Olimpia Milano announced Juan Fernandez

An early snatch for Olimpia.

Fabricio Oberto managed to find an NBA contract

The Portland Trail Blazers have reached a contract agreement with free-agent big man Fabricio Oberto to fill a hole on their front line, according to sources close to the situation.

Rumors for Songaila, Skola, Savanovic or Stojakovic and Olympiakos

Could there be one last transfer move for Olympiakos or is it a red herring?

Rumors about Nocioni and Real

Andres Nocioni might be a targer for Real Madrid..

Obradoiro announced Maximiliano Stanic

Obradoiro announced the signing of Argentinian/Italian point guard Maximiliano Stanic(1.78-PG) via their official website.

Major trade between Baskonia and Real

In a major trade between two Euroleague and Spanish League contenders, Real Madrid received former All-Euroleague playmaker Pablo Prigioni and Caja Laboral Baskonia captain Sergi Vidal from that club for the rights to scorer Brad Oleson.

Madrid had acquired Oleson and signed him to a long-term deal earlier this summer, but never announced the signing. On Monday, he was dealt to Caja Laboral, where he penned a five-year deal. Prigioni and Vidal are the sixth and seventh new players to arrive at Madrid since head coach Ettore Messina took over in June. They will also be reunited with former Baskonia teammate Travis Hansen, another Madrid newcomer. For Caja Laboral, Oleson, who arrives from Alta Gestion Fuenlabrada, will help offset the loss two-time Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy Winner Igor Rakocevic, who left the club earlier this summer.

source : euroleague.net

Delfino deal to be finalised

The Toronto Raptors completed a trade with the Bucks on Tuesday, sending Carlos Delfino to Milwaukee as part of a four-player deal. Toronto acquired forward Amir Johnson and guard-forward Sonny Weems and sent Roko Ukic to Milwaukee along with Delfino, who spent last season in Russia.

"Carlos made it clear he would prefer to play elsewhere if he were to return to the NBA," Raptors president Bryan Colangelo said in a statement. "There were limited sign and trade scenarios available, but acquiring Amir Johnson in this deal gives us another long, talented young big man whose best basketball is ahead of him."

Johnson spent the past four seasons in Detroit before getting dealt to Milwaukee in June. He appeared in 62 games for the Pistons last season and shot a team-best 59.5 percent while averaging 3.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.97 blocks. Weems appeared in 14 games as a rookie with the Denver Nuggets last year.

Delfino appeared in 82 games with the Raptors in 2007-08, averaging 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. Ukic made his NBA debut last season following six seasons overseas. He averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 assists and 12.4 minutes in 72 games.

source : nba.com

Tau signed Walter Hermann

Tau Ceramica agreed to terms of a contract with small forward Walter Herrmann, who inked a two-year deal with the Euroleague powerhouse on Friday. Herrmann (206, 30) arrives from the Detroit Pistons, where he averaged 3.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 60 NBA games last season.

He has previously played three Euroleague seasons with Unicaja, averaging 7.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 15 games in the 2005-06 season. Herrmann has also played for the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA, Fuenlabrada in Madrid, as well as for Atenas Cordoba and Olimpia Venado Tuerto in his native Argentina. He helped Unicaja to win a Spanish League title in 2006 and also lifted the Spanish King's Cup trophy in 2005. Herrmann is a regular member of the Argentinian national team. He helped Argentina to win the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Greece, playing a crucial role in the semifinals against the United States. Herrmann also led Atenas to win the 2002 Argentinian League title, earning finals MVP honors.

source : euroleague.net

The Raptors extend qualifying offer to Delfino

The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent guard-forward Carlos Delfino. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.

In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its rights of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent it must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal in favour of the NBA team for which the player last played.

Delfino played last season in Russia with BC Khimky Moscow in the Russia-A Superleague. He averaged 10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 23.2 minutes in 26 games. He had a season-high 25 points against Krasnoyarsk. He also appeared in 10 Eurocup outings, averaging 13.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in 27 minutes. He scored in double figures in eight games with a high of 19 points against Benetton.

source : nba.com

Ginobili predicts full recovery

The Spurs had begun preliminary talks about a contract extension last summer before Ginobili left for China. Those negotiations were shelved when Ginobili re-injured his left ankle at the Olympics, and they have yet to resume.

“They want to see that I am healthy,” Ginobili said. Ginobili is hopeful he can reach a deal that would allow him to finish his career in San Antonio.

“I have said a thousand times, I would love to stay here,” Ginobili said. “You know how the NBA is, though. There are not a lot of players who get to start and finish in the same place. I love San Antonio. If I have to take another road, you do what you have to do. But it would not be my first option, for sure.”

For the Spurs, who have played with their star guard injured for much of the past 14 months, the preferred option is to have Ginobili healthy. The news so far this offseason has been encouraging. An MRI taken Thursday showed the bone in his right leg completely healed. Ginobili expects to return to running and jumping next month, and he should be able to begin basketball work not long after that. “All the things I have not been allowed to do, I should be allowed to do soon,” he said.

source : mysantonio.com

Ginobili might retire from Argentina NT

Argentinian superstar Manu Ginóbili expressed doubts about his participation with the national next year at the World Championship in Turkey. If Argentina is to qualify through the Americas Championship this year (which will not have the participation of the guard), the 31-year-old is still unsure about joining, as his body is already reflecting the many years of competition both at club and national team level. 

In the Beijing Olympics last year, Ginóbili got injured in the game semi-final game against the United States and no longer returned for the bronze medal match. According to the player, a decision, on which the San Antonio Spurs have no special say, is to be taken just next year, when the tournament approaches.

source : basket-spot.blogspot.com

Hermann might leave the NBA

Free agent forward Walter Herrmann may return to Spain, according to a French-language Web site. The report said that the club Pamesa Valencia is rebuilding after losing three key players and that club president Manuel Llorente wants to bring Herrmann back.

Herrmann played four seasons in Spain after beginning his career in his native Argentina. The Pistons traded for Herrmann in December 2007 in a deal with Charlotte that helped clear the contract of center Nazr Mohammed, who had fallen into a limited role.

The Pistons hoped Herrmann could back up the forward spots, use his athleticism to break teams down, push the pace and make things happen.

At times he did, but he was inconsistent. Reports from the end of the season said the team was unlikely to bring him back. His scoring average was below four points in each of his two seasons with the Pistons.

source : freep.com

Fuenlabrada signs Batista for 3 seasons

According to La Web Deportiva Uruguaya, Fuenlabrada inked for the next three seasons Uruguayan big man Esteban Batista(2.08-PF/C). The player, that has NBA experience with the Hawks, will land in Spain in September after his commitment with Uruguayan NT.

In the current season Batista, 25, has played in Argentina with Libertad de Sunchales (15 points and 9.6 rebounds). The big man applied for a spanish passport so it is very probable that he will play the first year as an import player and the last two years of contract as a bosman player. Latelly Batista wore the jersey of Maccabi Tel Aviv. For Fuenlabrada, that lost Oleson who will play for Real Madrid, this is the second arrival after the American guard with danish passport Alan Voskuil.

source : sportando.net

Montecchia announced his retirement

Argentinean guard Alejandro Montecchia announced his retirement from basketball after playing two decades in Argentina, Italy and Spain. Montecchia was the guard of the Argentinean national team when they captured Gold in the 2004 Olympics and Silver in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.

Montecchia, who is 37 years old, announced his retirement of Ole newspaper in Argentina and said that he wanted to be more with his family and stay in Bahía Blanca. "It was about priorities. I could still play physically but the main topic is the family, that my children have stability and the health of my father. I want to live in Bahia with my family." The Argentinean guard finished with Regatas Corrientes where he averaged 6 points and 3 assists in 49 games played.

During his career he also played for Sport Club, Olimpia and Boca Juniors. At an international level he played in Italy for Reggio Calabria (1999-2002), Armani Jeans Milano (2005-2006) and in Spain with Pamesa Valencia (2002-2005). "The only thing that I didn't do was play in the NBA. It was never a goal but I was close. I was surprised after that call by coach Gregg Popovich in 2004. I couldn't believe it. Valencia asked me not to go and I stayed."

source : fibaamericas.com

Real Madrid to release Pepe Sanchez

According to sport.es Real Madrid is going to release argentinian point-guard Pepe Sanchez(1.93-PG). Rumors are that Sanchez and coach Plaza did not have the best working relationship and so Real and Sanchez have agreed to terminate their contract. Sanchez was brought in this summer to replace Kerem Tunceri.

The argentinian veteran with the italian passport has averaged 0.7 points 1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 15 games of the ACB league. 

Benetton invests in Mateo Gaynor

Benetton Treviso, on its ongoing quest for young talent, announced the acquisition of Argentinian prospect Mateo Gaynor (198, 18) reports the official Eurocup website.

Gaynor has won the Pan-American Games this summer with the Junior National Team of Argentina, who beat the United States in the final by 77-64. Gaynor led his team in that game with 16 points and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes. His last team was BQT Academy, a real school of talent in Argentina from where Manu Ginobili and Pepe Sanchez have come from in recent years.

Mateo is currently the biggest talent in his age group and was sought after by a handful of european teams but it seems that Benetton Treviso is well back into the game and they are building the foundations of a strong team in order to return back to the top of the italian league.

Air Avellino announced Antonio Porta

Air Avellino announced a 2-year deal with Antonio Porta(1.88-PG), the argentinian point-guard with the italian passport. Porta returns to the italian league after a short pass via Russia and Spartak St Petersburg.

He is currently playing with the Argentinian National Team in the Olympic Games. The administration is quite happy with this transfer and this will probably be the final one. Last season he averaged 7 points 3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 10 games in the russian superleague.