Men's BBall: Malcolm Delaney named Beko BBL MVP

It was announced yesterday that Malcolm Delaney was named League MVP

Turns out that the Houston Rockets had wanted to sign him late in the regular season but Malcolm turned it down because of where he was at with his team in Germany. They have reached the Europa League Final Four at this point over there. I would not be surprised to see Delaney get some workouts for NBA teams this off season but he could end up staying in Europe if the money is off between the two places.

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He has said that this will likely be his last year overseas and he will head to the NBA next season. Has drawn a ton of interest from NBA teams.

In Sam Rogers we trust.

There was a recent interview with him though that he made it clear that if he was only going to be a reserve bench type player, receiving the NBA minimum, that he would likely return to Bayern Munich, who has indicated that they might make him one of the top 5 paid players in Europe.

Rob Peterson
VTCC
Charlie/Hotel Company
Class of 1999

Missed that. I guess returning to Bayern Munich would be smart if he wants to get his stock up. I think he would be a decent NBA player though.

In Sam Rogers we trust.

Yes, I had seen some other comments he made in interviews where he is against just being on a team so that he can say he 'played in the NBA' while hoping nobody googles his stats. He also has said that if the money is better in Europe than the NBA, or if he doesn't get guaranteed NBA money, he'll stay in Europe. He might adjust that to if the NBA money is comparable and guaranteed, though. It seems that he is very mature and aware of the business side of basketball, and isn't just playing because he doesn't know what else to do with his life. I think if someone gives him a decent shot at some playing time, he would certainly be a good player that could stick with a team for a few years. It's all about the fit on the team, and the leadership of the team.

Sounds like he has learned to pass

The Dude Abides

Still primarily a scorer but has averaged 4.5 assists per game. I think he is fourth or fifth in the league in scoring over there. He is first or second at getting to the free throw line as well which probably doesn't surprise us Hokies fans. He is also pulling in a respectable 3.4 rebounds per game as well.

Rob Peterson
VTCC
Charlie/Hotel Company
Class of 1999

to be fair, he didnt have much to pass to while he was rocking the maroon and orange.

#SOMUCHSWAG

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Fosterball

Good for him. Would love to see Delaney in the NBA. He's always been one of my favorites (along with our player who has the most fun name to scream ever: A.D VAASSSSSAAALLLOOOOO)

I don't know, I got a huge kick out of yelling "YOU CAN'T SPELL 'VICTORY' WITHOUT 'VICTOR'"

Not a lot of Davila love out there though, I've found.

VT Class of '12 (MSE), MVBone, Go Hokies!

By the way, what happened to Mr. Green?

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Fosterball

This past season he was in a mid-level league in Italy. Euro ball is a lot like minor league baseball in the number of various levels. Delaney is in the top level, and Green is playing for a mid-level team. Italy is one of the better places to play. Spain is great, Germany & Italy are really good, and places like Israel or eastern Europe are like Single-A ball. Those are the spots where you may or may not get paid.

Turkey is surprisingly the best place to play when it comes to getting paid and reliability of getting paid. Its where the Europa developed out of. Europa is kind of like the Champions League for soccer over there, where the top teams from multiple leagues come together to compete.

Green is playing for Montepaschi Siena, which is now part of the Euroleague, which is basically the second best league in Europe.

Rob Peterson
VTCC
Charlie/Hotel Company
Class of 1999

NBA dream closer for Malcolm Delaney

NBA teams have interest now. The Houston Rockets were mentioned as a team that was interested in your services. Was there ever any chance of signing with Houston?

MD: The Rockets thing was a great opportunity for me, that was official. But with how important I am to the club, how important this season is to the club, it wouldn't had been a smart business decision for the club to let me go. I didn't have an NBA out in the contract. The Houston Rockets thing is something nobody would have ever turned down because, you know, I'm still with a dream to play in the NBA. But FC Bayern, they couldn't let me leave, we're about to play the playoffs, trying to win a title. Any kid or any American basketball player wishes to play in the NBA. This time I couldn't do it.

You're not bitter about having to stay with the team the whole season?

MD: No, I'm not mad at all. I understand the business side of everything. It was a great opportunity for me. I don't know if the opportunity will ever come back again, but I will keep doing what I'm doing. Like I said, it's all about opportunity. If somebody wants to give me that opportunity, I'll definitely take it.

Are you optimistic that you're going to get it during the summer when free agency comes?

MD: Right now I'm praying that I do. I could play in Europe for 10 years and I won't care if I'm playing in a good situation. But getting the opportunity to play in the NBA would be a big thing for my family and everybody around me. It's still a dream for me. Right now, seeing how close I am, I'm thinking about it a little bit more.

Would you take less money to play in the NBA?

MD: Yeah, I'm willing to do that kind of sacrifice. I mean, it would be a hard decision if I'm deciding between a big European offer and a league-minimum deal in the NBA where I probably won't have the chance to show my game, ending up on the bench. But I can't say that I wouldn't take it. Until I have those two options and I get the feedback from the NBA on what they'd expect from me, I can't say what I'd do. But I'm really thinking about the NBA a lot right now.

I hope he maximizes his abilities in Europe. NBA may be a dream, but deep down I'd like to see him succeed at a high level over there than flounder over here.

This seemed appropriate in some strange way:

Pain is Temporary, Chicks Dig Scars
Glory is Forever, Let's Go Hokies!!

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