Cibona close to Bagaric, Tomas and Golemac

Cibona is close to signing Croatian center Dalibor Bagaric(2.17-C) according to Croatian portal sportske.jutarnji.hr. Bagaric will return to his former team once more. After leaving Cibona he played for 3 seasons in the NBA and then returned to Europe where he had played for Olympiakos, Fortitudo, and Girona. Last season he played for Fortitudo and if he moves to Cibona he will find his former teammate Jamont Gordon there. Bagaric averaged 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10 games in the LegaA1 with Fortitudo.

Cibona is also waiting on Marko Tomas(2.02-SF) and Jurica Golemac(2.07-PF/C). Marko Tomas is expected to be cut from the National Team of Croatia and if he manages to break his contract with Real Madrid, then Cibona will be the first in line to sign him. Tomas averaged 5.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 34 games in the ACB with Real Madrid. They're also waiting from an answer from Slovenian forward/center Jurica Golemac who played for Panellinios in Greece last season. He averaged 10.8 points 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 25 games of the regular season and play-offs in the greek A1 league

Everybody wants Karnowski

According to spanish portal Gazeta Pomorska, Premyslaw Karnowski(2.11-C) is one of the most sought after young players in Europe. Karnowsky played for National Team of Poland in Kaunas for the U-16 European Championship. The young center attracted offers from 8 of the biggest teams in Europe according to the article, coming from Spain, Italy, Greece and France. He averaged 10 points 7.7 rebounds 1.6 assists and 1.4 blocks in 9 games for Poland helping his team finish 4th in the Eurobasket.

Some of the teams that have been mentioned are Barcelona, Malaga, Saski Baskonia and Panathinaikos from Greece. The father of the player is going to take the decision and he wants the best future in mind for his son. The offers from Europe are lucrative and they offer good money, housing and education but they don't offer him a spot in the first team. That would be quite unfeasible for such a young player.

The options of the NCAA was also considered but the parents of Karnowski have yet to receive an offer from a college but they would be quite keen to explore that possibility. The entrance to the NCAA would open all sorts of door for Karnowski if he were to play in the NBA. Another option is to stay in Poland and finish his education there while playing for one of the teams in Poland like Anwil Włocławek or Trefl Gdynia. Whatever happens, the adventure of Premyslaw Karnowski in the world of basketball has already begun.

McCarty to play for Russia after all?

It's happened very late in his career, but the chance to play for a national team finally arrived for American Kelly McCarty when Russia named the BC Khimki guard in their EuroBasket squad earlier this summer.

The 34-year-old McCarty has replaced JR Holden as the naturalized Russian in the team and is expected to receive big minutes from coach David Blatt.

"Because of JR's participation the last several years, Kelly has not been eligible to play for us," Blatt said, "but he's happy to be here. He's come in and already brought some energy, brought some athleticism. He's brought his great experience. Kelly's a guy that can score, defend (against) anyone. He's a tremendous guy so I believe he will give us a lot."

source : fibaeurope.com

Cedric Simmons to sign with Peristeri?

According to superbasket.gr, Cedric Simmons(2.06-PF) is about to be announced by Peristeri, the team that returned to the A1 league after 5 years. The administration of Peristeri working in conjuction with the best scout in Greece, Steve Yatzoglou, managed to secure another great transfer in their effort to make sure that Peristeri has returned for good.

Simmons was selected by the New Orleans Hornets at number 15, in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft. In his 2nd year at North Carolina State University, he averaged 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. Simmons managed to play a total of 75 games in the NBA between Cleveland, Chicago and Sacramento but an ankle injury didn't allow him to get more playing time. Simmons is an addition to Peristeri that will surely make a difference and it will also be a chance for him to get his career back on track.


Edit : Apologies for the wrong photo, it was done in a bit of a hurry. Thanks for everyone who let me know.

Zalgiris signs Begic for 3 seasons

One of the top young centers on the continent is switching Euroleague teams with the announcement that Zalgiris Kaunas has signed Mirza Begic to a three-year contract. Begic (220, 23) has played most of his career in his native Slovenia, including the last two seasons with Union Olimpija, where he had previously spent one year as a junior.

With his first major minutes last season, Begic exploded, ranking among the Euroleague's top 25 performers in the regular season thanks to averages of 11.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over 10 games. He ranked third among all shot blockers in the Euroleague during the regular season.

source : euroleague.net

Taurean Green close to AEK Athens

According to sport24.gr, Taurean Green(1.83-PG/SG) has come to an initial agreement with the club of AEK Athens and if the deal does actually go through it would mean that AEK have managed to bag themselves another quality player after Torin Francis and Lamont Mack.

Green was selected in number 52 in the 2nd round of the 2007 Draft by Portland. Since then he didn't get much playing time and wandered between the NBA and the D-League. Green averaged 4.4 points 1.2 rebounds 0.6 assists in a total of 17 games in the NBA. Last season he played for Zaragoza in the ACB and he averaged 10.7 points 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 32 games.

Jones is the last piece of the puzzle

Angelico Biella secured one of the best transfers in Europe during the current transfer period and yesterday they announced the signing of NBA veteran Fred Jones(1.88-SG/PG) via their official website. As they boldy proclaimed on their site he will be the last piece of the puzzle for the roster of Biella.

Jones was the 14th pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. He played 8 seasons in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers (2002–2006), the Toronto Raptors (2006–2007), the Portland Trail Blazers (2007), New York Knicks (2007–2008) and in his last season in the NBA he played for the Los Angeles Clippers. This will be his first season in Europe and he will be adding some serious firepower to the backcourt of Biella. In his last season in the NBA he averaged 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

Mike Wilkinson moves to Galatasaray

The US forward Mike Wilkinson has reached an agreement with the Turkish team Galatassaray. The 27-year old has also played for two seasons for Aris Thessaloniki (2005-06, 2006-07). He was selected both years to play in the Greek All-Star Games.

Wilkinson then signed a two-year contract to play for Khimki Moscow Region, a Russian Super League team. Earlier this summer Wilkinson was signed with Triumph Lyubertsy in Russia. However due to the club's sudden financial difficulties Interperformances had to find another option to the player. Last season in the Eurocup competition he averaged 6.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in just 17.6 minutes.

source : interperformances.com

Delfino deal to be finalised

The Toronto Raptors completed a trade with the Bucks on Tuesday, sending Carlos Delfino to Milwaukee as part of a four-player deal. Toronto acquired forward Amir Johnson and guard-forward Sonny Weems and sent Roko Ukic to Milwaukee along with Delfino, who spent last season in Russia.

"Carlos made it clear he would prefer to play elsewhere if he were to return to the NBA," Raptors president Bryan Colangelo said in a statement. "There were limited sign and trade scenarios available, but acquiring Amir Johnson in this deal gives us another long, talented young big man whose best basketball is ahead of him."

Johnson spent the past four seasons in Detroit before getting dealt to Milwaukee in June. He appeared in 62 games for the Pistons last season and shot a team-best 59.5 percent while averaging 3.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.97 blocks. Weems appeared in 14 games as a rookie with the Denver Nuggets last year.

Delfino appeared in 82 games with the Raptors in 2007-08, averaging 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. Ukic made his NBA debut last season following six seasons overseas. He averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 assists and 12.4 minutes in 72 games.

source : nba.com

Greek League Reloaded?

After a tumultuous season, where certain teams struggled to finish the league in the same rosters they started it in, the Greek A1 league needed a change. One might say Greek basketball needed a change on more than one levels. For the first time in the history of the league a new regulation has been approved by all the teams in the league that allows every Greek team to have in their roster more than 2 non-European players. The maximum amount of non-Greek players is still 6, so in theory they could have up to 6 players with a European passport and up to 3 players from outside Europe.

The regulation was approved by all teams, even Panathinaikos, although one might have thought that Zeljko Obradovic would be against it. The Serbian coach has a long history of using American players that cannot finally adapt to his coaching style. Most of the teams in Greece signed the maximum amount of 3 non-Greek players, adding a variety of American players into the mix. Even the president of the Hellenic Basketball Federation, Georgios Vasilakopoulos, was reluctant to approve the new rule as he was receiving numerous complaints from the Union of Professional Players (ESAKE) of Greece. But the rule was approved and shortly after a few teams announced their new acquisitions. Let's take a look as to how they made the best out the new rule.

Kolossos BC added the number 60 of the 2009 draft, Robert Dozier(2.06-PF), while at the same renewed the contract of Lance Harris(1.97-SG/SF) and finally added experienced center John Edwards(2.13-C) from the Iowa Energy of the NBDL.

Aris Thessaloniki signed NBA veteran Ira Newble(2.01-PF), shooter Jeremy Richardson(2.01-SG/SF) of the Orlando Magic and added Curtis Stinson(1.91-PG) of the in the point guard position. Kavala signed NCAA swingman Lorrenzo Wade(1.98-SG/SF) from San Diego, Richard Shields(1.90-SG) who has already a few seasons in Europe and saved the best for last by signing veteran Demetrius Alexander(2.04-PF) that reached the Latvian league final with Barons.

Peristeri, that returned to the big league after 5 seasons, signed combo guard Cliff Hammonds(1.90-PG/SG), who played in Turkey last season, they snatched forward Will Daniels(2.03-SF/PF) from Kavala BC and the latest rumors want them to be targeting Senegalese power forward Pape Sow(2.11-PF) although it might seem an unlikely target.

Maroussi BC signed combo guard Jamon Gordon(1.90-PG/SG) who played in Croatia and Germany last season, renewed the contract of seasoned veteran Billy Keys(1.88-PG) and brought back experienced center Jared Homan(2.08-C) who played in the Euroleague for Cibona last season. Panionios signed undrafted free agent Kevin Rogers(2.06-PF) of the Baylor Bears, scoring guard Tyrese Rice(1.85-PG) of Boston College and recently signed swingman scorer B.J. Elder (1.93-SG/SF) formerly of Cantu.

Panellinios got rid of Anthony Grundy and replaced him with William Avery(1.90-PG) formerly of Trikala and signed Devin Smith(1.97-SF) who played for Fenerbahce last season. They have left one more spot open for a foreign player which is not yet certain who will it be. Trikala signed experienced forward Kasib Powell(2.01-SF) who played in China and the NBDL last season, they signed A.J. Abrams(1.80-PG) of the Texas Longhorns and finally power forward Tyrell Biggs(2.03-PF).

Ilisiakos signed dunking sensation Brent Petway(2.03-SF) who has been given the nickname 'Air Georgia' due to his spectacular dunks and also center Brian Butch(2.11-C) who played in Germany last season. Ilisiakos reserves one more spot for a foreign player as well. Another team that signed 2 foreign players so far is AEK. They signed one of the best players of previous season, center Torin Francis(2.10-C) who played for AEL and also small forward Lamont Mack(2.01-SF) of the Charlotte 49ers.

Paok and Olympia Larissa have not yet signed any players at all, let alone any non-European players and their future in the league is uncertain. Paok was recently targetting Jarrod Stevenson, who played for Maroussi last season but he recently signed a new contract with Hemofarm. Their massive debts and lack of funds do not make them an appealing team whereas Olympia is on the verge of either declaring bankruptcy or merging with another team in Larissa. Either way not much time is left.

Panathinaikos stayed the same. They still retain Mike Batiste(2.03-PF) and Drew Nicholas(1.93-SG/PG), whereas Olympiakos signed NBA star Von Wafer(1.96-SG/SF) of the Houston Rockets and retained a former NBA star Josh Childress(2.03-SF), previously of the Atlanta Hawks. They also signed Thomas Kelati(1.96-SG/SF) but it is very likely that the contract will be broken and Kelati will continue his career elsewhere. His signing did not go down very well with the fans of Olympiakos. Perhaps there is another signing on the way for Olympiakos..

So what does this mean for the Greek League? Was this the breath of fresh air that it desperately needed? Having a look at the rosters alone it seems that the situation from the 6th position and below has never been more uncertain. The teams that have a medium or small budget filled gaps in their roster with players that they could not get previously. Let's not forget that the American market provides more players than the European and sometimes bargains can be found because of the sheer amount of players desperate for a contract. This means that EU players will have to reduce their salaries inadvertently and also the Greek players will have to follow suit. One might say that this move has somewhat balanced the market in Greece and sparked new interest for a League that has been suffering from credibility and interest the last few years.

Surely the competition for 2 top spots still belongs to the wealthiest teams but the rest of the positions seem to be up for grabs by anyone. Aris and Panellinios seem to be the favorites for the 3rd place but Maroussi and Panionios are not far behind. But even those teams cannot feel completely safe as it could be anyone's game. It's also something that hasn't been done before and that alone has brought many people back to basketball in Greece. More television channels have stepped into the arena to secure the broadcast rights of the games and the recent success of the U19 and U20 National Teams are showing the way to the Greek public. It will certainly be an interesting season and the curtain falls on September 29th with the Qualifying Rounds of the Euroleague, where Aris and Maroussi will battle it out for a chance to play in the Euroleague regular season and give the Greek crowds a taste of things to come.

Maroussi BC made an offer to Aigars Vitols

According to exclusive information, Maroussi BC are interested in Latvian combo-guard Aigars Vitols(1.92-PG/SG) who is currently playing with the National Team of Latvia. The Latvian veteran received a good offer from Maroussi BC and he is currently considering it. The economic crisis affected European basketball as well and many teams could not afford the salaries of their players and ASK Riga was one of the teams that was seriously affected. His decision will be greatly affected by the financial stability of the club which has always been punctual in payments.

Vitols played for ASK Riga in the Baltic League and the Latvian League last season averaging 9.7 points 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 15 games in the Baltic League and also 11.1 points 4.1 rebounds and 2 assists in 16 games in the Latvian League.

The Hoop will be back on Wednesday

The Hoop will be back this Wednesday 18th if all goes well and it will return with a special article on the transfers of the Greek League and the effects of the economic crisis on the player market!