By Tolis Kotzias/ info@eurohoops.net
The European market has been always attractive in the eyes of the NBA teams, something first started 25 years ago and it spread during the ’90s. The Portland Trail Blazers traditionally trusted non-American players. It was from the first teams they acquired a European guy, Fernando Martin, from Spain, who wore their jersey in 1986-87 season.
From back then to now, the Trail Blazers have signed many great European players, like the late Drazen Petrovic or Arvidas Sabonis and last but not least, Nicolas Batum. And you can be sure, there are many more on the way. Among them, a Greek guy: Kostas Papanikolaou!
This is not the first Greek, whose rights belonged to the Portland. Legendary Greek center Panagiotis Fasoulas was their draft pick (1986, Round2, #37), but he never crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the NBA. Something Papanikolaou might do. The 22years old forward signed with Olympiacos in the summer of 2009, with the Reds paying to his former team, Aris, 1.000.000 euros for his buy-out.
Last summer, the New York Knicks picked him (Round 2, #48), but he ended up to the Trail Blazers, together with his teammate, in Olympiacos, George Printezis. They were parts of the trade, which sent Raymond Felton to Knicks, but Portland didn’t land Papanikolaou by accident. They knew him really well and they believe he will try to be an NBAer. When?
Papanikolaou has an NBA-out for next summer, but it’s for 1.000.000 euros. According to the new collective bargaining agreement, Blazers have the ability to pay it in full, but here things are starting to get complicated. The team can pay directly to Olympiacos 550.000$. The rest of the money – about 750.000$ – can be included in the salary of Papanikolaou, but this will probably be negotiated between the NBA team and the player. And it has to be noted that “Pap”’s contract with the Reds expires on 2014, so it’s only logical for Olympiacos to try and sign him to an extension this summer.
The fact still is that Portland’s international scout, Jason Philippe watched Olympiacos’ game against Armani at Milan and he will travel to Athens, for… the same reason, while he has gotten many DVDs from games the Reds played this season.
We tried to have an official statement on the matter, but the Blazers denied any comment. The bottom line is they are interested in Papanikolaou and they will call him to Portland sooner or later.