Dewarick Spencer(1.93-SG/PG) is very close to Partizan Belgrade according to superbasket.gr. After coach Bartzokas quit from Maroussi, Spencer left Athens and the article says that he is now very close to signing a contract with Partizan Belgrade for the next season.
Spencer is not really bound by a contract because the situation in Maroussi is quite shady already and all the players were bound by pre-contractual agreements that have not much legal value and can be easily broken. Spencer seems to be the player that will replace Aleksandar Rasic that could continue his career in Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Rumors about Chrysikopoulos and Olympiakos
Linos Chrysikopoulos(2.03) is the biggest talent of his crop and he belongs to Aris Thessaloniki. He is probably the biggest talent Greek basketball has seen in a very long time. It's true there have been Nick Calathes and Kostas Koufos, but they didn't come out of a Greek team. They learned how to play basketball in America. There is a big difference and the word that makes all the difference is Infrastructure.
Greece has no serious infrastructure when it comes to producing and developing talented basketball players. Hell, Greece might not even have a Pro(A1) league next season but that's another story.. Obviously one will say that talented players will do great anyway if they work hard. That is very true. What is also true is that there are many players who don't get the attention they deserve and get missed out. Linos Chrysikopoulos is the type of player that can do anything for his team. He could play pretty much all positions in the court. Obviously he still has a long way to go but he has the body(7'1'' wingspan) and the talent to become the next big thing of Greek and European basketball.
According to our brother blog greekhoopz.blogspot.com, Olympiakos want in on the action. There was a rumor back in the days that Panathinaikos are interested in the player and that they would try to cut Aris out of the loop. Let's explain what this means. If a player turns 18 his team can autonomously sign a 3 season(maximum) contract with the player without the player's consent. With the player's consent this can be extended to 5 seasons. Linos Chrysikopoulos will be 18 this December and the rumor said that Panathinaikos would try to cancel the validity of the one-sided contract that Aris would want to sign. Obviously in December we'll find out if they can pull it off.Rumors from Thessaloniki suggest that the player will sign a 5 season contract with Aris and the buy-out clause would resemble that of Rubio's contract. Olympiakos want to get their foot on the door and rumors from Athens suggest that they're willing to offer Yotam Halperin and Zoran Erceg on loan for a season and after they signed Chrysikopoulos they would also lend him to Aris for a season.
One thing is for sure. Aris cannot compete with Olympiakos financially. Aris could never hope to offer the kind of contract that Olympiakos could. So it's only a matter of a time before the player is sold. What is curious though, is that there hasn't been any obvious interest from other European powerhouses.There are teams out there with big wallets and Chrysikopoulos could benefit from a team program outside Greece.. let's say Spain. Perhaps the player wants to stay in Greece. Perhaps the player's value is not high enough to warrant a sale. Perhaps just like the case of Kostas Papanikolaou it could be a matter of good timing when the player will excel with the Greece U-19 or U-20 team and his price will skyrocket. This summer he averaged 17 points 8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 9 games during the 2010 U-18 Eurobasket in Lithuania and he was the only player from the Greek squad that stood out.
In Thessaloniki they're saying that Chrysikopoulos will get some much deserved playing time with Aris, let's hope this is true. It would be a waste for Greek basketball to see a player like that shafted to the bench of a wealthy team getting only "rubbish time".
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Roma signed Heytvelt and released Hutson
Heytvelt (210, 24) joined Roma at the end of last season to help the team in the Italian League playoffs. He took part in two playoff games for Roma before the season ended, but impressed enough for the team to re-sign him for this season. Heytvelt began the year in Turkey with Oyak Renault, where he ranked seventh in the Turkish League in scoring with 17.3 points per game and was the league’s runner-up in rebounding with 10 per game. Oyak Renault was his first professional club after a standout college basketball career at Gonzaga University. Heytvelt was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team after his senior season in 2008-09 when he ranked top 10 in the conference in both scoring and rebounding.
Hutson (202, 31) leaves Roma after two season with the team. He averaged 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 10 Euroleague games and 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in the Italian League last season.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Pops Mensah Bonsu to play for Baskonia
According to elcorreo.com, Pops Mensah-Bonsu(2.06-PF) will be the new player of Baskonia. Bonsu played for CSKA last season but his role was diminished and in Baskonia they have space in their front-line and money to spend since Tiago Splitter(2.11-C) moved to the NBA.
The article says that there are advanced negotiations between Baskonia and Bonsu but nothing is finalised yet. Other information suggests that the deal could be announced very soon. Bonsu has played in the ACB before. His first appearance was back in 2007 when he played a game for Granada beating Baskonia and saving the team from relegation. He also played briefly for Badalona and a whole season for Benetton before that. In the NBA he played for San Antonio, Toronto and Houston. Last season he averaged 6.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 12 games of the Russian Superleague but with only 10 minutes of average playing time.
Editor : Baskonia, shortly after this article, announced the 1+1 season deal via their official website.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Olympiakos signed Radoslav Nesterovic
It is a great addition for Ivkovic's team.According to redplanet.gr, Olympiakos agreed terms with Slovenian veteran Radoslav Nesterovic(2.13-C) that was released from the Toronto Raptors. The article says that Olympiakos reached an agreement with Nesterovic without leaking any information to the press and he will be their player next season.
Nesterovic is no stranger to Greece as he played there beofre. He also holds a Greek passport under the surname Makris. It was issued by another Greek team, Paok, when he was playing for them back in 1995. He has also played for Olimpija, Virtus Bologna, Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors and Indiana Pacers. His last team were the Toronto Raptors where he averaged 4.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 40 games last season.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Maccabi TA signed Big Sofo for 2 seasons
Immediately after the signing, which took place in Cyprus, the player said, “As soon as I made the decision not to keep playing in Greece, I started looking for a big club, one that was well-run and had a great reputation, where I could make a contribution – I found all that with Maccabi Tel Aviv. I’m very excited to come to Tel Aviv and to Nokia Arena. I know the club, its fans and its impressive accomplishments very well, and I’m going to do everything I can to continue to glorify Maccabi Tel Aviv.”
Maccabi head coach David Blatt said after the signing, “I’m pleased and delighted that we’ve signed Sofo.
As we began building the club, we set certain goals; one of the main goals was to find an inside player, one who will dominate under the basket. We were patient, we waited a long time and in the end we found one of the best centers in all of Europe, someone who is also one of the most special and popular players who can be found today. Our fans have been waiting for a big man, and here he is.”
The rest of the announcement can be found at Maccabi's official site.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Spartak signed Henry Domercant for 3 seasons
The agreement is for 3 years. Domercant played in Siena Montepaschi during last 2 seasons. Russian fans know him good by his games for Dinamo Moscow. In 16 games of Euroleague 2009-2010 he played 17,12 minutes per game, took 10,5 points, made 1,5 rebounds, 0,6 assists. The percentage of 2-points shoots - 45, the percentage of 3-points shoots - 50,9, the percentage of free throws - 93,8.
Henry Domercant
Date of birth: 30.12.1980
Place of birth: Chicago, USA
Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Height: 193 cm
Position: Shooting guard/small forward
Career
2008-2010 - "Montepaschi Siena" (Siena, Italy)
2007-2008 - "Dinamo" (Moscow)
2006-2007 - "Olympiacos" (Athens, Greece)
2004-2006 - "Efes Pilsen" (Istanbul, Turkey)
2001-2004 - "Eastern Illinois Panters" (Charleston, USA), NCAA
Monday, August 2, 2010
Panathinaikos signed Aleks Maric for 2 seasons
One of the most dominant big men in European basketball last season switched Euroleague teams on Friday when Panathinaikos announced the arrival of All-Euroleague center Aleks Maric, who inked a two-year deal with the Greek powerhouse.Maric
(211, 25) arrives from Partizan, which he led to its biggest season in recent history, averaging 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds in 18 Euroleague games as the team reached Final Four for the first time since 1998. They also won the Adriatic League, Serbian League and Serbian Cup titles together. Maric was voted to the All-Euroleague first team and was chosen December MVP in just his first season in the competition. He also earned weekly MVP awards for regular season weeks 7 and 8. Unknown to most fans before the season, Maric made a splash by recording a 49 index rating - tying the best single-game performance in the entire 2009-10 season - with his brilliant 34-point, 16-rebound performance against Efes Pilsen in regular season Week 7.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Big Sofo going abroad
Sofoklis Schortsanitis(2.06-C) could become the newest addition of Maccabi Tel Aviv according to reports from Israel and Greece. Basketnet.gr spoke to the agent of Schortsanitis, Panagiotis Kapazoglou, who said that Sofo has offers from 3 major teams in Europe and that he will decide about his future in the next few days. He said the offers are not from Greek teams but he didn't want to give any more details. He is currently training with the rest of the squad of the Greek National Team.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Kolossos to sign Jamine Peterson
Jamine Peterson(2.00-PF) is very close to signing a contract with Kolossos Rhodes according to sportnet.gr. The American power-forward has only played for 2 seasons for the Providence Friars with impressive numbers but he could be leaving college for the overseas experience.
Peterson could finally agree with Kolossos this weekend and he is a personal choice of coach Sferopoulos. In his last season with Providence he averaged 19.6 points 10.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 31 games.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Ikaros Kalitheas signed Kalampokis for 2 seasons
Greek League newbies Ikaros Kalitheas signed Greek scorer Giannis Kalampokis (1.95-SG) to a 2 season deal. Kalampokis was approached by several Greek teams this summer but he didn't receive an official offer. Ikaros seized the opportunity and "stole" the player, taking advantage the lack of cashflow in the Greek tranfer market.
Kalampokis has been playing for Panionios for the last 3 seasons but his previous team's serious financial issues forced him out the door. He is still owed money from last season. Kalampokis averaged 11.9 points 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 20 games in the Greek league last season playing for Panionios.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Panathinaikos in negotiations with Romain Sato
According to redplanet.gr, Panathinaikos are in negotiations with Central African Republic swingman, Romain Sato(1.95-SG/SF). Romain Guessagba-Sato-Lebel, or just simply, Romain Sato is known mostly for his time in Siena, where he has played for the last 4 seasons. Sato is an all-around player that can score and play defense with equal ease. He is mostly known for his athletic skills but his long range shot is just as impressive.
Sato graduated from Xavier in 2004 and then he was selected at number 52 at the 2004 Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. He never got a chance to play in the NBA, instead he moved to Italy and Jesi in LegaDue where he rocked the rims averaging the impressive 25.5 points per game. After a short pass via Barcelona he signed with Siena back in 2006 and has been there since. Last season he averaged 13.6 points 5.3 rebounds 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 16 games in the Euroleague. He also averaged 14.7 points 4.3 rebounds 1.2 assists and 1.8 steals in the LegaA1 leading Siena to yet another Italian League title.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Maccabi renewed David Bluthenthal
Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv has inked American/Israeli forward David Bluthenthal on a new contract for one year with an option for another year. He is expected to arrive in Israel on Wednesday to take part in the Israeli National Team’s practices.
Maccabi head coach David Blatt, who is currently in Las Vegas where the NBA Summer League is taking place, said this morning (Tuesday): “I’m happy David is continuing with us. He has become a part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv tradition of excellence, and he is a player who can contribute a lot to Maccabi. I’m also very happy that he has made the wise and mature decision to give up on his rest and take part in the Israeli National Team’s key campaign this summer.”
Last season, Bluthenthal was one of the best, most stable players with Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, finishing the season with averages of 9.3 points and 3 rebounds in the Euroleague, and 11.1 points and 4 rebounds in the Winner League. On the list of top Maccabi scorers in Europe of all time, he is ranked in the top thirty with 567 points; reaching 30th place when he overtook Lior Eliyahu. He is only 23 points away from the next person on the list, the legendary Tanhum Cohen-Mints.
So far, Bluthenthal has won two championships, three Israel Cups and one Europe Cup with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Olympiakos announced Vassilis Spanoulis.. finally
Olympiakos got half the job done by signing Dusan Ivkovic and announcing Vassilis Spanoulis. The deal is for 3 seasons and it was announced via their official website.
As I said that was half the job done now they have to finish the job otherwise they will end up as one of the least successful teams in Europe given the money they spend on players and coaches. By signing Dusan Ivkovic they have acquired a coach of the ex-Yugoslavian basketball school and one much more "compatible" to Obradovic. Also by acquiring Spanoulis, they deny Panathinaikos of one of their most powerful weapons and they add it to their arsenal. Let's not forget how Spanoulis led the comeback of Panathinaikos in the 3rd final of the Greek play-offs just by sheer desire and drive.
Spanoulis is probably the most talked about transfer of a player from Panathinaikos to Olympiakos. The two teams rarely cross paths in their transfer targets but this has the potential to become the most memorable one.
ps. I'd like to make it clear here that I'm not a fan of Olympiakos, in case it got misunderstood in my opening statement.. thanks!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Pekovic reached 3 season deal with Minnesota
Pekovic is a big, 6-foot-11 bruising center who has had an impressive career playing in Greece the past two seasons. Pekovic averaged 14.8 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game in 23 minutes per game for Panathinikos in Euroleague play last season. One league source said that had Pekovic been in this year's draft he would have been a top-10 pick.
"He's one of the most dominant big men in Europe right now and I think he can have an immediate impact in the NBA," said the source. Pekovic was drafted with the first pick in the second round by the Timberwolves in the 2008 NBA draft. He was widely regarded as a potential first-round pick, but slid in the draft thanks to concerns about his contract situation with Panathinikos. Two years later, it looks like he's finally headed to the NBA.
The Wolves' work this summer isn't done. The team will also work hard in the coming days to re-sign Serbian center Darko Milicic while simultaneously exploring trades for Al Jefferson, according to sources.
Go to: June, 2010
