MANILA, PhilippinesPerhaps he had an eye on one of two spots open in the New York Knicks roster.For whatever reason, Iranian Hamed Hadadi was on the court in the fourth quarterSaturdayafternoon even with Jordan no longer in the same zip code as Iran in the Fiba Asia Championship as far as their quarterfinal showdown was concerned.
Thats when a major concern arose for Iran.
As Haddadi rose to reach for a rebound, he went back down limping. He was still limping when he left the game. He was still limping when he left the Mall of Asia Arena hardcourt.
But as he met with an Iranian television crew and a few journalists after Irans 94-50 victory over rival Jordan, the 7-foot-2 Hadadi brushed off speculations he was seriously hurt.
Im okay, he said. Ill be ready for the next game.
Four rows back from the Iran bench, Gary Boyson, a scout for the New York Knicks, was watching the game intently.
Actually, Im here to evaluate all the players in the tournament, said 45-year-old Boyson, who has 16 years experience working as a scout for the NBA. Its no secret there are players here with NBA experience who have no contracts yet.
Its no secret, though, that Hadadi is one of Boysons prospects. So is Chinas young center Wang Zhelin.
Maybe thats why Hadadi was still on the court when he didnt need to be anymore.
Or maybe there were other reasons.
We dont know whats happening inside or what the coach was thinking, said former Iran coach Rajko Toroman, who once coached Gilas Pilipinas. Maybe he wants to give him minutes after a season in the NBA where he didnt play too much. I suppose its the reason hes there because up by 35 points, theres no need for him to be there.
Maybe the coach wanted to give him extended minutes going into the semifinals, added Toroman. Probably in this kind of the game, theres no need for him to be in the floor in the fourth quarter.
Hadadi, who finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, was telling everyone at courtside that he had cramps. When he spoke with Toroman after the game, however, he gave a different diagnosis.
He told me he pulled a muscle in his right leg, said Toroman.
He will be reevaluated today.
Irans Asghar Kardoust also suffered an injury late in the match and had to be carried off the court.
They created some problems for themselves, joked Toroman, but thats basketball.
Iran coach Mehmed Becirovic defended his decision to leave Hadadi on the floor with the game already beyond reach.
Its like a practice for us, he said. Im not looking at the scoreboard. I just want to be prepared for the next round.
The Knicks sent Boyson to the Philippines to keep an eye on the players at this championship
We have a spot or two probably. Were just trying to evaluate players all over the world, said Boyson.
Boyson said he is also taking a look at Gilas Pilipinas, but did not reveal much, except to say its not necessarily about today.
Its about maybe putting someone on our database now and see how they project over the years, how they improve and how theyre progressing, he said.
ByInquirer.net
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