Watch Horacio!

Also watch for Levon Kendall of Canada, who is the spitting image of Tiago Splitter. Levon's so pretty I keep waiting for Billy King to draft him on the spot. Otherwise, Levon better run if Horacio gets hungry.





Update: Oops! Mexico vs Canada is not til Wednesday. Today (Tuesday), Mexico plays Brazil at 5:30pm on NBA TV. Canada is playing Argentina at 3pm on NBA TV and FSN. My bad. Here's the new post-it.

Photo Source: FIBA Americas

Leandro: Still Lookin' For His Balls

Halftime in the Brazil-Puerto Rico game and the Brazilians are down 28-39. The game's not being televised but you can watch a live feed through NBA.com. Right now, I think Leandro is 1 for 9. C'mon Leandro!!

In an earlier televised game, Canada eked out a win against Uruguay. For some reason, Canada kept prolonging the game by needlessly fouling when they were the team up by 6 with less than a minute remaining. Umm, good job, Canada?

Update:

• 4:37 left in the 3rd quarter, Brazil down 39-52.
  
• Leandro actually has 12 points.
  
• Puerto Rico's coach, Manolo Cintron, looks like the Puerto Rican Stan Van Gundy.
  

Aww Leandro!

How can you not love Leandrinho?

Tayshaun's baby-faced Brazilian counterpart, Leandro Barbosa (left), who has been carrying the load for his team, was held to just 4 points tonight. Poor Leandro. Following the loss, he said,

"I knew that [Kobe] was going to come up and defense me and guard me like he did and all I was trying to do was get the ball, but I didn't have many balls in my hand. But that's OK. It's about tomorrow now, let's forget about this."

Hopefully, little Leandro is able to get more balls in his hand tomorrow against Puerto Rico.

Photo Source: NBAE/Getty Images

Tayshaun Noooooo!

Another reason for Pistons fans to hate Spurs fans: Tayshaun Prince sprained his ankle in the first quarter after landing on the foot of future Spur/current Brazilian Tiago Splitter. In the postgame press conference, Coach Krzyzewski (Damn! I almost did it without looking this time!) said he expected Tayshaun to be out at least 2 days. Hopefully, that's all the time it takes for Tayshaun's ankle to heal. The Brazilians, man, you gotta watch out for them. First Andy Rautins, now Tayshaun.

In honor of Tayshaun (and Andy - gotta love the Canadians), here's a song, courtesy of the J. Peterman crew: Get well, get well soon, we wish you to get well!

Photo Source: NBAE/Getty Images

Game 4: Team USA vs Brazil

Look who's waiting for you, Leandro!

Tonight at 6pm PST (early!):
Team USA vs Brazil
ESPN2

Update: Actually, it's NOT starting at 6pm because of a WNBA game. Sorry! Seriously, are you kidding me?

Update #2: Okay, the score is 8-0 so we haven't missed much, but just as I hate to miss the previews before movies, I don't like missing the beginnings of games!

Update #3: The crowd is chanting "Kobe." Is it too late to switch back to the WNBA game?

Update #4: :)

Photo Source: NBAE/Getty Images

One Two Final Thoughts on Brazil

1. They have really cool uniforms.

This is a picture of the team at the Pan American Games, which they won.












2. When is this guy, Murilo Da Rosa, going to come to the NBA???? Quente!








Photo Source: Reuters

Speaking of Brazilians...

There's a report that some of the players went out drinking until 4-6am during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. (That's soccer.) Ricardo Teixeira, president of Brazil's soccer confederation, called out the team for lack of discipline and specifically called out Ronaldo for also being out of shape.

Clearly, someone who elects to cut their hair into the "wedge" can't be of sound or sober mind. But c'mon, they're Brazilian. Doesn't drinking come with the territory?

Source

Basketball Without Borders is Fun!

Marcus Vinicius of the aptly named Hornets is really happy to be there.

Photo Source: NBAE/Getty Images

Basketball Without Borders: Brazil

The official "I'm in Brazil" pose.

The NBA's finest Brazilians - Anderson Varejao (Cavs), Nene Hilario (Nuggets), Leandro Barbosa (Suns), and Rafael Araujo (Jazz) - played host to their fellow players at the latest Basketball Without Borders camp. Some of the attendees included Samuel Dalembert (Sixers), Kyle Korver (Sixers), Shaun Marion (Suns), James Jones (Suns), Luke Walton (Lakers), and Sam Perkins (still alive).

I love the idea of BWB, as I've previously written here and here. But then again, I'm predisposed to like anything involving travel. I just think it's good for young, rich players to see parts of the world they may not otherwise have been motivated to go see, and they also get the benefit of seeing it from a native perspective. Plus, it's totally cool for the kids. One of the kids I met in France was telling me how he was totally excited to meet Boris Diaw this year. I told him not to forget the croissants. (I was thinking of the classic Mike D'Antoni quote from SI. When told during training camp that the French forward hadn't picked up a basketball all summer, D'Antoni quipped, "That didn't mean he had to pick up every croissant in France, did it?") Poor Bobo. It must be pretty tempting since he's a spokesman for La Mie Caline, a yuuuummy boulangerie, and for Kinder Bueno chocolate. Okay, maybe he just needs to rethink his endorsements.



Photo Source: NBAE/Getty Images