ESPN NBA

By Alfredo R. Berrios
ESPNdeportes.com

SAN JUAN -- Uruguay's 83-77 loss against Panama not only awarded the Panamanians their first victory in the quarterfinal round but also guaranteed Puerto Rico's ticket to the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

Puerto Rico improved to 5-0 with a nine-point win over the Dominican Republic.

Carlos Arroyo led Puerto Rico with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Larry Ayuso had 16 points, Ricky Sanchez 11 and Carmelo Lee and Daniel Santiago added 10 each.

Charlie Villanueva led the Dominicans with 21 points, Al Horford had 18 with 10 rebounds and Luis Flores scored 14 points.

Arroyo stuffed the box score on Wednesday as Puerto Rico took care of the Dominican Republic. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

On Thursday, Dominican Republic plays Mexico and Puerto Rico faces Argentina.

Brazil became the first team to qualify for the 2010 FIBA World Championship after winning over Canada 68-59 on day two of the quarterfinal at Roberto Clemente Coliseum. Brazil has a 5-0 record and is one of two undefeated teams in this tournament.

Leandro Barbosa scored 31 points by shooting 11-for-16 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line in 37 minutes. Marcelo Huertas added 10 points while Anderson Varejao and Guilherme Giovannoni scored eight each.

Canada, which has a 1-4 record, was led by Levon Kendall with 12 points, followed by Olu Famutimi and Joel Anthony with 10 each.

Coach Leo Rautins was not discouraged. He saw the FIBA Americas Championship as a great experience in the revival of Canadian basketball.

"I think we have the youngest team in the tournament. It's been a great experience," said Rautins after the loss to Brazil. "Our purpose is to rebuild basketball in Canada."

Argentina defeated Mexico, 77-65. It was Argentina's fourth straight win.

Luis Scola had 25 points and Leo Gutierrez and Federico Kammerichs scored 14 each for Argentina.

Mexico's Gustavo Ayon had 18 points, Noe Alonzo added 14 and Enrique Zuñiga 12.

The reasoning behind Ricky Rubio's decision to remain in the ACB Spanish league was plain and simple: Economics.

And in San Juan, there seems to be a collective support for Rubio. Many players and a coach at the FIBA Americas Championship understand that the Spanish point guard has the ability to play at the NBA level. However, the numbers in the opt-out clause of the DKV Joventut were astronomical.

"I don't know how expensive was Ricky Rubio for (Regal F.C.) Barcelona [Rubio's new team]. It's the money that has to be paid to the player plus the fact that Barcelona had to pay (DKV Joventut) Badalona to let him go," said Brazil's coach Jose Manuel "Moncho" Monsalve. "The negotiations between Joventut and Barcelona calls for a payment to be made to leave to the NBA. It's clear that Joventut has been very strict."

According to Monsalve, the transaction was made possible because Regal F.C. Barcelona is the same business entity that owns the elite soccer club F.C. Barcelona. For that matter, it had the financial capacity to sign the 18-year old.

Rubio was picked fifth in this year's NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves but the buyout clause with DKV Joventut initially stood for $8.11 million. NBA rules allow teams to pay up to $500,000. The relationship between Rubio and DKV Joventut Badalona deteriorated when he intended to file a lawsuit to end the contract.

Brazil's Tiago Splitter, who plays for Tau Ceramica in the ACB, said that the decision to stay wasn't Rubio's call.

"I'm very sure that it wasn't his decision [to stay]. The team [DKV Joventut] didn't want to let him go [without paying]. He wanted to go to the NBA but the only possibility he had was to stay in Spain." Splitter said, while adding that he doesn't doubt Rubio's ability and potential at the NBA level.

Argentina's Pablo Prigioni, who plays for Real Madrid in Spain, defended Rubio's decision to stay in the Spanish basketball league. Prigioni said that two more years in Spain will actually make Rubio a better player.

"I think he's too young and his decision is a wise one that will make him grow as a player, grow his game and his physical frame," Prigioni said. "It seemed like a risk to arrive [to the NBA] at such a young age; it is very wise [to stay]."

Monsalve, who has seen the youngster grow dating back to his days as an 11 year-old in the Spanish Cadet league, believes that Rubio's moment in the NBA will come.

"The only thing I can say about this kid, whom I have known since he was 11 years old -- this kid's a prodigy. He possesses things that no coach can teach a player. By improving certain aspects of his shooting technique, he will someday become one of the biggest stars of the world, without a doubt," Monsalve said.

The Association of Basketball Clubs (Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto), best known as the ACB Spanish league, owns the distinction of having a pipeline of European and Hispanic players by the dozens who make the jump over to the NBA. The league is also the playground for players who don't have the elements to make it to the NBA.

"It's without a doubt the best FIBA league now that the NBA is in its own world, another kind of basketball," Monsalve said.

Monsalve coached in the ACB since 1972 but left primarily due to family matters. He coached there after the 2001-02 season with Cantabria Lobos. Monsalve still follows the ACB on a daily basis, watches games on film and reads everything that there is to know.

The ACB's structure of 18 teams served as a model that led the Argentinean league to revise its structure (after the Spanish league). ACB also functions as a pool of players that supplies many of the current and future players for Argentina's national team.

"Our (league) is an exact copy of the ACB league," said Sergio Hernandez, Argentina's national team coach. "When Leon Najnudel, the great master, returned from Spain after coaching Zaragoza, he came with the idea that we had to copy that [the ACB]."

Pau Gasol (L.A. Lakers), Marc Gasol (Memphis), Leandro Barbosa (Phoenix) and Anderson Varejao (Cleveland) played in the ACB before crossing over to the NBA. Luis Scola (Houston), Carlos Delfino (Milwaukee) and Manu Ginobili (San Antonio) have also played in the Spanish league. Puerto Rico's Carlos Arroyo and fellow countryman Daniel Santiago are part of that list.

There are nine players at this year's FIBA Americas Championship with an active role in the ACB.

Tiago Splitter will have his left knee examined by Brazil's team doctors to determine the severity of his injury, following a collision with a Canadian player in the first game of Group X of the second round.

"It was a shot to the knee," said Splitter after the game. "It hurts a little."

Splitter suffered the knee injury almost at the end of the first half. Monsalve decided to bench him in the fourth quarter.

"We will examine him and see what decision is made in terms of game time," said Monsalve, while watching the game between Panama and Uruguay.