NBA Lockout: 10 International Teams to Watch with the NBA Lockout in Effect

Deron Williams has joined the Turkish club Besiktas, and Kobe Bryant could soon be joining him as well.

There are a lot of skilled players in the international talent pool, and there are going to be a fair amount of teams looking to be more competitive than they were during the last campaign.

While all of the names may not be as exciting as D-Will's, it's lining up to be an extraordinarily fun season to watch international competition.

After all, that may be the only way to see NBA players on the court during 2011-12.

10. Armani Jeans Milano

A team that seems to compete no matter which players are on the roster, Milano has already attempted to court Carl Landry.

Despite the overtures, it looks like Landry won’t be joining the team, but they’ve still got plenty of talent that will allow them to play at a solid level.

Led by former Temple Owl’s Lynn Greer and David Hawkins, Milano has the potential to sign a notable name or two prior to the season getting underway.

9. Telekom Baskets Bonn

This is a team that basketball fans are going to have to get familiar with in a major hurry if they haven't been following in the past.

After announcing the addition of former UMass standout Tony Gaffney (who has spent time both with the Celtics and Lakers), Gaffney is expected to stabilize the front line for the German club.

Nic Wise led the club in scoring last season and the team had four players that registered double-digits, and it's very possible that Gaffney could be the fifth given his unique combination of size and athleticism around the rim.

8. BC Krasnye Krylya Samara

This Russian club inked two ex-NBA players just this week in Joe Alexander and Jarvis Hayes, but they’re used to having NBA talent on this team.

Last season, the team rostered J.R. Bremer, Gerald Green and Primoz Brezec, so it’s pretty clear that they’re looking to compete with just about anyone.

They were just founded in 2009, so the level of talent should only improve as they continue to grow.

7. BC Khimki

Another Russian club makes the list thanks to two splashes they made recently in NBA players Chris Quinn and Timofey Mozgov.

While Quinn was nothing more than a bench warmer in the NBA, he’s expected to play a prominent role for the club that also houses former University of Kansas standout Keith Langford.

The real get for Khimki was Mozgov, as his insane combination of size and athleticism will give him an instant advantage over almost all of the big men that he’s slated to go up against.

6. Real Madrid Baloncesto

Real Madrid is the team that made a strong push to sign Rudy Fernandez, but they ultimately came up short and that will leave them looking elsewhere.

They’ve already added perimeter standout Jaycee Carroll, and they’ve also got Utah draft pick Ante Tomic in the middle as well as a big part of Chicago’s future in Nikola Mirotic.

This is a club that’s going to be awfully competitive, and they should be even better if they add to the team further before the season kicks off.

5. Alba Berlin

There is a lot of great basketball going on in Germany, and there isn’t enough of a spotlight placed on the competition there.

Former backup guard Kyle Weaver just signed on to play with the team, but this club is definitely not foreign to American talent.

Last year, Alba Berlin had former Oregon Duck standout Bryce Taylor and past Horizon League Player of the Year in DaShaun Wood. They also signed Notre Dame product Torin Francis.

4. Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Tel Aviv was a prominent landing spot for talent long before the lockout occurred, and it’s where Detroit backup PG Will Bynum put his game on the map.

Now, there are rumors about the speedster returning to his old club to play alongside childhood friend Jeremy Pargo, and that would make for one explosive backcourt.

The club also has former Phoenix draft pick Richard Hendrix as well as undrafted Duke sharpshooter Jon Scheyer.

3. ASVEL Basket

Tony Parker’s French team is undoubtedly going to draw some attention from NBA stars looking to play overseas in the lockout, and it sounds as if he’s already been chatting with Nicolas Batum about the idea.

Last season, the team was home to Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Mickael Gelabele, and the team recently signed reserve center Hilton Armstrong to be their starting man in the middle.

There’s no doubt that this intriguing landing spot could tickle the interest of numerous NBA stars in the (likely) case of a lengthy lockout.

2. Pallacanestro Varese

A team that may be better known as Cimbero Varese stands to make a ton of noise in the upcoming season.

They’ve re-signed former NBA player Yakhouba Diawara, and they had agreed to terms of a contract with Boston's second round pick E'Twaun Moore, but after he asked for his contract to be slightly tweaked, the two sides called off the agreement.

The franchise been notably linked to Alonzo Gee and Portland’s second-round selection Jon Diebler, so it’s pretty clear they’re looking to haul in several recognizable names while they’re readily available.

1. Besiktas ColaTurka

The team that formerly ran Allen Iverson at the point guard is getting a pretty sizable upgrade.

Deron Williams shocked the world when he decided to take his talents to Turkey during the lockout, and now Besiktas is looking to blow everybody’s mind by possibly adding Kobe Bryant.

Head coach Ergin Ataman is looking to take this team to the next level, and if they get Bryant to play alongside D-Will, it won’t take very long to achieve that.