It's been a good week for Portland Trail Blazers in Europe.
Over the weekend, we noted that Blazers forward Nicolas Batum was named MVP for the second week of Euroleague action. And, as meru notes in the FanShots, British big man Joel Freeland, a 2006 draft pick of the Blazers, was named MVP for the month of October in Spain's ACB league.
HoopsFix.com has more...
Great Britain rising star Joel Freeland has had a dominant start to the ACB season with Unicaja Malaga in Spain, culminating in being named the league's Player of the Month for October.
After missing the season opener with an injury, the forward is averaging 17.5 points (3rd in the league), 9 rebounds (3rd), 2.3 assists and 1.5 blocks (5th) on 60.4% shooting from the field, with an average +26.3 efficiency rating in just under 30 minutes per game.
His best individual performance came against Lagun Aro GBC, where he finished with a 22 point-10 rebound double double, going 9/12 from the field and 4/5 at the line. Unicaja currently stand at 4-1 and are third in the table.
You can read a translated interview with Freeland on ACB.com in which he says that the award makes him very proud, honored and happy. You can watch video highlight here.
In October, Freeland said that the Blazers were still keeping an eye on him. There was a report in September that he would considering making the jump to the NBA in the summer of 2012. All the way back in January, Blazers Acting GM Chad Buchanan (then director of scouting) said that Freeland was "very comfortable" in Spain and that his desire for playing time and the status of his contract in Spain "presented challenges."
Freeland, now 24, is currently scheduled to join the Blazers in September 20never. Just kidding.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter