Omri Casspi

In the Ledger’s August 19 issue, we reported that Omri Casspi, the Cleveland Cavalier forward, was close to signing a deal to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv, his former Israeli basketball team, during the NBA lockout.
Close but no cigar.
According to a message posted on Casspi’s Twitter page, the two sides ” came to  the understanding that the tax issues are too big…”

Now, according to an ESPN report, Casspi may sign with the French team ASVEL, which is owned by San Antonio Spurs player Tony Parker.
Making matters worse, Casspi, who is currently in Israel, was to have been part of the Israeli national team for the EuroBasket tournament but bowed out of the next tournament games, scheduled to be held in Lithuania, owing to an injured knee. A win in the European championships could buy the Israeli team a spot in the 2012 Olympics.