Jaka Lokovic scored 19 points and Slovenia hit 16 of 33 3-pointers to eliminate Australia 87-58 Sunday in the round of 16 at the basketball world championship. Lokovic's corner 3-pointer in the game's opening seconds sparked a 12-0 run and Slovenia never looked back. Primoz Brezec of the Milwaukee Bucks had 12 points and Goran Dragic added 10 points and eight assists for Slovenia.

Rudy Fernandez's agent said the player will not report to training camp in October and does not intend to fulfill the remaining two years on his contract with Portland.

General manager Rich Cho said he has spoken to several NBA teams about a potential deal for Fernandez, but there has been no scenario attractive to Cho.

"I'm not going to be pressured into making a deal," Cho said. "It has to be the right deal for the team."

Cho hired two assistant GMs—Bill Branch, the Oklahoma City director of player personnel, and Steve Rosenberry, who fills the same capacity for the Atlanta Hawks.

"I've had the opportunity to work closely with both Bill and Steve and have always been impressed by their tremendous basketball acumen, work ethic and character," Cho...

Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Rudy Fernandez is trying hard to get himself out of the City of Roses,...

Spain, the defending champion at the basketball world championship, bounced back from its opening-day loss with a 101-84 victory over New Zealand on Sunday. Ricky Rubio had 11 assists for Spain (1-1), which lost 72-66 to France. Spain, which opened the game on a 13-3 run, finished 10 of 20 from 3-point range and 21 of 25 at the free throw line.

Mickael Gelabale scored 18 points and Alain Koffi added 17 as France beat Lebanon 86-59 on Sunday in the opening round of the basketball world championships. France (2-0), which upset defending champion Spain 72-66 in its opener, broke this game open with a 10-0 run in the second quarter that gave it a 30-20 lead.

As summer winds down and the day-to-day "news" falls flat, BDL will be ranking each NBA position,...