Virtus Bologna announced Reyshawn Terry

Virtus Bologna announced the signing of small forward Reyshawn Terry(2.03-SF/PF) who started the season in the LegaA2 in Italy playing for Triboldi. He was waived by the Dallas Mavericks after the pre-season games. Reyshawn Terry played for Aris Thessaloniki last season competing in both the Euroleague and the Greek A1 league.

He graduated from North Carolina and played for Aris Thessaloniki last season.He was acquired last summer in a draft night trade with Orlando. After being selected with the 44th pick, the forward was traded to Dallas for the rights to Milovan Rakovic (60th pick). He averaged 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 20.3 minutes in 19 Euroleague games.

As a player of Triboldi he averaged 16.5 points 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in 8 games. Reyshawn Terry is considered a small forward in the NBA but he can cover the power forward position in Europe. He will be replacing Jamie Arnold who hasn't pleased Virtus with his performance and work attitude.

Raul Lopez sidelined for 3 weeks

Real Madrid announced on Thursday that point guard Raul Lopez(1.82-PG) would be sidelined for the next three weeks after aggravating a leg injury in Wednesday’s home win over Regal FC Barcelona to open the Top 16. Lopez suffered a small hamstring muscle tear in his right leg, which the team’s medical staff hopes will heal in time for the second half of the Top 16.

Lopez has been a valuable member of Madrid’s backcourt rotation, averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 assists in just over 20 minutes per game. This is his fifth season with Madrid, during which he has helped the club win the ULEB Cup and one Spanish League championship.

source : euroleague.net

Tiago Splitter out for 3 weeks

Hours before the team opened the Top 16 at home on Wednesday night, Tau Ceramica announced that all-Euroleague center Tiago Splitter(2.11-C) will miss at least two games with a muscle tear in his left leg. After being unable to practice on Tuesday, Splitter underwent tests that revealed a micro-tear in his left hamstring. Team doctors estimate his recovery period at "around three weeks".

Splitter ranked third among all Euroleague players in performance index rating during the regular season as Tau won its group with an 8-2 record. The 23-year-old center from Brazil posted averages of 15.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.8 blocks in less than 25 minutes per game.

Those numbers made him the second-best shot-blocker and fifth-ranked scorer in the competition. Splitter was named to the all-Euroleague first team in 2007-08, his fifth season with Tau, during which time they have reached four consecutive Final Fours together. Tau hosts Asseco Prokom Sopot in the first Group E game for both teams on Wednesday.

source : euroleague.net

In this link can be found today's announcement in the official site of Tau Baskonia.

Maccabi released Fizer.. again

Maccabi released Marcus Fizer(2.01-C) again as his condition wasn't satisfactory after his injury and according to a clause in his contract Maccabi exercised their right to break the contract.

Fizer did play only 2 games in Euroleague with minimal presence showing clearly that he hasn't fully recovered from his injury. His replacement, Charles Gaines, was signed yesterday and so Fizer is no longer necessary to Maccabi.

Varese - A Basketball School of Life

This is the press release of Pallacanestro Varese regarding the launch of the VII edition of "A BASKETBALL SCHOOL OF LIFE - WHIRLPOOL FOR SCHOOL", the project carried out under Gimme5 that it intends to bring basketball to provincial schools.

As ever, the project is based on different levels of involvement ranging from the players' visits to schools, distribution of tickets at schools in the area. You can find full details at this link.

Andre Brown to Banvit?

Former Charlotte Bobcats player Andre Brown (2.05-PF/C, college: De Paul) signed with Bandirma Banvit a few days ago. Brown signed with the Bobcats at the beginning of the season and he just played 5 games in NBA.

After that the experienced forward went to the NBDL and played for the Austin Toros where he averaged 14.9 points and 7 rebounds in 34 minutes. Banvit released Dalron Jonhson and they sent him to Aliaga Petkim last week. Bandirma team found their new player and he ll play his first game against to Mutlu Aku Selcuk University at the weekend.

source : eurobasket.com

KK Zagreb dismissed DeMarcus Nelson

DeMarcus Nelson(1.93-PG/SG) was not what KK Zagreb wanted after all and so the Croatian team dismissed him a few days after he was signed. The same goes for 2 more of Nelson's friend who came to Zagreb for tryouts. According to Adriatic League website : At the press conference held on Tuesday the club’s president Davor Jelavić confirmed that the club decided to split with Nelson as they are no longer interested in him and that he will leave the city already this week as will his fellow countrymen Jenkins and Thomas who came on a try-out.

DeMarcus Nelson averaged 14.5 points 5.7 rebouns and 2.9 assists in 34 games in his last season in the NCAA as a player of Duke University. He was signed as an undrafted rookie by Golden State but was released in the first week of January.

Hemofarm signed Marton Bader

A day before its Eurocup game with Azovmash, Hemofarm Stada signed center Marton Bader for the rest of the season. Bader (2.13-C) replaces injured center Vladan Vukosavljevic (2.06-C), who is out with a broken leg. Bader arrives from for Khimik Yuzny of the Ukrainian League, where he averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds over 13 games. Before Khimik, Bader played in the ULEB Cup with Panelinios 2007-08 and with Krka Novo Mesto 2002-03. He also played in the Euroleague with Cibona from 2004 to 2007 and with Krka in the 2003-04 season.

"I am extremely happy to come to Hemofarm, which has played really well this season," Bader said after signing. "My first game will be against Azovmash, which is a very good team. They have is Ukrainian national team guard Lamin, who I know well. I know well Azovmash's team because I played in Ukraine for several months, but I expect Hemofarm to win. I am sure I will be ready for the game on Tuesday, because I started to practice with Hemofarm two days ago."

source : eurocupbasketball.com

KK Zagreb announced Mulaomerovic

KK Zagreb announced Damir Mulaomerovic(1.94-PG) who was recently released from Paok during financial problems, as it was rumored. The veteran point guard will help KK Zagreb in their fight towards the top of the Adriatic League. Mulaomerovic has signed a contract until the end of the season and also has the option for 2 more seasons.

Mulaomerovic averaged 12.4 points 2.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 11 games for Paok in the Greek A1 league.

Prokom signed Qyntel Woods

Asseco Prokom made Qyntel Woods(2.03-SF) its second addition ahead of the Top 16 on Tuesday by signing the forward for the remainder of the season. Woods arrives from Fortitudo Bologna, where he averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 23 minutes in four Eurocup games this season. The Polish champs will be Woods’s second Euroleague club after he made his competition debut last season with Olympiacos – one of Prokom's Group E opponents in the Top 16.

Woods helped the Reds come within one victory of the Euroleague Final Four by scoring 10.7 points in 24 minutes per game. He also pulled 4 rebounds and dished 1.2 assists on average over 22 games. Woods almost sparked the Reds to a super upset with 20 and 19 points, respectively, in their first two playoff games against CSKA, but the Moscow powerhouse rallied to win that series and the Euroleague title. Prior to arriving in Europe last season, Woods played five seasons with Portland, Miami and New York of the NBA. Prokom also signed point guard Tyrone Brazelton earlier in the week.

source : euroleague.net

Alba Berlin announced Kenny Adeleke

Alba Berlin announced via their official website, nigerian center Kenny Adeleke(2.05-C) to replace the injured Patrick Femerling(2.15-C). Coach Luka Pavicevic said that Adeleke was the ideal candidate to replace Femerling and help Alba in their Top-16.

Adeleke's last team was Lukoil Academic but he didn't stay there very long. He is a fierce rebounder and adds size under the boards for any team. He also played in Israel excelling in rebounding as well. His numbers this season were quite impressive. He averaged 13.3 points and 13 rebounds in 3 games for the Eurocup and also 15.2 points and 12.7 rebounds in 13 games for the bulgarian league.

Montegranaro announced Vasileiadis

Montegranaro officially announced Kostas Vasileiadis(2.00-SG/SF) who will be a player for Montegranaro until the end of the season as it was rumored.

Vasileiadis specialises in shooting behind the arc so he will add a scoring touch to Montegranaro that are currently in the 9th position of the leaderboard and he can give them the extra boost they need so they compete in the play-offs. Vasileiadis averaged 16.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15 games with Paok playing in the Greek A1 league shooting 40/106 (38%) behind the arc.

Olympiacos finally announced Pargo

The rumor about Jannero Pargo has become a reality. Janero Pargo(1.88-PG/SG) has been officially announced by Olympiacos and their website and tonight he is flying to Milan in order to be added to the team of Olympiacos what will be playing agains Olimpia Milano for the first game of the Top-16 phase of the Euroleague.

Pargo will find as his opponent, his former teammate Hollis Price who was recently released by Dynamo Moscow as well. Olympiacos now feature some concentrated firepower in their backcourt with Lynn Greer and Jannero Pargo and it remains to be seen how will the team react with Pargo in the roster.

Maccabi announced Charles Gaines

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv made one more move before the start of the Top 16 with the addition of high-flying forward Charles Gaines until the end of the season. Gaines (2.01-PF) will mark his second stint in the Euroleague after playing for DKV Joventut Badalona in the 2006-07 season, when he averaged 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. Two of his best games that season came against Maccabi when he registered 16 points and 7 rebounds in Tel Aviv, while recording 14 points, 8 rebounds and a season-high 3 blocks in Badalona.

Last season Gaines reached the ULEB Cup semifinals when he played for Galatasaray alongside the other new addition to Maccabi, Dee Brown. He averaged 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds to add another great ULEB Cup season performance to his 2005-06 debut in that competition with ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne. Gaines has previously played for Viola Reggio Calabria in Italy, Michigan in the CBA and Austin of the NBDL, where he began this season.

source : euroleague.net

Alijevas likely to stay with AEL

Rolandas Alijevas(1.84-PG) is likely to stay with AEL 1964 as he seems to has convinced coach Alexandris about his skills. AEL 1964 is in a dire need for a point guard and Alijevas might just be the man they man as his contract will not be bery high.

Alijevas started the season in Zalgiris but soon thereafter and joined Krka Novo Mesto. He left Krka a month later averaging 10.5 points and 1.5 assists in 4 games in the Adriatic League.

Rumors about Vasileiadis and Montegranaro

According to betsmart.gr, Kostas Vasileiadis(2.00-SG/SF) will be playing for Montegranaro next. The article says that Vasileiadis has agreed with Montegranaro to continue his career there after he was released by Paok that couldn't pay his contract. The deal will be announced soon by Montegranaro.

Vasileiadis averaged 16.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15 games with Paok playing in the Greek A1 league.

Olimpia Milano announced Maurice Taylor

Olimpia Milano wasn't satisfied just with signing Hollis Price and so the team of Giorgio Armani will be featuring a seasoned NBA veteran in their roster. Olimpia announced the signing of Maurice Taylor(2.06-PF) via their official website, who will be testing his strength in the Top-16 of the Euroleague.

In 1997, he was drafted 14th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. When he became a free agent in 2000, Taylor announced his intention of hoping to sign with the Orlando Magic to join newly acquired players Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady. No contract offer from Orlando ever came. He then signed with the Houston Rockets instead where he stayed for 5 seasons. He was then traded to the New York Knicks in 2005, before joining the Sacramento Kings in 2006. He was released by Sacramento in January 2007 and has been out of action since. It is very interesting to see if Taylor is in good shape in order to contend in such a high level.

Khimki announced Ratko Varda

Unlike Dynamo, Khimki seems to be going steady and instead of losing players they are actually adding some. Khimki announced the signing of Ratko Varda(2.16-C). Varda signed a contract until the end of the season with Khimki and in the next few days he will be arriving to Russia to go
through medical examinations and start training his new team.

Ratko Varda started the season in Zalgiris but the financial problems of the team got him to leave them. He didn't do very well in the Euroleague but in the lithuanian league he averaged 19 points and 4.7 rebounds in 3 games.

Olimpia Milano announced Hollis Price

Olimpia Milano announced the signing of Hollis Price(1.88-PG/SG) via their official website as it was rumored. Price left Dynamo recently due to financial problems and he signed a contract until the end of the season with Olimpia Milano in order to help them in the Top-16 phase of the Euroleague.

Price averaged 6.7 points 1.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 12 games for the Russian Superleague.

Khimik signed Vassil Evtimov

Vassil Evtimov(2.07-PF/C) signed with Reggio Emilia earlier this year, after leaving CB Valladolid(financial problems) and Levski of Bulgaria and now he has signed with Khimik in the Ukraine. Below can be found the announcement of his agency:

6’10” power forward/center Vassil Evtimov has signed with Khimik-Opz Yuzny, in the Ukrainian Superleague. The 31 years old French/Bulgarian has played with Levski in Bulgaria and with Reggio Emilia in the Italian Lega2 this year. Has a younger brother Ilian who plays an important role for the Deutsche Bank Skyliners in the German Bundesliga.

source : interperformances.com

Cakic moved to Azovmash

The Superleague reigning champions Azovmash inked Serbian forward Goran Cakic (207-PF/C). The Superleague official site reported that the deal was reached and 29-year-old would play for Azovmash till the end of the season.

Goran Cakic spent last two and a half years in Ukraine playing for Khimik Yuzhny. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in Superleague 2008-2009 season. Cakic won the World University Games in China with Yugoslavian team. He twice played in the Ukrainian Superleague semifinals together with Khimik.

source : eurobasket.com

The departures have begun in Paok

It is now official. The rumoured departure of Damir Mulaomerovic(1.94-PG) and Kostas Vasileiadis(2.00-SG/SF) has been announced by the website of Paok and the 2 players are now free agents and they can continue their careers elsewhere.

Mulaomerovic seems to be heading to KK Zagreb whereas Kostas Vasileiadis has yet to select where he would continue his career. According to the regulations of the Greek League they cannot transfer to another Greek team so they would have to choose a team abroad. Vasileiadis is on-loan from Olympiakos and after this season is over will return to Olympiakos.

Also the latest rumors indicate that Kenny Gregory(1.98-SG/SF) will be continuing his career in Roma but it has yet to be announced.

Kazlauskas ever closer to Greece

According to the latest updates from greek media Jonas Kazlauskas is ever closer to become the head coach for the National Team of Greece. The reports say that Kazlauskas has accepted the offer and he will be arriving to Greece in the next few days in order to be officially announced by the Greek Basketball Federation.

It seems that Kazlauskas has requested coach Sferopoulos to be one of his assistant coaches. Coach Sferopoulos is currently the head coach of Kolossos Rhodes that is doing quite well in the Greek A1 league. He has worked with Kazlauskas before in Olympiakos and he has also worked as an assistant coach for the Greek National Team a few times in the past.

Maccabi announced Dee Brown

Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv has signed guard Daniel (Dee) Brown (24, 1.85 meters) until the end of the current season. His jersey will be number 4. The player signed the contract on Saturday, and is expected to arrive in Israel on Sunday afternoon.

Brown, one of the fastest guards to play the game, earned the nickname “one man fast-break” while in college at the University of Illinois, where he had four excellent seasons. In his final season there, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game.

During the summer of 2006, Brown was picked as a 46th round draft choice by the Utah Jazz.
During the 2006/07 season, Brown played in 49 games for the Jazz, averaging 1.9 points and 1.7 assists in 9.2 minutes of play per game. Last season, Brown was a star with the Turkish league team, Galatasaray, where he averaged 12.5 points, 4.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds. He led the team from Istanbul to the semi-finals in the ULEB Cup with 14.7 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds.

Brown started this season with the NBA team the Washington Wizards, where he averaged 13.7 minutes in 17 games and contributed 2.4 points, and 1.9 assists. Later, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he played in two games.

source : www.maccabi.co.il

Olympiakos accidentally announced Pargo

It seems that the technical staff of the Olympiakos' official website went a bit overexcited last night and published the announcement of a contract with Jannero Pargo(1.88-PG/SG). This indicates that the deal is very close to completion and probably the only thing that remains is the signing of the contracts so he can be announced by Olympiakos officially. The announcement was pulled down last night after they discovered what they've done.

Pargo possibly played his last game as a player of Dynamo scoring 20 points and dishing out 11 assists against CSK Samara.

KK Zagreb signed DeMarcus Nelson

For the first time in a season Zagreb CO inked a foreign, American player who should help the team in the outside line which proved not to be strong enough in the last couple on weeks.

»DeMarcus Nelson (193-PG/SG) is our newest acquisition in the outside line, a real combo player who we badly need and who might event player already against Helios if everything will be OK with the registration process and the results of the medical exam,« said the coach Denis Bajramović. Although Zagreb CO sticks to a policy that only domestic players should play for the team and that the accent should be on young talents this season offered a digression in their policy.

source : adriaticbasket.com

DeMarcus Nelson averaged 14.5 points 5.7 rebouns and 2.9 assists in 34 games in his last season in the NCAA as a player of Duke University. He was signed as an undrafted rookie by Golden State but was released in the first week of January.

Olympiakos wants Pargo now?

The flirtation between Stephon Marbury and the Greek club Olympiacos appeared to end Friday, with a new twist to the story blowing in from Moscow.

Olympiacos is pursuing former NBA guard Jannero Pargo, who was expected to secure his release from Dynamo Moscow before the end of the weekend, sources told ESPN.com. At least three NBA teams and two Euroleague teams were in the bidding for Pargo, whose value in Europe is actually higher than Marbury's because teams have already seen him play this season -- and because he can be signed to a contract before Euroleague final 16 rosters are due Monday and Tuesday.

There was no contact Thursday between Olympiacos and Marbury, a day after Olympiacos contacted the New York Knicks as part of its efforts to find a replacement for American Josh Childress.

The club's pursuit of Pargo was an indication that it had cooled to the idea of pursuing Marbury, at least until Pargo's new employer is determined.

Pargo signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with Dynamo last summer, but the club has struggled to make payroll and recently learned that it would not receive the subsidy it was expecting from the Russian military. Dynamo's financing problems also could impact the future of another of its big offseason signings, ex-Nets forward Bostjan Nachbar, who wants to return to the NBA

source : sports.espn.go.com

Note : There is a major financial recession to follow that will affect all the teams in Russia that have government funding as the government of Russian decide to stop all sponsoring of their basketball teams. The trend that will probably follow is a wave of contract dissolutions of the most expensive contracts that were signed this summer. This in effect will bring contract prices down all over Europe.

Kazlauskas to coach the Greek National Team

Jonas Kazlauskas seems to be the strongest candidate to coach the Greek National Team according to the latest news from the greek media. Georgios Vassilakopoulos went to Lithuania to discuss with him the prospect of taking up the head coach position for the men's National Team of Greece. If Kazlauskas agrees to coach Greece then this means that the era of Panayotis Giannakis will be officially over and the team will play a different style of basketball, similar to the one of Lithuanian National Team.

Kazlauskas is no longer the head coach of China and he has even bought a house in Athens lately which means that he hasn't cut off all ties to Greece from when he was the head coach of Olympiakos.

Hollis Price left Dynamo

Dynamo Moscow announced the dissolution of the contract with Hollis Price(1.89-PG/SG) as they couldn't keep his contract anymore. The announcement says that Price is a target for Euroleague teams that want to reinforce their teams for the TOP-16.

Dynamo thank Hollis Price for this contribution to the team and they wish him all the best in his next career move. Price averaged 6.7 points 1.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 12 games for the Russian Superleague. Latest rumors from want Hollis Price to move to Armani Milan.

Aris signed Andy Betts

Aris Thessaloniki agreed terms with British center Andrew Betts (2.17-C) until the end of the regular season. Betts received an offer from Aris yesterday and today he sent his contract signed. The transfer was announced by the team's site and Betts said that he always wanted to play for the crowd of Aris that he remembers from the days he was a player of AEK.

Andrew Betts said that he spoke to Andrea Mazzon and he was thrilled when he heard that the team want him to help them qualify for next year's Euroleague. Aris participated in the Euroleague between 2006 and 2008 and they want to return to the top league in Europe. Betts also said that he hadn't accepted an offer all this time because he wanted to play for a team with a purpose. Andrew Betts is a seasoned veteran of the Euroleague having played there between 2001 and 2006 with AEK, TAU Ceramica and DKV Joventut.

These are his stats for last year with Cajasol.
2007-2008: Cajasol Sevilla (Spain-ACB): 34 games: 7.4ppg, 5.4rpg, 2FGP: 51.0%, FT: 64.0%

He arrives this Sunday and he will have his chance for a first friendly game against Kavala BC this Wednesday.

source : eurobasket.com

Rumors about Mulaomerovic and KK Zagreb

There is a rumor in greek media that Damir Mulaomerovic(1.94-PG) has already agreed to continue his career in KK Zagreb. That means that as Mulaomerovic is leaving the sinking ship there might be other playes leaving Paok within this week.

Mulaomerovic averaged 12.4 points 2.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 11 games for Paok in the Greek A1 league.

Aris made an offer to Andrew Betts

According to sports.e-go.gr Aris have made an offer to Andrew Betts(2.16-C) and they are waiting for his reply to arrive very soon. According to the article the administration of the team is quite optimistic and they believe that Betts will reply positively.

The british center has played in Greece before for AEK and has also played for Tau and Badalona in the past and is also a member of the British National Team. Betts played in Cajasol last season where he averaged 7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 34 games in the ACB.

Paok is falling apart

Paok is falling apart according to latest news and they are releasing at the moment up to four players from their roster. Following the rumors of imminent departure of Kenny Gregory and Mamoutou Diarra the greek team is also releasing Kostas Vasileiadis(2.00-SG/SF)(who is on-loan from Olympiacos) and Damir Mulaomerovic(1.94-PG).

These 4 players are key members of the roster of Paok and perhaps the team is cutting down on expenses since the team has no fear of relegation like last season having already accumulated a 9-6 record. It is unknown whether other players will leave. If this comes true there will be a total of 5 players leaving the team including K'Zell Wesson.

EDIT : Today, the representative of former president Drosos that left the team told the players that there is money at the moment to pay one more salary. It seems that Drosos will cover the debt at the end of the season but at the moment the players are free to do as they please. This potentially means that any given player can leave the team if they wish so.

Marbury wants to hear what Olympiacos has to say

Stephon Marbury told The Post yesterday he's all ears as far as playing for the Greek team Olympiacos, whose owners have interest in bringing the point guard to Greece.

According to reports in Greece, Olympiacos owners have said they are interested in offering about $15 million - a development that has Knicks New York Knicks officials excited.

"I will listen to what they have to say," Marbury wrote in an e-mail.

Olympiacos is the same team former Hawk Josh Childress plays for. Contrary to a report, Knicks president Donnie Walsh claimed he had yet to hear from Olympiacos, but his European sources tell him the interest is genuine. The Knicks prefer Marbury playing in Europe.

Hal Biagas, representing Marbury for the players' union, told The Post he hopes to listen to their spiel this week, but has yet to be contacted by Olympiacos.

Two years ago, Marbury told The Post of his intentions of playing in Italy when his contract expired, but he does prefer to play in the NBA this season and has a commitment from at least one NBA team, believed to be Boston. That is why he recently put his $1M giveback on the table.

Knicks owner James Dolan supposedly has told WFAN's Mike Francesa he'd take the buy-out offer of $2 million less. But the Knicks may be able to get a lot more savings if Olympiacos' interest is for real.

"We'll proceed and see what they have to say," said Biagas, who is proceeding cautiously because of the recent hoax involving Real Madrid's interest when two people posing as Swiss investors connected to Real Madrid approached Marbury.

source : New York Post

Maccabi made an offer for Begic

Maccabi made an offer to buy promising slovenian center Mirza Begic(2.20-C) from Olimpija Lubljana according to ekipa.org. Begic's contract was recently extended until the end of the 2011 season. Hence Olimpija reserves the right to sell the player if they wish to the highest bidder. At the moment the current buy-out that Olimpija is willing to offer for the player is 500,000 euros.

Maccabi's offer though wasn't even close to that size and the administration of Olimpija rejected the offer without even thinking about it. Begic averaged 11.1 points 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in 10 games in the Euroleague.

Panellinios signed Shakur

Panellinios seems to have signed Mustafa Shakur according to the latest news from the greek media. Panellinios signed Shakur for the next 2 months in order to play in the games of the TOP-16 phase of the Eurocup. He wouldn't be able to play in the Greek A1 league as there are only 2 non-european players allowed but there is no such limitation in the Eurocup.

Shakur averaged 5.5 points 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 10 games for Tau Baskonia in the Euroleague. Shakur is arriving in Athens tonight to join the rest of the team of Panellinios.

Khimik signed Nenad Canak

Nenad Canak signed a contract with Khimik until the end of the season to help them in the Ukrainian Superleague and it was announced via their official website. Canak started the season in Lukoil Academic but had to leave the team because of financial problems.

Canak has so far averaged 6.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in 3 games in the Eurocup.

Olympiacos eyes Marbury

Representatives of the Greek club Olympiacos contacted the New York Knicks earlier in the day in an effort to begin a dialogue on what it would take to get Marbury released from his contract, sources told ESPN.

Olympiacos recently lost Josh Childress for six to eight weeks after he returned to the United States for surgery to repair a sports hernia, and the club is seeking to acquire a replacement player in time for the start of the Top 16 phase of the Euroleague season, which begins Jan. 29 and runs through March 12.

Marbury has been exiled since early in the season by the Knicks, who have been unable to make any substantial progress in buyout talks with the former All-Star. Marbury is in the final season of his contract and is making $20.8 million to sit on the sidelines. He has offered to give back $1 million to secure his release, but the Knicks have asked for more. Also, Knicks president Donnie Walsh remains convinced that a viable trade opportunity involving Marbury could arise between now and the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

Marbury is aware of Olympiacos' interest but has had no contact with the club, according to a source close to the Knicks, who said he expected additional dialogue on the subject over the next few days. It would be highly unusual, but not unprecedented, for a Greek club to broker a buyout between an NBA team and a player. In the summer of 2007 when the Houston Rockets acquired the rights to Luis Scola from San Antonio for Vassilis Spanoulis, the Greek guard had grown so disenchanted with the NBA that he was willing to forego the $4 million he was due to be paid. Olympiacos' rival, Panathinakos, ended up paying the Spurs an undisclosed
sum to secure Spanoulis' release.

source : espn

Marc Salyers is looking for a team

Marc Salyers(2.05-PF) is looking for a team by the looks of things. According to greek media Marc Salyers was proposed to Aris by his agent but the player was considered to be too expensive for the administration of Aris who are currently scouring the market for players.

Salyers was the top scorer of the Euroleague regular season playing for Roanne last season and this season he started playing for Azovmash. The financial troubles of Azovmash have forced him out of the club like other players before him. As a player of Azovmash he averaged 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 12 games for the Ukrainian Superleague.

Childress out for 40 days

Olympiacos Pireaus on Tuesday announced that forward Josh Childress will undergo hernia surgery today and miss most, if not all, of the Top 16. Childress (2.03-SF) is the third-best scorer (10.7 ppg.) and second-best rebounder (5 rpg.) for the Reds, while leading the team in minutes played (26.3 mpg.). Childress returned to the United States over the weekend for medical attention concerning an inguinal hernia. It was decided that he would undergo surgery for the problem on Tuesday at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The club statement said that Childress is expected to return to action in approximately 40 days. Childress had already missed the last Euroleague regular season game played by Olympiacos, a home loss to Le Mans, as well as the team's last Greek League game. Childress spent the first four seasons of his professional career as a double-digit scorer with Altanta of the NBA and three seasons before that at Stanford University. Olympiacos finished second in their regular season and start Top 16 play on Thursday, January 29, against Armani Jeans Milano in Milan, Italy.

source : euroleague.net

Rumors in Greece also speak of Milos Teodosic's possible departure from Olympiakos. Another article speaks of possible candidates. 2 players seem to have been proposed to Olympiakos and they are Bracey Wright(1.92-SG/SF) and Dejuan Collins(1.88-PG/SG).

Paok to release Gregory and Diarra?

According to sport24.gr Paok is going to release Kenny Gregory(1.97-SG/SF) to begin with and perhaps even Mamoutou Diarra(2.03-SF/PF) in the future. The administration of Paok is trying to cut down on expenses as the team is currently without a president and noone to fund them.

Kenny Gregory is currently looking for a team, perhaps one that will participate in the Euroleague TOP-16 and as far as Diarra is concerned, if there is an offer to buy the player. Gregory averaged 15.7 points 4.8 rebounds in 12 games for the Greek league and is by far the best player of Paok.

Rumors about Eidson and Tau

Many rumors are going around the spanish media today regarding a possible transfer of Chuck Eidson(2.02-SF) to Tau Baskonia. The rumors are saying that Lietuvos Rytas will try to sell the american small-forward to the spanish champions in an effort to reinforce their team for th upcoming Top-16 phase in the Euroleague.

Nothing official on the matter has been published yet on the subject. Chuck Eidson has averaged 14.5 points 5.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 6 games of the Eurocup.

Bosna signed Elvir Ovcina

Elvir Ovcina(2.12-PF/C) signed a contract with ASA BHT Bosna on Monday and it was announced via their official website. He is expected to play his first game on Wednesday for the Adriatic League against Buducnost .

The bosnian center played for BC Oostende last season where he averaged 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 12 games for the Uleb Cup and also 8.7 points and 6 rebounds in 31 games of the Belgian League.

Olimpija released Marko Milic

Another release today. Olimpija Lubljana released Marko Milic (1.99-SF/PF). The captain of Olimpija will be leaving the team and that was announced via their official website. Milic is not in the plans of coach Zdovc to build the new team of Olimpija and so his presence in the team was deemed unnecessary. Part in this could have also played his knee injury that kept him out of the couts for 6 weeks.

Milic averaged 9 points, 3,7 rebounds, and 1,3 assists in 6 Euroleague games and 10,2 points 4,7 rebounds and 1,8 assists in 10 games of the Adriatic League. He is now a free agent and quite possibly a highly sought after player in Europe.

Badalona released Bracey Wright

DKV Badalona released Bracey Wright(1.92-SG/SF) and that was announced via their official website. Bracey Wright had family issues that kept him out of action in a few games. Badalona decided to terminate the contract with Bracey Wright and now he is a free agent.

He impressed the european crowds in his first year in the Euroleague averaging almost 15 points per game. He graduated from Indiana where he played for the Indiana Hoosiers. Then he moved to the NBDL where he played for the Florida Flame and later that year moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves where he stayed for 2 seasons. He had his first european experience when he moved to Aris Thessaloniki. He averaged 14 points 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 14 games in the ACB as a player of Badalona.

Kavaba BC signed Torrell Martin

Kavala BC signed Torrell Martin(1.96-SG/SF) and it was announced via their official website. Martin started the season in Antalya and he has also played for Slask in Poland. Martin is known for his great athletic skills that allow him to play both shooting guard and small forward positions with the same ease.

In his last season in the NCAA he averaged 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 27 games for the Winthrop Eagles. As a player of Antalya he averaged 13 points and 6.7 rebounds in 15 games.

Dan Dickau to Bamberg?

Nothing has been made official yet but according to the agent of the player, Priority Sports, the next team of Dan Dickau(1.83-PG) will be Brose Baskets. The american(with polish roots) point-guard who signed a lucrative contract with Air Avellino in the summer (but left before playing) might be returning to Europe one more time.

Dickau, 30, has appeared in 300 regular-season games during his six-year NBA career, owning career averages of 5.8 points, 2.5 assists, 1.4 rebounds and 15.4 minutes per game with Atlanta, Portland, Dallas, New Orleans, Boston and the Los Angeles Clippers. The 6-0 guard spent last season with the Clippers, appearing in 67 games (eight starts) and averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 assists in 15.5 minutes, while shooting 41.9% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range and 82.9% from the free throw line.

Devon Hardin to replace Patterson in Egaleo BC

DeVon Hardin(2.11-C) was signed by Egaleo BC to replace Andre Patterson(2.06-C) that didn't manage to help them very much. DeVon Hardin started the season in Mersin but was later on released due to a prolonged injury that he has been carrying with him throughout the summer. The injury is a stress fracture on his right foot that will keep him at least a month out of action.

DeVon Hardin didn't take part in the Vegas Summer League due to this injury and he last played in the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp. He was drafted at number 50 in the 2nd round by the late former Seattle Supersonics but didn't manage to secure a contract in the NBA. His foot injury will keep him at least a month out of action and he will most probably find a contract later on in Europe but with a seriously reduced salary. He averaged last season 9.3 points 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 30 games for the California Golden Bears in the NCAA.

Ben Gordon hopes to play for UK

London-born Ben Gordon may finally turn out for Great Britain this summer when they play at the EuroBasket in Poland. The Chicago Bulls guard, who grew up in the United States, has yet to represent the country but he wants to play for Chris Finch's team when the Brits go up against world champions Spain, Slovenia and Serbia in group play this summer.

The main issue affecting his availability is that Gordon still doesn't know which NBA team he will play for next year.

"I'm just hoping this summer I'll be able to play," said Gordon.
"If everything goes according to plan, I will. I'm going to be an unrestricted free agent which gives me a little bit more freedom with different teams. I'm just hoping I can get my deal out of the way and move on with a clear mind in time for Great Britain."

source : fibaeurope.com

Fortitudo wants to buy Papadopoulos' contract

Real wanted to get rid of him and Fortitudo can't get enough of him.. Shocking as it may sound Fortitudo Bologna have found their messiah in Lazaros Papadopoulos(2.10-C) who has been given a second chance to prove that he is not wasted goods, according to marca.com.

The Greek center is going through a renaissance of sorts, as a player of Fortitudo, averaging 11.2 points and 8 rebounds so far in the 6 games he has played. Hence Fortitudo want to buy off his contract from Real Madrid.

Zoran Savic, the GM of Fortitudo explained this phenomenon: "Lazaros is a player that needs the team to play for him in order to get into the game. In Real there would be times that he wouldn't touch the ball even after 3 consecutive offensive rounds or he would get minimal contact with it. Despite his limitations he knows the game very well".