By Niki Bakouli/ bakouli@eurohoops.net
It’s a fact of life that you really appreciate something, when you lose it. In Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul’s case, the price for this ingratitude will be… too high.
Let’s go back to 2008-2009 season, when Bo McCalebb was Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi’s player, right after the American gratuated from the University of New Orleans. As Mersin’s player, he averaged 17.4 points and 4.7 assists per game and he was also TBL’s leader in steals, with 2.7 per game. Of course Fenerbahce (TBL’s champion, that year) kept an eye on him and way before that season was over, they got his verbal agreement. And that was when the fans took over.
When they heard all about the agreement with McCalebb, they protested, since they didn’t think a player for Mersin was suitable for Turkey’s champion! And their voices were so loud that at the end the team canceled everything. McCalebb signed for Partizan and we all remember what happened afterward: the Serbians qualified to Euroleague’s Final Four, the player got a huge offer from Mens Sana Siena and… two years later Fenerbahce is ready to give him everything he asks to have him as their leader!
“Fener”’s primary target asks for 2.000.000 euros per year, whole Mens Sana Siena’s president, Ferdinando Minucci asking around 1.2 million euros just to let him go. You see, because of their budget’s cut (-30%), the Italians want to get rid of his heavy contract, where there is no buy out, so Minucci can ask for whatever price he wants to. And now you understand why Siena’s president denied CSKA Moscow‘s offer for David Andersen, which was about 700.000 euros! About McCalebb, it’s a matter of time he will sign with Fenerbahce and Romain Sato will follow, if David Hawkins wont sign with them.