Lakers’ TIC (Talented Immature Center) Debates: Dwight Howard vs. Andrew Bynum

It's time for the Lakers to pick their saviour and their poison: Which Talented Immature Center will bring them most success, and which one do they want to deal with? Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum?

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The New Wolfpack

The off-season is an exciting time, because everything we know is conjecture and hypothesis, and thus an optimistic fan can choose to believe that everything will be right until proven wrong. Love, Rubio, Roy, Kirilenko and others could end up becoming another failed David Kahn experiment. Or the new wolfpack could live up to their potential and make the 2012-13 Timberwolves one of the most exciting teams in the league.

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Mahindra NBA Challenge to tip off in Ludhiana for 3rd time

NBA India Press Release: The Mahindra NBA Challenge, the largest, multi-city, community-based basketball league in India, is tipping off in Ludhiana (Punjab) on July 28 for the third time in the city. Conducted in collaboration with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and Punjab Basketball Association, the program will run for seven weeks culminating on September 9.

This year the Mahindra NBA Challenge will feature a new player development programme in each city called Generation adidas. Forty up and coming players from the boys and girls U13 and U16 divisions will be selected to participate in two exclusive Generation adidas clinics during the season in Ludhiana on August 24 and September 6. The top eight players will be selected from the clinics and will receive one year of specialized training and adidas basketball gear.

The Ludhiana league will feature 112 teams and games will be played at Guru Nanak Stadium. For it's third season, the Mahindra NBA Challenge has already been held in Mumbai, Delhi, and following the on-going Kochi and Ludhiana stop, will be held in Bangalore. The five-city league features eight divisions total for males and females: sub-junior for ages 12 to 13, youth for ages 14 to 16, junior for ages 16 to 18 and adults ages 19 and over.

For the first time this year, the Mahindra NBA Challenge will feature a National Championship which will take place in Delhi from October 4-7, 2012. The winning teams from the Senior and U18 divisions, for both Men and Women, in each city will travel to Delhi to compete for the championship and train with an NBA Legend.

The programme has rapidly expanded since its introduction in 2009 with the number of teams participating doubling in the second season. The programme has helped to identify and develop top basketball talent, with the Indian National Team extending training camp invites to 20 male and female players that participated in the Mahindra NBA Challenge.

Basketball at the London Olympics: US (A) against the World

This Olympics, like almost every year, it’s USA Basketball against the world. For anyone else in ‘the world’ contingent to pull off a victory, they have to expose any weaknesses that America’s squad of uber-duper stars may have and give in their perfect performance. Here are my predictions for the upcoming international tournament!

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A Linsane Decision

As the clock crossed midnight on the 18th of July and Jeremy Lin officially became a Houston Rocket, the Knicks made one of the stupidest back office decisions in a history of stupid back-office decisions. All that the Knicks had to do to keep a hold of the most positive phenomenon in their history in over a decade was too just KEEP HOLD OF HIM! He was theirs and they let him slip away.

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Mahindra NBA Challenge to tip off in Kochi for first time ever

NBA India Press Release: The Mahindra NBA Challenge, the largest, multi-city, community-based basketball league in India, is tipping off in Kochi (Kerala) for the first time ever on July 21. Conducted in collaboration with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), the Kerala Basketball Association, Regional Sports Center Kochi and Ernakulum District Basketball Association, the programme will run for seven weeks culminating on September 2.

This year the Mahindra NBA Challenge will feature a new player development programme in each city called Generation adidas. 40 up-and-coming players from the boys and girls U13 and U16 divisions will be selected to participate in two exclusive Generation adidas clinics during the season in Kochi on August 17th and 30th. The top 8 players will be selected from the clinics and will receive one year of specialized training and adidas basketball gear.

This marks the NBA’s first programme in Kochi, showcasing the league’s commitment to growing basketball across the country. The Kochi League will feature 120 teams and games will be played at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The programme has already been held in Mumbai and Delhi this season, and following the Kochi stop, will be held in Bangalore and Ludhiana. The five-city league features eight divisions total for males and females: sub-junior for ages 12 to 13, youth for ages 14 to16, junior for ages 16 to 19 and adults ages 19 and over.

For the first time, the Mahindra NBA Challenge will feature a National Championship which will take place in Delhi on October 4-7, 2012. The winning teams from the Senior and Under 18 divisions, for both Men and Women, in each city will travel to Delhi to compete for the championship and train with an NBA Legend!

The Mahindra NBA Challange programme has rapidly expanded since its introduction in 2009 with the number of teams participating doubling in season two. The programme has helped to identify and develop top basketball talent, with the Indian National Team extending training camp invites to 20 male and female players that participated in the Mahindra NBA Challenge.

Ball-y-wood: Former NBA player and coach Kenny Natt is in the middle of a basketball revolution in India

This feature was originally published in the August 2012 edition of SLAM Magazine (SLAM No. 160)

by Karan Madhok - photo courtesy Angad B. Sodhi

The sounds are the same. The same squeak of sneakers rubbing against the wooden floor. The same sweekk of a leather ball swishing through the net. The same cacophony created by a dozen different balls bouncing against the floor in irregular beats.

But then the voices start and you realize that something is different. Basketball words are being used, but they are expressed in a jumbled mix of different languages: English, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam and Marathi, too.

This isn’t a pick-up run on the East Coast or a college game in mid-America or an NBA game on the West Coast. This is a court thousands of miles of land and ocean away from those basketball havens. This is India’s Senior Men’s National Basketball squad—a select group of the best basketball players chosen from a population of 1.2 billion people—hard at practice. In the midst of these players stands their coach, an American named Kenny Natt, who has a rich history in the NBA.

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Amandeep Singh (Kotkapura) & Anshika Kanojia (Mumbai) crowned Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Skills Challenge Champions

NBA India Press Release: Amandeep Singh of Sadaram Bansal School, Kotkapura and Anshika Kanojia of Divine Child High School, Mumbai were crowned champions in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Skills Challenge in New Delhi on Sunday and earned an all-expense paid trip to NBA All-Star 2013 in Houston, Texas.

The two winners also received a glittering trophy, a Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Basketall, as well as a pair of adidas shoes as part of their gift hampers at the hands of NBA star Raja Bell. Singh and Kanojia, both 12 years old, were crowned champions after setting the winning timings in the boys and girls categories of 30.79 seconds and 35.26 seconds respectively.

Inspired by the presence of NBA star Raja Bell, 50 youngsters in the 10-12 age group battled it out for supremacy in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Skills Challenge Finals at Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi. The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Skills Challenge was organized by The National Basketball Association (NBA), in collaboration with HP and Basketball Federation of India (BFI).

Following the conclusion of the City Skills Challenge which took place in Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Chandigarh and Delhi, 10 winners from each of the five cities (5 boys and 5 Girls) had earned the right to compete in the National Finals.

As in the City Skills Challenge, the 50 competitors were again subjected to a series of timed skills tests which served to measure each child’s ability in key fundamentals such as dribbling, passing and shooting. The boy and girl to complete the tests with the best times would not just be crowned National Champions but would also win a trip to NBA All-Star 2013 in Houston, Texas.

With the venue already buzzing as the action got underway, the arrival of Utah Jazz shooting guard Raja Bell took proceedings to another level. After addressing the spectators and the participants, Bell took a crack at the Skill Challenge course himself drawing huge applause from all present.

The National Finals marked the end of the 2012 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA programme. The school-based program, launched in collaboration with HP and Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in May, has taught basketball to approximately 10,000 students and 800 coaches in five Indian cities.

India's Women's team finish 4th at William Jones Cup; Cathay Life win Gold

India's Senior Women's basketball team returned from the 34th William Jones Cup Basketball Tournament from July 7-11, 2012 in Miaoli County, Taiwan with a 2-3 record to finish at fourth place out of six teams. India lost their first three games to Cathay Life, Chunghua Telecom, and Japan, before winning their last two versus Chapman University and Malaysia.

Cathay Life, a Taiwan-based club, won the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record.

The William Jones Cup is an invitational basketball championship held annually in Taiwan. This year's tournament was held at the Miaoli Dome Gymnasium in Miaoli County. The Men's tournament follows the Women's championship, but India's Men's team will not be taking part.

India started the tournament with their first game versus Japan - it was an 11 point loss for India, but even in defeat, they showed potential of the team's talent. India's superstar Geethu Anna Jose had a monster game with 34 points and 22 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 86-75 loss. Jose was again on fire against Taiwanese club Chunghua Telecom as she put in 27 points and 15 rebounds in a 93-75 loss. Jose's teammate from Kerala - young star Jeena PS - dropped 24 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. India stood no chance in the next game versus Cathay Life which resulted in a 96-53 win for the eventual champions.

India regrouped in their fourth game against Chapman University from USA as they headed to a blowout 111-67 victory. Jose had 17 points and 15 rebounds to head a balanced attack for India's win. In their final game versus Malaysia, Jose was again the star with 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead India to a 75-62 win. Akanksha Singh added 17 points and 8 rebounds in the game.

Jose was India's undisputed superstar, leading with 22.8 ppg and 15 rpg through the course of the tournament. Jeena PS was India's second-highest scorer, pouring in 11.3 points per game.

Final Rankings:

• 1. Cathay Life 5-0
• 2. Chunghua Telecom 4-1
• 3. Japan 3-2
• 4. India 2-3
• 5. Malaysia 1-4
• 6. Chapman University 0-5

India were led by Head Coach C. Thinakaran and Assistant Coach Prem Kumar.

NBA Player Raja Bell to visit India

Relative to all the hundreds of other players in the NBA, 6 foot 5 Raja Bell should be no more distinguished than the next average backup shooting guard in the league. And yet, when I think of the 35-year-old sharpshooter and defensive specialist, I think of three different and memorable Raja Bells. I think of the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers when Bell, as an unknown rookie, was a surprise contributor to the squad led by Allen Iverson which made the Finals. I think of the mid 2000s Phoenix Suns when Bell emerged as a sharpshooter in Phoenix’s run and gun system and was a famous menace to Kobe Bryant. And I think of him in a Jazz uniform (where he has played in two separate tenures) as a sound, reliable backup.

You can add a fourth, distinct memory to that list. Raja Bell, NBA player in India!

NBA India announced today that Bell will become the 20th NBA/WNBA player or legend to visit India since 2008. Bell will be in New Delhi from July 12-17th to train with India’s National Men’s Team and participate in a variety of fan events and basketball development programmes.

Undrafted in 1999, Bell began his pro career with the 76ers in 2001, and went on to play for the Mavericks, Jazz, Suns, Bobcats, Warriors, and returned to the Jazz (with whom he currently plays) in 2010. As a Sun, Bell made the NBA’s All Defensive First Team in 2007.

“As an international NBA player, I love what the NBA is doing in India to grow the game and I am looking forward to visiting the country for the first time,” said Bell, who is originally from the US Virgin Islands, “During my trip I will have the privilege of working with aspiring basketball players and hope one day to see an NBA player from India.”

“Raja made his mark in the NBA through perseverance, strong defense and a team-first mentality that provides a great example to Indian youth that if you work hard you can achieve your goals,” said Heidi Ueberroth, NBA President, International. “We are thrilled at the response we have received in India thus far and bringing over NBA players helps inspire young fans and is a great way to teach the game.”

On July 14, Bell will attend the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Skills Challenge Finals at Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi. The school-based program has taught basketball to approximately 10,000 students and 800 coaches in five Indian cities. The top 10 players from each city (top 5 boys and top 5 girls) earned a trip to Delhi to compete in the National Finals. One boy and one girl will be crowned National Champion and win a trip to NBA All-Star 2013 in Houston, Texas.

Bell will also conduct an NBA Cares clinic at Thyagaraj Stadium on July 14 in conjunction with Love in Action – a Delhi-based NGO which uses the sport of basketball to provide life-skills education to children from slums in East Delhi. Forty children will participate in the clinic.

On July 15, Bell will host a clinic for select Mahindra NBA Challenge participants at Delhi Public School (Vasant Kunj) and on July 16 and 17 he will train with India’s Senior Men’s and U18 Men’s National Basketball Teams at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi.

India's U16 Boys & Girls teams for Children of Asia Basketball Tournament

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has announced the U16 Boys & Girls basketball team rosters who will be representing India at the 5th 'Children of Asia' International Sports Games, set to be held from July 4-12 in the cities of Yakutsk, Mirny, and Neryungri of the Sakha Republic in Yakutia, Russia.

The ‘Children of Asia’ Games – held in compliance with the decision of the President of the Russian Federation – are an international sporting event for youth athletes, resembling a smaller version of the Summer Olympics. The first such event was launched in Russia back in 1996. This year, it will be held under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The event will feature participation from nearly two dozen Asian countries and from several regions of Russia itself. The programme for the 5th games will included 20 different kinds of sports, including basketball.

India's U16 Boys' Team

• Narender (Haryana)
• Sanjeev Kumar (Bihar)
• Abhishek Kumar (Uttar Pradesh)
• Himanshu Singh (Uttar Pradesh)
• Rudrask Kaustubh Pandey (Uttar Pradesh)
• Sagar Joshi (West Bengal)
• Dildar Singh Brar (Punjab)
• Ashiv Jain (Madhya Pradesh)
• Akashdeep Hazra (Gujarat)
• Gurinder Singh Gill (Punjab)
• Gaurav Ohlan (Haryana)
• Mahipal Singh (Rajasthan)

India's U16 Girls' Team

• Sharanjeet Kaur (Chhattisgarh)
• Sangeeta Kaur (Chhattisgarh)
• Elizabeth Hilarious (Kerala)
• Poojamol KS (Kerala)
• Ishwari Pingle (Maharashtra)
• Shruti Menon (Maharashtra)
• Devirajalakshhmi Kirubanandhan (Tamil Nadu)
• Sharmila Rajan (Tamil Nadu)
• Preeti Kumari (Uttar Pradesh)
• Barkha Sonkar (Uttar Pradesh)
• Kavita Akula (Chhattisgarh)
• Pooja Ambastha (Chhattisgarh)

BFI releases roster for 34th William Jones Cup for Women

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has released the roster of India's Senior Women's team for the 34th William Jones Cup invitational basketball tournament, set to be held at the Miaoli Dome Gymnasium in Miaoli County, Taiwan from July 7-11.

India's Women's squad returned with a 1-3 record from the 2011 William Jones Cup, while the hosts Taiwan won the tournament on home soil.

Indian eves will be led by Head Coach C. Thinakaran from Tamil Nadu. The squad features nine players from the National championship winning Indian Railways squad.

India's Women's Team for 2012 William Jones Cup

• Akanksha Singh (Delhi)
• Geethu Anna Jose (Indian Railways)
• Anitha Paul Durai (Indian Railways)
• Anju Lakra (Indian Railways)
• S. Kokila (Indian Railways)
• Smruthi Radhakrishnan (Indian Railways)
• Kiranjit Kaur (Indian Railways)
• Apoorva Murlinath (Indian Railways)
• Kavita (Indian Railways)
• Aruna Kindo (Indian Railways)
• Jeena PS (Kerala)
• Pratima Singh (Delhi)
• Head Coach: C. Thinakaran (Tamil Nadu)
• Assistant Coach: Prem Kumar (Kerala)