Quote:[size="4"]An opportunity of a lifetime awaits Tunisia[/size]



TUNIS (2010 FIBA World Championship) – If the saying “everyone loves an underdog” is true, then Tunisia will have plenty of support in the stands when they travel to Istanbul for the 2010 FIBA World Championship.



They are, along with Jordan, probably going to face the longest odds of winning a game, never mind advancing to the second phase of the competition.



The underdog label was just fine for Adel Tlatli, the coach of Tunisia, at last year’s Afrobasket in Libya.



No one expected them to do much, yet the Tunisians shocked the continent by claiming a bronze medal, an achievement that sealed a place in the 2010 FIBA World Championship.



For a coach who cares deeply about basketball in his homeland, one who broke into the national team at 16 and played until he was 24, stepping onto the podium in Tripoli was one of the biggest thrills of his life.



“It was really a big moment and a phenomenal result,” Tlatli said to FIBA.com.



“But I did not allow myself to dream about this before the end of the game.”



The third-place game was against Cameroon, a side loaded with talented players and one that everyone expected to advance to the FIBA World Championship.



The final score read, however, Tunisia 83 Cameroon 68.



“We surpassed expectations,” Tlatli said.



Reliving a golden moment



Last year’s bronze-medal game against Cameroon was indeed the pivotal event for Tunisia.



Tlatli remembers it like it was yesterday.



He remembers his thoughts on the way to the gym, and what he said to his players before tip-off.



“I told them that it was our chance to go to the World Championship and to be in Tunisian Basketball history,” he said.



“The players were more concentrated then during the other games, and overall, they did not panic.”



As is usually the case during a big Tunisia game, captain Amine Rzig came up big.



The 6ft 6in Rzig poured in 20 points on eight-of-17 shooting from the floor.



When he wasn’t scoring, Rzig was setting up his teammates.



He finished with five assists.



Marouan Kechrid is the playmaker.



Both he and Rzig, according to the coach, are the fan favorites.



Kechrid didn’t have any assists in that game against Cameroon, but he did score 14 points on three-of-five shooting from the floor and a six-of-seven effort at the charity stripe.



He drilled a couple of three-pointers.



Basketball fans also caught a glimpse of another player, Salah Mejeri, the 7ft 1in center that Tlatli calls the rising star of Tunisia.



Mejeri scored eight points and swatted a couple of shots in 14 minutes.



All three players figure to be prominent at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.



Team USA, Slovenia, Brazil, Croatia and Iran are also in Group B with Tlatli’s team.



The side he’s looking forward to taking on more than any other?



“Of course the USA,” he said.



For the record, most members of the bronze-medal winning side, the coach says, will be in Turkey.



What to expect?



To drive home the fact that Tunisia are the underdogs in Group B, one needs only to look at the roster.



While all of the other squads have players in the NBA or at the leading clubs in Europe, Tunisia is a different story.



“Four players are completely professional,” the coach said.



“One in Morocco, one in Spain and two in Egypt in different teams. All the others in Tunisia are semi-professional.”



From a physical standpoint, there will be a difference.



At last year’s Afrobasket, the Tunisians did not have the biggest or strongest team on the floor.



“We have neither size nor physical strength compared to the other teams,” Tlatli admitted, “but we are speedier than them and our biggest strength is tactical.



“Our weakness is playing inside and we don't have a strong player. We need to play rapidly and to choose the best defense.”



To play at a FIBA World Championship is to reach the pinnacle of the sport which is why Tlatli expects many of the country’s fans to show up for the games.



“Oh yes,” he said.



And what, realistically, is the aim of Tunisia?



“To win at least one game,” Tlatli said.



Tlatli, who comes from Nabeul and played there, has come a long way as a coach.



He began walking the sidelines a quarter of a century ago with Nabeul's team.



Tlatli became the Tunisian national coach in 2001.



He was at the draw for the FIBA World Championship back in December, when it was held in Istanbul.



This entire experience means so much to him.



It is an opportunity that many players and coaches will never have.



“It is a dream which is still to be realized,” he said.



“It’s bringing international visibility for Tunisian basketball.”



[size="3"]Jeff Taylor[/size]

FIBA

Quote:[size="4"]Michael Jordan approved as Bobcats Majority Owner[/size]



The National Basketball Association's (NBA) Board of Governors has voted unanimously to approve the purchase by Michael Jordan of a majority interest in Bobcats Sports & Entertainment (BSE). The investment gives Jordan a controlling interest in the companies that operate the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and Time Warner Cable Arena, located in uptown Charlotte. After a Hall of Fame career, Jordan is the first former player to become the majority owner of an NBA team.



"Purchasing the Bobcats is the culmination of my post-playing career goal of becoming the majority owner of an NBA franchise. I am especially pleased to have the opportunity to build a winning team in my home state of North Carolina," said Jordan. "I plan to make this franchise an organization that Charlotte can be proud of, and I am committed to doing all that I can to achieve this goal."



Robert L. Johnson transfers control of the franchise to Jordan after a six-year tenure as the majority owner of the league's 30th franchise. In addition to bringing the NBA back to Charlotte, Johnson oversaw the team's move into the new uptown arena in 2005.



"The best decision I made since acquiring the Bobcats was to convince my friend Michael to become an investor in the Bobcats and to appoint him as Managing Member of Basketball Operations. He has always been committed in his work to promote and develop the team and has extended his expertise to Bobcats Sports & Entertainment, including his recommendation that I hire Larry Brown as head coach," said Johnson. "As the new majority owner of the Bobcats, his dedication will be stronger now more than ever. Today’s announcement is great news for the Bobcats, the City of Charlotte, the fans and the NBA. I am confident that Michael’s leadership will bring success to the Bobcats whether it’s measured by on the court performance, success as a business, or making a positive impact in the Charlotte community. I look forward to continuing to work with Michael as an owner," Johnson concluded.



The team was represented in the transaction by GSP Securities LLP and Jordan was represented by Moag and Company and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz.



With 17 games remaining in the 2009-10 regular season, the Bobcats are pursuing their first playoff appearance. On the court, the team has already tied or set more than 20 franchise records including most home wins, most wins in a month and most consecutive wins, and reached milestones including its first Coach of the Month honors (Larry Brown, January 2010) and All-Star appearance by a player (Gerald Wallace, 2010).



"Success breeds success, and we're seeing growth in every metric that defines success in our industry," said BSE President and Chief Operating Officer Fred Whitfield. "While there is still plenty of work to do both on and off the floor, our attendance, television ratings, corporate support and on-court performance are headed in the right direction, and that trend will only continue as Michael transitions into all facets of our business."

Quote:Planning For Italy But No Commitments From NBA Trio

Italy are making sure they give themselves every chance of qualifying for next year's EuroBasket in Lithuania with solid organization, according to new coach Simone Pianigiani.

But the Azzurri have yet to announce with 100% certainty that Danilo Gallinari, Andrea Bargnani and Marco Belinelli will represent the country in the qualifying games.

"Since my unveiling in December," Pianigiani said, "we have created a high level team staff in order to optimize each detail and to especially be able to be immediately effective when the important weeks come along.

"With regards to the three players in the NBA, we have two certainties: The first is that the FIP (Italian Basketball Federation) is doing all it can to have them available, considering their duties and responsibilities in their respective clubs.

"The second is that all of them have always shown from a young age their commitment to the Azzurri colors. This is a good starting point. "

Bargnani and Belinelli play for the Toronto Raptors while Gallinari is on the books of the New York Knicks.

Italy will compete in Division A, Group A against Finland, Israel, Latvia and Montenegro.

Pianigiani, the coach of Italian league leaders Montepaschi Siena, replaced Carlo Recalcati as national team boss at the end of 2009.

He will be with Italy when they begin training in Bormio on June 29.

Failure to reach last year's EuroBasket in Poland was a huge disappointment for a country that is accustomed to challenging for medals.

The Italians won the European title in 1999, snatched bronze four years later and captured Olympic silver in 2004.

Italy Basketball Federation president Dino Meneghin: "It's going to be a dense and intense season. We are in need of results."

March 20, 2010, Cido Arena, Panevėžys.



Ereliai (Eagles) - players born in 1986 or later



Mantas Kalnietis (Žalgiris)

Martynas Pocius (Žalgiris)

Mindaugas Kuzminskas (Å iauliai)

Arvydas Šikšnius (Šiauliai)

Jonas Valančiūnas (Lietuvos Rytas)



Martynas Gecevičius (Lietuvos Rytas)

Ernestas Ežerskis (Techasas)

Aidas Viskontas (Perlas)

Aurimas Adomaitis (Alytus)

Vaidas Čepukaitis (Aisčiai)

Deivydas Gailius (Å iauliai)

Giedrius Staniulis (Perlas)



Coach: Antanas Sireika (Å iauliai)



Vilkai (Wolves) - players born in 1985 or earlier



Marcus Brown (Žalgiris)

Steponas Babrauskas (Lietuvos Rytas)

Tadas Klimavičius (Žalgiris)

Travis Watson (Žalgiris)

Mirza Begic (Žalgiris)



Derrick Low (Å iauliai)

Tomas Gaidamavičius (Juventus)

Rashaun Broadus (SÅ«duva)

Virginijus Sirvydis (Sakalai)

Kenan Bajramovic (Lietuvos Rytas)

Valdas Dabkus (RÅ«dupis)

Egidijus Dimša (Nevėžis)



Coach: Rimas Kurtinaitis (Lietuvos Rytas)

At present Euroleague has no limits for the number of foreign players in the teams' rosters (or did I miss something?). However, probably all domestic leagues have such limitations. The thing is that they are very different in different leagues. Some leagues require not only to have no more than a certain number of foreigners but they also limit the number of foreign players on the floor at the same time. Meanwhile other leagues allow the number of foreigners to exceed the number of local players.

As a result of these difference we see teams in Euroleague compete with different rosters in terms of ratio of local and foreign players. An example of such rules in international competition could be the Champions League in football. For many years the teams were allowed to register and play with any squad they want until recent years when the rule that the team must have a certain amount of local players was introduced. Do you think there should be some limits set by Euroleague? If so, why? And what should the limit be?