2009-05-03 PLAYOFF TIME Congratulations to Samuel Dalembert and Sasha Pavlovic for making the NBA playoffs. Despite losing in six games to the Magic, Samuel averaged 5.8 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. In the Euroleague Final Four, three Pinnacle Clients were represented, Zoran Erceg and Milos Teodosic of Olimpiacos and Zoran Planinic for CSKA Moscow. Congratulations to Igor Rakocevic for winning the Alphonso Ford Trophy for the Euroleague leading scorer. Rakocevic won this award in 2007 and scored in double digits in 19 of his 21 Euroleague games this season. In the Adriatic League, end of the season awards were announced. Ante Tomic was named to the second team All Adriatic. One season after being drafted by the Utah Jazz, Ante averaged 15.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for KK Zagreb. Vladimir Golubovic was also named to All Adriatic Honorable Mention. Since entering the Elimination Round of the Slovenian League, Golubovic has been leading the team in scoring and along with Damjan Rudez has led Olimpija to an 11-1 record. We would like to welcome Chris Taft to the Pinnacle Family of clients. Chris went to the University of Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Golden State Warriors. He was named New York State High School Player of the Year in 2003 and was named All Big East Rookie of the Year in 2004. He helped lead Pitt to the Sweet 16 in 2004 and we look forward to his success in the future. 2009-03-22 MARCH MADNESS In the EuroCup, Bostjan Nachbar helped lead Dynamo Moscow to the only 6-0 record in the Top 16. Nachbar finished fourth in points per game in both the EuroCup and the Russian Cup with over 16 points per game. On March 20, Samuel Dalembert of the Philadelphia 76ers had a career high 23 rebounds (11 offensive) in a game against the Golden State Warriors. This marked the sixth time this season that Samuel had 17 rebounds or more in a game. Igor Rakocevic continues to lead the Spanish ACB league in points per game. He has led Tau Ceramica to a 22-3 record and into the Euroleague Quarterfinals. Ante Tomic of Zagreb finished the regular season as the leader in MVP points for the Adriatic League. He ended the season fifth in points per game with 15.5 and first in rebounds per game with 8.58. Shawn King of Hopsi Polzela finished the regular season with 21.2 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. Despite just missing the playoffs Yuta Tabuse of Tochigi Brex finished the season as the JBL leader in assists and steals. He averaged 11 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. 2009-02-16 ALL STAR UPDATE Congratulations to Igor Rakocevic of Tau Ceramica who was named Euroleague MVP for the month of January. In the Last 16, Rakocevic is third in the league averaging 20 points per game. Igor is also currently leading the Spanish league in points per game with 20.5. Filling in for the injured Delonte West, Sasha Pavlovic stepped into the starting roll for the Cavaliers before injuring his ankle. In his ten starts Sasha was averaging over 10 points per game. Samuel Dalembert is currently second on the 76ers in rebounds per game with 8.6 per game. He is currently ranked 17th in the league at the All Star Game. This includes an 18 point 20 rebound performance on February 5 against the Pacers. Nenad Krstic is excelling in his return to the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder averaging 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He is currently averaging 1.2 blocks per game which is his career high. Nenad had a season high in both points and rebounds on January 14 against the Utah Jazz with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Toronto Raptors rookie Roko Ukic has been getting extended minutes due to various injuries to the team. In his last outing before the All Star Break Roko erupted for an NBA career high 22 points against the Spurs. Darko Milicic of the Memphis Grizzlies has returned from missing time with a broken knuckle. He is averaging 5 points and 5 rebounds per game since returning. Beno Udrih of the Sacramento Kings is averaging an NBA career high 1.25 steals per game which ranks him top 30 in the league. Bostjan Nachbar has led Dyanmo Moscow to an 11-4 record in the Russian League and a 3-0 record in the EuroCup Top 16. In the Eurocup Top 16 Nachbar is averaging 16.7 points per game which is top 10 in the league. In the Russian league Boki is averaging team highs with 15.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Dejan Delic and Marko Lekic have led Geoplin Slovan to a 13 win and 5 loss record in the Slovenian League. Dejan is averaging over 16 points per game and Marko is averaging 14 points per game. In his rookie year with Hopsi Polzela Shawn King is continuing to succeed averaging 22.3 points, 14.9 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. He is currently leading the league in rebounds and blocks and has led Hopsi to a playoff spot. Ante Tomic continues to lead the Adriatic League in rebounds per game with 8.7 for KK Zagreb. He is also averaging over 15 points per game which places him in 7th in the league in points per game. Peja Samardziski of FMP is currently 4th in the league in rebounds per game with 7.1. He is also 5th in blocks per game with 1.2. 2009-01-06 SEASON UPDATE We would like to welcome Nenad Krstic back to the NBA from Russia. Nenad has spent this season in Russia with Triumph, but has signed a 3 year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Samuel Dalembert is currently second on the Sixers in rebound but is leading the team with 1.46 blocks per game. Currently in the Adriatic League Ante Tomic of Zagreb is leading the league in MVP Points, rebounds, and defensive rebounds. He is currently averaging over 15 points, 8.85 rebounds, and 1.08 blocks per game. Predrag Samardziski of FMP is currently eighth in MVP Points, fifth in two-point field goal percentage, second in rebounds, and is leading the league in offensive rebounds with 7.71 per game. He is also fourth in blocks per game with 1.74 per game. Vladimir Golubovic is currently ranked third in the league in two-point field goal percentage and has averaged 13.6 points over the last five Adriatic League Games. In the Euroleague, Igor Rakocevic is currently leading all players with points with 18.75 per game for Tau Ceramica. Bostjan Nachbar has led Dynamo Moscow to a 7 and 2 record and is currently third in the league in points with 16.8 per game. Nachbar is also seventh in rebounds with 6.1 per game. Shawn King is still leading the Slovenian Liga in rebounds and blocks with 13.9 and 3.2 respectively, and is also second in points with 22.2 per game. Dejan Delic of Slovan is currently fourth on that list averaging 15.9 points per game. King was also MVP of the All-Star Game with 33 points and 13 rebounds and Terrence Hundley won the Slam Dunk Contest. 2008-11-09 SEASON OPENING With the NBA season starting, Pinnacle had five clients in NBA uniforms. Samuel Dalembert is currently averaging 7.7 points and over 10 rebounds after 6 games for the 76ers. On opening night, Samuel had 17 rebounds including 9 on offense. In Sacramento, Beno Udrih started opening night for the first time in his NBA career. On opening night Raptors rookie Roko Ukic made his NBA debut scoring 4 points. Bostjan Nachbar in his Russian debut is currently averaging 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game ranking top ten in both categories. Congratulations to Igor Rakocevic who was named Euroleague's week 3 Most Valuable Player after scoring 27 points and 5 assists. On the season Igor is averaging over 21 points. In the Adriatic League Ante Tomic is currently leading the league in MVP ranking, rebounds, and defensive rebounds. He is averaging over 17 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.67 blocks per game. Predraq Samardziski is currently second behind Tomic in rebounds per game and seventh in blocks per game. Olimpija teammates Damjan Rudez and Vladimir Golubovic are both also in the top ten in blocks per game. Rookie Shawn King is currently averaging 22 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game leading the Slovenian Liga in all three categories after five games. New client Terrence Hundley has joined Shawn at Hopsi Polzela and will make his debut on November 8. In his first game Terrence had 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists 2008-08-22 OLYMPICS In their first Olympic preliminary game in Beijing, the Croatian National Basketball Team defeated Australia 97-82. Roko Leni Ukic started the game at the point and finished the first quarter with 7 points. Marko Tomas and Zoran Planinic finished the game with 12 points each and Stanko Barac had 4 points in 6 minutes. Damjan Rudez, a late addition to the team, played 3 minutes and helped seal the victory for the Croats…The next preliminary game was against a tough Russia team, but Croatia held them off with a score of 85-78. Zoran Planinic finished the game with 20 points off the bench. Stanko Barac led the team in rebounds with 7 and added 12 points while Marko Tomas chipped in 9 points, and Roko Leni Ukic had 7 points and 5 rebounds…In their next game Croatia struggled against the 2004 Olympic Gold medal winners, Argentina. In a 77-53 loss, the team only made 33% of their shots, but Marko Tomas led the team with 9 points, Roko Leni Ukic and Stanko Barac both added in 5 points, and Zoran Planinic had 4 points in the contest…With a 2-1 record, the undefeated Lithuanian team was next. Despite having a lead going into the third quarter, the Croatian shooting woes continued and Lithuania pulled off the victory 86-73. Roko led the team with 13 points, Zoran had 11 points off the bench, Stanko had 5 points, and Marko Tomas had 3…In their last preliminary game, Croatia played Iran. Despite injuries to two guards including Planinic, Croatia defeated the Iranian team 91-57. The team shot 56% as a whole led my Marko Tomas with 16 points off the bench. Damjan Rudez, in his first lengthy span on the court, scored 13 points and pulled down 4 rebounds in less than 19 minutes. Roko had 4 points and led the game with 8 assists…The Croatian team finished third in Group A behind Lithuania and Argentina. In the quarterfinals they were matched up with the tough Spanish team who only lost to the USA in Group B. Croatia lost 72-59, shooting 38%. This unfortunately ended the Croatian team's medal hopes. In the game, Zoran led all Pinnacle players with 12 points off the bench, followed by Roko Leni Ukic and Marko Tomas with 7 points each. Throughout the whole tournament Croatia played well and even surprised some people who did not think they would make it to the quarters at all. Zoran Planinic led the team in overall points with 59 for the tournament and Roko Leni Ukic led the team in assists with 17. Petteri Kopponen will leave Finland and play for Virtus Bologna in Italy. Petteri was the Finnish league MVP last season and averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Portland Trail Blazers in the Las Vegas Summer League. 2008-07-30 OFF SEASON MOVES We would like to congratulate Nenad Krstic on signing a two-year contract with Triumph Lyubertsy of Russia. Nenad will be leaving the NBA after 4 years with the New Jersey Nets where he averaged 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Triumph, who finished fourth in the A Superleague in Russia last season, will look to Nenad to help bring them into the Eurocup and into the top three teams in Russia. Krstic was in China competing in the FIBA Diamondball Tournament playing for his native Serbia along with Zoran Erceg and Milos Teodosic…Mile Ilic will also be playing with a new team in Europe this season. Mile signed a two year contract with Cajasol of the Spanish ACB League. In ten games last season with Bilbao, Ilic averaged 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game…James "Scoonie" Penn will be leaving Efes Pilsen of Turkey to play for BC Kyiv in Ukraine. Last year Scoonie averaged 10.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1,5 steals per game in the Euroleague leading Efes to the Euroleague top 16…After a successful trip to the NBA Summer Leagues, Vladimir Golubovic will be making his Euroleague debut with Union Olimpija of Slovenia. Last season Olimpija won the Slovenian championship and finished seventh in the Adriatic League. The team adds the 7-foot center who finished first in rebounds per game in the Adriatic League for Vojvodina. 2008-07-20 SUMMER UPDATE This free agent season has been very busy for Pinnacle. We would like to congratulate Beno Udrih for re-signing with the Sacramento Kings. In Beno's first year with the Kings he had career highs in points, assists, rebounds, and steals. Beno will be looked upon as a team leader going into the 2008-2009 season. We would also like to welcome to the NBA Roko Leni-Ukic. Roko signed with the Toronto Raptors who drafted him in 2005. Bostjan Nachbar and Primoz Brezec will be returning to Europe after stints in the NBA. Nachbar has signed with Dynamo Moscow and Primoz has signed with Virtus Roma. Also changing teams is Zoran Planinic who played last season for Tau Ceramica. This season Zoran will be playing for the defending Euroleague Champions, CSKA Moscow. Zoran Erceg has signed with Olympiacos after playing at FMP last season and Stanko Barac will make his Euroleague debut with Tau Ceramica next season. New client Damjan Rudez has left his former team KK Split and has signed with Union Olimpija of Slovenia. We would also like to congratulate Ante Tomic who was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the second round. In the NBA Summer League, three clients excelled. Vladimir Golubovic played for the Indiana Pacers and the Phoenix Suns. Vladimir led the Pacers in rebounds in the Orlando Summer League. Vladimir Veremeenko played for the Washington Wizards and Petteri Koponen played for the Portland Trail Blazers. 2008-05-19 PLAYOFF REPORT The second round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs have come to an end with Sasha Pavlovic and the Cleveland Cavaliers losing to the Boston Celtics 4-3. Sasha played in all 7 games including 36 minutes in game 7… Despite losing the first round series to the Detroit Pistons (4-2) Samuel Dalembert averaged 9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. In a game three win for the Philadelphia 76ers, Dalembert had 22 points and 16 rebounds… Congratulations to Artem Zabelin and CSKA Moscow for winning the Euroleague Final Four by defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv 91-77. In the game Esteban Batista had 14 points and 7 rebounds for Maccabi... For Tau Ceramica, Zoran Planinic finished the Final Four weekend with 22 points and Igor Rakocevic scored 29 points in games against CSKA Moscow and Montespachi Siena…We would also like to congratulate Petteri Koponen of the league champion Honka Playboys for being named the Most Valuable Player in the Finnish League 2008-04-29 SPRING REPORT With the end of the 2008 regular season behind us, we look forward to the NBA Playoffs. Three clients' teams have qualified... Samuel Dalembert helped to solidify the seventh seed for the Philadelphia 76ers by leading the team in rebounds and blocks. Starting all 82 games, Samuel finished 7th in the league in rebounds and 3rd in blocks…Due to injury, Sasha Pavlovic will be limited in his play for the Cavs in the playoffs. Before his injury, Sasha started in 45 games… Beno Udrih finished his fourth NBA season tenth in the NBA's Most Improved Player voting. In his first season with the Kings, Beno averaged a career-high in points, assists, rebounds, and steals…Darko Milicic finished his first season with the Memphis Grizzlies averaging over 7 points per game and a career-high 6 rebounds per game…Despite missing time due to injury, Nenad Krstic finished the season with a strong outing against the Celtics with 13 points and 11 rebounds…"Pinnacle" is very happy to announce that four clients have reached the Euroleague Final Four in Madrid, Spain. Esteban Batista of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Artem Zabelin of CSKA Moscow, and Zoran Planinic and Igor Rakocevic of Tau Ceramica will all be competing to help their respective teams become the best team in Europe…Congratulations to Vladamir Golubovic and Ante Tomic for finishing first and second respectively in rebounds per game in the Adriatic League… Predrag Samardziski finished in the top ten in rebounds per game in the Adriatic League, also averaging over 10 points per game…Petteri Koponen finished his season in the Finnish league averaging over 18 points per game, shooting 56% from the field, ranking fourth in 3-point percentage with 43.4%, and finishing fifth in assists with 4.1 assists per game. 2008-02-29 MID-SESON REPORT First off, we would like to welcome Nenad Krstic back to the court…..After much hard work and rehab, Nenad is now ready to get back on the court and show his true ability where he was averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds per game before his knee injury….Darko Milicic has been playing excellent recently with back to back double-doubles……Samuel Dalembert is having an excellent season….He currently ranks 5th in the league in block shots per game (2.38), 12th in rebounds per game (10.1) and 19th in fg percentage (52.4%)…..Beno Udrih is continuing to have his breakout season….While averaging his career high in points and assists he is also in the top 20 in many NBA League Categories specifically 3- Point Shooting where he is shooting 42% from behind the arc and also in free-throw shooting where he is shooting 86%.......Unfortunately Sasha Pavlovic will miss the next six weeks due to a sprain foot but we are all very confident Sasha will be back in time to leading the Cavs back for a run at the finals again this postseason…..Primoz Brezec has settled in well in his now home In Detroit and is playing very well for the Pistons adding depth in the middle for them…Predrag Samardziski is averaging over 13 points per game in Adriatic League play for FMP….Last week had had 18 points and 11 rebounds in a win against Geoplin Slovan….Vladimir Golubovic is also have a superb season in Adriatic League play….Scoring 14 points per game and grabbing 8 rebounds per game…..Vladimir is leading the league in rebounds…..Both Predrag and Vladimir participated in the Adriatic League All-Star Game….Petteri Koponen, last years first round selection by the Portland TrailBlazers is averaging over 16 points per game, while shooting 53% from the field and over 40% from 3 point range…His team is currently 19-9 in the Finnishleague…. 2007-12-26 GREAT START TO A BIG SEASON We at Pinnacle hope that everyone is having a great Holiday Season.....This season has been very exciting for us.....Beno Udrih has really found a home in Sacramento.....He is one of the early favorites to win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award....Beno's play has been terrific this season, averaging 15 points per game up from his 4.7 points per game last season.....Beno's hard work has been definitely paying off.....Samuel Dalembert is having his best season of his NBA career.....Samuel is averaging 12 points per game and grabbing almost 9 boards per game.....His 2.2 blocks per game currently ranks him 6th in the league.....Darko Milicic is also having his best NBA season, playing over 28 minutes per game of solid basketball.....Darko is averaging more points and rebounds this season than he has has in previous four season in the NBA.....Sasha Pavloivic is having another solid season....Sasha scored a season-high 22 points against the Indiana Pacers, shooting 4-7 from 3 point range.....Nenad Krstic is still rehabbing his knee and expects to be back on the court in 3 or 4 weeks.....Mile Ilic has signed in Russia to play for Lokomotiv Rostov......Orlando Magic draftee Milovan Rakovic recently scored 31 points in a Russian Superleague game.....Ante Tomic is shooting over 66% from the field this season while leading Zagreb to an excellent record....Vladimir Golubovic continues to have an excellent season....He is leading the Adriatic League in rebounding with almost 8 boards per game, while scoring 13.6 points per game and shooting at 60% for the season....In EuroLeague action, both Zoran Planinic and Igor Rakocevic are having excellent seasons for Tau Ceramica....Zoran is averaging 12.7 points per game and shooting at 62.7%, while Igor is averaging 16.9 and shooting at 62.2% 2007-11-05 A NEW SEASON The 2007-2008 season has started with great promise for several Pinnacle Clients.....Darko Milicic earned a starting position with his new team, the Memphis Grizzlies, and has been playing 29 minutes a game and shooting 54% from the field while also grabbing 7 rebounds per game and averaging 2.5 blocks per contest....Nenad Krstic is fully recovered from his ACL injury from December....Nenad scored 10 points in only 19 minutes of play in the opening night victory against the Chicago Bulls....Primoz Brezec is once again starting for the Charlotte Bobcats and has helped the Bobcats to there best start in franchise history......Sasha Pavlovic is happy to return to Cleveland after signing a new 3 year contract on October 30th....Sasha and the Cavs have championship aspirations this season after a trip to the finals last season.....Beno Udrih is very excited about the opportunity he will have in Sacramento after signing with the Kings last week....Beno will get a great chance to shine with the Kings.....Beno received his 2nd NBA Championship Ring on Friday when the Kings returned to San Antonio to play the Spurs....Samuel Dalembert is off to a magnificent start to the season....Samuel is averaging 4 blocks per game, which ranks him 1st in the NBA.....Samuel is also averaging over 10 points per game and 8 rebounds this season....Needless to say, all Pinnacle clients have gotten off to a tremendous start this season and we expect that to continue throughout the season......In Europe several of our clients have stood out in the early part of the season.....Esteban Batista has gotten off to a nice start with his new club Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Scoonie Penn is excited to be playing with Efes Pilsen this season.....Milovan Rakovic and Damir Markota are playing very well for Spartak (St.Petersburg)......Damir is leading the team in scoring and Milovan is adding toughness and rebounding to the squad while showing his true value to the team after being selected in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic......Vladimir Veremeenko scored 14 points in BC Khimky win in the ULEB Cup opener over Nancy....Vladimir's BC Khimky is also 7-0 in the Russian Superleague.....Predrag Samardziski is off to a great season in Adriatic play shooting over 65% for the season and averaging over 8 rebounds per game.....Vladimir Golubovic is leading the Adriatic League with 9.5 rebounds per game while scoring 15.4 points per game....In Vladimir's last game against Olimpija, he shot 9-10 from the field, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds 2007-07-01 DRAFT RECAP Pinnacle clients had a busy month preparing for the NBA Draft in New York City .....A Pinnacle tradition, the eve of the draft, the company, players, family and friends celebrate the hard work and dedication the players have given to preparing for the draft....  Draft Day, was a great day for Pinnacle Management as we had three players selected.....Petteri Koponen was drafted in the first round by the Portland Trail Blazers.....Peterri’s mother, Sonja and girlfriend, Linda were at the draft waving Finnish flags and cheering for Peterri as he shook hands with Commissioner David Stern.....Stanko Barac and Milovan Rakovic were drafted in the second round.....Stanko was drafted by the Indiana Pacers and Milovan was drafted by the Orlando Magic.....We look forward to a long and successful career for all three of these hard-working players........Two clients, Vladimir Golubovic and Artem Zabelin decided to withdraw their names from the draft....We look forward to them returning in the near future and one day playing in the NBA.....Nenad Krstic just wrapped up his annual summer basketball camp that was attended by over 90 children....Damir Markota has returned to Milwaukee , where he has been working out to prepare for the Las Vegas Summer League....Beno Udrih recently spent some time in New York City  enjoying the city life after a successful championship season playing for the San Antonio Spurs....Mile Ilic is still recovering from an ankle injury which will keep him out of this year's European Championships....Samuel Dalembert was recently honored at a Gala for his extraordinary leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS in New York City which featured a keynote address by Former President Bill Clinton..... 2007-06-09 JUNE REPORT Sasha Pavlovic continues his stellar play throughout the playoffs and nothing has changed in the NBA Finals....Sasha finished Game 1 with 13 points and 5 rebounds......Its a busy time for our draft prospects as they are traveling around the country working out for different teams.....This past week Petteri Koponen and Artem Zabelin worked out in Orlando in a joint workout for 7 teams........From there Koponen continued onto Seattle and Phoenix.....Zabelin went on to work out for San Antonio and Phoenix.....Petteri and Artem showed in these workouts, that they are the future of the NBA.....Both 19 years old ,with loads of talent........Marko Lekic returned from the NBA Pre-Draft Camp and then went to Philadelphia where he had a great workout for the 76ers....This week Marko will work out for both the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.....Stanko Barac arrives this week and will begin his workouts immediately working out for the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons.....Milovan Rakovic arrived in Treviso, Italy where he will participate in the Reebok Eurocamp......Zoran Erceg scored 15 points and had 6 rebounds for FMP Zeleznik in Game 1 of the Serbia Semi-Finals against Partizan.....We look forward to Zoran's arrival once he is done with his season......Vladimir Golubovic is scheduled to workout for the Boston Celtics and New Jersey Nets later this week.....Next weekend all of our talented prospects will be on display for NBA personnel at our "Pinnacle NBA Draft Workout" held in New York City.....Over 25 teams are expected to attend these workouts......The "Nenad Krstic Basketball Camp" will be held at Hoop Heaven in Whippany, NJ from June 25-29 for boys and girls ages 7-16. For registration information please call 973-884-4667...... 2007-06-04 NBA FINALS Big congratulations to Beno Udrih and Sasha Pavlovic for reaching the NBA Finals......Sasha looks to be the third Pinnacle client to win a NBA championship....Darko Milicic won the championship in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons while Beno Udrih won the title in 2005 with the San Antonio Spurs.....We are all very excited for this great matchup..... Petteri Koponen, Artem Zabelin and Marko Lekic have been working tremendously hard in New York City in preparation for draft workouts....Tomorrow these players embark on there journey for draft workouts with many NBA teams.....We look forward to the arrival of Zoran Erceg, Vladimir Golubovic, Stanko Barac and Milovan Rakovic who will be arriving from Europe later this month to begin there NBA quest..... 2007-05-10 MAY FLOWERS As the flowers are beginning to blossom in the month of May, so is Cleveland Cavs emerging star Sasha Pavlovic....In the first 2 games of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Sasha has proved to be the difference maker....He is averaging 16 points in  the series and has played tremendous defense on Vince Carter.....Additionally, he had one of the top block shots of the season on Jason Kidd in the last couple seconds of Game 1 to seal the victory for the Cavs.....Ante Tomic played a tremendous game against Zadar scoring 17 points and grabbing 7 rebounds ....Ante showed his unbelievable talent throughout the game including scoring 9 consecutive points to open the second half....We are excited for Ante's arrival to the U.S. and for him to be drafted  this June....Additionaly, Exciting times here at" Pinnacle" as we are glad to announce the signing of Finnish Point Guard Petteri Koponen.....Koponen is on the fast road to the NBA .....At only 19 years old Petteri has shown the ability and maturity to play at the highest level as demonstrated at the 2007 Nike Hoop Summit ....We are also proud to announce the signing of Atlanta Hawks Power Forward, Esteban Batista out of Uruguay ....We look forward to Esteban having a long and successful career in the NBA.....Some good news out of New Jersey is that Nenad Krstic is recovering quite well from his knee injury and Mile Ilic recently had his cast removed from his ankle....Mile is energized to get back on the court, and prove to all his abilities in Summer League....Next week both Artem Zabelin and Petteri Koponen arrive in New York City to begin their journey that will ultimately end by hearing their names called come June 28th at the NBA Draft....A very special welcome to the newest member of the Pinnacle Management Team . . . Jessica Miller, formerly of Adidas International , joins us as  Director of Marketing 2007-04-16 FINAL DAYS OF REGULAR SEASON With the NBA regular season winding down we look forward to the NBA Second Season...THE NBA PLAYOFFS.....Five "Pinnacle"  clients teams have qualified for the playoffs....Unfortunately, Nenad Krstic and Mile Ilic will not be able to participate due to injury, however we are glad to report that Mile's ankle is improving and Nenad is gaining tremendous strength back in his knee....Both are determined to be on the court very quickly.....Sasha Pavlovic of the Cavs, Darko Milicic of the Magic and Beno Udrih of the Spurs will be very instrumental to the success of there teams in the playoffs....Samuel Dalembert will finish the season in the top 10 of the NBA in field goal percentage and in total block shots....We are very proud of Samuel for also playing and starting in all games this season for the 76ers...Darko Milicic has also had a very exciting season showing his great potential....Darko ranks very high in blocks, offensive rebounds and total rebounds per 48 minutes played this season...."Pinnacle" is also very happy about Tau Ceramica reaching the Final Four in Athens, Greece.....We are looking forward to seeing Igor Rakocevic and Zoran Planinic excel on Europe's biggest stage.....In the Adriatic League Finals, Draft Eligible Prospect Zoran Erceg led FMP with 19 points and 7 rebounds despite losing to Partizan 94-82 in Belgrade.....Another draft eligible player Stanko Barac, is the third leading rebounder and shot blocker while averaging over 13 points per game this season....Ante Tomic, who is also eligible for the NBA Draft averaged over 12 points per game shooting over 60% from the field for the season while playing 25 minutes per game for KK Zagreb..... 2007-04-03 APRIL REPORT It was great seeing Sasha Pavlovic in New York against the Knicks hitting on 6 three-pointers......Afterwards, meeting up with fellow Serbian National teammate Nenad Krstic who came across the Hudson River to meet for dinner, and celebrate Sasha's great game and season....Nenad is recovering well and everyone is ecstatic that Nenad will be 100% by June or July....Darko Milicic showed what he is capable of when given quality minutes, as he played 38 minutes and scored 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals against Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves.......In Euroleague action Igor Rakocevic put on a shooting exhibition to lead Tau Vitoria to an 84-59 win over Olympiacos in Game 1 of the best-of-three Quarterfinal Playoffs on Tuesday in Vitoria, Spain.....Igor was 5-of-6 from downtown on his way to 24 points to bring his team within one win of the club's third straight Final Four appearance....Zoran Planinic chipped in with 8 points for Tau....Looking forward to seeing both Zoran and Igor at the Final Four in Athens..... Congratulations to Zoran Erceg, who's FMP team reached the Finals of the Adriatic League...Zoran played great in both Semi-Final games against Partizan scoring 11 and 14 points respectively while shooting over 50% in both games..... 2007-03-15 MID MARCH REPORT Lebron who????......While trying not to sound repetitive, Sasha Pavlovic had another career high scoring 25 points while Lebron James was out with an injury as the Cavs beat the Sacramento Kings....Sasha shot 3 for 4 from 3-point range and also dished out 6 assists....Coach Brown praised Sasha for his grittiness on the defensive end as well.....Stanko Barac is enjoying an excellent final run in the Adriatic League.... Last weekend Buducnost was too strong for Siroki, but Barac scored 21 points and grabbed 4 rebounds....... In the last three games, he has averaged 20.7 points and 6 rebounds in less than 30 minutes of playing time.....In the semifinals of the ULEB Cup Zoran Erceg scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for FMP in game 1 of the semi-final series....Zoran continues to play outstanding for FMP putting himself in a great position for the upcoming NBA Draft......Scoonie Penn played wonderful in Euroleague play as Olympiakos beat Partizan 79-75....Scoonie had an all-around excellent game scoring 13 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 4 assists....We look forward to seeing Scoonie in Athens at the Final Four.... While staying with the Euroleague theme, two Pinnacle clients played against each other and performend exceptionally.....Oggie Askarabic scored 19 points on 7/9 fg's as Lottomatica fell to Tau Ceramica 77-72....For Tau, Igor Rakocevic scored 17 points hitting on 4 3-pointers....Ante Tomic posted 16 points and 11 rebounds for Zagreb in an Adriatic League game vs. Hemofarm.... We are proud to announce "Sasha Pavlovic Night," a night where Sasha is being recognized for his outstanding play by Adidas....Fans will recieve Sasha giveawys as they enter the arena on April 12th.... 2007-03-01 MARCH MADNESS What a great evening we had Monday night watching Darko Milicic and Samuel Dalembert perform to their highest abilities....Samuel had 20 points along with 17 rebounds and Darko had 14 points, 16 rebounds and 5 block shots...."Pinnacle" is looking forward to having "atleast" one All-Star Center next year coming out of the East...Will it be Samuel Dalembert, Darko Milicic,Nenad Krstic, Primoz Brezec or maybe Mile Ilic???...Time will only tell, who it will be....Mile Ilic, who has been itching to get on the court will finally have a chance to show what he has, as he will play for the Colorado 14ers of the NBDL...Damir Markota has been showing off his talent, playing extremely well in Tulsa, for the Milwaukee Bucks affiliate...Sasha Pavlovic continues to play excellent in Cleveland gaining more and more minutes and showing the rest of the NBA his great abilities....We all wish Igor Rakocevic a quick recovery as he is expected to miss three weeks due to a muscle tear in his left leg that he injured on Saturday in a win against Granada....Zoran Erceg scored 24 points hitting on six 3-pointers as FMP won an Adriatic League game against Zadar...We look forward for Zoran along with all our other draft prospects to train in NYC prior to the draft...Other " Pinnacle" draft prospects that are playing great overseas are Marko Lekic, Milovan Rakovic, Stanko Barac, Artem Zabelin and Ante Tomic...Everyones favorite agent , Marc Cornstein was featured on "ESPN.com Daily Dish Podcast," on February 28th with ESPN Insider Chad Ford...Follow the link to hear Marc talk about the latest news and trends in the NBA...   http://www.espn.com/podcenter  ... then scroll down to daily dish and click on 2/28 to hear Marc 2007-02-15 ALL-STAR BREAK In the week leading up to the All-Star game two of our clients had career high games.  Sasha Pavlovic of the Cleveland Cavaliers had 21 points in a National Televised game against the Los Angeles Lakers.....A game in which the Cavaliers beat the Lakers 99-90....Sasha scored 13 of those points in the 2nd half......In the Magics last game before the break, Darko Milicic had a career high 21 points, along with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks in a win against the Portland TrailBlazers....Darko started the last 4 games for the Magic and has been playing unbelievable.....In Final 16 Euroleague action, Scoonie Penn led Olympiakos to an impressive road win at Partizan....Olympiakos won the game 92-84, a game in which Scoonie scored 20 first half points.... In another excellent Euroleage performance Igor Rakocevic had 19 points hitting an amazing 5 of 6 three pointers while upsetting Maccabi Tel-Aviv on the road.....Igor followed up his excellent play at the Copa Del Rey with this performance in Israel........We are very happy to announce an addition to the "Pinnacle Family,"Predrag Savovic's wife Maja gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Magdalena..... Beno Udrih and Sasha Pavlovic are off to All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas to participate in the Federal Express Basketball Clinic at the NBA Jam Session.....For those wondering, YES, Mile Ilic and Nenad Krstic worked at McDonald's for a day where they volunteered to serve french fries and then later read to children in the playground area.... 2007-02-02 MID SEASON REPORT Darko Milicic is playing fabulous, in his last 3 games is averaging 16 points per game, including a 19 point games verse the New York Knicks where he shot 7-10 from the field....As his minutes have increased, he is showing his truth worth to the Orlando organization....Samuel Dalembert has once again raised his level of play....He has double digit rebounds in 4 of his last 5 games including a 17 rebound game against the New Jersey Nets, while also blocking 4 shots....In January, Samuel averaged 13 points per game and over 9 rebounds a game....Sasha Pavlovic when pressed into action scored his career high of 24 points against the Golden State Warriors....Sasha has been playing amazing, playing great on both ends of the floor....He has scored in double digits in three of his last four games....Damir Markota, when given a chance showed he belongs as well....in 8 minutes of play verse the LA Clippers, Damir scored a career high 8 points on 3-4 shooting including 2 for 2 from 3 point range....In Beno Udrih's last 5 games he has a 6 to 1 assist to turnover ratio, continuing his steady play for the San Antonio Spurs.....In Adriatic  League play Stanko Baric is 2nd in the league in rebounding grabbing over 7 rebounds per game....Ante Tomic is averaging over 12 points per game in Adriatic League play while shooting nearly 60% from the field.... 2007-01-17 MID JANUARY REPORT Nenad Krstic had successful surgery on his knees....He is resting comfortably at home with the care of his mother and girlfriend and meeting with a physical therapist each day....Nenad will be walking in a few days and running in a few months....We are also sad to say that Zoran Planinic will be out six weeks due to a hand injury that occurred in a Euroleague game against Climamio Bologna....Turning to some better news, we are excited with the new oppurtunity given to Julius Hodge after being traded from Denver to Milwaukee....We are confident with a fair opportunity, Julius will shine in Milwaukee....In Euroleague action this week Igor Rakocevic scored 23 points in the game vs. Climamio Bologna.....In NBA action, since the New Year, Samuel Dalembert has really raised his level of play...In January, Samuel is averaging 14 points per game, 9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks....Darko Milicic has had back to back duble figure scoring games and grabbed 10 rebounds against New Orleans on National Television.... PLAYER SPOTLIGHT---Nenad Krstic ---Favorite U.S. movie is Gladiator ---Favorite American music is Rap but prefers Serbian music ---If was not a basketball player would probably follow in his fathers footsteps and would work in construction ---Enjoyed playing Soccer and Karate as a kid ---Enjoys collecting cars ---Favorite current NBA player is Tim Duncan ---As a kid favorite player was Vlade Divac 2007-01-01 HAPPY NEW YEAR First off, we hope everyone had a happy and healthy New Years.....While ringing in the year of 2007 it gave us a chance to reflect on all the great accomplishments our players had during 2006 and are looking forward to an even greater 2007.....Some on the court highlights of 2006 were Nenad Krstic being selected to play in the Rookie-Sophomore All-Star game in Houston....Darko Milicic given an opportunity to play and excel after being traded to Orlando from Detroit....Oggie, Mile, Darko, Igor, Primoz, Beno and Tunji all competing in the World Championships this summer in Japan....Damir Markota and Vladimir Veremeenko both getting drafted in June after working very hard this spring working out for numerous teams and training in New York City..... We are all terribly saddened by the recent knee injury to Nenad Krstic but have no doubt that Nenad will be back on the court and better than ever when he returns.....Nenad is resting comfortably at home, while his parents and cousin are in town to assist him.....Nenad's XBOX skills have improved 100% since the injury....As you can see in the picture to the left Nenad Krstic and Mile Ilic were in the holiday spirits distributing toys to those less fortunate at the Salvation Army in Brooklyn, NY.....   PLAYER SPOTLIGHT---SASA ZAGORAC --Favorite city in United States is New York City --Favorite city in Europe is Valencia --Enjoys listening to all types of music --Favorite current NBA player is Tim Duncan --Favorite basketball player as kid was Michael Jordan --Wants to be a bartender after his playing career is over --Favorite movie is "Seven" 2006-12-15 MID DECEMBER REPORT The LA sunshine did Beno Udrih very well...In back to back games this week against the Clippers and Lakers; Beno performed at the highest level...Against the Clippers Beno had 7 assists without committing a turnover in 20 minutes of play....Nenad Krstic has continued his consistent excellent play...He has scored in double figures, an amazing 20 times this year out of 22 games played...Nenad, also had a huge game vs. the Pistons scoring 27 points this Saturday...Darko Milicic is currently 5th in the league in block shots per 48 minutes with 3.9 blocks per game...Julius Hodge has been playing superbly in the NBDL filling up the stat sheet, showing that he is healthy and ready to play in the NBA...In a tremendous overseas battle between two of the top point guard in Europe and both Pinnacle Clients Igor Rakocevic and Scoonie Penn excelled in Euroleague play in a heads up matchup...Tau Ceramica outlasted Olympiakos 89-74 with Igor Rakocevic scoring 23 points draining 4 of 9 three pointers...Scoonie led Olympiakos with 20 points hitting 3 of 7 three-pointers...Both players showed why they are two of the best in all of Europe...In Adriatic League action Ante Tomic had two excellent games this past week...In two victories Ante scored 28 points shooting a combined 14 of 20 from the field....Stanko Baric continues to play at a top level for Siroki...He scored 12 points in 24 minutes grabbing 7 rebounds in an Adriatic League victory...Congratulations goes out to Mile Ilic for passing his drivers test on the first try and in the purchase of his first car in the United States...Also, it was very nice to have Dragan in town for a few days... PLAYER SPOTLIGHT---DAMIR MARKOTA ---Favorite color is blue ---Favorite movie is Borat ---Enjoys listening to Croatian music ---As a kid, favorite NBA player was Toni Kukoc ---Likes to eat pasta ---Favorite city is New York ---Enjoys watching soccer in his free time 2006-11-27 THANKSGIVING TIME PERFORMANCES With Adriatic League action in full swing this past weekend, several Pinnacle players excelled....Stanko Baric scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in action vs. Buducnost....Stanko is currently the third leading rebounder in all of the Adriatic League....For Budocnost, Nenad Mijatovic scored 18 points in only 24 minutes hitting 3-3 from 3 point range....In other Adriatic League play, Ante Tomic shot an amazing 10-13 from the field scoring 23 points....Lastly in Adraitic action Franko Kastropil had 13 points on 6-8 field goal attempts and grabbed 7 rebounds in 21 minutes of play....Other terrific performances this past weekend included Sam Clancy scoring 19 points on 8-11 field goals against Tau Ceramica in ACB action....The NBDL season began this weekend and both Kevin Burleson and Yuta Tabuse played great, both distributing the ball very well, each having 7 assists....In NBA action Darko Milicic had an excellent week scoring 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in only 22 minutes of play vs. the Pacers, then following that up 2 days later vs. Miami scoring 11 points and grabbing 8 rebounds, both in Orlando victories....Darko is currently 4th in the NBA in total block shots...Nenad Krstic has continued his excellent play....He is averaging over 16 points a game and grabbing over 7 rebounds a game and shooting over 55% from the field for the season, putting him in a position to be selected to the NBA All-Star Game...Samuel Dalembert is shooting an amazing 60% from the field this season...We are also very proud of Samuel, who is hosting his own "Toy Drive" at the December3rd game in Philadelphia....All fans who bring a toy to the game to be donated, will be able to attend a post game autograph session with Samuel....Last season, 520 toys were donated thanks to Sam's efforts....Lastly, as the holiday season is approaching, we at the "Pinnacle Family want to wish all our players and players' families much joy and happiness.... PLAYER SPOTLIGHT--DARKO MILICIC --Favorite color is Blue. --Favorite movie is Borat and the Serbian movie Rane. --Enjoys listening to music.  Prefers Serbian Country, Rap, Techno and House music. --Favorite Musical Groups are VIP and Deniro --Favorite types of foods are Sebian, Greek and Italian --Favorite NBA player is Bo Outlaw 2006-11-13 MID NOVEMBER REPORT The first two weeks of the NBA season have been quite successful for many of the Pinnacle players... Samuel Dalembert has started the season shooting at an amazing clip of over 60% and once again being along the league leaders in block shots...Nenad Krstic has had back-to-back 20-point games and is averaging 16 ppg this season...Sasha Pavlovic has been playing 25+ minutes in the last three games (all wins) due to his excellent defense and sharp shooting abilities and Darko Milicic has had 10 block shots in his last four games...This past weekend in Adriatic League play Ante Tomic had 20 points in 20 minutes as Zagreb beat Sikorki...Ante accomplished this feat by shooting 9 for 10 in the game...Also in Adriatic action Predrag Samardziski had 17 points, shooting 8-11 from the field...In Euroleague play Zoran Planinic continued his superb play by scoring 18 points and dishing out 6 assists in Tau Ceramica 102-70 trouncing of Rheinenergie...In the same game Igor Rakocevic hit 3 three pointers in only 20 minutes of play...Also in Euroleague play Oggie Askrabic played 30 minutes, scoring 11 points against Maccabi... Oggie shot the ball well from 3-point range hitting 2 of 3 behind the stripe...Lastly, in Euroleague action Scoonie Penn’s floor leadership was a key element in Olympiakos’ easy win over Proken 97-74...Kevin Burleson and Yuta Tabuse were drafted in the NBDL Draft...Kevin was selected fourth overall by the Fort Worth Flyers and Yuta was drafted in the third round by the Bakersfield Jam...Both players are currently in training camp for their respective clubs...Nenad Krstic and Mile Ilic were lending a helping hand this past week...Both players fed over 100 individuals and families in need in a Thanksgiving Feast in Montclair, NJ...Lastly, we would like to welcome Pinnacle's newest addition, Ante Tomic to the "Pinnacle Family."     PLAYER SPOTLIGHT---FRANKO KASTROPIL ---Favorite Movie is Dumb and Dumber ---Favorite Rock band is Red Hot Chili Peppers ---Favorite Athlete is Andrei Shevchenko, Ukrainian Soccer Player ---As a child also played soccer and was a goalkeeper ---Favorite Car is a Bentley ---Has two older sisters ---Favorite city is New York 2006-10-26 WEEK 1 EUROLEAGUE REPORT Ognjen Askrabic - Played extremely well in 20 minutes of play. Grabbed 4 rebounds and scored 8 points. Scored the key baskets down the stretch and also excelled defensively as Lottomatica Roma beat Partizan 65-60 in the Italian capital. Scoonie Penn - Led Olympiacos to a huge win over Tau Ceramica 97-78. Had an all-around excellent game dishing out 7 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds. Also contributed with 9 points in 35 minutes of play. Zoran Planinic - Scored 15 points in 30 minutes of play coming off the bench, as Tau Ceramica was defeated in Greece by Olympiacos. Igor Rakocevic - Scored 19 points in 27 minutes of play. Shot the ball extremely well for Tau going 6-8 from the field including 4-6 from 3-point range. Also played excellent defense picking up 3 steals. Roko Leni Ukic - Played very solid in 16 minutes of play in a win for Barcelona over Pau-Orthez 72-66. Scored on 2-3 field goal attempts and had 2 assists without a turnover. 2006-10-22 TIPPING OFF A NEW SEASON As we are tipping off another season, we at "The Pinnacle Family" are introducing our very own blog.  We hope that you will check back often to see the latest accomplishments of our clients, both on and off the court. We are very proud to be representing players from eleven different countries this season and hope that this blog helps in keeping all informed of our players success..........Our two NBA rookies this season, Mile Ilic of the NJ Nets and Damir Markota of the Milwaukee Bucks, are both making smooth transitions in their new cities.  Mile has been enjoying all that New York City has to offer.  He has been eating very well at all the fine Italian restaurants and shopping for a new wardrobe in the city.  Damir is getting ready for the upcoming season and is very focused on working on his game.  He is also very focused on getting his drivers license and learning how to drive in the snow of Milwaukee..........Samuel Dalembert had a great experience and played extremely well as the Philadelphia 76ers won the first ever NBA Europe Live Tour in Cologne, Germany beating CSKA Moscow.  Samuel had 15 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocks in the championship game.  Earlier in the tour in Barcelona, Spain Samuel had 21 points (on 8-11 shooting) 10 boards and seven blocks..........This summer was also an exciting time for "Pinnacle."  Seven of our players participated in the World Championships played in Japan.   Oggie Askrabic, Mile Ilic, Darko Milicic and Igor Rakocevic played for Serbia. Primoz Brezec and Beno Udrih played for Slovenia and Tunji Awojobi played for Nigeria.  All seven showed great national pride in competing for their respective countries.......... PLAYER SPOTLIGHT---MILE ILIC ---Is an avid movie watcher ---Loves music from his native Serbia ---Favorite basketball players growing up were former Serbian legends Vlade Divac and Predrag Dronjak ---In high school also played volleyball and soccer ---Is interested in starting a car collection ---Rented a condo along the Hudson River with views of the New York City Skyline