NBA - Many locked out players were hits overseas

MAR DEL PLATA (NBA) - The NBA lockout hasn't been a good thing for basketball in America.

There's little doubt, however, that the labor dispute which is expected to end this week has provided a spark to some leagues overseas.

In Argentina, there has been increased media coverage of leading side Peñarol with 2004 Olympic champion Andrés 'Chapu' Nocioni having played in a handful of games for the team.

Everyone was buzzing about Nocioni's recent 24-point, 16-rebound performance against Atenas and he also helped Peñarol win the Súper 8 by beating Libertad Sunchales in the final.

Nocioni, once the lockout ends, is supposed to head back to the United States to resume his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Serge Ibaka, who had five blocks in the first half of Spain's gold-medal winning triumph over France, was excellent for Real Madrid.

He had 15 points - eight of them coming on dunks - nine rebounds and six swats in Madrid's 84-67 victory at CAI Zaragoza in the Liga Endesa.

Ibaka will soon return to Oklahoma City to play in an abbreviated NBA campaign.

Rudy Fernandez, also a gold-medal winner with Spain, has been a teammate of Ibaka's in Madrid.

He will go back to the United States to begin his career in Dallas, the team he was traded to this summer from Portland.

Fernandez played in eight Liga Endesa games and averaged 16 points and three steals for coach Pablo Laso.

Kyle Singler, a second round pick by Detroit, has been sensational for Lucentum Alicante.

In what is likely to have been his last game with the team at the weekend, a 71-68 win over Lagun Aro GBC, he had 22 points.

He has averaged 15 points and reached double digits in seven of Alicante's nine games.

In an interview with FIBA.com earlier this season, Singler said he would go back to the NBA once the lockout ended.

San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter has competed in three games with Valencia Basket - all wins - and been terrific in each.

The Brazil national team star has shot 60% from the field and averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds in the Liga Endesa.

French big man Kevin Seraphin, who had a great EuroBasket for the silver-medal winning Les Bleus, will go back to Washington after a combined 15 games in the Euroleague and Liga Endesa with Caja Laboral.

Seraphin has averaged 10.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in the Euroleague for Dusko Ivanovic's team.

In France, there has been no disputing the impact of Nicolas Batum and Tony Parker at SLUC Nancy and ASVEL, respectively.

Portland Trail Blazer Batum was twice named Player of the Week in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague.

Parker was the MVP of Week 1 in the Eurocup after firing the team to victory over Valencia Basket.

Andrei Kirilenko of Russia and formerly the Utah Jazz has no contract with an NBA team.

He signed with CSKA Moscow and is the highest ranked player in the Euroleague, but is likely to be out of action until January with a shoulder injury picked up just over a week ago.

New Jersey Net Jordan Farmar will return to the States with his confidence soaring after a sensational spell with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The 1.88m guard has been averaging 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague.

"I'm glad the strike has ended," Farmar said, but now I feel mostly sadness.

"I did not want to leave now because we're halfway through the season, but I feel I'm leaving a great group."

Many NBA players have played in Turkey, including Oklahoma City's Swiss Thabo Sefolosha of Fenerbahce, Milwaukee forward Ersan Ilyasova of Anadolou Efes, Utah's Mehmet Okur of Turk Telekom and both Deron Williams (New Jersey) and Semih Erden (Cleveland) of Besiktas are set to return to America.

Team USA guard Williams made the biggest headline by scoring 50 points in a recent EuroChallenge game.

Italy's Danilo Gallinari will go back to Denver following a stint with his former club, Olimpia Milano.

The 23-year-old has averaged 17 points in the Euroleague for Milano.

Yi Jianlian has been back in China playing with former club Guandong.

The big man opened the campaign with 17 points and eight boards in a victory over Zheijiang Cyclones but his best game was against Jiangsu as he had 30 points and 17 boards.

Yi, as a domestic player, has an out-clause which allows him to go back to the NBA with the lockout ending.

FIBA