IN THE GAME

NBA Summer league action is about to kick off next week, and it will once again be a big gathering of NBA scouts analysing Rookies and potential roster fillers, and coaches from smaller European clubs trying to find a bargain on the huge US market. The first rosters were revealed in the last couple of days, and once again we’re seeing quite a number of players with European experience among the many that went drafted or undrafted in 2009, or those who spent a year in the D-League and now try to make an NBA roster. Europe’s best is never going to show up for the summer leagues, but, already excluding drafted players such as Omri Casspi and Jonas Jerebko, there is a handful of players that had quite an impact in the 08/09 season in Europe, in names: Ibrahim Jaaber, Clay Tucker, Alan Anderson, James Gist, Taurean Green, and Earl Calloway. Here’s a short look at the rosters, with extra attention paid to those players that have European basketball experience.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics have big man Fazekas, who had rather dissapointing stints with BASE Oostende and ASVEL Villeurbanne in the 08/09 season, shooting guard Chris Lofton, who scored 61 points for Mersin in the TBL regular season but was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Coby Karl, who joined Joventut Badalona midway through the season to replace Bracey Wright, and Darius Washington, the former Aris and Ural Great point guard. Bryce Taylor averaged 13 points per game for Montegranaro in Italy last season.

Chicago Bulls

Two ACB pros will suit up for the Chicago Bulls: Ex-Florida point guard Taurean Green, who had a rollercoaster season with CAI Zaragoza but couldn’t prevent the club from eventually getting relegated after only one season in the ACB, and former Syracuse and Orlando Magic big man James Augustine, who averaged 8.0 points and 6.1 rebounds for Gran Canaria. Julius Hodge had a short stint in Italy. Anthony Roberson played for Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel and TT Beykoz in Turkey during the 07/08 season.

Detroit Pistons

Maccabi Tel Aviv point guard Will Bynum, coming off a promising display in the 08/09 NBA playoffs despite being getting swept by Cleveland, leads this Europe-experienced Pistons roster. Bynum had averaged 10.6 points per game for Maccabi in the 07/08 Euroleague season, 1.2 points less than in this year’s NBA playoffs. Lottomatica Roma comboguard Ibrahim Jaaber helps Bynum in the backcourt, accompanied by Red Star’s comboguard Andre Owens, and Sevilla’s high volume scorer Clay Tucker. Up front, draft pick Jonas Jerebko from Sweden, last season with the surprise team in Italy, Angelico Biella [which also features San Antonio's James Gist], will look to make a good start to his NBA career. Big man Trent Plaisted played two games for Biella as well last season before going down with a foot injury. Dwayne Jones was a member of the Efes Pilsen Istanbul roster for three weeks in the early 08/09 season, while Deron Washington averaged 14.8 points per game in the Israeli league for Hapoel Holon.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have the second American player of Red Star Belgrade on their roster, Lawrence Roberts. Anthony Randolph was born in Germany, but that’s his only European connection.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets have been parking Aussie swingman Brad Newley in Greece [Panionios and Panellinios] in the last couple of seasons. Maarty Leunen is another former draftee, he was with Darussafaka Istanbul last season. James White played with Fenerbahce Istanbul alongside Will Solomon and Tarence Kinsey in 07/08, and Charles Gaines was added to the Maccabi Tel Aviv roster midway through the 08/09 season, after several stations in Europe. Hassan Adams averaged 13 points per game for Teramo in the Italian league in 07/08, and had a short  two-game stint with Vojvodina [Serbia] in 2009. 1985 born Mike Green played for Antalya in the Turkish league.

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers are planning to work out with Sofoklis Schortsanitis this summer, so there is a small chance he might join the squad later on. There he would play alongside Sevilla’s comboforward Nik Caner-Medley as well as Livorno’s shooting guard Marcelus Kemp, who averaged more than 20 points per game in the second Italian league last season.

Los Angeles Lakers

Coming from Polish champion Asseco Prokom in the 2008 offseason, Shakur was Pablo Prigioni’s backup at TAU Vitoria for a while, before joining Panellinios. Luke Schenscher is known for having been an expensive transfer to Brose Baskets [Bamberg] in 2007, but never playing a game. Alan Anderson had a very nice second part of the 08/09 season with Cibona Zagreb, leading the club to the Croatian championship. He is now expected to join Maccabi Tel Aviv. Australia’s Aron Baynes is the new center of Lietuvos Rytas, and Puerto Rican David Monds played for German BBL side BG Göttingen in 07/08.

Memphis Grizzlies

Milwaukee Bucks

How many wins will Brandon Jennings, Will McDonald and Szymon Szewczyk get for this Milwaukee Bucks summerleague team? Time to prove something for Jennings, who has spent most of the offseason talking. And talking about Ricky Rubio.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Of course there’s Pecherov, and there’s Bobby Brown, who played a decisive role in bringing the 07/08 German BBL title to Berlin. Devin Green has BBL experience as well, playing for Cologne and later Teramo in Italy and Oostende in Belgium. Pat Carroll played in French ProA [Gravelines] and Spanish LEB Oro [Tenerife Rural].

New Jersey Nets/Philadelphia 76ers

New Orleans Hornets

Tartu/Rock fans surely remember Brian Cusworth, who averaged 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Estonian team in the Baltic league. Cusworth played for Leche Rio Breogan in the LEB Oro [second league in Spain] this past season, averaging 15.9 points per game. Earl Calloway stands for quickness and perimeter defense, but he will probably leave Cibona Zagreb this offseason [several reports indicated he has already signed with Khimki Moscow, but this move has yet to be officially confirmed], despite being under contract until 2010. Anthony Tolliver had 19 games for the San Antonio Spurs in 2008, but was eventually put back on the Austin Toros [NBDL] roster, before joining Galatasaray Istanbul later in the season. Tolliver these days is said to have been looked at by Unicaja Malaga. Meanwhile, Earl Barron was signed by Fortitudo Bologna in the 2008 offseason but was quicky thereafter released due to injury. Marc Salyers won the Euroleague Alfonso Ford Trophy [topscorer] in 07/08 while playing for Chorale Roanne, and guard Jaycee Carroll averaged 12 points per game for Teramo in the past season. Last but not least, Larry Owens averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for Liège in Belgium.

New York Knicks

Oklahoma Thunder

The athletic power forward Serge Ibaka of Ricoh Manresa will be on the Oklahoma Thunder summer league roster, coming off a 7.1PPG-season with Manresa. Richard Roby, who had a disappointing season with Bnei Hasharon, is joining him. D’Angelo Alexander played in the Romanian league [CSU Asesoft Ploiesti] in 07/08 as well as the German league [ENBW Ludwigsburg] in 08/09. One of his teammates, big man DeVon Hardin, had an unsuccessfull stint in Europe earlier this year with first Egalao [Greece], and later Mersin [Turkey], while Keith McLeod, one of the veterans in this year’s summer league action, played for three different clubs in Italy – without much success.

Orlando Magic

Cologne’s [the team that is mainly responsable for developing Marcin Gortat] Stevan Milosevic is a surprise guest on the Magic roster, as is Milovan Rakovic of Spartak St.Petersburg. Both are joined by Ex-Turow big man Darian Townes in the frontcourt. Lance Allred has European experience as well as Brian Chase, who played for Le Mans and Dynamo Moscow last season.

Phoenix Suns

Berzins averaged 1o points per game for Barons Riga last season. Slovenian international Goran Dragic will meanwhile try to bounce back from a disappointing rookie season with the Suns. Zabian Dowdell played in Nancy in 07/08 and Casale [Lega Due] in 08/09, while fellow teammate and former Iowa State big man Jiri Hubalek averaged 8.3 points per game for Rieti in Serie A last season.

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

Pat Calathes is currently looking for a new team, after his contract with Maroussi Athens had been terminated. The former St.Joseph’s forward will look to get into one of the many A1 teams in Athens in order to be able to live together with his brother Nick, who is joining Panathinaikos. Omri Casspi meanwhile has had a brilliant summer so far, impressing in pre-draft workouts and finally getting drafted at 23 by the Sacramento Kings. Big Man Robert Battle averaged 12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks for Valladolid in LEB Oro last season, while Brian Roberts had 15.5PPG for Galil Gilboa in the Israeli league.

San Antonio Spurs

Nando de Colo was the Spurs’ pick at 53 in the 2009 NBA Draft, and he’ll take this tournament to present himself not only to the Spurs, but also the big clubs in Europe. The French ProA is not going to provide the competition necessary for de Colo to develop. James Gist of Angelico Biella can jump out of buildings, and he did that in Italy, leading Angelica Biela into the Serie A semifinals. Gist, who averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Italians this past season, is an athletic power forward with a nice shooting touch, who could turn out to be a huge steal for the Spurs, who drafted him at 57 in 2008.

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

Jamie Augustine on another roster, together with American-Greek center Kosta Koufos, a candidate for the Greek national team, and 55th pick Goran Suton, a candidate for both the Bosnian and Croatian national team. Cederick Bozeman played in Poland [Czarni Slupsk] and Belgium [Oostende], while Josh Duncan was with relegated French club Pau-Orthez last season, averaging 6 points per game.

Washington Wizards