From Ball in Europe last Friday:
Walter Herrmann, the current Detroit Piston confirmed to Greece’s Gazzetta newspaper that he has an offer from a Greek team. There are, of course, only two possibilities: Olympiakos and Panathinaikos.
Herrmann, who averaged 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in the Motor City, is the typical NBA player that can make a way more interesting stay in Europe than in the NBA. Serving only as a limited role player in the United States, Herrmann can firstly earn more money in Europe and secondly also play a far larger role in a very competitive championship, the Euroleague.
[…] The craziest rumor is, however, the possible return of Primoz Brezec to his home country of Slovenia. Apparently, a very rich entrepreneur wants to pay Brezec’ salary while he would play for Olimpija Ljubljana. How true this is, has yet to be verified but Brezec has already stated that he won’t stay in the NBA for less than USD 3 million (about EUR 1.5 million net), a salary that top European teams like Barcelona where he is rumored to go, can pay.
(Note: those two links were from Ball in Europe’s original post, though I swapped out the first one for Google’s Greek-to-English translation. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t have a Slovenian-to-English translation for the second link. My apologies to everyone sitting on the edge of their seat for the latest Brezec news — there must be hundreds dozens one or two of you.)
Update: DBB reader GD offers an interesting translation to part of the Brezec interview in the comments:
“I was really disappointed with Flip Saunders. I don’t know what he is so afraid of. As a coach he is absolutely afraid to make any risky moves. If he could have it his way he would play the whole season with five players only. He lacks authority and his players practically ignore him.”
Disclaimer: I don’t speak Slovenian so I can’t verify this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is accurate, especially considering the way Brezec burned his bridges in Charlotte.
Obviously Olimpija Ljubljana needs more crazy on their roster. Go Brezec!
Where has the prestige of playing in the NBA gone for these Euro ballers? I know for a fact that any player from Oz would sell their left nut to play in the NBA.
Mind you, they get paid stuff all in the NBL and those that can’t crack the league head to Europe anyway.
Don’t get me started on draft picks refusing to go to where they are drafted.
Let me offer a translation from the Brezec interview (just the part that may interest DBB readers).
“I was really disappointed with Flip Saunders. I don’t know what he is so afraid of. As a coach he is absolutely afraid to make any risky moves. If he could have it his way he would play the whole season with five players only. He lacks authority and his players practically ignore him.”
You might think that his words have little merit but he was with the Pistons long enough to see what was going on.
Losing Hermann to a Euro team would be a travesty. For what he could potentially bring to the table, we could get him for hella cheap. Especially if our only competition for signing him is euro-ball…
I agree, I think Hermann has a lot of upside. Flip just never played him. He did some really cool things with the ball and his big ass hands. Perfect backup for the 3 spot. Good defense too. C’mon lets keep him Joe.
So I don’t really know where else to post this but I was looking for Chauncey’s support clip of Obama at Joe Louis and came across the NBA’s top 10 playoff plays by Chauncey Billups.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8XkTy4plGU
I like to think that Chauncey is still playing at relatively the same level he was playing at 4 or 5 years ago, but after watching him in these clips, I just don’t see it. He’s not Mr. Big Shot anymore. He’s not Mr. Clutch. All he is in my eyes at this point is Mr. Try and Foul me so I don’t actually have to make this shot.
i think the best affordable and available true center pistons can take is kaman from clippers….at 26yrs of age, thats hell of a good center…he avg. double double…hes a young veteran and i think it’ll be a good complement for sheed, assuming sheed will stay. here are the other true center that’s either unaffordable, or just won’t work in pistons system, or too inexperience or too old or too risky due to injury history.
shaq
jermaine o’neal
yao
diop
howard
magloire
ilaugaskas
camby
I am from Slovenia so I know exactly what Brezec said about Flip and I the
As far as burning the bridges in Charlotte, i’d rather not translate the part of the interview about Sam Vincent. Let’s just say that Brezec doesn’t think Vincent should be even close to coaching in the NBA.
Hit the submit button before I finished. The first paragraph should end
… and I am quite sure the translation is acurate.
I’m sure the brezec quote is legit. Plenty of people have said the same thing in english about Flip.
“All he is in my eyes at this point is Mr. Try and Foul me so I don’t actually have to make this shot.”
Ironically, the first clip of the bunch features him trying to earn a foul on a jump shot.
I don’t see what’s so unbelievable about European players preferring to play in Europe. They start getting paid earlier in their careers, they get more money than almost all rookies, the Euro is worth more, they get to stay in their home country and speak their native language around their friends and family, and they’re treated like national heroes.
Also, if you consider their performance in international competitions lately, American players haven’t shown they’re superior to players of other countries, so the ‘prestige’ of the NBA isn’t as sought after as it once was.
i only believe that brezec quote to be legit if he’s rapping it while punching a mascot in the face.
if we could have gotten past boston, we would have soundly kicked the crap out of that lakers squad. what a bummer.
We’re the second best team in the NBA? I feel sick. We better make this right next season. And oh, just like five of the last six years, we’ll have a different opponent in the ECF next year (Bulls? Magic?).
I think the declining American dollar will have the largest measurable impact. Instead of turning down $3 million to make 1.5, players are getting $2.25 million.
Of course, this starts a cycle. As the quality of competition increases, so do revenues, and thus the ability of international leagues to pay more. This is why David Stern is hellbent on making the NBA an international league.
I’d like to have Herrmann, but we can’t give him the minutes he wants.
Something to consider: Euro salaries are net, US salaries are gross. Plus, Euro teams often pay for things like lodging and stuff, which makes that money go even further.
Man, I still hate Boston.
LB — 2d best? Let’s not forget the Cavs actually forced a Game 7 from these clowns (as did the Hawks, tho that series really was ridiculous). But for a huge play from PJ Brown, it might have been a Pistons-Cavs ECF.
That said, I really did expect the Lakers to win this. The Celtics have managed to look quite terrible many times in these playoffs, but I guess the key thing is that they’ve looked terrible a little less frequently than their opponents have.
After watching the Celts (congrats Celts fans) destroy the Lakers, I was thinking how close we were to being the champs. Consider that we’re probably #4 at worst in the league. While Joe might have put the players on notice, how much tinkering does he need to do to get past Boston? I’m guessing one deal tops, but it’s going to be a huge one. I have the feeling he knows who he wants to deal, or deal for, already. Baron Davis, anyone?
I’ve mentioned this before, I like Herrmann’s game, but when he got significant minutes, he seemed just a half step too slow to be effective on defense. He’d be a big hit playing in Barca, that’s for sure.
Congrats to Boston. Detroit will make sure you live up to your champiosnhip status next season.
Interesting rumour going around. Artest looking to opt-out and would sign to a championship contender for the full Mid Level Exception.
Hmmm…
Not sure where you got your facts.
Artest 99 Percent Sure He Won’t Opt Out Of Contract:
http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/53054/20080618/artest_99_percent_sure_he_wont_opt_out_of_contract/
I am an Olympiakos fun and i have no idea of the hermann trade, althought i think is a great player and i think he could play more minutes for Pistons. Brezec is more than right, he never developed the bench.
As a Olympiakos fun i prefer the crazy Q.Woods to stay to the team instead of aqcuire hermann.
The last pistons player in Olympiakos was the dissapointerd ale acker
I never claimed that it was fact, only rumour. For what its worth, Hoopsworld is where it comes from.
‘Opting Out? Multiple sources tell HOOPSWORLD that Ron Artest is seriously considering opting out of the final year of his contract. Artest can stick with the Sacramento Kings for one final year at $7.4 million or choose to become an unrestricted free agent this summerI
Also the article states that Artest keeps changing his mind on what he will do, so no-one but Artest has any idea. Once again it is a RUMOUR.
I’ll ask his brother and let you know
Congrats to the Celtics. I tried to leave a message on CelticsBlog last night but the site was down. Maybe Kevin McHale has some spare bandwith he can sell to CelticsBlog at 40 cents on the dollar.
*slaps forehead*
I give up.