We talk about Greek NT... about Papaloukas, Diamantidis, Fotsis, Papadopoulos, Shortsianitis, Zisis, Dikoudis, Kakiouzis, ...... we talk for old legends of NT team like Gallis, Giannakis, Fasoulas, Hristodoulou, ......
Greek NT will face a best-of the-best European team in OAKA stadium in June 30th (i think).
As for the players:
Zisis: after Benetton got their cup removed and the -12 points in the league he is probably leaving in the summer, already Panathinaikos, Olympiakos (maybe even with coach Blatt) and Ivkovic' Dynamo are interested.
Fotsis: I think he will be a free agent in the summer and Olympiakos is interested although Fotsis won a Euroleague with Panathinaikos.
Papadopoulos: Same goes here, greek press is talking about a done deal between him and Panathinaikos but i don't buy it cause Papadopoulos is an old skool center who plays with hooks and etc and Obradovic wants flexible centers with a good 5 metres shot and who can play pick n roll with closed eyes.
Kakiouzis: Who knows...
Diamantidis: Recently signed a new 3 years contract worth 5.5 million Euros.
Papaloukas: Although he's got a 0 minimum release clause fee for any Greek side he is going nowhere.
Schortsianitis: He is struggling all year long now with Gershon, it will be best for all if he goes to NBA next season.
Dikoudis: Going nowhere.
Hatzivrettas: Free Agents in summer, but Panathinaikos is gonna keep him IMO.
Could someone give the list of potential candidates for Greek NT this summer?
We surely have: Printezis ( Olympiakos ), Perperoglou ( Panathinaikos ), Verginis ( PAOK ), Big Sofo ( Olympiakos ), Koufos, Nick Calathes, Patt Calathes(?), Tsaldaris ( Aris ), Tsiaras ( Olympia Larisa ), Vasiliades ( Olympiakos ), Sakota ( Panionios ).
I surely forget many, many more, but to be honest, I don't think that there will be many changes in NT roster. I think that Sofo, Perperoglou and Koufos are the clear favorite to grab a position ( from Kakiouzis, Chatzivrettas, Papadopoulos(?) and maybe Papaloukas ). Printezis, Verginis and Calathes' bros, are the next candidates.
PS. Mike Batiste maybe is in the list above, too. What on hell is going on with his Greek passport ? It would be great to have Sofo and Mike in the same team... <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
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hello.I want buy one jersey of greek team of basketball,where is possible? it´s possible buy panathinaikos and olympiakos jersey too? thanks
Lazaros Papadopoulos (Real Madrid) retired form Greece NT at the age of 28.
[quote name='Arkadios']Lazaros Papadopoulos (Real Madrid) retired form Greece NT at the age of 28.[/quote]
Well Papadopoulos played bad all year and perhaps he (rightfully) feels that he would be more of a snag than a valuable member to the NT. All in all I think it was a drastic decision, since he could (can) recover his shape and could have simply made a stop this year and depending on how things would work make a return. Despite all the criticism, he was an important player for the NT, that can't be erased with simplicity.
Quote:GRE ââ¬â Spanoulis philosophical about changes in Greece squad
ATHENS (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men) - Vassilis Spanoulis sounded like a leader on the first day of Greeceââ¬â¢s preparations for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
The explosive Panathinaikos guard, an important member of the side that won gold at EuroBasket 2005 and silver at EuroBasket 2006, will have a prominent role on the floor and, it appears, in the dressing room as well.
Asked on Monday about the fact that players from recent squads are no longer with the Greeks (Nikos Hatzivrettas, Lazaros Papadopoulos, captain Michalis Kakiouzis and Dimos Ntikoudis), Spanoulis said: ââ¬ÅWhether we like it or not, we have to take as granted the fact that some players stay, others go, others decide to stop or a few simply and unavoidably grow older.
ââ¬ÅThat's life. On the other hand, we have some new additions that have been called.ââ¬Â
Newcomers include Kostas Koufos, the highly-rated American-born center who is projected to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft after just one season at Ohio State University.
Koufos was the most valuable player of the U18 European Championship last year, leading Greece to a silver medal.
Other newcomers in the preliminary squad are Vassilis Xanthopoulos (Panionios), Dimitris Tsaldaris (Aris), Yannis Kalampokis (Panionios), Yorgos Printezis (Olympiacos) and Ian Vouyoukas (Olympiacos).
ââ¬ÅThe most important thing is that we bind as a team,ââ¬Â Spanoulis said.
ââ¬ÅWe have the time to get to know each other on the court and we are committed to bringing to life our first and foremost aim which is our qualification to Beijing.ââ¬Â
Greece have the advantage of hosting the FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournament in Athens.
Three spots for the Beijing Games are still up for grabs and most people expect the Greeks to take one of them.
"The goal of our team is our qualification for the Olympic Games,ââ¬Â he said.
ââ¬ÅWe have gathered for the preparations, we have a big tournament ahead and I find it hard to believe that someone would not want to be present at the Olympic Games.
ââ¬ÅIt is a very big honor for someone to take part, but we do have the preliminary round first to deal with.ââ¬Â
In Group A, Greece, who are still coached by Panagiotis Yannakis, will take on Brazil and Lebanon.
If they reach the quarter-finals, they will take on Germany, New Zealand or Cape Verde.
ââ¬ÅThe Olympic Games are still quite far away from our reach at this very moment in time,ââ¬Â Spanoulis added.
ââ¬ÅWhat is vital now for us is to get as well prepared as possible so as to bring the dream closer to our grasp.ââ¬Â
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Quote:Greece great Theo Papaloukas admits this summer is going to be very different with four of the team's EuroBasket 2005 heroes no longer with the squad.
Lazaros Papadopoulos, Dimos Ntikoudis and Nikos Hatzivrettas decided not to play this season while captain Michalis Kakiouzis was not included in Panagiotis Yannakis' preliminary squad.
"It is a different team with the absence of the four guys that left, because all four of them were very important elements of our national team machine on and off the court," Papaloukas said.
"But putting all this aside, there are new faces that must be embedded into our team's philosophy and it is the coach's decision that this is the identity that the team should have for this tournament.
There are newcomers in the preliminary squad like Kostas Koufos, the MVP of last year's U18 European Championship, Vassilis Xanthopoulos, Dimitris Tsaldaris, Yannis Kalampokis, Yorgos Printezis and Ian Vouyoukas.
"A cycle comes to its completion with this year's Olympic Games but despite this, the national team has been built in such a manner that every year, the new faces can be taught the secrets of the team's function in order to have a better flow," Papaloukas said.
Kalampokis, a 29-year-old guard at Panionios, is elated to be a member of the national team set-up and will do his best to make the final squad that plays at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
"The calling came somewhat late for me, but as they say better late than never," he said.
"I am very happy and excited to be here. It is an exciting adventure and I want to enjoy it to the full. There was no omen that it would happen but I must admit that I've had it on my mind and since it became a reality, I look forward to living up to the challenge after being invited."
Greece are at home in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, a huge advantage when considering they will have a packed O.A.K.A. cheering them on.
"In every event that we take part in, we must win," Papaloukas said.
"This time, I think that the conditions are much more on our side because the tournament will take place here in Athens. Of course there is more anxiety, but with the support of our fans, we believe we will make it happen."
Greece will take on Brazil and Lebanon in Group A of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
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I like the Greek players' mentality. They agree with what I've been saying all this time. That Greece has to actually qualify for the Olympics first through the tournament in Athens and THEN worry about the Olympics...
Let's take things one at a time.
Bah <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/angry.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
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Quote:American-born Kostas Koufos raised eyebrows in Greece last year by leading the country to a silver medal at the U18 European Championship in Madrid.
His budding international career will have to wait, however, after the youngster's decision to pass on the national team this summer and instead focus on his NBA career with the Utah Jazz - the team that selected him 23rd in the first round of last week's draft.
Koufos, who turned professional after his freshman year at Ohio State, was included in Panagiotis Yannakis' preliminary squad for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament but has revealed he will spend his summer with the Jazz getting ready for his rookie season.
"For me, the priority's NBA," Koufos said in the Salt Lake Tribune.
"Always will be. Whatever the staff needs me to do to excel on the NBA level, I'm willing to do."
Had Koufos joined Yannakis' squad and made the team, he would have played in front of sold-out arenas in Athens where the Greeks will gunning for one of three places still up for grabs for the Beijing Games.
They will take on Brazil and Lebanon in Group A.
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Quote:Kostas Koufos has insisted that it's his "big dream" to play for Greece's national team but admitted that his new career with the NBA's Utah Jazz has to take priority.
The American-born center caused a stir in his parents' homeland of Greece last year when he played for the country at the U18 European Championship in Spain and earned the honour as tournament MVP after the Greeks' silver-medal showing.
Having decided to turn professional after just one year at Ohio State, Koufos was selected 23rd by the Utah Jazz in last week's draft.
He issued a statement which said: "Unfortunately I will not be able to compete with the Greek team this year, because I have to be in Utah due to my obligations with the team that has chosen me.
"However, it is still my big dream and personal goal to play for my national team.
"I would like to thank all of the people of the Hellenic Basketball Federation and all the Greeks for their support."
Koufos was named in the preliminary squad by Panagiotis Yannakis but was no guarantee to make the team.
Had he decided to attend the national team camp and made it, and then helped the Greeks claim one of three spots at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, he could have been an Olympian and taken on new Jazz teammate Andrei Kirilenko of Russia.
Koufos' mother, Katherine, expressed her gratitude to Greece.
"It was Kostas' dream to play for the Greek team," she said.
"Unfortunately, he cannot do that now because he has to train with the Jazz.
"We hope that next summer, he can make his dream come true and play for the national team.
"We would like to thank Mr George Vassilakopoulos (president of FIBA Europe) and Mr Panagiotis Yannakis for the interest they have shown for Kostas and for their help."
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