The Greek National Team thread

[truly]

I really hope he takes the summer off. He has played great but if im being honest he looks slower than usual.

If the Bucks make it deep in the playoffs i dont think Giannis can play in the qualifiers who are in June.
But if Greece qualifies there is no chance he misses the Olympics.The european qualifiers are tough,with multiple good teams and Greece is not guaranteed to play at the tournament and he could easily end up never having a chance to do it in the future.

[Chuck Diesel]

Giannis’s girlfriend is gonna want to keep him away from Rick Pitino...

[Nightfall]

I don't know if in the end it actually happened, but before the negotiations started, Pitino said that he consider his honor to coach the NT and that he doesn't want a salary.

[Chuck Diesel]

I don't know if in the end it actually happened, but before the negotiations started, Pitino said that he consider his honor to coach the NT and that he doesn't want a salary.

Yeah that’s 100% bull ****. He’ll certainly he expecting payment. Sounds like something he’d say though.

[Beorn]

Knowing the Federation's financial situation, it's highly unlikely he will get paid at all Only chance he is paid in more than 5-figures salary is that an external sponsor is paying his salary on behalf of the Federation

[JABRoy]

Rick Pitino is an interesting hire in my opinion.

With Pitino, do you think there is a chance to see Zisis and Spanoulis again in the national team?

Thanks

[Mirotic12]

Rick Pitino is an interesting hire in my opinion.

With Pitino, do you think there is a chance to see Zisis and Spanoulis again in the national team?

Thanks

The Greek EuroLeague club Panathinaikos basically de facto runs the Greek basketball federation. Had Pitino coached Olympiacos last season (or even AEK Athens for that matter), instead of Panathinaikos, he wouldn't be allowed to coach the Greek NT, even if he paid the Greek federation $5 million.

Spanoulis and Zisis are extremely reviled by most of the Panathinaikos world (owners, managers, fans), so not likely happening, unless Pitino leaves Panathinaikos. However, if Pitino leaves Panathinaikos, then yes, it's possible.

[Mirotic12]

There is supposed to be an announcement soon, that Rick Pitino and Giannis asked Spanoulis to return to the national team and that he said yes. Also supposedly, Printezis, Zisis and Bourousis said they will also return if Spanoulis does.

So they would likely all play at the Olympic qualifier tournament, which the Antetokounmpo brothers and Kosta Koufos would very likely not play at. Then, if Greece was able to qualify for the Olympics, then the belief is that Giannis would probably join the team at the actual Olympics. And everything also seems to show that Pitino will stay on as the head coach.

First time the Greek national team had any good news, in like at least 5 years.

[Magic Giannison]

Why is Pitinio not out of the team yet, after all the **** he created?

[greekbuck34]

The greek pool of talent is crap in the Giannis era compared to the golden era of Greek basketball a few years back.
If 38-39y old Spanoulis takes the some of the load of leading mentaly and in the clutch from Giannis I'm good with that.
The Spanoulis/19-20y Giannis PNR from a few years back was our best play we had for him in the Greek NT.

[Pachinko_]

There is supposed to be an announcement soon, that Rick Pitino and Giannis asked Spanoulis to return to the national team and that he said yes. Also supposedly, Printezis, Zisis and Bourousis said they will also return if Spanoulis does.

JFC

Should get Galis too

[Fotis St]

I will never forgive the Greek **** coaches like Katsikaris that parked Giannis at the corner 3 on offense.
And playing Calathes all these years next to Giannis instead of Sloukas is a basketball crime that should send you a lifetime out of the sport of Basketball. In fact Giannis shouldn't play a single minute without Sloukas who was/is our best 3pt shooter-even off the dribble & a playmaker ... Case closed

[Mirotic12]

I will never forgive the Greek **** coaches like Katsikaris that parked Giannis at the corner 3 on offense.
And playing Calathes all these years next to Giannis instead of Sloukas is a basketball crime that should send you a lifetime out of the sport of Basketball. In fact Giannis shouldn't play a single minute without Sloukas who was/is our best 3pt shooter-even off the dribble & a playmaker ... Case closed

Sloukas isn't Greece's best 3 point shooter. He's only effective if he's open. He can't shoot at all with any pressure on him. And he also can't shoot at all coming off a screen. And he's not even that good at shooting off the dribble either. He's very good, even great at spot shooting, but yeah, hardly good at all at the others.

[Fotis St]

I will never forgive the Greek **** coaches like Katsikaris that parked Giannis at the corner 3 on offense.
And playing Calathes all these years next to Giannis instead of Sloukas is a basketball crime that should send you a lifetime out of the sport of Basketball. In fact Giannis shouldn't play a single minute without Sloukas who was/is our best 3pt shooter-even off the dribble & a playmaker ... Case closed

Sloukas isn't Greece's best 3 point shooter. He's only effective if he's open. He can't shoot at all with any pressure on him. And he also can't shoot at all coming off a screen. And he's not even that good at shooting off the dribble either. He's very good, even great at spot shooting, but yeah, hardly good at all at the others.

I am thinking if there is any reason to continue debating with you ... I will just skip it Miro

[AussieBuck]

There is supposed to be an announcement soon, that Rick Pitino and Giannis asked Spanoulis to return to the national team and that he said yes. Also supposedly, Printezis, Zisis and Bourousis said they will also return if Spanoulis does.

JFC

Should get Galis too

Rick Pitino out here reading my signature.

[Mirotic12]

I am thinking if there is any reason to continue debating with you ... I will just skip it Miro

Sloukas had an enormously disappointing and failed season. He was the worst EuroLeague signing of the year, considering his huge salary. He was unbelievably non clutch, and single handedly cost his team about 5 losses with choke jobs. One of them, the choke against Zalgiris, was one of the worst chokes in EuroLeague history.

He was extremely inconsistent, being very good in one game, and then mediocre or awful in the next 2-3 games, and rinse and repeat. His defense was absolutely atrocious. He was in a battle with Shane Larkin for the title of the worst defender at the point guard position in EuroLeague. He had to be benched for entire 4th quarters in numerous games, because he was unplayable, due to his awful defense.

We can stop with all the nonsense hyperbole hype and overrating of Sloukas now. Olympiacos fans, and even the press, were calling him out over and over during the season, because of all his failures.

[Mirotic12]

Greek NT update for the Pre-Olympics qualifier in Canada.

https://www.eurohoops.net/en/national-teams/1211171/spanoulis-in-dorsey-and-koufos-out-for-the-greek-nt/

Spanoulis in, Dorsey and Koufos out for the Greek NT

[AussieBuck]

lol

[JABRoy]

What will be the next steps for the Greek National Team?

Some notes:
1. New coach (my dream is Dimitris Itoudis)
2. Eurobasket ‘22
3. World Championship ‘23
4. Olympics ‘24

I believe it will be a rejuvenated and Giannis-focused team for Big events.

Some thoughts will be:

OUT: Spanoulis ‘82 Zisis ‘83 BOUROUSIS ‘83
PRINTEZIS ‘85 Bramos ‘87
IN: Giannis ‘94 & Thanatis ‘92 & Kostas ‘97 Chrysikopoulos ‘92 Larentzakis ‘93 Mitrou Long ‘93 Auguste ‘93 Papapetrou ‘94 Agravanis ‘94 Dorsey ‘96 Mitoglou ‘96 Koniaris ‘97 Papagiannis ‘97 Rogkavopoulos ‘01
TO EVALUATE: Calathes ‘89 Koufos ‘89
Sloukas ‘90 Mantzaris ‘90 Pappas ‘90 PAPANIKOLAOU ‘90 Kaselakis ‘90 Katsivelis ‘91 Kavvadas ‘91 Alex ANTETOKOUNMPO ‘01 Kalaizakis ‘99

[Fotis St]

Whoever is in charge of the roster ... We are very unlucky that GIannis era comes in a bottom low talent wise level in the History of Greek Basketball. I mean unfortunately our best guards are Sloukas and Calathes ... a 31 year old and a 32 year old.
Where did all the Greek talented guards go in the last 10 years ?
A waste of a decade has happened and it will look even worse unless the Federation finally realises that it the best interest of the sport and the Greek players to create and copy the Draft Procedure. I am in favour to copy the NBA system in total.
Force a 30 Team League that will include most current teams and the biggest cities of Greece.
Force small Clubs to merge into one City representative.
Just copy the NBA. Let a big salary cap in order for Panathinaikos & Olympiacos to operate and compete for Euroleague.
I am not sure if Big Teams will agree, but they should. Maybe give them a tax free 3 year gift in order to build a league we will be proud of. Then you will see that the best Greek talents will be drafted from low talent teams and will have the playing time in order to improve and reach their potential. Currently best Greek Players (stupidly) sign a 4y/ 200K contract at the age of 17-18 and become proffessional bench warmers in the top Greek clubs. What a disgrace for their talent and Greek Basketball in general. It is everybody's fault, not only the Clubs.

So ... Sloukas and Dorsey should have been our starting backcourt. We need shooters around Giannis.
Calathes is not a good fit with Giannis he can be our 6th man.
Our bigs Mitoglou and Papagiannis (he has become way slimmer & mobile than his NBA version) are good to duplicate the Portis, Lopez combo. All we need is shooters.