Hooped Up

In the year 2013 we still won’t have teleportation, but we’ll have plenty of comedic material based on the Mayan calendar being totally wrong and Aquille Carr college highlights to freak over.

Billed as one of the most exciting high school players in the U.S. Baltimore native Carr stands a mere 5’6″, but don’t let that fool you. Blessed with speed, handles, upper body strength and a 48-inch vertical he’s a mini offensive machine! The Patterson HS point guard has already received a $750,000 contract offer to play with Lottomatica Roma in euroleague after a stellar showing in the Junior International Tournament in Milan, Italy. Which was the largest contract ever offered by a European club to a high school player before graduation.

However he intends to stay in high school before making a decision. That’s a whole lotta bad news for local Baltimore high school defenders everywhere.

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Dasvidania Utah and pryvet Moscow. Tired of all the “labour negotiations” Andrei Kirilenko signed a three-year contract with CSKA of the Euroleague.

Kirilenko’s contract with CSKA features an out clause that allows him to return to the NBA when (or if) the lockout ever ends plus an out at the end of every CSKA season.

“I am glad to be back to the team where I spent the years of adolescence. It’s a pleasure to have a chance to play for Russian fans, my friends, relatives,” Kirilenko said in a statement released on CSKA’s website. “CSKA has a very strong team, great coach, excellent players. It’s great when the highest goals are ahead of you. It’s especially interesting to play under the load of responsibility. I am sure that we are able to solve any task together.”

Oh yeah, apparently Kirilenko’s contract comes with a real AK-47 too. Fans better cheer everything he does, or else.

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Earlier this week Jordan Farmar made his debut with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Euroleague, and he looked like a man without a collective bargaining agreement back home amongst boys — kinda.

Yes former Bobcats third overall draft pick in 2006 Adam Morrison signed with KK Crvena zvezda in Belgrade, Serbia and no he’s not taking any phantom elbows from Bogdan Radosavljevic or grooming himself — still. Now you know.

H/N BallinEurope

A teaser of Nike’s latest campaign, featuring the Black Mamba in “Milano Kalibro Kobe.” Count me in as interested for the full feature.

Mamma Mia! The lockout could see its first mega star taking his talents to the Euroleague in the next few days if Kobe Bryant decides to sign the paper version of the deal he reportedly agreed to verbally in Italy according to The Associated Press. Once again, Mamma Mia!

“Italian club Virtus Bologna said it has reached a verbal agreement with Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers star to play in Italy during the NBA lockout,” The AP reports. “We have reached an economic deal,” Virtus president Claudio Sabatini told a local radio station. “There’s still some things to arrange but at this point I’m very optimistic. I would say it’s 95 percent done.”

The Black Mamba, would reportedly be paid $3 million to play about 10 games, starting in October for the Italian club and would have an out clause if the NBA stops holding basketball hostage from fans. Get your popcorn and red wine ready.

During these dark times, it’s all about the Euroleague and their brand of non-lockout basketball. In a few months we could see a good percentage of the league on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean as this “labour” dispute drags on. As it turns out, this will even effect video games, as the Euroleague will be featured in the latest “On Fire Edition” of NBA JAM.

All fans will be able to choose any of the four participating teams in the last Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four. Dimitris Diamantidis and Mike Batiste of Panathinaikos Athens, Lior Eliyahu and Sofoklis Schortsanitis of Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, Bo McCalebb and Ksistof Lavrinovic of Montepaschi Siena, Sergio Llull and Carlos Suarez of Real Madrid will be amongst the players representing the four Euroleague teams in the 2–on–2 basketball games.

The game will be available via digital download on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. See a clip of it in action, after the jump.

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Ty Lawson will join Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania, signing a deal that will allow the Denver Nuggets point guard to return to the NBA if the lockout ends.

Paulius Motiejunas, the general director of Zalgiris Kaunas, confirmed the deal Monday night. A message was left for Lawson’s agent.

Lawson will team up with Sonny Weems, a former Nuggets guard who signed with the international squad last month. Unlike Lawson’s deal, Weems agreed to a contract without an NBA opt-out clause. Weems played last season for Toronto.

The speedy Lawson averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 assists last season for the Nuggets.

Press Release