Here is a thought what about a Greek PG...?

No, not that Greek PG, but there are rumblings that Theo Papaloukas is finally serious about playing in the NBA this year.

He has been offered the full MLE by several teams over the last few years, and if he is truly serious about it now, before he gets too old, then why not make a run at the guy?

6'7" player with amazing passing ability and finishing around the rim. Here is a YouTube compilation, please ignore the music...but at least check out the guys game.

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A player like this backing up Rafer, or maybe even taking over for him could really help the team out.

And it would be an add on, rather than a trade which would help keep the glorioius chemistry this team has intact.

Thoughts?

DD

 

He is widely regarded as the best player not playing in the NBA

Why not make a run at him...he just turned 31 years old, has accomplished everything in Europe and may be ready to make the jump.

He almost came over last year, and 12 teams were after him

From the above link:

"Teo admitted the rumours that he is searching for a team in NBA, adding that this team should give him the playing time, the money and the victories that he [is] used to enjoy[ing] in Europe.

"I want to go to the NBA but only for playing in the highest level. I am not a teenager anymore; I am almost 30 years old, thus I have to be very careful. I will go to a team that is a winner. I don't want to play for a club that counts 50 losses every season.... I am speaking with 12 teams but I cannot reveal them right now."

Papaloukas said that he would like to go to "a team where the coach would respect me and believe in what I can offer. I don't want to be like Vasilis Spanoulis that has the quality and the potential to play in the league but he belongs to a team that hasn't given him the opportunity to play."

"Personally, I am interested mostly for teams such as San Antonio, Dallas, Detroit, Cleveland and Miami. I am waiting for some changes on those teams. If an important player leaves, maybe there would be an empty place for me. However, it still is a very difficult and an important decision, as well."

DD

 

From Draft express


Looking for an unusual player? What about a 6-7 point guard? What about a Euroleague MVP that comes off the bench? What about a guy who almost always displays his best level in important and meaningful games? That’s Theodoros Papaloukas, arguably the reigning best player in Europe, the direct heir of guys such as Dejan Bodiroga and Sarunas Jasikevicius, a fierce and insatiable competitor, a winner, a perennial hero for his team. Papaloukas was coming back to Athens, his hometown, to try and win back-to-back Euroleague titles for CSKA Moscow. It just happened that he couldn’t get it done this time despite putting one of the best shows of his life in the final against Panathinaikos.

Right after the semifinal win over Tau Vitoria, CSKA coach Ettore Messina showed his concern about Papaloukas taking too much responsibility for this event in his homeland (he joked about Theo organizing travel, tickets, practice, the hotel…), but it was what actually happened in the final, as a huge amount of his team’s offensive load went through his hands, either with points directly scored by him, creating spaces for his teammates with his aggressive playing style or passing the ball to an open man.

Papaloukas is a difficult player to contest. He’s tall and quite strong for a guard, enjoying very good ball-handling skills to protect the ball despite his size, and displays decent quickness. Theo can drive and dribble in traffic, even with contact, which helps him overpower his match-ups. He perfectly uses his size to post up his defender, even beating guys as tall as him (like Siskauskas in the final). And then, it’s a matter of his great ability to finish near the basket (partially thanks to his size), magnificent court vision and an impressive mind to take decisions. The guy always knows when to push the ball and run (either because of a certain play situation or what the game demands), when to stop and play a more drawn out sequence, and when to resolve with a pick and roll play or an individual effort.

Actually we’re talking about a master of the pick and roll, a playmaker that perfectly feeds the teammate setting the pick and rolling towards the basket, often with high passes where he takes advantage of his size. If the defense doesn’t stay honest, he will either go all the way to the basket to score himself or shoot the ball off the dribble. Here we find his main weakness in terms of offensive game though: he’s not much of a shooter, although he will punish you if he’s left wide open. His passing game is not only about two-on-two situations, but he finds his teammates on the weak side extremely easily, he’s very dangerous distributing the ball from the low post (especially because he usually attracts defensive helps), and generally speaking, if there’s any defensive mistake, chances are he will make pay by sending the ball instantaneously to the appropriate place. It’s also interesting to note how he often passes while in the air, a high risk proposition, but he rarely turns the ball over, as his mind offers him quick solutions.

Theo helps in the rebounding department, usually igniting the fastbreak (also if he receives a quick outlet pass) to look for easy baskets. He’s an unspectacular, but solid defender; let’s say he fills the bill. Obviously he’s not the quickest guy around when it comes to moving laterally, which would hurt him in the NBA matching-up against point guards. Neither is he very athletic for a wing. But there aren’t many guys around with his combination of character and skills. In a world increasingly starving for true playmakers, he’s the answer. Will the NBA feel the same way? We’ll find out this summer.


DD

 

Profile from Draft Express

The Top Overseas Free Agents on the 2007 Market (Part Three)

The best player in Europe, period. If we had the Bodiroga reign or the Jasikevicius reign in past years, we’re now right into the Papaloukas reign in Europe. Everything he touches becomes a success, either with his team CSKA or playing for his native country Greece.

A superb floor general, Papaloukas always comes off the bench to provide a huge offensive spark to his team from the point guard position. It’s a repeated situation: as soon as he on the court his team builds a solid lead in the score. Theo is a very smart playmaker that tries to takes advantage of any situation to get easy points. He’s excellent in transition, but also very effective in the offensive set.

Papaloukas is an off-the-charts passer and distributor. Not only does he enjoy terrific court vision and decision making skills, but his 6-7 frame comes in very handy to easily see the floor. He particularly excels in pick-and-roll settings. In pure two-on-two plays, he’s most likely going to get the job done. He enjoys very solid ball-handling skills, being aggressive attacking the basket and pretty difficult to stop around the rim due to his size, so somebody has to step into his way, and its right at that moment when he delivers the pass to the big man, usually over his rival’s head. If any defensive help arrives, he finds the open man. His biggest weakness is his perimeter stroke, but he’s not that bad of a shooter to grant him a lot of space. Theo also uses his size in the low post, either to score himself or to pass the ball. He’s also very good with the kickout pass, feeding the weak-side, cutters or just moving the ball within the offensive flow.

A curiosity: Theo Papaloukas was this season the single only player able to eventually make Ricky Rubio look like a teenager on defense.

Unspectacular, but solid on defense, this is the area that might raise the biggest concerns about his position in the NBA. He’s likely not quick enough to consistently stay in front of many NBA point guards. So defensively he could really use quick perimeter teammates to switch their assignment. Another issue is his age. He’s has been peaking for a couple of years and won’t get any younger, although he’s not a guy that needs to rely that much on his athleticism (actually, he’s an average athlete).

Any team looking to sign him should be well aware of how to take advantage of Papaloukas. It’s either he really runs the point or he will be pretty much useless on an NBA court. Theo is the player he is now because of the way he makes decisions with the ball in his hands. Put him off the ball and he’s a bust waiting to happen (he’s not even a good shooter a la Jasikevicius). Indeed, he’s not a teenager who needs to earn his stripes on the court; regardless of not having any NBA experience, you better give him floor general status. Any other situation is a mere waste of time, money and talent.

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Sounds like an interesting upgrade to Rafer.

DD

 

I don't think so, Rick Adelman has a very fine reputation with Euro types of players.

I don't think JVG and V-Span's issue will have any say in this matter, I think he is looking for a GOOD NBA team that he can help take over the top.

And, uh....I think we qualify.

DD

 

Old and slow? The guy is 31....give him a 3 year deal....and just won the MVP over there.

He is hardly old or slow, actually he is younger than Rafer.....

I guess Detroit, the Lakers, Miami and all the other teams that were pursuing him last year too were wrong?

I mean come on, this is a possible way to fixing an area of need and not blowing up the team or harming the chemistry.

You could even leave Rafer as the starter and bring this guy off the bench to spell him and TMac ala Manu Ginobli.

MOREY....Get R DONE !

DD - dropping the knowledge and keeping it real.

 

Hardly, I am just wanting the team to improve in order to win a championship....the Greek reference was a little humor because of my man crush on V-Span last year.

DD

 

The Scola experiment went ok, didn't it?

You have to risk something to gain something....if you believe this team is very close to winning it all when healthy than you need to find good economically feasible ways to improve the team.

This might be one.......Lot's of teams have been after this guy for a reason......

Might we be chasing as well?

DD