J.R. Holden knows about about European basketball. He played 20 years over there, winning 12 national titles in four different countries, two Euroleague championships with CSKA Moscow and hit the dagger that won Team Russia the FIBA Europe championship over Spain in 2007.
Now, he’s the director of player personnel for the Nets after holding similar scouting jobs in Philly and Detroit. So he qualifies as an expert on basketball around the world. And in an interview with Gazzetta, the Greek sports site published Friday, he praised another former CSKA star playing in Brooklyn, Mike James, and said the Nets hope they can keep the 6’2” combo guard beyond the playoffs.