tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69446465588281944812024-03-14T14:15:51.407+01:00The HoopTransfer and other basketball news from all around the globe!The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.comBlogger2711125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-64846296014387642722020-09-17T23:35:00.002+02:002020-09-17T23:40:08.291+02:00The time has come a change so the Hoop will be evolving with the times and its own desire to reach a new state of consciousness. As the game of basketball organically evolves into a more nuanced yet purposeful form so does the Hoop morph with it to extricate its internal thought process and make it tangible and meaningful.
It has been a very interesting journey into the world of basketball, its transfer market and all the different types of people that are part of this wonderful ecosystem. But now the journey itself is moving on to different pastures, to a wider gamut of basketball cuisine.
So I do appreciate that it's not the most inventive title there can be, as pretty much all of the them have been used multiple times over, but I'll be seeing you all at a different venue.
Watch this space!The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-67635459520551082652016-05-28T19:02:00.001+02:002016-05-28T19:02:20.745+02:00Dimitrios Priftis to renew with Aris<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The deal is almost done.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>According to the owner of Aris BC, Nikolaos Laskaris, who made statements earlier today on OTE TV in Greece, Dimitrios Priftis is most likely going to renew his contract with Aris BC for the next season. He also said that the deal will be made official once the play-offs are over in Greece, which seems like the logical thing to do.<br /><br />
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Priftis' name has come up recently as a likely candidate for Alba Berlin, Cantu and Banvit but the Greek coach who's had a great season in the Greek A1 league is going to remain with Aris. Priftis managed a players' budget of less then 800,000 euros for the entire team and managed to finish 3rd in the regular season behind Olympiakos and Panathinaikos and also had a good run in the Eurocup.<br />
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Aris BC is the only team in the Greek A1 league the did not change a single player throughout the whole season and will be ending it with the same roster. Even with the team being plagued by injuries the rest of the players managed to fight back and also managed to run a 2-0 streak against Panathinaikos in the play-offs but ultimately lost the series with 3-2 (after a 2-2 tie).<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-52204386302497477832015-08-04T14:25:00.002+02:002015-08-04T14:25:42.775+02:00Sleeper Report - Darion Atkins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhTKLVNWgZTzh8IZxyuNNs_9EX4r5lLbn-IsmoQFcF7IfwrnYoNOAvYdGDjCVN-pXqwoU3LFgvH1xv3TounGEjaIdDDYg69FQ7JAipbjazU9-MeKTSN-EXY5bFBIc6tSck3JHq9xn7fiU/s1600/d.atkins.vir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhTKLVNWgZTzh8IZxyuNNs_9EX4r5lLbn-IsmoQFcF7IfwrnYoNOAvYdGDjCVN-pXqwoU3LFgvH1xv3TounGEjaIdDDYg69FQ7JAipbjazU9-MeKTSN-EXY5bFBIc6tSck3JHq9xn7fiU/s320/d.atkins.vir.jpg" width="266" /></a><b>Euroleague's </b>next undersized big man or <b>D-league</b> forevah?<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><u>Prologue</u></b><br />
<b>Darion Atkins </b>possibly went under the radar in this year's <b>Portsmouth Invitational tournament </b>as for me he was the most impressive player there and by all rights the <b>MVP</b>. He has the potential to become the next undersized big man for <b>Euroleague </b>teams, if he doesn't fall into the sandpit/black hole/talent vacuum or whatever else you want to call it, that is the <b>D-league</b>. A player of his skill and strength could have a solid career in Europe and in the right team setting, he might even win a title or 2.<br />
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<b><u>Physical Analysis</u></b><br />
Standing at 203 centimeters tall with shoes, <b>Darion </b>doesn't excite anyone in the <b>NBA </b>world for the power forward position, let alone the <b>center </b>position that seems more like his natural state. What he lacks in height he makes up for it in physical assets and sheer tenacity. He's got a 218 centimeters <b>wingspan </b>and a 273 centimeters <b>standing reach</b>. To put this in perspective this is the same standing reach as<b> Stefan Nastic</b> who sees the world from 211 centimeters high roughly. Furthermore he knows how to put the stopping power of his long arms into good use by shutting down taller and bigger players than him. At almost 109 kilos he doesn't lack the weight of a bigger center.<br />
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<b><u>Offense</u></b><br />
As a scorer he is not hugely versatile but he is very efficient and that is something he wasn't able to display in <b>Virginia; </b>sharing a fate similar to <b>Akil Mitchell </b>by having in front of him players of <b>Draft </b>calibre that needed more possessions. The beauty of <b>Portsmouth </b>is though that it allows you to see a player outside his NCAA environment and you can see what he can really do unlimited by his former team's state of play.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZzR6ICIYHbF6LPLE6QxKmk9qJjSwqGn54tppFbW5fXA81yhhpo5Q2fQMPhxmvgzIGZ2geC_TZ75r3w6zCo9Ni6FtR2sKkIuQUZIqvJqvKJaM2F5zH7fuUCuJvimCv7RZg_SeZNgrV_Tx/s1600/d.atkins.vir2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZzR6ICIYHbF6LPLE6QxKmk9qJjSwqGn54tppFbW5fXA81yhhpo5Q2fQMPhxmvgzIGZ2geC_TZ75r3w6zCo9Ni6FtR2sKkIuQUZIqvJqvKJaM2F5zH7fuUCuJvimCv7RZg_SeZNgrV_Tx/s320/d.atkins.vir2.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
He uses a combination of middle range jumpers and low post spin moves to score. He doesn't extend to the <b>European </b>3-point line yet but there is still room for improvement. He's got a high release point that is not the fastest trigger on the floor but his range can possibly be extended to the 3-point line (with a bit of work) in order to make him a credible threat on the perimeter. If he works on it he can possibly become a floor spacer sooner rather than later to add another weapon to his arsenal. Lately he seems more eager to use his midrange jumper possibly to establish himself as a pick and pop threat and possibly to be seen by <b>NBA </b>scouts more as a power forward than an undersized center. This could help him in his endeavour to earn an <b>NBA </b>roster spot. It's unlikely he'll become a pull-up sensation but a shift to spot-up 3-pointers is well within his reach. Having said that it should be worth mentioning that he has worked on his pull-up shot and he's able to make some decent shots from the midrange off the dribble.<br />
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He's very quick to cut to the basket after a successful screen. Moreover his wide frame and his strength make up for what he lacks in bulk for a good screen. He's got quick feet that allow him to get to the basket fast and finish with a powerful dunk or if contested he can absorb contact and finish through it. He also features an array of spin moves and a very efficient right hand hook that allow him to finish in the low post. His right hook is his trademark move and it's very difficult to contest once he gets in position.In many cases it almost seems mechanical and once he starts spinning it seems like it's going in whether you like it or not. It's a well practised move and possibly his main bread-earner going forward. He seems to focus almost exclusively on his right hand for his finishes and he'll favor it regardless of how he is positioned or how he is facing the basket. His footwork is very basic currently but that doesn't stop him from being an efficient scorer in the low post. Lack of fear and brute force are his trademarks when backing down his defender. Atkins is not afraid to go against much taller post defenders and he will draw contact, sporting a good touch for free throws.<br />
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He's a solid passer for a big man and although he is not a shot creator as such he can find the open man for a good look in the perimeter or find the slasher through the screens for an easy finish at the rim.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFyRM1F1LhA2xNz40kDNhN4pagT2KmFeWh6ys_dzHopB9-JsArsyWP1niDkohDEnzX097hXhqq6ZbM8ZXkTP-2FdYnyNUY2_L95NsSARxGaG-yg0BA2436f-zu_1dCwqM7legJv9BvKrg/s1600/d.atkins.vir3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFyRM1F1LhA2xNz40kDNhN4pagT2KmFeWh6ys_dzHopB9-JsArsyWP1niDkohDEnzX097hXhqq6ZbM8ZXkTP-2FdYnyNUY2_L95NsSARxGaG-yg0BA2436f-zu_1dCwqM7legJv9BvKrg/s320/d.atkins.vir3.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><u>Defense</u></b><br />
Defensively he will have very few issues guarding power forwards in <b>Europe </b>and he won't have issues with<br />
other undersized big men like him. He'll struggle obviously with the 7-footer variety but he'll be able to out play his size and position on most occasions. Even when he is faced with a much bigger opponent he knows how to position his body defensively to take advantage of his lower centre of gravity and that gives him the ability to box out even much bigger players. He is a very active defender and when faced with bigger opponents he does a good job denying the pass to the big man in the low post. Relentless would be another good word to describe his defensive efforts.<br />
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He is not a great leaper but what he lacks in leaping ability he makes up for it with length and timing. His timing on blocks is impressive and he is very quick to place a firm hand on the ball and sometimes keep it down along with the player he is guarding. This makes some very interesting highlights that his opponents would like to forget. Although his athleticism is above average he's got a heavier body than the average player of his height and that's due to his muscle mass which allows him to duke it out in the low post without suffering too much. In fact he seems quite content.<br />
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His quick feet allow him to hedge out and recover quickly enough as most players he'll be guarding will be bigger and possibly slower than him so he's quick to return back to position. He is also very good on rotating on defense and very conscious of where his man is and where needs to cover. As per always with shorter centers, he'll have a problem when much taller big men shoot over his head but that doesn't seem to happen very often.<br />
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<b>The positive</b><br />
- wide frame that can fill even more to become a force to be reckoned with in the low post<br />
- great timing for rebounds and blocks<br />
- good wingspan (2.15m) for his position that he utilises very efficiently<br />
- trademark right hook that seems to defy defenders' efforts/height/length<br />
- midrange jumper to mix it up<br />
- very quick at rolling to the basket after a successful screen, can finish with authority<br />
- great rebounder with solid intangibles and features scrappy hustling as an offensive rebounder<br />
- very active defender in the low post and good help defender<br />
- quick feet that allow him to be a solid pick and roll defender<br />
- can absorb contact easily<br />
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<b>The 'could be better'</b><br />
- more work on his pull-up jumper<br />
- needs to extend range to 6.75m to become a credible threat<br />
- footwork in the low post can be improved, he currently relies on strength and length to get his shot across<br />
- left hand needs work on finishing<br />
- ballhandling skills are decent can be improved<br />
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<b><u>Epilogue</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5aR2vI6lUfSHUNtUmJXe0bdwiNe_w86tHBiythqJ1yhiWwvOYjTt9sWm8tBmO5mFroJLyg9llyRk7U_H2w2JP6R0Zd7HH5gYyx4ua3wh9KBord8agDqME0bIPa2rhdz4EZYtHzPLV7lW/s1600/d.atkins.vir4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy5aR2vI6lUfSHUNtUmJXe0bdwiNe_w86tHBiythqJ1yhiWwvOYjTt9sWm8tBmO5mFroJLyg9llyRk7U_H2w2JP6R0Zd7HH5gYyx4ua3wh9KBord8agDqME0bIPa2rhdz4EZYtHzPLV7lW/s320/d.atkins.vir4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Darion Atkins</b>' career as a professional has not started yet. He can become a solid forward/center in <b>Europe </b>in pretty much any league available and with hard work he can have a solid career at the highest level which is the <b>Euroleague</b>. As always this is the theoretical approach to gauging his upside. Why am I not making a prediction for the <b>NBA</b>? In the <b>NBA </b>he is outsized and outskilled for the positions he can possibly play and although he might be able to make the roster of a number of teams he'll be more of a role player and his career will be limted. In Europe he can actually win titles and make decent money as a pro.<br />
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<b>Atkins </b>is a prototypical undersized big man for <b>Europe </b>and he features a package that is highly coveted for. He's got the strength and length of a taller player, his athleticism is way above average for <b>European </b>levels, his defense and hustle are highly desirable and his ability to play the pick and roll and defend it at the same time sport a very interesting package.<br />
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If you have any comments feel free to leave them below to even better send me an email!<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-17790815820019072722015-07-18T22:46:00.001+02:002015-07-18T22:46:22.006+02:00Aaron White confirms he will ‘probably’ play overseas next season<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Aris </b>or <b>Manresa </b>or..?<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Aaron White </b>flew out to <b>Las Vegas </b>as a member of the <b>Washington Wizards</b>’ summer league team with, as always, high expectations. He was the team’s second-round pick in the <b>NBA </b>draft last month, 49th overall, and wanted to prove he could help the regular team this season.<br />
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But <b>White </b>has scuffled in the <b>Wizards</b>’ five summer league games so far, averaging 3.6 points and shooting 34.8 percent from the field in 18.4 minutes. Sure, there are basketball reasons for the rough transition. He said he hasn’t been consistently setting his feet when he shoots and could use 10 more pounds of muscle on his 6-foot-8 frame. But White believes it extends beyond basketball.<br />
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“<i>Being too hard on myself,</i>” <b>White </b>said after the <b>Wizards</b>’ 97-81 loss to the <b>New Orleans Pelicans </b>on Thursday. “<i>That’s the biggest thing for me. I’ve got to stay upbeat, stay positive, understand that there’s guys out here that have played significant minutes in the <b>NBA </b>that have off games. So I can’t be too hard on myself if I have a bad quarter or a bad couple possessions. I got to fight through it and continue to do what I do</i>.”<br />
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<b>White</b>, 22, entered the week with an outside shot of getting a training camp invite — the <b>Wizards</b>’ 15-man roster is already filled — but he confirmed Thursday that he will “probably” go overseas next season.<br />
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“<i>The thing with training camp is if I went to training camp and I didn’t make the team, I’d have to get cut and the Wizards would lose my rights</i>,” <b>White </b>said. “<i><b>So right now it’s looking like I’ll probably go overseas.</b> I’m in talks with both my agent and the front office of the <b>Wizards </b>trying to work out a good situation for me.</i><br />
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“<i>The positive thing is both Wizards and myself, we see each other as eventual partners. I’m going to be a part of this team in the future. It just might be next year instead of this year. And I understand that. That’s one of the big things. I want to get in a situation where I can play and I can develop and I can get stronger so when I come back to minicamp, to summer league, to training camp next year, I’m ready to contribute</i>.”<br />
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source : <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wizards-insider/wp/2015/07/17/aaron-white-confirms-he-will-probably-play-overseas-next-season/">washingtonpost.com</a><br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-78348050526349149082015-07-10T01:11:00.002+02:002015-07-10T08:58:11.717+02:00Scouting report - Billy Baron<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6Lt87UXmZfw1JtWI-BK14uaEH7QNIrAi_ewB_7mbqpMLtiq4nF3U2NnKBDZe8n6BTT-_DfRJStcLoDO3Q2GA8PnzSxEA0p8AVqk7pppc4cV56P_Nb5N-vh0OG4O3pe0XrY2yu6oQurBO/s1600/b.baron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh6Lt87UXmZfw1JtWI-BK14uaEH7QNIrAi_ewB_7mbqpMLtiq4nF3U2NnKBDZe8n6BTT-_DfRJStcLoDO3Q2GA8PnzSxEA0p8AVqk7pppc4cV56P_Nb5N-vh0OG4O3pe0XrY2yu6oQurBO/s400/b.baron.jpg" width="400" /></a><b>Billy Baron</b>(1.88-PG) is the younger brother of <b>Jimmy Baron </b>and son of <b>Canisius </b>head coach . He is also known as the <b>pick and roll Baron </b>for a good reason.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>College loyalty isn't the first thing that stands out for <b>Billy, </b>but family loyalty is. Having arrived to <b>Virginia </b>and just about as he started making his mark in the <b>ACC </b>he decided to leave all the behind and follow his father to <b>Rhode Island</b>. He spent 1 year there and after a not-so-great run for <b>Rhode</b> <b>Island</b>, <b>Jimmy Butler </b>had to look for a different school to coach. <b>Canisius </b>took the opportunity and recruited <b>Jimmy Butler </b>and <b>Billy </b>followed his dad to a smaller college and a smaller conference(<b>MAAC</b>).<br />
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But that was just the beginning for <b>Billy</b>, who became the driving force behind <b>Canisius </b>and managed to find himself in the spotlight leading his team with a 3-0 streak in his first season. He followed through with a solid season and that allowed <b>Canisius </b>to make its presence known. Next season he pulled out all the stops and averaged staggering numbers (24.1 points, 5.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds) with a very high efficiency rate ranking him as top in the country.<br />
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Now in <b>Europe </b>he found a contract in a popular and respected team, <b>Lietuvos Rytas</b>. Albeit in a backup role he has left his mark in the game with his shooting ability.<br />
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<i><b>The Good</b></i><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.si.com/college-basketball/one-and-one/2014/02/21/the-chalkboard-canisius-scorer-billy-baron-breaks-down-the-pick-and-roll" target="_blank">Pick and roll specialist</a>. He'll be a great fit for any team running any
types of pick and roll plays whether it's to create for the big men, to
create for the big men shooters or to create for himself and punish the
defense. If there is a pick there he'll find it. </li>
<li>He is leader material. He wants to take the clutch shots and he is very competitive.</li>
<li>Solid defender with good intangibles. Rebounds very well for his size.</li>
<li>NBA shooting range. On many occasions he'll take a high percentage shot from downtown as soon as the defender gives him some space. He can shoot it from literally any distance.</li>
<li>Very good shooting form with high release point and at the peak of the jump which increases his chances to get a good look and allows for a powerful release.</li>
<li>Good pull-up shooter, good spot-up shooter, good free throw shooter, good shooter in every way.</li>
<li>Strong body that can handle contact and he knows how to protect the ball going to the rim. He's not afraid to draw contact.</li>
<li>Accomplished passer with good court vision.</li>
<li>He's versatile enough to even fit a team in a role player capacity, ie spot-up SG</li>
<li>Great work ethic.</li>
<li>Technocratic approach to the game. He watches videos of the likes of <b>Steph Curry </b>and other NBA stars to enrich his moves repertoire.</li>
</ul>
<i><b> The "even better"</b></i><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>He is fairly athletic for <b>European </b>standards but lacks elevation. He relies mostly on his strength to get to the rim.</li>
<li>Average height and wingspan but good enough for <b>European </b>standards. </li>
<li>Let's face it.. the <b>MAAC </b>isn't the toughest conference out there and in <b>Europe </b>he's played a backup role in <b>Lietuvos Rytas </b>so he lacks solid experience of tougher opponents and play-off-style games. He can work on that though.</li>
<li>Could use the left hand to finish around the rim a bit more.</li>
<li>He doesn't have an explosive first step but he can accelerate with the ball and combined with his strength can take his defender all the way to the rim.</li>
</ul>
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<b>Epilogue</b><br />
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<b>Billy </b>is at a point in his career where he could have a breakout performance and make a name for himself. It only takes a club to take a chance on him and put him at the helm of the team and the starting <b>PG </b>position with solid minutes. He wasn't phased by playing less minutes like many other players do after their transition from the <b>NCAA</b>. His ability to play the pick and roll can land him a contract in a variety of <b>European</b> countries and his stint with <b>Lietuvos Rytas </b>only adds credence to that. Not athletic/explosive enough to make an <b>NBA </b>contract but he can have a solid career in <b>Europe </b>like his brother <b>Jimmy </b>and can establish himself as a team-carry and a leader. He's got longevity in his game with his shooting skill. Below are some of his highlights from last season with <b>Lietuvos Rytas</b>.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-82881594313537928092015-07-04T19:57:00.000+02:002015-07-04T19:57:56.948+02:00Interview with Jeremiah Massey - #Arianara<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The <b>Hoop </b>is coming out of a long hiatus and who better to help out than former <b>Kansas State</b> graduate, <b>Euroleague </b>sensation and lately <b>Lebanon </b>champion, <b>Jeremiah Massey</b>. <b>Jeremiah </b>was kind enough to provide to the <b>Hoop </b>some of his precious time and answer a few questions. He's a player who has graced the <b>Euroleague </b>and <b>VTB </b>highlights with his presence on more than one occasions and a guy who wants to do everything for his team to win. His career spans from <b>Greece</b>, to <b>Spain</b>, to <b>Russia</b>, to <b>Germany </b>and the last couple of years he's had successful stints in <b>Lebanon</b> where many talented <b>American </b>pro basketball players find the next step in their career.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHvu4IkwIUPDxj09bcPRw3RkpW1lZ-GEUf3MjlsbT8uBYFZP36EMEFLuWfOnycSuLD64eRUkGQUd6l5ERcTPaAeqUVHUu9_gTtAlpUYop54sfAbrG4GHbGyVQ_Cx8vIbb1Iioms7yDdbH/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHvu4IkwIUPDxj09bcPRw3RkpW1lZ-GEUf3MjlsbT8uBYFZP36EMEFLuWfOnycSuLD64eRUkGQUd6l5ERcTPaAeqUVHUu9_gTtAlpUYop54sfAbrG4GHbGyVQ_Cx8vIbb1Iioms7yDdbH/s320/1.png" width="299" /></a>TH: You've played at the top level of competition in Europe for a few years and you've been playing in Lebanon since May 2013. How is the league in Lebanon and how do you find it different from Europe? <br /><br /><b>JM</b>: <i>In <b>Lebanon </b>the league is very competitive of course there isn't the amount of talent that you would find in most countries but it's a league filled with talent and guys who really want to win.</i><br />
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TH: How's life in <b>Beirut </b>in general for you? It is after all one of the culturally diverse places in the world.<br /><br /><b>JM</b>: <i>Never being to <b>Beirut </b>it would be easy to believe that it's a hard place to adapt to but whatever you've heard is probably not true. Lebanon is a place you go and get lost looking for all the bad you hear and read about. The place is beautiful and the fans really love basketball. </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRd-CUwqbvzLkRb4f9Xf_pwhfw-at-TLfO_RBL1UTqoTE7HwKhCwthccEz4OIoaWnsmV-G1wZpEIBDl3S_qozTH3irZBFneTxnegLf95lJ186hpeO6pHDRvlyFh5nbAaiNLijwY1WTrcc0/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRd-CUwqbvzLkRb4f9Xf_pwhfw-at-TLfO_RBL1UTqoTE7HwKhCwthccEz4OIoaWnsmV-G1wZpEIBDl3S_qozTH3irZBFneTxnegLf95lJ186hpeO6pHDRvlyFh5nbAaiNLijwY1WTrcc0/s320/2.png" width="202" /></a>TH: Now that you're an accomplished three-point shooter,do you find the opponents respect you as a shooter and if not do you punish them accordingly? <br /><br /><b>JM</b>: <i>I worked and worked until I could finally call myself a shooter and now I am respected for that by every player or team that I match up against and it really has opened up a world of opportunities. Not only for me but for my teammates and whenever I am not respected as a shooter I do tend to take it personally and try my best to punish my opponent (laughing). </i><br />
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TH: Your coach in <b>Al-Riyadi</b>, <b>Slobodan </b>(<b>Lefteris</b>) <b>Subotic</b>, said in a recent interview in <b>Greece </b>that he loves it in <b>Lebanon </b>as he's got the liberty to work the way he wants. Does it work for you the same there? <br /><br /><b>JM</b>: <i><b>Lebanon </b>is a place where teams rely heavily on their foreigners. So as for having to liberty to do as I please, it would be possible but I focus more on doing what needs to be done in order to win. Coach <b>Lefteris </b>allowed me to play basketball and by doing that it allowed me to make my teammates better.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDuoQ11m5drmkedGuhxlXrlsVHyo4g-OqKtIQrVReI568_DpaHKn9s1YFhwEnLapbytEs9EfbFVMKo46xdBIHz9516P7Wm-nlDYaDaL_i5L_8ejYWoxiLvOKuisxHU9ubmDfrA-bZBwt4/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDuoQ11m5drmkedGuhxlXrlsVHyo4g-OqKtIQrVReI568_DpaHKn9s1YFhwEnLapbytEs9EfbFVMKo46xdBIHz9516P7Wm-nlDYaDaL_i5L_8ejYWoxiLvOKuisxHU9ubmDfrA-bZBwt4/s200/3.png" width="139" /></a>TH: <b>Slobodan Subotic </b>is also one of the living legends of the old <b>Aris </b>team of the 80s (also known <b>Emperor </b>of <b>Greek </b>basketball back in those days with <b>Nick Galis</b>). Does he share stories from that era and do you share stories wit him from your times in <b>Aris</b>?<br /><br /><b>JM</b>: <i>Me and coach swap stories all the time and he is a true legend and won't ever let you forget it. He still believes today that he can compete on a high level (laughing) and is willing to challenge anybody who doesn't believe that.</i> <br />
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TH: Back in season 2006-2007 you and <b>Mike Wilkinson </b>were the best frontcourt duo in <b>Europe</b>. Do you have any specific game that was your highlight from that season? or any other highlight for that matter?<br /><br /><b>JM</b>: <i>I would go back to a game in <b>Thessaloniki </b>one of my <a href="https://youtu.be/cW_JeE_-llE?t=367" target="_blank">first <b>Euroleague </b>games against </a><b><a href="https://youtu.be/cW_JeE_-llE?t=367" target="_blank">Fenerbache</a> </b>it was just an electric atmosphere that I grew to love...</i><br />
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TH: What in your opinion made you and <b>Mike Wilkinson </b>work so well together?<br /><br /><b>JM</b>: <i>Well me and Mike played well together because we were similar players. Both undersized big men who knew what needed to be done to gain an advantage against the usually bigger opponent. <b>Mike </b>was doing all the dirty work and making it easy for me to clean up everything that was left.We just complimented each other well the things I couldn't do well he could and vice versa and we always shared the ball well that also helped us to appreciate one another.</i><br />
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TH: After winning the title in <b>Lebanon</b>, what does the future hold for you and the next step in your career? Are you thinking about returning to <b>Europe </b>or will it be <b>Lebanon </b>all the way?<br /><br /><b>JM</b>: <i>Well I'm not sure at this time but as usual I welcome all situations of course I would pick the best option available but I wouldn't mind returning to <b>Europe </b>mainly because I see people write things and say negative things about me as a player when I never had a bad season. I only want to prove the people who don't believe in me wrong.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQ3Rp_VxeucbJJMsrb4s_FlDT_P7c3iPi2mc681C7yzWZHg8_9RdhM8lRz9geWChgPlxRnU83C-C47VHnps9GeQBHOPUZipe-WVoS1eFUCw1oQV79CHVLFnFF8LPPhyphenhyphenANPrrkyBcUkm6g/s1600/1930165_25292752268_429_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQ3Rp_VxeucbJJMsrb4s_FlDT_P7c3iPi2mc681C7yzWZHg8_9RdhM8lRz9geWChgPlxRnU83C-C47VHnps9GeQBHOPUZipe-WVoS1eFUCw1oQV79CHVLFnFF8LPPhyphenhyphenANPrrkyBcUkm6g/s320/1930165_25292752268_429_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>TH: Back in <b>Aris </b>you made some fans for life that still remember of you fondly as one of the most exciting and spectacular players the team has ever seen and now the team is under new ownership. Would you consider returning to <b>Aris </b>at some point? or even to finish your career there?<br />
<br /><b>JM</b>: <i>I consider coming back to my second home every season I have just never been offered the opportunity and in all actuality I never real wanted to leave so if the opportunity because available and the situation is a good one I would be back in a heart beat.</i><br />
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TH: Finally where would you say you had the best time in your career so far both on and off the court?<br /><br />JM: <i>I would have to say right there in <b>Thessaloniki </b>because not only could we go out and enjoy the night I was blessed to be supported by some of the best fandom the world and that will forever be a good memory... #Arianara </i><br />
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Jay thank you once again and from me at the Hoop I wish you all the best wherever you are and whatever you're doing.</div>
The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-49849088119415098072014-08-23T10:47:00.000+02:002014-08-23T10:47:10.755+02:00Aris announced Muhammed Pasalic, Torey Thomas, Lamarcus Reed and others to follow<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1agLjmKJgMXTNpV6s40gfGYuuW4mw1CIMwgtaelQ8BFHsYOQVlCAzDh0ZDIA-z_A0s2xbLL1BVxUJ4Nkb8gdAWCWRTqCXA8itLZDJhy8wajZOUm8-yDdkcgnCMQsjbCYU6Vs2ijsoaIU/s1600/m.pasalic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV1agLjmKJgMXTNpV6s40gfGYuuW4mw1CIMwgtaelQ8BFHsYOQVlCAzDh0ZDIA-z_A0s2xbLL1BVxUJ4Nkb8gdAWCWRTqCXA8itLZDJhy8wajZOUm8-yDdkcgnCMQsjbCYU6Vs2ijsoaIU/s1600/m.pasalic.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a>Hell, it's about time.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The officials of <b>Aris </b>probably didn't have the phrase from <b>Starcraft 2 </b>in mind and they didn't have to wait over 10 years but I bet 2.5 years without the ability to make transfers probably felt the same. The wait is over though and the combined efforts of a fledgling administration managed to overcome the damage of the criminal negligence and general incompetence (or was it something else) of the previous administration and in turn managed to reduce the team's debts and lift the sanction for <b>FIBA</b>. The announcement <a href="http://www.arisbc.gr/el/%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%97%CE%A3-K-A-E-%CE%9C%CF%80%CE%AC%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%B5%CF%84-%CE%98%CE%B5%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%BA%CE%B7/#/el/-%CE%86%CF%81%CF%83%CE%B7-%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85-%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%B5%CF%85%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%8D-%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82-FIBA-" target="_blank">here</a> describes the six bans that were imposed but that doesn't even make mention of the cases that never made it to <b>FIBA </b>and got resolved in <b>Greece </b>as that would have made the total scary at the very least.<br />
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<b>Muhammed Pasalic </b>(1.92-PG/SG) was also <a href="http://www.arisbc.gr/el/%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%97%CE%A3-K-A-E-%CE%9C%CF%80%CE%AC%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%B5%CF%84-%CE%98%CE%B5%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%BA%CE%B7/#el/-%CE%9F-%CE%A0%CE%AC%CF%83%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%B9%CF%84%CF%82-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD-%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%97-" target="_blank">announced yesterday</a> to seal the deal and he returns to <b>Aris </b>after a year in the <b>ProB </b>in <b>France </b>with <b>Chalon Reims </b>helping his team to achieve the promotion to <b>ProA</b>. The <b>Bosnian </b>combo-guard averaged 10.3 points 2.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in a total of 48 games.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGMTh8uwpBXvk-CWYeo47EH0sSNYXyhUZLNu-_Yl7KNBLPqsXfKoopcDuZYjpf80QL4mWORfriL9tCNHGKKaYCTjBvVJI6BphULrAjXRk7oW5kS5LdANIHEZiB45SkSmdErvdcvg9ee3t/s1600/l.reedIII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTGMTh8uwpBXvk-CWYeo47EH0sSNYXyhUZLNu-_Yl7KNBLPqsXfKoopcDuZYjpf80QL4mWORfriL9tCNHGKKaYCTjBvVJI6BphULrAjXRk7oW5kS5LdANIHEZiB45SkSmdErvdcvg9ee3t/s1600/l.reedIII.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueCJ5eB34a8rtO1HFdQGm7HnVoYfCQKgfeyyxF5Cyzqj050uyab1M1WJq8OgfBjtsCoM4bJH4pnXrJRTuQTyJpdqfeTrjg_1h08PTnrZv0Ro3ZMxEXTLdn_aJQuXXbPdftyQAyUYigWTA/s1600/t.thomas.cholet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueCJ5eB34a8rtO1HFdQGm7HnVoYfCQKgfeyyxF5Cyzqj050uyab1M1WJq8OgfBjtsCoM4bJH4pnXrJRTuQTyJpdqfeTrjg_1h08PTnrZv0Ro3ZMxEXTLdn_aJQuXXbPdftyQAyUYigWTA/s1600/t.thomas.cholet.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>The next players to be announced are almost certain going to be <b>Torey Thomas </b>(1.83-PG), <b>Lamarcus</b> <b>Reed </b>III(1.96-SG/SF) and <b>Vassilis Symtsak </b>(2.06-C). <b>Drew Naymick</b>(2.08-C) is also rumored to follow but it's not certain at this stage if the deal is complete. <b>Naymick </b>and Reed share the same agent so that will help to smooth out negotiations. <b>Thomas </b>comes from 2 not so great stints in <b>ProA </b>and <b>Lamarcus Reed </b>could be a sleeper coming from a great season in the <b>Cyprus League</b>.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-43902774115079798372014-08-20T09:04:00.000+02:002014-08-20T09:04:15.991+02:00Kevin Aronis to try with Olympiakos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZQk5zxhknvAjElHW_xRYz5gm4uk-JEN90wO4a4AJjJHRz1sZno6ZqbAoOCvWhJIfgrgVSW7VMBhQTrMvQVkw-uFox76yITmtdnKIBPj_ABjSfZK0qyYLpq41LK3uZnphD3fgF7IfElih/s1600/k.aronis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZQk5zxhknvAjElHW_xRYz5gm4uk-JEN90wO4a4AJjJHRz1sZno6ZqbAoOCvWhJIfgrgVSW7VMBhQTrMvQVkw-uFox76yITmtdnKIBPj_ABjSfZK0qyYLpq41LK3uZnphD3fgF7IfElih/s1600/k.aronis.jpg" height="320" width="196" /></a>Sharp-shooter or one trick pony?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>This is not a well known fact but it seems that <b>Kevin Aronis</b>(1.90-SG) formerly of <b>New Mexico State</b> is of <b>Greek </b>descent and is on his way to issue his brand spanking new <b>Greek </b>passport. What this means for <b>Aronis </b>is that it opens up the doors of the <b>European </b>Pro market as he can play as <b>Bosman </b>player for a whole lot of teams.<br />
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What it also means according to <b>Sportday </b>newspaper in <b>Greece </b>is that he will be trying with luck with <b>Olympiakos </b>but taking part in their practice. <b>Aronis</b>' strength is in his shooting where he averaged 44.1% (78/177) from the three point land. However he doesn't seem to impact his team's game any more than that. He averaged 7.6 points last season and he didn't seem to shoot much from anywhere but the three point land.<br />
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<b>Aronis </b>could be taking part in the preparation stage of <b>Olympiakos </b>but at the moment it seems more like a rumor than a possibility. We'll wait and see. It's like if <b>Aronis </b>can participate at this level of competition but this could pave the way for him in the rest of the <b>Greek </b>pro market.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-28291170279904287352014-08-09T00:32:00.000+02:002014-08-09T00:32:28.596+02:00Kostas Papanikolau finally heading to Houston<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDIlhyphenhyphenAbSblXfGP7KfPrR3L651GiWlzPGD7euPRdTaVLUrmCC7_O4qkuO_zzEsiB_fNl-keN-WnzKywL_oxuqBDoWjk7j6KtLMbfZ_oVyYCD2Y6y2asdgrPX88_HY7gIb9OJgcwnb_onR/s1600/k.papanikolaou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDIlhyphenhyphenAbSblXfGP7KfPrR3L651GiWlzPGD7euPRdTaVLUrmCC7_O4qkuO_zzEsiB_fNl-keN-WnzKywL_oxuqBDoWjk7j6KtLMbfZ_oVyYCD2Y6y2asdgrPX88_HY7gIb9OJgcwnb_onR/s1600/k.papanikolaou.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a>They made it happen this time.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Kostas Papanikolaou </b>(2.03-SF/PF) will be finally signing his <b>NBA </b>contract this summer according to <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/497862420115640321" target="_blank">ESPN</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/497865078184878080" target="_blank">Yahoo</a> sources and their twitter feeds. <b>Papanikolaou </b>came <a href="http://thehoop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/kostas-papanikolaou-heading-to-houston.html" target="_blank">close to signing with <b>Houston </b>a few weeks ago</a> but the deal went sour as there wasn't enough money in it.<br />
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According to the latest news <b>Papanikolaou </b>will be making a guaranteed 4.8 million dollars for the first season and the team has an option for the 2nd season. He'll also be paying <b>Barcelona </b>a hefty <b>NBA-out</b> clause to be released from his current contract.<br />
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After taxes and the <b>NBA</b>-out clause of 1.1 million euros (minus <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/497868772590747651" target="_blank">$600,000 that the Rockets are paying</a>) he'll still be making well over a million euros in compensation. A good deal for <b>Papanikolaou</b> indeed. <br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-59402483688660818212014-07-30T14:51:00.002+02:002014-07-30T14:51:58.875+02:00Partizan in advanced talks with Ioannis Kouzeloglou<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzQ8uhHf9hWetV0pOb0fioOctIubwYpidVkN4AhiZGgpezScAWo4vYVkvAhYbKw9mpkxzc-ZucaOuBNzEsHbAzsHH43HZ8bvqyb2LYIiP0lltYOwCdRYX5JZfEav31do6JU5aRZTYZnOn/s1600/m.kouzeloglou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzQ8uhHf9hWetV0pOb0fioOctIubwYpidVkN4AhiZGgpezScAWo4vYVkvAhYbKw9mpkxzc-ZucaOuBNzEsHbAzsHH43HZ8bvqyb2LYIiP0lltYOwCdRYX5JZfEav31do6JU5aRZTYZnOn/s1600/m.kouzeloglou.jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a></div>
A great prospect.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>According to the <a href="https://twitter.com/yugobasket/status/494244503503798272" target="_blank"><b>Twitter </b>feed of <b>Yugobasket</b></a>, as of 14 hours ago roughly, it was let known that <b>Ioannis Kouzeloglou</b>(2.06-PF) is in advanced talks with <b>Partizan Belgrade</b>. According to his highlights video in <b>Youtube</b>, <b>Kouzeloglou </b>has a massive wingspan (215cm) for a caucasian and is currently playing for the <b>Mantoulides</b> <b>Academy </b>in <b>Thessaloniki Greece</b>. The player has already become 18 years old but as <b>Mantoulides </b>is not a professional basketball team his team is able to retain his rights after his 18th year. That is valid for <b>Greece </b>but the player can sign anywhere he wants in <b>Europe</b>. <a href="http://novosti.rs/vesti/sport.295.html:503152-Milutinovic-stize-u-Partizan">Novosti.rs</a> says that <b>Olympiakos </b>and <b>Panathinaikos </b>are also interested in the player but also that the player will be travelling to <b>Belgrade </b>in early <b>August </b>to be tried by <b>Partizan</b>.<br />
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<b>Kouzeloglou </b>has played in the past for the international junior team of <b>MAS Mantoulides </b>in <b>Euroleague</b> before and is also a member of the <b>Greek U20 National Team</b>. There has been some speculation in <b>Greece </b>that <b>Kouzeloglou </b>will be targetted by one of the professional teams but no concrete evidence of that as of yet. Some of his highlights can be seen below.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-15779059617999720282014-07-25T13:28:00.000+02:002014-07-25T13:28:07.617+02:00Lefteris Bochoridis has interest from Panathinaikos, Barcelona and Olimpia Milano<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Bochoridis </b>is back in demand!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>This time it's not just <b>Panathinaikos </b>but also <b>Olimpia Milano </b>and <b>Barcelona </b>in the mix. It seems that unlike what some people thought and the trajectory of the <b>Greek U20 National Team</b>, <b>Lefteris Bochoridis</b>(1.96-PG/SG) is in demand in <b>Europe </b>currently. According to <a href="http://www.gazzetta.gr/basketball/article/636632/gero-triplo-mpasimo-gia-mpohoridi" target="_blank">gazzetta.gr</a>, the 3 <b>Euroleague </b>teams want to enlist the services of <b>Bochoridis </b>and all 3 of them will have to submit offers to his team Aris BC to purchase the player.<br />
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Previously the former agent of <b>Bochoridis</b>, <b>Nikos Lotsos </b>said that he can't be the agent of <b>Bochoridis </b>if he's going to sign with <b>Panathinaikos</b>, so he wished him well and passed on the representation of the player to Giorgos Sferopoulos (currently the agent of <b>Kostas Papanikolaou</b>(2.03-SF/PF), we'll come back to that). There has been bad blood between <b>Panathinaikos </b>and <b>Lotsos </b>and the <b>Athenian </b>team do NOT under any circumstances want to deal with him so this obstacle was removed for <b>Panathinaikos</b>. There are 2 new ones though.<br />
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<b>Olimpia Milano </b>and <b>Barcelona </b>are now contenders for <b>Bochoridis </b>according to the article. <b>Barcelona </b>already have the relationship with <b>Bochoridis</b>' agent via <b>Kostas Papanikolaou </b>and their intention is to sign the player and then lend him to another team in the <b>ACB </b>for <b>Bochoridis </b>to see some quality playing time. He wouldn't be able to swim in the deep end currently and find some space in <b>Barcelona's </b>rotation but a year in the <b>ACB </b>with some quality minutes could do wonders for a player in that age.<br />
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<b>Olimpia </b>could be losing <b>Hackett </b>after his disciplinary offense with the<b> Italian National Team</b> and they might want to invest in young blood instead.<br />
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<b>Panathinaikos </b>on the other hand are <b>rumored </b>to be making a comeback according to the article. It says they've re-approached <b>Bochoridis </b>and the administration of <b>Aris </b>and they might be making an actual offer to sign the player this time. Let's not forget that <b>Dimitris Giannakopoulos </b>was going to pay a hefty amount of over a million dollars to repatriate <b>Nick Calathes </b>and that is no longer happening.<br />
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So whichever team makes the best offer, wins!<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-86462503044347729142014-07-22T21:41:00.001+02:002014-07-22T21:41:38.766+02:00Patrik Auda and Fuquan Edwin sign overseas contracts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The last remnants of <b>Kevin Willard</b>'s opening 2011 recruiting class have moved on from <b>South</b> <b>Orange</b>, <b>New Jersey</b>.<br /><br />
<a name='more'></a>For graduated <b>Seton Hall </b>wing <b>Fuquan Edwin</b>, you knew this day was coming since immediately after the 2014 <b>NBA Draft</b>, or perhaps before. For <b>Czech </b>forward <b>Patrik Auda</b>, who still retained a year of NCAA eligibility, this announcement was feared by <b>Seton Hall </b>fans for months now, most of whom were rooting for a fifth year from the versatile power forward. It has been announced that both former <b>Seton Hall Pirates </b>have signed professional contracts overseas.<br /><br />After failing to hear his named called during the <b>NBA Draft</b> and not standing out at the <b>Portsmouth</b> <b>Invitational </b>or on <b>Oklahoma City</b>'s summer league roster, <b>Fuquan Edwin </b>signed a one-year deal with <b>Pistoia Basket </b>of the top tier of <b>Italian </b>basketball, <b>Serie A</b>, over the weekend. <b>Edwin </b>joins none other than <b>Mercer </b>guard <b>Langston Hall</b>, who was also reportedly signed by <b>Pistoia </b>over the weekend. Former <b>Pit Panther Brad Wanamaker </b>and <b>Purdue </b>forward <b>JaJuan Johnson </b>featured on the <b>Italian </b>roster last season.<br /><br /><b>Patrik Auda's</b> inking of a pro contract should come as no surprise since his inclusion in the <b>Czech</b> <b>Republic </b>national team earlier this summer -- every national team player plays professionally. <b>Auda</b> finalized his contract offer from <b>Polish </b>club <b>AZS Polfarmex Kutno</b> of the <b>TBL </b>(Tauron Basketball League) after <b>Czech Republic</b>'s 70-65 friendly loss to <b>Poland </b>on Friday. <b>Auda </b>then scored 11 points for his country in their 75-73 friendly win over <b>Poland </b>on Saturday; <b>Patrik </b>scored 15 against Austria last weekend. The <b>Czech Republic </b>has friendlies against <b>Israel </b>and <b>Russia </b>later this week in preparation for <b>Eurobasket </b>2015 qualifiers in <b>August</b>. <b>Kutno </b>has also signed <b>Saint Louis </b>guard <b>Kwamain Mitchell </b>this past week.<br /><br />source : <a href="http://www.southorangejuice.com/2014/7/21/5922323/patrik-auda-and-fuquan-edwin-sign-overseas-contracts" target="_blank">southorangejuice.com</a><br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-89116691589237439352014-07-22T14:07:00.002+02:002014-07-22T14:07:17.201+02:00Panathinaikos looking to sign prospect Antonis Koniaris<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8li1EeP25Du9Gh7vDjWa5K0STklUlBDQPZCEft80mOgQo2J3n7PeN1jHIFB8sKC-Y8Rpk1xq2jKqrrXQbnt4PCa-QWQ5DYRUlVIV5vaUYpIEXm4rwN5RtHWJDgGbvMCrfA_FJ0MakkaAA/s1600/a.koniaris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8li1EeP25Du9Gh7vDjWa5K0STklUlBDQPZCEft80mOgQo2J3n7PeN1jHIFB8sKC-Y8Rpk1xq2jKqrrXQbnt4PCa-QWQ5DYRUlVIV5vaUYpIEXm4rwN5RtHWJDgGbvMCrfA_FJ0MakkaAA/s1600/a.koniaris.jpg" height="330" width="400" /></a>Grab'em while they're young!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>As the target of <b><a href="http://thehoop.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=bochoridis" target="_blank">Lefteris Bochoridis</a></b> is becoming ever more elusive for <b>Panathinaikos </b>it seems they have set their sights on another prospect that's far easier to sign. <b>Antonis Koniaris</b>(1.90-PG/SG) is the next target according to <b>Paok </b>affiliated newspaper Sports of the North.<br /><br />
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<b>Koniaris</b>(30/09/1997) is currently 17 years old and is one of the best prospects in the ranks of <b>Paok AC</b>(the non-pro division). Once the player reaches the age of 18 he will be able to sign a contract with whichever team he wishes. His agent <b>Tasos Delimpaltadakis</b> made the same statement to that newspaper saying that <b>Paok </b>could as well lose the player without receiving a single cent. It's rumored that <b>Paok </b>might receive an amount of the order of 50-60,000 euros for the players trasfer to <b>Panathinaikos BC</b>.<br />
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You may ask what stops the player from signing somewhere else when he reaches 18? Well, the combination of <b>Panathinaikos</b>'s contract and the player's agent make a pretty convincing argument. Unlike <b>Bochoridis </b>who signed a pro contract after he became 18, <b>Koniaris </b>is not bound by a pro contract making him fair game to any team. <b>Koniaris </b>is a member of the <b>Greek Youth National</b> <b>Teams </b>and currently preparing with the<b> U18 National Team</b>.<br />
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What might make things even more interesting though is if suddently <b>Olympiacos </b>jumps into the mix!<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-54421217108848223502014-07-22T13:52:00.000+02:002014-07-22T13:52:07.858+02:00Michalis Tsairelis is leaving Greece<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDq-TgWRqbMQITmEwE5R6Kv8BUaVd_V4qi74eUeoMdWBN_0yhsWoKx80YVt4lAy1kttYibCpMmin9X_r3QfU0_OepXeTadztXCGpMTpy2bB0CdUClAT86bemt9lDOkG3IolZ5mKUrDvY2/s1600/m.tsairelis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDq-TgWRqbMQITmEwE5R6Kv8BUaVd_V4qi74eUeoMdWBN_0yhsWoKx80YVt4lAy1kttYibCpMmin9X_r3QfU0_OepXeTadztXCGpMTpy2bB0CdUClAT86bemt9lDOkG3IolZ5mKUrDvY2/s1600/m.tsairelis.jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_440025214"></span><span id="goog_440025215"></span>Soon to be announced.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Michalis Tsairelis</b>(2.08-PF) will soon be leaving <b>Greece </b>and moving abroad signing a new lucrative contract. The deal should be announced fairly soon, either the end of this week or beginning of the next and he'll be making a lot more money than he was making with his former team <b>Paok</b>.<br />
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<b>Tsairelis</b>' stat sheet enjoyed a good season averaging 12.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in a total of 35 games in the <b>Greek A1 </b>league. He will be sorely missing his teammate, <a href="http://thehoop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/dj-cooper-is-collecting-offers.html" target="_blank"><b>D.J. Cooper</b></a> that hooked him up with a ton of assists but perhaps there will be a similar disher in his new team. Tsairelis has also played for <b>Aris BC</b> in the past and this will be his first contract outside <b>Greece</b>. His former team <b>Paok </b>tried to retain but offers from abroad carried far more in financial rewards for Paok to compete. It's just the way of things.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-91384384679137571382014-07-22T00:58:00.001+02:002014-07-22T00:58:16.986+02:00Cremona in talks with James Bell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-CWLLvK9OrPCqCdiBZJq0-R_4NZ_3F8_lrldPkuD10R6SdW259dhZjaumyB8GUDlM-7HY6wRLEY9tLviFS18Fl76pwengX_dppoEc9XjG6XZYPVSICgILHY05Z1j2G4Ds-OtzDyFPfAN/s1600/j.bell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-CWLLvK9OrPCqCdiBZJq0-R_4NZ_3F8_lrldPkuD10R6SdW259dhZjaumyB8GUDlM-7HY6wRLEY9tLviFS18Fl76pwengX_dppoEc9XjG6XZYPVSICgILHY05Z1j2G4Ds-OtzDyFPfAN/s1600/j.bell.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a>Could be first pro contract for the rookie.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>James Bell</b>(1.95-SG/SF) is one of the finest physical specimens in the <b>NCAA </b>and he could be playing in the <b>LegaA1 </b>next season. Bell is an exceptional athlete who can guard multiple positions and can really fire it up from the land of the three.<br />
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He is not a carry in terms of creating his own shot but he can be extremely efficient in a team that likes a fast paced game. According to <a href="http://www.sportando.com/en/italy/serie-a/128370/vanoli-cremona-in-advanced-talks-with-rookie-james-bell.html" target="_blank">sportando</a>, Bell is in advanced talks with <b>Cremona </b>and if the deal goes well it will soon be announced. Last season he averaged averaged 14.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in a total of 34 games in the <b>NCAA </b>with <b>Villanova</b>. <br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-66464294469839505262014-07-21T21:15:00.001+02:002014-07-21T21:31:18.523+02:00Kostas Mitoglou might reject Wake Forest (update)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hrCl5SQ7mM92S-rWeCM10dV5Gt-J3NAlFn2PFotLJ9rsNHTaeswmzN_sindhParAQxshqy6NZt4V_LSUnfjftG5PKI7Yn92F7FiO2DrRKDiRhcyBQMkG9mhL8LfoBO1SPRblG6sdwRVi/s1600/mitoglou.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hrCl5SQ7mM92S-rWeCM10dV5Gt-J3NAlFn2PFotLJ9rsNHTaeswmzN_sindhParAQxshqy6NZt4V_LSUnfjftG5PKI7Yn92F7FiO2DrRKDiRhcyBQMkG9mhL8LfoBO1SPRblG6sdwRVi/s1600/mitoglou.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
Forces are in motion!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The new head coach of <b>Aris BC</b> and assistant coach of the <b>Greek National Team</b>, <b>Dimitris Priftis</b>, went to <b>Athens </b>for the preparation stage of the <b>Greek National Team</b>. According to <a href="http://www.basketplus.gr/index.php/rss-aris-basketball/item/63295-tet-a-tet-prifti-mitoglou" target="_blank">basketplus.gr</a>, he asked to meet Kostas Mitoglou (2.07-PF/C) in order to try and convince him to stay in Greece. <br />
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<b>Kostas Mitoglou </b>has not made his final decision yet although <a href="http://thehoop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/kostas-mitoglou-heading-to-wake-forest.html" target="_blank">he said he will be attending Wake Forest next season</a>. He is currently in the preparation stage of the U18 National Team of Greece and as both teams were in <b>Athens</b>, <b>Priftis </b>made the most of the occasion by meeting up with Mitoglou. His intention would be to convince <b>Mitoglou </b>to sign a pro contract with <b>Aris </b>and therefore be bound to the <b>Greek </b>team as currently <b>Mitoglou </b>is not bound by any contract after reaching the age of 18.<br />
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<b>Aris </b>would not be able to submit a one-sided contract anymore as <b>Greek </b>law used to allow and therefore all players that reach the age of 18 that come from the AC department of pro teams are free to choose whichever team they wish.<br />
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A similar situation occured last summer when <a href="http://thehoop.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/aris-signed-aleksandar-vezenkov-for-3.html" target="_blank"><b>Vaggelis Aggelou</b> and <b>Lefteris Arvanitis</b> travelled to <b>Bulgaria</b> to convince <b>Aleksandar Vezenkov</b></a>. <b>Mitoglou </b>is not a prospect of <b>Vezenkov</b>'s caliber but he is one of the best prospects available in <b>Greece</b>. <b>Priftis </b>wants to assume him that he will get the opportunities that <b>Mitoglou </b>wants and quite possibly next summer he could be a major player in Aris' rotation as it's likely that <b>Vezenkov </b>would seek his fortune in the <b>NBA </b>or after a full season he could be ready to make the next step in a <b>Euroleague </b>team.<br />
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<b>Update:</b><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%CE%94%CE%B7%CE%BC%CE%AE%CF%84%CF%81%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CE%A0%CF%81%CE%AF%CF%86%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CE%9A%CF%8E%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CE%9C%CE%AE%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CE%B5%CE%AF%CF%87%CE%B1%CE%BD%20%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%84%20%CE%B1%20%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%84%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD%20%CE%91%CE%B8%CE%AE%CE%BD%CE%B1%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CE%B8%CE%B1%20%CF%84%CE%B1%20%CE%BE%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%8D%CE%BD.%20%20%20%CE%9F%20%CE%BD%CE%AD%CE%BF%CF%82%20%CE%BA%CF%8C%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%84%CF%82%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CE%86%CF%81%CE%B7%20%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AD%CE%BB%CF%85%CF%83%CE%B5%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD%2018%CF%87%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%BF%20%CF%86%CF%8C%CF%81%CE%B3%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%BD%CF%84%20%CF%84%CE%BF%20%CF%80%CE%BB%CE%AC%CE%BD%CE%BF%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B1%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD%20%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%AC%CE%B4%CE%B1,%20%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%AC%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CF%84%CE%BF%20%CF%81%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%BF%20%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%B9%CF%86%CF%85%CE%BB%CE%AC%CF%83%CF%83%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD%20%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%BA%CF%84%CE%B7.%20%CE%A4%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CF%84%CF%8C%CE%BD%CE%B9%CF%83%CE%B5%20%CF%8C%CF%84%CE%B9%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD%20%CF%85%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%AF%CE%B6%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B1%20%CF%84%CE%BF%20%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%84%CE%AD%CE%B9%CF%83%CE%BF%CE%BD%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CF%80%CF%81%CF%8E%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%AC%CE%B4%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CF%80%CF%89%CF%82%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%20%CF%80%CE%BB%CE%B1%CE%AF%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%BF%20%CF%84%CF%89%CE%BD%20%CE%B5%CF%85%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%CF%81%CE%B9%CF%8E%CE%BD%20%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CE%B4%CE%AF%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CE%BF%20%CE%86%CF%81%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%82%20%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%8D%CF%82%20%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%AF%CE%BA%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%82,%20%CE%BC%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%B5%CE%AF%20%CE%BD%CE%B1%20%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%B4%CE%B5%CE%AF%CE%BE%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CF%84%CE%BF%20%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%AD%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%BF%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CF%83%CE%B5%20%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%B3%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C%20%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%AF%CF%80%CE%B5%CE%B4%CE%BF%20%CE%B1%CF%80%CF%8C%20%CF%84%CE%B7%20%CF%86%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%AE%20%CF%87%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%AC%20%CE%BA%CE%B9%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B1%CF%82.%20%20%20%CE%9F%20%CE%9C%CE%AE%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CE%AC%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%83%CE%B5%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD%2046%CF%87%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%BF%20%CF%80%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%AE%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CE%BF%CE%B9%20%CE%B4%CF%85%CE%BF%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%82%20%CE%B8%CE%B1%20%CE%AD%CF%87%CE%BF%CF%85%CE%BD%20%CE%BD%CE%AD%CE%B1%20%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%AE%20%CE%B1%CF%8D%CF%81%CE%B9%CE%BF,%20%CE%B1%CF%85%CF%84%CE%AE%CE%BD%20%CF%84%CE%B7%20%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%AC%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BB%CE%B5%CF%86%CF%89%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE.%20%CE%A3%27%20%CE%B1%CF%85%CF%84%CE%AE%CE%BD%20%CE%BF%20%CE%B4%CE%B9%CE%B5%CE%B8%CE%BD%CE%AE%CF%82%20%CE%AC%CF%83%CE%BF%CF%82%20%CF%80%CE%B9%CE%B8%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%8C%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B1%20%CE%B8%CE%B1%20%CE%B4%CF%8E%CF%83%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD%20%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%AC%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%83%CE%AE%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD%20%CE%A0%CF%81%CE%AF%CF%86%CF%84%CE%B7.%20%CE%95%CE%B4%CF%8E%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%CF%81%CF%8C%20%CE%BF%20%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%B1%CF%81%CF%8C%CF%82%20%CE%AD%CF%87%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CE%B1%CF%80%CE%BF%CF%86%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%AF%CF%83%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CE%BD%CE%B1%20%CF%86%CE%BF%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%AE%CF%83%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CF%83%CE%B5%20%CE%BA%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AD%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%BF%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CE%BC%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CE%BD%CE%B1%20%CF%86%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%AF%20%CE%B1%CE%BD%20%CE%B7%20%CF%83%CF%85%CE%B6%CE%AE%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%83%CE%AE%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%20%CE%BC%CE%B5%20%CF%84%CE%BF%20%CE%BD%CE%AD%CE%BF%20%CE%BA%CF%8C%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%84%CF%82%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%AC%CE%B4%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%AC%CE%B8%CE%B7%CE%BA%CE%B5%20%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AE%20%CE%BD%CE%B1%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD%20%CE%BA%CE%AC%CE%BD%CE%B5%CE%B9%20%CE%BD%CE%B1%20%CF%84%CE%BF%20%CE%BE%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%B5%CF%86%CF%84%CE%B5%CE%AF.%20-%20See%20more%20at:%20http://www.basketplus.gr/index.php/rss-aris-basketball/item/63304-ta-eipan-priftis-mitoglou-nea-epafi-ayrio-22-7#sthash.UohoG2Ub.dpuf" target="_blank">It seems that the final decision will be made tomorrow</a> when <b>Mitoglou </b>will call <b>Priftis </b>to tell him yes or no. Apparently the player would want to discuss with his family (and likely his agent) the prospect of staying with <b>Aris </b>for one more season. <b>Nikos Lotsos</b>, the agent of <b>Kostas Mitoglou</b>, is also the agent of <b>Lefteris Bochoridis </b>and <b>Aleksandar Vezenkov </b>so there is a lot at stake for him.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-25281048662396959372014-07-20T18:01:00.002+02:002014-07-20T18:01:21.423+02:00Cedric Simmons wants to leave Olympiacos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe4D5jeeJMBS94qzaw5JuupUZdXwbIk2PT-8X6CMlVJlGAAOHuquuwC94-5rTrO-q29kLBxC0Hi4Um3VpDoRC8kCOjh8i0F3FOnPvhfwSSWnpsb6AhpWhQQQSPYQPABTGl0Gu5aQcDhJ0/s1600/c.simmons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEe4D5jeeJMBS94qzaw5JuupUZdXwbIk2PT-8X6CMlVJlGAAOHuquuwC94-5rTrO-q29kLBxC0Hi4Um3VpDoRC8kCOjh8i0F3FOnPvhfwSSWnpsb6AhpWhQQQSPYQPABTGl0Gu5aQcDhJ0/s1600/c.simmons.jpg" height="308" width="320" /></a>He is trying to escape!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>According to newspaper <b>FOS </b>that is affiliated to <b>Olympiacos</b>, <b>Cedric Simmons</b>(2.06-C) is looking for a way to leave <b>Olympiacos</b>. That seems difficult though. A few days ago <b>Olympiacos </b>announced that they are renewing the contracts of <b>Cedric Simmons </b>and <b>Brent</b> <b>Pettway</b>(2.06-PF). That was more of a typical announcement though.<br />
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<b>Cedric Simmons </b>doesn't seem to want to play for <b>Olympiacos </b>next season and why would he. <b>Othello Hunter</b>(2.03-C) has already been drafted to replace him and he was told he will only be playing in the <b>Euroleague </b>games. Obviously that doesn't fare well for his future contract aspirations and there is already a contract waiting for him from <b>Trabzonspor </b>that don't play in the <b>Euroleague </b>but instead they offered him a contract of <b>1.15 million dollars</b> for 2 seasons. All of his salaries have been paid for last season and now <b>Simmons </b>is bound to <b>Olympiacos </b>for another season.<br />
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One might say why keep a player that doesn't want to stay in your team. That would be a problem for some teams especially if one of their star players wanted to leave but <b>Cedric Simmons </b>is at the other end of the spectrum. <b>Olympiacos </b>asked for<b> 250,000 dollars </b>to release the player so now it's a battle of wills. <b>Simmons </b>would either fall in line like a good soldier or try to find a way out of this by perhaps paying off <b>Olympiacos </b>with some of his own money.<br />
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Chances are that both sides will meet halfway but if they don't <b>Simmons </b>would have to wait out one season with possibly not much playing time. No pressure there..<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-81868587239552399032014-07-20T12:46:00.000+02:002014-07-20T12:46:08.016+02:00Background info on the Dorsey transfer to Houston<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.octagonbe.com/portal/images/test2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.octagonbe.com/portal/images/test2.jpg" /></a>The unseen war in the shadows of basketball players transfers...!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Below is the <a href="https://twitter.com/DimitropulosOCT" target="_blank">twitter feed of Giorgos Dimitropoulos</a> head of <b>Octabon BE</b>. <br /><br />
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<br /><i>Its now OFFICIAL. @OctagonBballEU center Joey Dorsey signed to @HoustonRockets on a 2-year guaranteed deal. Great day for Joey, back in NBA. <br /><br />But it’s a sad day for european basketball. A Valencia-based CLOWN named Moises did NOT manage to recruit Joey Dorsey for Misko Rasnatovic.<br /><br />...As much as he tried, by telling Joey that Misko controls Efes and half of basketball universe, Joey Dorsey did NOT finally buy it...<br /><br />Its amazing how ridiculously they talk to players as if they re 4years old. First we all have the information that Efes will sign Lasme...<br /><br />Knowing that Krstic is a different player and what Efes needs,they tell Dorsey switch agents/come to us, we have a deal on the table for you.<br /><br />...then, of course, they sign Krstic there and they get back to Dorsey saying “wow, you lost the deal…and we signed Krstic instead of you…”<br /><br />And Misko is using a guy that is in clothes distribution and has no idea about basketball...Moises whatsoever...players, <b>STOP BYUING CRAP</b>!</i><br /><br />
Will there be a backlash? It'd be interesting to see.. <br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-61559577062795724002014-07-20T09:55:00.001+02:002014-07-20T09:55:06.996+02:00Panathinaikos in talks with Josh Akognon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUmuIDO2gU2ZkYENlxWuWSy8_IMxvYaYbbZh83tk2HmDAfdCZGUvb4PGyVuOOOkwcG2C1mudWMJeSf2w5Ga29m3tS938U9LV2XjoUVYqxq-Mb8uKbD1NUTPDkcmmcIUcdgbvqG5v284Rn/s1600/j.akognon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUmuIDO2gU2ZkYENlxWuWSy8_IMxvYaYbbZh83tk2HmDAfdCZGUvb4PGyVuOOOkwcG2C1mudWMJeSf2w5Ga29m3tS938U9LV2XjoUVYqxq-Mb8uKbD1NUTPDkcmmcIUcdgbvqG5v284Rn/s1600/j.akognon.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a>Another guard for <b>Panathinaikos</b>?<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Once again <a href="https://twitter.com/IAmDPick/status/490606596444401664" target="_blank"><b>David Pick </b>has the inside info</a> and according to that <b>Josh Akognon</b>(1.80-PG) is in talks with <b>Panathinaikos</b>. <b>Akognon </b>has travelled the globe as player, playing in <b>Eurobe </b>for <b>BC Kalev</b>, played in <b>China </b>for <b>Dongguan</b>, <b>Liaoning </b>and <b>Qingdao </b>and in the middle of all that he chilled at the <b>D-League</b>. He also managed to play 3 games in the <b>NBA </b>for <b>Dallas</b>.<br /><br />
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What sets <b>Akognon </b>apart from other players at his height is his freakish wingspan which reaches almost 2 meters. That allows <b>Akognon </b>to defend even the <b>SG </b>position with a certain degree of efficiency and also enhances his offense as his long arms allow him to reach past defenders who are not so well equipped. He also has a mean stroke from the 3 point line. He averaged 15.6 points 3.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 15 games in the <b>D-League</b> with <b>Delaware</b>.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-72511739308845786382014-07-20T09:40:00.000+02:002014-07-20T09:57:08.336+02:00Dwight Buycks has offers from Valencia and Olympiacos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5RLnwZ0qTTo3ts_IekfeHnomtPv7D0ozbazErWCNhyphenhyphen2THuBxcY1P_4s7i4k5l3gdhLsmEFfhTi1NXjraVZ15irrcO1cC6YNGqV_owJQYcNehwOi2whX2PD_FgY2w1Tw_SqQ19dGMXhdt/s1600/d.buycks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5RLnwZ0qTTo3ts_IekfeHnomtPv7D0ozbazErWCNhyphenhyphen2THuBxcY1P_4s7i4k5l3gdhLsmEFfhTi1NXjraVZ15irrcO1cC6YNGqV_owJQYcNehwOi2whX2PD_FgY2w1Tw_SqQ19dGMXhdt/s1600/d.buycks.jpg" /></a></div>
The <b>Marquette </b>graduate is in demand.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>According to the <a href="https://twitter.com/IAmDPick" target="_blank">twitter feed of <b>David Pick</b>, <b>Dwight Buycks</b></a>(1.91-PG/SG) has offers from <b>Valencia</b> and <b>Olympiacos</b>. Buycks will soon become a free agent from the <b>Toronto Raptors </b>and free to sign anywhere he likes. He had a short pass through the <b>NBA </b>with the <b>Raptors </b>before heading to the <b>D-League</b> with <b>Tulsa</b>. <b>Buycks </b>averaged 15.4 points 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the <b>D-League</b>.<br />
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Pick says that <b>Maccabi </b>are out of the race for <b>Buycks </b>but <b>Valencia </b>are still in and <b>Olympiacos </b>have met with the player in <b>Vegas </b>and that possibly means head coach <b>Bartzokas </b>met with him. <b>Buycks</b> has also played for <b>Oostende </b>in <b>Belgium </b>and <b>Gravellines </b>in <b>France</b>.<b>Buycks </b>is an explosive guard who can create both for himself and his teammates. As <b>Spanoulis </b>is no longer a spring chicken it seems that this type of guard will be required in <b>Olympiacos </b>to bring their offense back to top form.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-5507679025343827152014-07-20T01:31:00.002+02:002014-07-20T01:31:27.597+02:00Jan Vesely to sign 3 season contract with Fenerbahce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_L_jQ7fuezxw1OXhRquhxkD0u2snMudWYDjoG_cw1zf1pAGnUatajUkDsvmJCiLuoS5YGKuRqgbLZ00zIMQK17GykfOmkdpf7DAddZmsWUNCzpxVd7L0HPmr1oaADNJKQ_fkJeqt65WP/s1600/j.vesely.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_L_jQ7fuezxw1OXhRquhxkD0u2snMudWYDjoG_cw1zf1pAGnUatajUkDsvmJCiLuoS5YGKuRqgbLZ00zIMQK17GykfOmkdpf7DAddZmsWUNCzpxVd7L0HPmr1oaADNJKQ_fkJeqt65WP/s1600/j.vesely.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
Another big move in Europe.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Jan Vesely</b>(2.11-PF) is leaving the NBA behind and returning to <b>Europe </b>to sign with <b>Fenerbahce</b>. According to the <b><a href="https://twitter.com/Luke_Mellow/status/490577601384448000" target="_blank">twitter feed of Lukas Kuba</a></b>, <b>Vesely </b>is arriving to Instanbul on Sunday to sign a 3 season deal with Fenerbahce having the last season as an option for himself.<br />
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The <b>Czech </b>high flyer made a name for himself with <b>Partizan </b>and after a total of 162 games in the <b>NBA </b>he averaged the career stats of 3.6 points 3.5 rebounds per game. His last stop in the <b>NBA </b>was with the <b>Denver Nuggets</b>.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-50320496031248620402014-07-19T10:41:00.002+02:002014-07-19T11:35:13.529+02:00Demarcus Nelson heading to Panathinaikos?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQKIC2HpX99-jFiV-lzFvrQEnYzORA0HoQYsuYVCQv5K1wH2SzyHJhQpENN25W3f336eI8yN6Kfr_22W_41S6TA8_MoF3A7oeDmjujEB5Vk8qbVvRWrfRWuYKf8_k0NRJFABOCk6rfqac/s1600/d.nelson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQKIC2HpX99-jFiV-lzFvrQEnYzORA0HoQYsuYVCQv5K1wH2SzyHJhQpENN25W3f336eI8yN6Kfr_22W_41S6TA8_MoF3A7oeDmjujEB5Vk8qbVvRWrfRWuYKf8_k0NRJFABOCk6rfqac/s1600/d.nelson.jpg" height="312" width="320" /></a></div>
The deal might already be done.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Former <b>Duke </b>graduate <b>Demarcus Nelson</b>(1.93-PG/SG) is close to <b>Panathinaikos </b>according to <a href="http://www.sportskacentrala.com/?s=read&cat=2&id=140840" target="_blank">sportskacentrala.com</a>. The site reports that <b>Nelson </b>asked for the administration of <b>Red Star </b>to pay him his owed salaries and he can well out the door as far as Red Star is concerned.<br />
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The site also reports that <b>Nelson </b>had arthroscopy done to help him be in top form next season but that means that if he fails the medical tests the deal is off.<br />
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<b>Nelson </b>averaged 13.3 points 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 12 games in the <b>Eurocup </b>and also 10.7 points 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27 games in the <b>Adriatic League </b>for <b>Red Star</b>. He has also played for <b>Cholet</b>, <b>Donetsk</b>, <b>Avellino </b>in the past. <b>Nelson </b>is a versatile physical combo guard that can do a lot of jobs in the court.<br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-39327529483588236842014-07-18T01:02:00.001+02:002014-07-18T01:02:18.444+02:00Dimitris Priftis to sign with Aris for 2 seasons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2idOtw6zVFAE7VmwmeKnG69AW76r_7DyxUA-oAyTedtQLKqVLdrasPcwrkcgyIYYMotYgPrRgIrenLgAMWI35Efcx1gCs1YkYZbNvh9MwVznz9niIwuPzr0Do5SJN1qCh6yARhnvul2JB/s1600/d.priftis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2idOtw6zVFAE7VmwmeKnG69AW76r_7DyxUA-oAyTedtQLKqVLdrasPcwrkcgyIYYMotYgPrRgIrenLgAMWI35Efcx1gCs1YkYZbNvh9MwVznz9niIwuPzr0Do5SJN1qCh6yARhnvul2JB/s1600/d.priftis.JPG" height="308" width="400" /></a>Better sense prevailed.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Dimitris Priftis </b>is most likely going to be the new head coach of <b>Aris BC </b>for the next 2 seasons according to basketplus.gr.<br />
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He returns 4 years laters as a head coach this time, being the assistant coach of <b>Fotis Katsikaris </b>and <b>David Blatt </b>during season 2009-2010. He's also been the head coach of <b>Kavala</b>, <b>Ikaros </b>and <b>Kolossos </b>in <b>Greece </b>and the assistant coach of the <b>Greek National Team</b>. He actually will return in that role very soon alongside <b>Fotis Katsikaris.</b><br />
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Another member of the coaching staff might return too and this one is <b>Dimitris Nikolaidis </b>that worked in <b>Aris </b>for a number of years and left in 2008. He is mostly known for developing young players especially front-line players like forwards and centers.<br />
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According to the article the president of <b>Aris </b>has made an official offer and it's also possible that there will be an announcement tomorrow. The talks with <b>Ilias Zouros </b>fell out because he was asking for more money than <b>Aris </b>could afford. <br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-6826059981216010252014-07-17T13:50:00.001+02:002014-07-17T13:50:17.509+02:00Lefteris Bochoridis in demand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfcSsb_vSzox4OSOOD9tcHHbwpOI_dHdGJwUELAFlAKMC6Lavo6fQ5NBp8b7H9TfZD4UIKDqoLBqHPBhdDqKedl9LoVuV7fNoe-JYbnL4pmQoWfOd5rKbkgMw3nxPsFRI51dVB-apObv8/s1600/bohoridis.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfcSsb_vSzox4OSOOD9tcHHbwpOI_dHdGJwUELAFlAKMC6Lavo6fQ5NBp8b7H9TfZD4UIKDqoLBqHPBhdDqKedl9LoVuV7fNoe-JYbnL4pmQoWfOd5rKbkgMw3nxPsFRI51dVB-apObv8/s1600/bohoridis.png" height="220" width="400" /></a></div>
The <b>U20 </b>will be good for him no matter what.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Lefteris Bochorids </b>(1.96-PG/SG) is the main point guard for the <b>U20 National Team of Greece</b> and he is currently averaging 14.4 points 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in 7 games. Some of his baskets made it to the top plays for each day and he has drawn considerable attention from scouts and members of the public alike.<br />
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The fans of <b>Panathinaikos </b>have had <b>Bochoridis </b>in their wish list for the last couple of years but the player still remains in contract with <b>Aris </b>for another 2 seasons. Perhaps now that <b>Nick Calathes </b>looks like he's going to be staying in <b>Memphis</b>, the money for his contract could be invested into signing of the one most promising young prospects. But <b>Panathinaikos </b>might not be alone in their attempt to sign him.<br />
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According to the <a href="https://twitter.com/HCanPelister/status/489476961451118592" target="_blank">twitter feed of <b>Halil Can Pelister</b></a>, who is currently watching the <b>U20 European Championship</b>, <b>Lefteris Bochoridis </b>will have some offers waiting for him after its completion. Obviously he didn't say how many offers and from who and whether they've been officially made to <b>Aris BC </b>but it still shows that there is interest around the <b>Greek </b>combo-guard. The fans and media of <b>Panathinaikos </b>and lately <b>FIBA Europe </b>liken him to <b>Dimitris Diamantidis</b>. This is not entirely accurate as Bohoridis is not as tall or has the wingspan and the bodytype of <b>Dimitris Diamantidis </b>but what he lacks in height and length he makes up in speed and power. Also <b>Bochoridis </b>at this stage lacks the maturity to lead a team without turning the ball over more often that not.<br />
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Anyhow, this comparison inevitably creates even more hype for the fans of <b>Panathinaikos </b>(and maybe some fans of Iraklis if there are still any to be found) and also creates more opportunities for the <b>Greek </b>media to setup a media pirahna feast of sorts as soon as anything is mentioned about him.Offers for <b>Bochoridis </b>have been mentioned in the past as well. <br />
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The Hoophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11428505633836637885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6944646558828194481.post-30006618185456038132014-07-15T21:48:00.002+02:002014-07-15T21:48:55.520+02:00Rethymno interested in Dejan Kravic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OOV9DrSWmDrmXZ5Hw8C6jEj0QJZW-aBYIyALGReelKPq8cWG9awkFSbse9uF9GtNjUlketCGrGsmqVoTiT_rNyUNPa5kJLI7JzAyBG6HvemJm-HJot7bgUamZp6cUxaY8mrAMRaytjT9/s1600/d.kravic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OOV9DrSWmDrmXZ5Hw8C6jEj0QJZW-aBYIyALGReelKPq8cWG9awkFSbse9uF9GtNjUlketCGrGsmqVoTiT_rNyUNPa5kJLI7JzAyBG6HvemJm-HJot7bgUamZp6cUxaY8mrAMRaytjT9/s1600/d.kravic.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a><b>Rethymno </b>always look into the <b>NCAA </b>for players.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Dejan Kravic</b>(2.13-C) seems to be the next target for <b>Rethymno </b>according to <a href="http://www.ebasket.gr/2014/07/%CE%B8%CE%AD%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%B9-%CE%BA%CF%81%CE%AC%CE%B2%CE%B9%CF%84%CF%82-%CF%84%CE%BF-%CF%81%CE%AD%CE%B8%CF%85%CE%BC%CE%BD%CE%BF" target="_blank">ebasket.gr</a>. The <b>Bosnian</b>/<b>Canadian </b>center graduated from <b>Texas Tech </b>this season and seems to be a target for <b>Rethymno </b>to bolster their front line.<br />
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<b>Kravic </b>is the cousin of <b>Kosta Perovic </b>of the <b>Golden State Warriors </b>and this could be his first pro contract. He averaged 7.3 points 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 32 games with <b>Texas Tech </b>in the <b>Big</b> <b>12 </b>this past season. <br />
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