HoopsHype.com Rumors

Interesting footnote about the Nets' coaching search: Italian legend Ettore Messina, reported by Yahoo! Sports to be a candidate tempting Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry, is not on Brooklyn's list. If the Hawks were to make him the first European head coach in NBA history, Messina would have to find a way out of Russian super club CSKA Moscow, which for years received considerable financial support from Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. ESPN.com

Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Coaching, Danny Ferry, Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia, Ettore Messina, CSKA Moscow 

Nikolai Tsynkevich, spokesman for CSKA Moscow, denied head coach Ettore Messina's departure to the NBA. "All I can say is that Messina signed a three-year contract in July 2012 with the team". Interfax

Coaching, Ettore Messina, CSKA Moscow 

Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry is giving significant consideration to hiring the first European-born head coach in NBA history, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Ettore Messina, the Italian-born coach of CSKA Moscow, is among the top candidates to replace coach Larry Drew. Ferry and Messina have had contact about the possibility, and Messina is intrigued with the chance to be a global trail blazer in the NBA, sources told Y! Sports. Yahoo! Sports

Atlanta Hawks, Coaching, Danny Ferry, Russia, Larry Drew, Ettore Messina, CSKA Moscow 

Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, whom Ferry worked with during his two stints in San Antonio, is also someone the team would like to speak to about the head coach position. Quin Snyder, an assistant with CSKA Moscow, is currently not candidate as mentioned in the report. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Mike Budenholzer, Quin Snyder, CSKA Moscow 

Drew's contract runs out on June 30, and he's been informed the organization will start to talk with other candidates. While it's almost assured that Drew has coached his final game in Atlanta, there's a small possibility the Hawks could miss out on several of their top targets and return to Drew, sources said. The Hawks' shortlist includes San Antonio Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer and CSKA Moscow assistant Quin Snyder, sources said. Yahoo! Sports

Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs, Coaching, Larry Drew, Mike Budenholzer, Quin Snyder, CSKA Moscow 

Claudio Villanueva, agent for Andres Nocioni, in an interview with Cadena Ser said that two weeks ago the Argentinean forward turned down an offer from the NBA. Nocioni's contract with Caja Laboral expires after this season. "Andres talked with Josean Querejeta but Caja Laboral has not made a contract extension proposal yet" said Villanueva. "Two weeks ago we got an offer from the NBA but we turned it down for respect of Baskonia" added Vilanueva saying that several European teams are interested in the player. "CSKA Moscow is among them? I cannot comment" ended Villanueva. Sportando

Free Agency, Caja Laboral, Spain, Andres Nocioni, CSKA Moscow 

FC Barcelona wants to sign a multi-year contract with Kostas Papanikolau and they have already contacted him. Papanikolau has a great offer from CSKA Moscow too. Papanikolau would like to play in the NBA, let's say in a couple of years. SER

FC Barcelona, Spain, Russia, CSKA Moscow, Kostas Papanikolaou 

International basketball source says we should anticipate the stream of NBA-caliber talent coming from overseas to dip in coming years because the economy has shrunk the pool of talent foreign clubs are capable of supporting. The biggest clubs -- the Real Madrids and Barcelonas and CSKA Moscows -- will continue to find and work with the best of the best, but the price of training and developing young players and the dwindling number of companies with discretionary funds to serve as sponsors is thinning the herd. Sulia

Draft, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Spain, Russia, CSKA Moscow 

“For sure, he’s made everything easier,” Shved said of having Kirilenko has his teammate. “We’ve played together for a long time – last summer with CSKA Moscow and then all summer on the Russian team. We understand each other. I know what he likes to do, when he likes to cut and where he likes his passes. He knows the same with me. We play well together, but we need to play better with the whole team. We need to do what’s best for the team.” HoopsWorld

Minnesota Timberwolves, Russia, Europe, CSKA Moscow, Alexey Shved 

Q: Was the plan always to come back to the NBA? Andrei Kirilenko: Yes. There was a real possibility for me to stay in Russia, but the reason I came back to Russia (to play for CSKA Moscow last season) was because of the lockout. That was the only reason. I never really thought about staying in Russia, even though I felt great because it was home. Everything was so comfortable. But the NBA is a different stage. You always want to play against the best guys in the world. Q: Where does the bronze medal from last summer's Olympics rank for you in your career? A: This was an unbelievable experience. My previous two Olympics, Sydney and Beijing, (were) unsuccessful. So I was really looking forward to this one. It might be my last Olympics, so I'm very happy that we got a bronze medal. ESPN.com

Minnesota Timberwolves, Euroleague, Andrei Kirilenko, Russia, CSKA Moscow 

Langdon said playing in Europe allowed him to experience new cultures, especially during his six years in Moscow. Like most of us, all he knew were stereotypes of the city, but he learned to understand and enjoy Russian culture. “It’s 15 million people there, you can get anything you need there, the language is difficult, but in terms of getting what you want, it’s like New York,” he said. “The people there are harsh at the beginning. They are just not going to embrace you immediately, especially if you are new. “For me, with the players, it wasn’t about being a person of color at all, it was more about being an American than anything.” Boston Globe

Russia, Trajan Langdon, CSKA Moscow 

Langdon said his Russian teammates were slow to embrace him because they were unsure whether he would commit to the team or bolt for the NBA at the first call. “There was a level of mistrust at first because they don’t know if you are going to stick around,” he said. “Once I signed my contract extension with CSKA, they began to act differently towards me because I made a commitment to being there.” Boston Globe

Russia, Trajan Langdon, CSKA Moscow 

Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic expressed interest in (CSKA Moscow big man) Andrey Vorontsevich this summer. Vorontsevich admitted that it was a hard decision, but still decided to stay home. BasketNews.lt

Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Russia, CSKA Moscow, Andrey Vorontsevich 

Alex Kennedy: Free agent Sonny Weems has signed a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow in Russia, sources close to the situation confirm. Twitter

Free Agency, Sonny Weems, CSKA Moscow 

Forward Sonny Weems (26 y.o., 198 cm) joined CSKA Moscow. The contract with the American player is signed for three years. Sportando

Russia, Sonny Weems, CSKA Moscow 

Jerry Zgoda: Kirilenko is under contract with CSKA Moscow thru 2014 but agent Marc Fleisher says he has a "small" buyout that allows NBA return now Twitter

Minnesota Timberwolves, Free Agency, Andrei Kirilenko, CSKA Moscow 

The Brooklyn Nets are making a hard to push to bring Andrei Kirilenko back to the NBA despite their limited salary-cap flexibility, according to sources close to the situation. After spending well over $300 million in guaranteed contracts this offseason, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is trying to convince his countryman to join the Nets now that Kirilenko has announced in Russia that he wants to return to the NBA after a successful season with CSKA Moscow. ESPN.com

Brooklyn Nets, Free Agency, Mikhail Prokhorov, Andrei Kirilenko, CSKA Moscow 

CSKA Moscow: Guard Alexey Shved used the NBA option of his CSKA contract to move to Minnesota Timberwolves. Our club wishes Alexey successful career overseas. Sportando

Minnesota Timberwolves, Free Agency, CSKA Moscow, Alexey Shved 

Former Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, currently playing at CSKA Moscow, may have a way back to the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets, the Nets' manager told local radio Saturday. Kirilenko, who was named Euroleague MVP this season and will be one of the leaders of the Russia team at the coming London Olympics, has been heavily linked a move back overseas in recent weeks. "We're talking to Kirilenko," Billy King told Fox Sports Radio. "I saw him in the Euroleague Final Four. Yes, he still can play. He'd be a great piece to add to us. He'd give us more depth at the forward spot." RIA Novosti

Brooklyn Nets, Free Agency, Andrei Kirilenko, CSKA Moscow 

The biggest thing working against the Nets is what they are able to pay him. Because they are now well over the salary cap and have used their “mini” mid-level exception to sign Bosnian power forward Mirza Teletovic, the Nets can only offer Kirilenko the veteran’s minimum. Kirilenko’s contract with CSKA reportedly is worth $4 million a year, with the option to leave for the NBA each summer if he chooses to do so. New York Post

Brooklyn Nets, Free Agency, Andrei Kirilenko, Mirza Teletovic, CSKA Moscow