By Stavros Barbarousis/ info@eurohoops.net
Dimitris Gianakopoulos is trying to convince Rick Pitino to stay in Greece and take over a long-term project about Panathinaikos, but the club has already a plan B if they can’t keep the Hall of Famer coach in Athens.
Pitino has a great relationship with the owner of the Greens, but he remains undecided about his future and so far there’s no clear indication about his final decision. However, despite his initial stance when he said that his tenure in Greece is just a “sabbatical“, things have changed.
Pitino has his objections about how things are done in Greece, still, on the other hand, the challenge of leading Panathinaikos to the EuroLeague title is intriguing.
If Pitino decides to stay in Greece, that will be his main motivation. If he decides to leave, then Panathinaikos is expected to sign a Greek coach with a one year contract.
Argiris Pedoulakis, the current coach of Peristeri and former coach of the Greens, is the main candidate and Ilias Papatheodorou who finished the season on the bench of PAOK is also on the list.