Follow Hamed Haddadi's NBA updates here

[mkbf2]

Haha, Last nite was sickkkk.. except for the part he didnt play lol

anyways, first i had like fairly close up seats
so we were shoutin and having fun but haddadi didnt come in...
we got passes and I saw Haddadi after the game...
there is this hallway that they go to their buses and if u have a special pass u can stand their and get autographs and talk to the players..
It was wierd bc haddadi came about 10 minutes earlier than all the other players.. but it was a suprise and as he was walking i called his name out like aghaye haddadi and he noticed we were iranian and i got him to sign a picture of him hahaaha.. fyi HIS HANDS R HUGE, and HE IS TALL AS SHIT, anyways i was like " pa chera morabite baziit nemikone... and he was liek "nemidonam rastesho bekhay, shayad baddan yekam bishtar mano bazi kone vali allan beeshtar etemam be gasol dare" and i asked him how he liked it in US and he said it was fine and hes getting much better in bball.. There was this other person their at the end of the hall that he talked to for like 20 minutes but i ddnt knw who it was and i went to overhear his convo but he was talkign quitely. I met Rudy Gay (really tite guy), OJ mayo, Darius Miles, and Gasol...haha funny thing was i said to Gasol-- " Hey Gasol how bout u let Haddadi play a little ha?" and he was like "Dawg im not the coach, id wish hed play more tho" haha he seemed like a nice guy tho too.. him and haddadi were going at it at warm ups, warming up and stuff.. but haddadi seems to be really fit in well with the team, like everyone seems to like him and everyone makes jokes with him.. like this guy at warmups brought the ball down and was trying to play soccer with him, and then as a joke they got tied up and they were wrestling hahah, but most the team and the wizards were joking around so it was nothing serious, at the end of the day i wish him good luck and hope to see him next time around playing well against the wizards.. ill post the pics up sooon

WHOA! nice dude! how close were u?

[mohsenfootball]

WHOA! nice dude! how close were u?

to the stadium? probably around 20 feet to it...

[EKBATAN]

NEW article on haddadi

As i suspected English is his biggest problem. His wife speaks good however, so he had time now he needs to get off his ass and learn.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/feb/04/center-of-pride/

Iranian star turned Grizzly yearns for time on court
By Scott Cacciola (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, February 4, 2009

He feels the weight of his country grow heavier with each game he spends on the bench. There are times when Hamed Haddadi feels like a disappointment.

When he signed with the Grizzlies last summer after he impressed scouts with his play at the Beijing Olympics, Haddadi became the first Iranian to join the NBA. A 7-2, 250-pound center, he showed up with big expectations for himself -- and the sort of raw game that had "project" written all over it.


Nikki Boertman/The Commercial Appeal

Hamed Haddadi relies on his wife, Missagh, to translate, but his English and his basketball skills are improving with a lot of work.

He has appeared in four games for the Grizzlies this season, which means that he has earned about $64,214 for each of the 14 minutes he has played. Haddadi has a lot of pride. This does not make him proud.

"Because I haven't played enough or played good, I feel like I haven't presented our country the best way," he said through his wife, Missagh, who moonlights as his translator. "I think it will be better when I play. I want to present the name of Iran to make good, positive connections."

Talk about pressure: Haddadi, 23, acknowledged a sense of responsibility as one of the more prominent Iranians living in the United States. Relations between the countries are considered poor at best. He said he hoped to make some small difference in terms of changing perceptions, of bridging cultures.

But that has been harder than he imagined because of his limited playing time. The pace of the game caught him by surprise. Players here, he said, are faster than they are in the Iranian Super League, which might be the understatement of the millennium.

The biggest issue has been the language barrier. Haddadi said the lack of communication with his teammates and coaches has affected his confidence. His English has improved, and he can understand bits and pieces -- but not to the point where he can be conversational.

Despite all the challenges, some expected and others unforeseen, Haddadi said he has embraced his time in Memphis. He said the community and his teammates -- especially guard Mike Conley, who lives in his neighborhood and gives him rides to practice -- have been wonderful to him and his wife.

"I really am so happy to be here," said Haddadi, who has a three-year deal worth about $1.6 million per season. "I'm getting everything I can out of my experience here."

As a boy growing up in Ahwaz, a city in southern Iran, Haddadi played soccer with friends. But as he grew, he felt embarrassed about his height and stopped playing. He happened to be outside one day when a basketball player, impressed by Haddadi's size, recruited him to a nearby court. After asking his father for permission, Haddadi spent most of his afternoons over the next six months practicing -- without sneakers.

What followed was a whirlwind path to national stardom: At 14, he was sent to Tehran, the Iranian capital, to work with a prominent coach named Saeid Fat'hi. Haddadi spent the next year training with him, then was selected for the national team.

At 16, he captained the junior national team to a second-place finish at the Asian championships, Iran's best result at any international basketball event.

Basketball is considered too expensive for most Iranian children to play. The game requires a ball, a basket and special sneakers.

"You don't have to spend so much money to play soccer," he said. "Just the ball."

But basketball has grown in popularity since Iran won the FIBA Asian Championship in 2007. (Haddadi scored 31 points in Iran's 74-69 gold-medal victory over Lebanon.) He said more baskets have popped up in neighborhoods and he wants to help the game continue to grow.

He said he calls home often to speak with family and friends. His father sells cars and builds houses. His younger brother, a 6-5 forward, also plays basketball.

"I want to let them know that I haven't forgotten them," he said, "that I don't have too much pride just because I became an NBA player."

The Grizzlies shipped him to the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League for most of December, and if the idea of a 7-foot Iranian spending part of his winter in Bismarck, N.D., seems worthy of a network sitcom, Haddadi took his time with the team seriously.

"It's been one my best experiences since I've been here," he said. "I got some playing time, learned some techniques and practiced more."

In 11 games, Haddadi averaged six points on 46.3 percent shooting along with 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game. He could make his way back to Bismarck this month, once center Darko Milicic returns to the lineup after breaking his right hand earlier this season.

"We all knew this was going to be a process," Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said. "I can't predict the future with him. He has worked earnestly to get better, and he does have things he can do in an NBA game. He can protect the basket, he can alter shots, he can rebound, he has good passing instincts and a nice touch from the outside.

"But it's going to be a continual development process."

Grizzlies vs. Rockets

When, where: Today, 7 p.m., FedExForum

TV, radio: Fox Sports Tennessee, WRBO-FM (103.5)

The Haddadi file

A closer look at Grizzlies rookie center Hamed Haddadi:

Age: 23

Hometown: Ahwaz, Iran

Basketball: Haddadi, long known in European circles as the top player in the Iranian Super League, emerged as an NBA prospect after a solid showing at the Beijing Olympics, where he was the only player to average a double-double (16.6 points, 11.2 rebounds) per game.

Personal: He lives with his wife, Missagh, in Germantown.

[EKBATAN]

to the stadium? probably around 20 feet to it...

post pix nigga

[mohsenfootball]

hahha at your service ekbatan...

haha this is the white guy he was messing with (wrestling, soccer)


Gasol


Nick Young and OJ MAYO funny pic (rooney-ronaldo remake)


Haddadi at signing and when i talked to him


Rudy Gay


Gasoll b4 i talked to him


and thats all i got, sorry i cldnt take a million pictures of haddadi, we didnt have a good view of the side of the bench he was on

[Babak]

The white guy he was messing with is Marko Jaric, Adriana Lima's boyfriend.

[radin119]

I want to see him play agaisnt yao

[EKBATAN]

I want to see him play agaisnt yao

He has on multiple occasions iran-china but in nba, i think he did once in preseason but im not sure

he's actually played good against alot of nba players; ginobli, ***ilenko, yao, torkuglo (blocked him once in preseason ), other players from argentina, australia and more....they did alot of preparation for olympics

[ehsan singapore]

guys he can still improve bt i think the main problem is english if he can get better in it he will play more games

[radin119]

game against clippers will start in 15 min

[Masoud_A]

This guy fails:
Bench
Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts H. Warrick
6:31 0-5 0-1 2-2 -7 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

[Babak]

Memphis down 25 points going into the 4th quarter at home to the Clippers. I'm pretty sure we'll see Hamed for atleast 4-5 minutes in this one. If he doesn't get into this game, I don't see him ever getting into any game.

[Masoud_A]

gasol had 1 point after 25min of pt lol.

[Behzad12]

Memphis down 25 points going into the 4th quarter at home to the Clippers. I'm pretty sure we'll see Hamed for atleast 4-5 minutes in this one. If he doesn't get into this game, I don't see him ever getting into any game.

lol poor guy doesnt play again today. i feel sorry for him, but at the same time i look at it from a coaches perspective, i can see why he wouldnt play on a regular day but i really dont see a reason not to play him in this game.

[Babak]

I knew he was in trouble once Iavaroni got fired. Iavoroni had a geniune interest in seeing Hamed improve and show what he can do, and gave him every possible chance to get into a game based on the situation. That's not gona happen with Hollins as coach.