him. Just his leadership and confidence would be more than enough. "What he can give in limited time is well worth it." Rautins stressed that he wouldn't pressure Nash into playing and would understand if he turned down the opportunity. 'OBLIGATION TO FANS' "He has an obligation to his fans now as an MVP," the coach said. "He won't even entertain the idea unless he has got enough time to be physically ready (for the 2007-08 NBA season). "I completely understand. He has played a lot of years with this team. He has had back problems. He has a young family and it's a long NBA season. Whatever he decides, it's up to him. But the fact that he hasn't closed the door is a positive." Rautins said he is also working on the recruitment of two more NBAers -- Toronto's Jamal Magloire and Philadelphia 76ers' Samuel Dalambert, a 6-foot-11 centre who is working on acquiring his Canadian citizenship. The uncertainty of the NBA trio has an effect on how Rautins and assistant coach Dave Smart evaluate the play in this week's Pan Ams. So far, Canada has suffered blowout losses to Brazil and Puerto Rico. Rautins said a handful of players from the Rio roster could be in Vegas as Canada attempts to earn a berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. </div> <div align="center">Source: Toronto Sun</div> Since its related to Team Canada, I figured I'd post it as well. I doubt Nash plays, though.
Man, Steve Nash would be great. We need more Canadian NBAers. I hope Nash comes to play with us, we could have a line-up that isn't to bad. I think we could do better then last, maybe make a Cinderella run.
If Canada can get Nash, Dalembert and Magloire, they might be able to finish 2nd after US and before Brazil. At least 3rd though if they get the NBAers.
Here's an article in Spanish about Garbajosa. I had a hard time getting anything out of the translation, but the gist of it seems to suggest that his recovery is going well and the Spanish team expects him to contribute a little off the bench, when the tournament starts. Nacho Coque, Spanish national team trainer: "I think we can do it. He [Jorge Garbajosa] will not play thirty minutes per game, but he could play some minutes in the European Championship." <div align="center">Source: La Voz (original Spanish article) Badly Translated version</div>
<div align="center">Delfino in last-chance saloon</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">BAHIA BLANCA (FIBA Americas Championship) - Carlos Delfino has expressed delight with his new opportunity at Toronto Raptors, but admits it will be his last chance to establish himself in the NBA. Delfino is one of just two US-based players who have accepted to play for Argentina at the FIBA Americas Championship, alongside Houston Rockets' new arrival Luis Scola. And the 24-year-old shooting guard, who is currently training with his national team ahead of the pre-Olympic tournament, revealed he is looking forward to playing for a side that suits his style of play. "I'm very happy," Delfino told Ole newspaper. "Toronto is not a team with a long history, but they are a nice squad who play with a faster style, something that helps me. "In Detroit it was different. It was a five-to-five attack and I was not able to generate anything. It was a hard experience, but useful. "I needed new a environment and wasn't able to get used to them. The way Detroit play didn't help me. "It won't be easy at Toronto, but I think I will have more chances to play. This is my last card to see if I can finally settle down in the NBA." </div> <div align="center">Source: FIBA Americas 2007 Official Website</div>
<div align="center">Argentina enjoy friendly win</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">BAHIA BLANCA (FIBA Americas Championship) - Argentina warmed up for the FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas with an 86-74 win over Uruguay. Sergio Hernandez sent out a much-changed team for the friendly compared to the one that lost the bronze-medal match against the Charruas in the Pan American Games. Carlos Delfino captained the side, with Pablo Prigioni, Federico Kammerichs, Luis Scola and Juan Gutierrez making up the rest of the starting line-up. Uruguay fielded a depleted side and felt the absence of Martin Osimani, Esteban Batista, Nicolas Mazzarino, Leandro Garcia Morales and Mauricio Aguiar, who were all rested after finishing third in the Games. Delfino claimed the MVP award after top-scoring with 25 points in a game Argentina controlled from the start. They took a comfortable 27-12 lead in the first quarter and managed to keep the advantage until the final buzzer, with the scores even reaching 74-53 in the third period. Luis Scola contributed 13 points and seven rebounds and Leonardo Gutierrez registered 19 points, while Fernando Martinez was Uruguay's leading scorer with 20. Both sides now travel to Mar del Plata to play a Super Four friendly tournament alongside reigning world champions Spain and Canada. </div> <div align="center">Source: FIBA Americas 2007 Official Website</div>
<div align="center">Calderon hopes for Garbajosa recovery</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Spain guard Jose Manuel Calderon is confident team-mate Jorge Garbajosa will recover from his ankle injury in time to be ready for the start of next month's EuroBasket. Garbajosa suffered a displaced left ankle joint with a ligament tear and fractured fibula while playing for the Toronto Raptors in an NBA game against Boston Celtics in March. The giant forward then underwent surgery to repair the damage the next day and had been expected to miss the EuroBasket. However, the 29-year-old is now training with the Spanish squad as they build for the start of the EuroBasket and Calderon, who plays alongside Garbajosa for both the national team and at Toronto, revealed that his team-mate is getting closer to fitness. "Jorge is working hard to be fit and is preparing for the tournament. He is training well and I think he will be ready in time, although it obviously depends on his ankle and what the doctors say," Calderon told PA Sport. Nevertheless, should Garbajosa fail to recover in time, Calderon believes Spain have good options in the squad to replace the forward, who was one of the stars of last year's FIBA World Championship success in Japan. "Jorge is a great player and is so versatile. We hope he is ready in time, but we have other good players with a lot of quality who can come in as well," he added. Spain are aiming to win the EuroBasket title for the first time in their history when they host the tournament this year, having finished fourth, second, third and second in the last four editions. "Obviously our objective is to win, but it will be very difficult as there are a lot of good teams involved," the former TAU Ceramica star added. "We have to keep our feet on the ground and respect all of our opponents. I think in a way it is more difficult than the World Championship.</div> <div align="center">Source: EuroBasket 2007 Official Website</div>
Delfino MVP, great award for him. He is just a scorer, but with not enough talent to be a star. I think he'll fit in so well with the Raptors. On the Garbo note, I think he will be great for Spain. He is just a competitor and knows he has to play. It is in him to win, and I love that about him and Calderon.
<div align="center">Duo Steer Italy To Victory Over Croatia</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli played their parts to the full as Italy's warm-up for EuroBasket continued apace with a come-from-behind 72-66 win over Croatia in the final of the Diego Ganatti Cup. Croatia dominated for long periods of the encounter on Saturday night in the Italian Alpine ski resort of Bormio. However, the two NBA men - and young prodigy Danilo Gallinari who is also expected to move across the Atlantic in the future - were the key to the Italian victory. "It was a really tough game," said Italy head coach Carlo Recalcati, who led the Azzurri to the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics. "We were expecting them to have improved and we had the chance to try different things tactically like having Bargnani in the centre." Bargnani did not score any baskets in the first half with Croatia leading 32-30 at the midway point. But then the Toronto Raptors favourite came into his own. He poured in 12 points in the second half of the game including a three-pointer that put Italy 65-63 ahead. However, it was Belinelli, selected by the Golden State Warriors as a draft pick, who took top scoring honours for Italy with 15 points including two free throws that virtually sealed the win while Gallinari made 14. Italy's players were discharged from international duty after the game but will regroup in Cagliari on August 8 to continue their preparation. Recalcati added, in remarks on the www.fip.it website: "We are tired, that's true. More mentally than physically with our bags already packed to leave. "Honestly, I would have been upset if we had lost but the boys wanted to win and I can only say 'well done'. "I am very pleased with our five wins here even if we are only at the start of our preparations for EuroBasket." EuroBasket gets under way in Spain on September 3.</div> <div align="center">Source: EuroBasket 2007 Official Website</div> Not anything major, since its just an exhibition game. Good to hear that Bargnani will be playing centre on the national team as well, though.
Well, at least he isn't scoring nothing. 12 in the second half, good for him. I hope he can score 12 in the first too. 12 every half for 82 games. 24 PPG, nice sophomore season, no?
<div align="center">Argentina retains Super 4 title</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">SANTA FE (Super Four) - Argentina successfully defended their Super Four title after beating Spain B 89-76 in the final in Santa Fe. Sergio Hernandez`s men had to work hard to beat the Spaniards and trailed 52-39 at half-time thanks to some resolute defending from the Europeans. But in he second half it was left to Argentina`s NBA stars Carlos Delfino and Luis Scola to put in two stellar performances to guide the team to victory. Toronto Raptors' guard Delfino top-scored with 23 points on his way to being named Super Four MVP, while Houston Rockets man Scola notched 17 points in the comeback. Pamesa Valencia's Albert Miralles was Spain's top scorer with 22 points. Meanwhile, Uruguay beat Canada 83-79 to secure third spot with Esteban Batista recording 30 points and 16 rebounds for the winners.</div> <div align="center">Source: FIBA.com</div>
