By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
After the victory of Real Madrid against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Sergio Llull’s name once again became the talk of the town in the whereabouts of Houston.
His exhilarating performance of 22 points, 9 assists and no less than three buzzer-beating baskets – including the downtown bomb that forced overtime – was a strong reminder of why the Rockets have the hots for the Spanish superstar of the “Blancos”.
People of the Texan club who oogled Llull’s magics against an NBA team, thinking how fun it would be to see him repeating it wearing the Rockets‘ jersey, have probably got even more excited when they heard that the 28-year old combo guard “hasn’t closed the door to the best league in the planet.”
The NBA sirens’ seductive song hadn’t managed to be attractive enough, so far, to make Llull abandon his post of leadership in Real Madrid with which he signed a six-year contract extension on summer of 2015.
What is more, the buy-out included in his new deal is reportedly €12.000.000 . A price of astronomical proportions for a European player. If they want him, they have to pay buckets.
However, according to ESPN, the above number is not entirely true and the actual buy-out is around a sum that is considered “manageable” enough for the Rockets to create a formula by which they will succeed in acquiring him.
Not only hasn’t the team abandoned its pursuit for the player, but it will continue the courting attempts to convince him becoming a Houston resident.
With the powers that be having already rightfully decided that Sergio Llull is NBA material, the question is how willing is he to leave Madrid and Real where he is an absolute leader, the “go to guy” and is adored with an almost religious passion by the fans.