I wish I could say that due to the outpouring of reader's complaints pertaining to a lack of blogs by me, the Euroleague website has begged me to give final four predictions. But I can't, thanks people, geesh, nobody wrote, nobody sent flowers, nobody was worried about poor old me once the Euroleague season ended for Roanne. But I’m back anyway and ready to give you my predictions for the Final Four in Madrid.

Disclaimer: I have not played against any of the teams in the Final Four this year.

Game 1: Montepaschi Siena vs. Maccabi Elite

Siena cruised through the playoff against Fenerbahce. In the Top 16, they went 4-2, but the two losses were at Partizan by 3 points and at Panathainkos by 1 point. Those are arguable the two toughest atmospheres in Europe. Right now they have a lot of time to actually focus on the Final Four because domestically they locked up the first position. A lot of people do not realize what a burden it can be to have to prepare for two entirely different leagues at the same time. They have five guys who average double figures, a tough team to guard, but more... more

Merry Christmas...I guess I get to be a dorky holiday blogger guy. This is my favorite time of year: the corny music, lights, decorations and the excessive eating and drinking all around. But most importantly, as a basketball player in Europe, it is about the halfway point in the season and one of our only breaks that will last longer than one day.

The one thing I do not like about Christmas is the overdose of stress that comes with looking for gifts. I understand it gives parents an excuse to spoil their children, but the fighting through crowds in various shopping centers and malls, finding the right stuff, making sure you get something for everyone, and making sure you don't buy the same thing two Christmases in a row for somebody - my Aunt Sue's problem, as you'll recall from a previous blog - can all be a little much.

Fortunately, I avoid some of this pressure because my best friend Mike and I have a long-standing agreement to not exchange Christmas presents. Actually, it's more like a gift-giving stalemate that resulted from an incident back in Christmas 2002, the last time either one of us bought the other a gift. My gift to him in 2002 was the lovely glass colored ball thermometer pictured here. (I didn't know how to explain it and disregard the Chinese, unless it says "Send money to Adam"!)

First, as background information, you should know that this guy Mike is some kind of gift glutton.... more

Happy Thanksgiving! That was for the Americans who play overseas that either forgot or at least didn't hear anyone say those words to them personally last Thursday. I was lucky enough to keep one of my holiday rituals alive by watching my beloved Detroit Lions (American football) via the internet (sling box) lose for about the bazillionth time on Turkey Day, a tradition in itself. But I did once again miss the traditional turkey dinner, the heavy drinking amongst friends the night before and writing out my Christmas list for my family…mainly so my aunt doesn't get me another industrial grade flashlight. She gave me two in back-to-back Christmases when I was a little kid. Instead, I was invited to eat at the prestigious Troisgros. Roanne is a town of 38,896, according to Wikipedia, but it somehow is the home of the #1 restaurant in the world. Halt, I know what people are thinking: the best restaurant must be in Tokyo, or another will say it is in some town in Italy, or even in Tawas Bay. I understand that certain publications will rank things differently and people will claim they know, "the best restaurant ever." So be my guest and type Troisgros into google and you will find it in almost every ranking for top places to dine. After that meal, however, I have found myself waking up late at night in a cold sweat and asking the same questions: What if this is the best food I will ever eat? Where do I go from here? Will I now scoff at my mother's home-cooked meals? It is kind of a slippery slope; I have reached the pinnacle of my eating career at such a young age, I have nowhere to go but down. Suffice it to say that the food was great and the service borderline intrusive; I think that if I had asked, the servers would have... more

Banned by my own fan club: it's a family affair. This week, I was kicked out of my own fan club. Actually, it is more of a doting father mass e-mail supplying informed updates about my basketball life for friends and family than a real fan club. Being family and friends, they either actually care what I am up to and how the season is going, or more likely, they love my dad enough not to offend him by telling him they have heard enough about me. I was not privy to these e-mails until this season. After a critical assessment of the barrage of e-mails flooding my inbox, the boss (my mom) removed my address from the distribution list to prevent the author (my dad) from feeling bad. She informed me that my input would not be taken into account and that if I could not just enjoy the e-mail, I was not welcome to receive them any longer. It was kind of odd to be dismissed from a group specifically created to hear about me: If I cannot fit in with this group, do I fit in anywhere? My brother would answer with a resounding "NO!" Those people who have not blocked the mass e-mails should know that it was a clean break: but if you receive any baseball cards, coins or my much-coveted rubber band ball in the near future, please return them, as my dad has power of attorney.

I don't want you to get the wrong impression of my parents. Even though they did kick me out of my own fan club, they are great. They always know what... more