Enjoying Grantland’s coverage of the ongoing FIBA “World Cup.”
Apparently, it’s not uncommon for countries to turn NBA players or former prospects into naturalized citizens, who can then play for their national team. Rafe Bartholomew breaks down how the talented, notorious, talentedly notorious Andray Blatche is somewhat bizarrely playing for Galas Pilipinas, the Philippines national team.
I never expected to see umlauts referenced in a basketball recap. No idea how intentional this is, but it feels like the coverage of FIBA is a lot more playful and creative than the typical (enjoyable) coverage of the NBA. This Jason Concepion article feels representative of Grantland’s blend between jockish enthusiasm for SPORTS and witty, even nerdish references (“Anthony Davis patrolled the paint like a freaking NAZGUL“).
curious winnipeg 
