# Spanoulis says he won't return to Rockets



## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

> After one largely disappointing season with the Rockets, guard Vassilis Spanoulis said there will not be another.
> 
> Spanoulis said Wednesday that he and his agent have told the Rockets many times he will not leave Greece for a second season in the NBA, or to play for another team in Europe.
> 
> ...





> "It was very hard," Spanoulis said. "This life was very different. I expected it to be a lot different. I am very close with my family. I prefer to be with my family than to play in the United States. It is very difficult for me to make that step, to be away from them and live there.
> 
> "From the basketball side, I had a very tough season with Jeff. That year was 5, 10 percent what I had in my mind. Now this is past. I respect all the people there. I respect the new coach, Rick Adelman. I respect him as a person and as a coach, and the new GM and the people of Houston. But to me, I cannot come back."


Link

****!


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## Legend-Like (Mar 25, 2006)

BS Vassi BS


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## Dean the Master (Feb 19, 2006)

I think they kind of know. JVG killed V-Span's NBA career.


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## Krimzon (Feb 26, 2007)

Spanoulis is not coming back to the NBA. He should have just said that he isn't coming back. There isn't much to lose now. Well I wish him success in Europe.

We can now cross him off the point guard list.


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## kisstherim (Jul 15, 2004)

so that means finally I won't hear BS from this bit!ch any more?


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

quit whinin' and get yo *** back here VSpan


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## gi0rdun (May 31, 2007)

Yao Mania said:


> quit whinin' and get yo *** back here VSpan


Lol. Ahh it's too bad. Bye Span, drop 40 on us in Pre-season.


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## Pimped Out (May 4, 2005)

just dont release him. let him sit in europe and do nothing next season. option him to the NBDL or something.


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## jdiggidy (Jun 21, 2003)

```
just dont release him. let him sit in europe and do nothing next season. option him to the NBDL or something.
```
Exactly. If he agrees to a VERY CHEAP buyout in order to be able to sign with a team in Greece what does that do financial for the rockets salary cap?

Now that I think about it, Houston might not get rid of Bob Sura this year either in order to free up more cap space for next seasons free agent class too. (Sorry, not really the right thread.)


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## darkballa (Sep 19, 2003)

well, the spanoulis prject really had a lot of potential. The fact that he's leaving opens up a whole bunch of possibilities at the guard position.


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## Jizzy (Aug 24, 2005)

Why did Van Gundy refuse to play him? With Rafer Alston starting, you'd think he'd get a legit shot. I think he's a perfect player for a Adleman system, big mistake for the Rockets to let him go.


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## jdiggidy (Jun 21, 2003)

```
Why did Van Gundy refuse to play him?
```
Stubborn coach who thought that Luther would be a better second option. Only part of the reason Jeff is gone.

Makes you wonder if Les asked CD whether or not he thought Jeff would be the coach next year? I know Les wants a more exciting offensive team but, I wonder if CD was frustrated that Jeff didn't play his man after they brought him over and signed him to a 3 year deal too?

Again, I hope the rockets can agree to a reasonable by out on him and get his contract of the books as well.


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## CrackerJack (Jul 2, 2005)

guess the splinters were too much for him, oh well JVG was bad when he was hear and we're still feeling his rath, what a waste of cap space. if only we could trade billy for theo papaloukas with them swapping contracts in the process


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## jdiggidy (Jun 21, 2003)

Bill Ingram is such a beotch! (http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22613.shtml):azdaja: 

This article talks about all the promises made by the rockets to VSpan and how we should just release him to play in Greece.

First of all, this was CD's guy and JVG was forced to try him out. The article tells you he was turnover prone. I do agree that JVG should've played him more during the season and really messed the poor kid up as far as his NBA career goes and he is gone now.

As I have said before, if he is so serious about not coming back then a very cheap buyout should be easy to negotiate. If he is looking for more than a million dollar buyout then Houston should just wait him out and wait til he violates his contract by not playing or signing with an international team then we are off the hook for the remainder of the contract.

He was compensated for not playing last year to the sum of 1.8 mil and we should buy him out for $500K for doing nothing this year and be done with it.


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## debarge (Nov 13, 2005)

Jizzy said:


> Why did Van Gundy refuse to play him? With Rafer Alston starting, you'd think he'd get a legit shot. I think he's a perfect player for a Adleman system, big mistake for the Rockets to let him go.



Other than going totally "Gangsta" on him, pulling him into the owner's box and saying "Look you *long-haired mussell eating Greek bi!tch,* you signed a contract, in America, Nobody breaks contracts w/o going in front of a judge; we'll tie your boneya*% up court in so long you won't even recognize your mother's suflackie!!!":mad2: 

Somehow I don't think that The GODFATHER APPROACH :boohoo: will work. . . Especially since he couldn't even handle the 'cold shoulder' from JVG. On some level I feel sorry for him that he could Not assimilate enough to our culture to wanna Play Basketball again??? His Desire is G O N E gone. That makes me not want him frankly. Most players WOULD NOT let this situation Completely Deflate their desire to play ball?:no: I guess that's what I do not understand. _He said in the Paper, he would agree not play ball in Greece just to go back there? Unless there Truly Is a "Family Crisis, or Emergency" theres no excuse for his behaving like a child. _ And he is acting like a Child, Right or Wrong by what JVG did, the Organization has supported him as have his teammates; he owes it to them to AS LEAST TRY IT OUT WITH THE NEW COACH?:cheer: :fball: 

All that said I still feel for him, I cannot understand how international players feel to be halfway around the world. The flipside of that is this though: Every other Immigrant to this country IS NOT, I REPEAT, NOT - A PAMPERED MILLIONARE like these international athletes; they come here with no Money, so my sympathy is limited.:nonono:


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## HayesFan (Feb 16, 2006)

I want to know who has the evidence that Spanoulis was told all those things. Not that I don't think its possible, but people writing sports articles should stick to facts. Fact is, no one knows what was said behind the scenes before or after the contract was signed.

The bottom line is, he's under contract. Maybe that's not as big a deal in Greece as it is in the US, but I would guarantee that he won't be getting a buyout from the Rockets. They want him back to play in Adelman's system, so why would they just give him up.

I could see trading him before all this stuff came out in the media, now I would imagine that they just tell him, you come back and play here, or you play no where.

Should be interesting to see how it develops. I would imagine that Rafer and JL3 are trade bait, if what I have read recently is true. So its not like he's going to have as much competition. It will be James, Brooks and Vspan if he wants to play point.


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## Zuca (Dec 4, 2003)

You can always try to ship him with Sura to Phoenix (for Marcus Banks and Piatkowski), to Minnesota (Troy Hudson)...


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## jdiggidy (Jun 21, 2003)

PF is clearly the most glaring need now. Marcus Banks or Troy Hudson don't improve this team.


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