# Papaloukas to replace Rigaudeau?



## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

Rumors say that Theodoros Papaloukas, currently a player of CSKA Moscow, is very likely to sign with Virtus after the latter released Antoine Rigaudeau and were in desperate need of a Point Guard. 

Is this possible? What do you think WonderPelekanos? Do you have more information on this? 

Papaloukas has made some really good games recently (with good organization, lots of assists and occassionaly helping his team in scoring as well). Do you think Duda will allow his release?

Will Papaloukas be the 4th Greek or naturalized Greek to join Virtus in recent years? (after Patavoukas, Preljevic, Nesterovic-Makris and Economou).


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## suspect (Sep 10, 2002)

I think if Papaloukas has a chance to go to Kinder he should go there as there he will most likely be a starter, and get plenty of minutes and hopefully find the form he had playing for Panionios (back then he was fantastic) because he was not that good when he was playing for Olympiakos and is now a bench player for CSKA


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

> Is this possible? What do you think WonderPelekanos? Do you have more information on this?


Around Christmas Papaloukas was told "close to Bologna", but rumours were saying the team that wanted him was Fortitudo. 
It's possible, and it's possible that Papaloukas has already been announced at the press conference in Bologna 



> Will Papaloukas be the 4th Greek or naturalized Greek to join Virtus in recent years? (after Patavoukas, Preljevic, Nesterovic-Makris and Economou).


You're right, the 4th...  
you can't consider Ekonomou a basketball player. 
bye


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

*Re: Re: Papaloukas to replace Rigaudeau?*



> Originally posted by <b>WonderPelekanos</b>!
> 
> You're right, the 4th...
> you can't consider Ekonomou a basketball player.
> bye


Haha, you're right! It was a typo but it revealed the truth!


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

No, he would be the 5th: we forgot Marko _Latsis_ Jaric. 
And the experience, without having played ever a game in the autumn-winter 1997, of Dimitris Papanikolaou...


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>WonderPelekanos</b>!
> No, he would be the 5th: we forgot Marko _Latsis_ Jaric.
> And the experience, without having played ever a game in the autumn-winter 1997, of Dimitris Papanikolaou...


You are absolutely right! I totally forgot about them. 

What about another greek guy who used to play in a Bologna team (I can't remember which) during the 60's or 70's? I just remember reading about this somewhere but I can't recall more details. He was greek, he was a good scorer and he played for some seasons in Italy, and (if I'm not wrong) in Bologna. Do you know anything about this one? 

Cheers!


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

I remember a Greek player in Italy during the 60'... for one season, I guess. 
I go to look for some informations, but it won't be easy.


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

*Stefanidis*, 1956/57, Reyer Venezia 
11th in the Italian league (falling in "B" Division)

*Matheou*, 1957/58, Benelli Pesaro 
7th in the Italian league


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>WonderPelekanos</b>!
> *Stefanidis*, 1956/57, Reyer Venezia
> 11th in the Italian league (falling in "B" Division)
> 
> ...



Thanks man!


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## qwertyu (Dec 29, 2002)

Stefanidis is Tatiana Stefanidou father, the queen of greek trash tv!!!


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

Actually I don't know about the "rumours" saying that Papaloukas could wear the black and white, but there's another possibility, the Finnish pg Teemu Rannikko. 

Infact: 
1. He's a Bosman player (Virtus can spend only one visa for non-Bosman players) 
2. He's a player of Roseto 
3. Bianchini was g.m. of Roseto till some days ago
4. Bianchini told "kidding" to his former club "can I take with me Rannikko in Bologna"? 
5. Rannikko is playing very well in the current season (the strange would be that Virtus is going to sign a good player) 

Just suppositions... 
anyway, today, to confirm that Rigaudeau will go to Dallas, the Mavs have released the *guard* Adam Harrington. Now they have a roster of 11 players...


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## qwertyu (Dec 29, 2002)

I'm not a big fan of Rigeaudau but Nelson seems to like players that can score, dribble the ball and shoot it even if they don't play good defense.
The Mavericks back-court is loaded with Nash and Van Exel at the point and they like to play a defensive specialist like Griffin or Bell at the 2, so I guess Rigeaudau will be Finleys back-up at the 3.


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>qwertyu</b>!
> Stefanidis is Tatiana Stefanidou father, the queen of greek trash tv!!!


What a terrible waste of genes!!!


Eventually Duda Ivkovic did not allow this transfer to happen as he needs Papaloukas for his defensive and organising skills. 


:naughty: 


So Virtus has to look elsewhere for a decent PG. Maybe this Finn guy, WonderPelekanos was talking about, will be the one.


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

Reading Walter Fuochi (_La Repubblica_) another name has been made for the spot of point-guard: *Melvin Booker*, actually playing in Turkey with Ulker Costantinople. 

Former player of VL Pesaro and Olimpia Milano, since his first days on the Bosphorous he has told to some friends he has in Pesaro that he doesn't like the town where he stays now, that the Turkish league is not at all competitive with only two first-level teams while the rest is "amatorial basketball". 

Another name made in last hours (but in another role) is Boris Gorenc, the Slovenian small forward actually playing in Varese and already tested by Virtus last summer. 

take care


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

The new pg of Virtus Bologna is *Erick Murdock*, 36 years old, former player of the other side of the former "Basket City" (it was 1996-97, I guess). 
Comments: hahahahahahhaahahahhahahahaha!


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## AleksandarN (Jul 9, 2002)

Since when is Marko Jaric Greek? 

He is full blood Yugoslavian


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>AleksandarN</b>!
> Since when is Marko Jaric Greek?
> 
> He is full blood Yugoslavian


Exactly, you are right. However, as I noted in my original post I was reffering to both greek, and naturalised greek players that have been in Virtus' roster in the past. Jaric is naturalised greek and that's why he was playing in Fortitudo and Virtus as a Bosman player. 

In reality Jaric is a real Serbian but nevertheless he's as Greek as Turkcan (Yehovic) is Turkish, or as Fu cka is Italian, or as Bradley is German or as Asim Pars is Turkish, or as Rogers and Middleton are Spanish etc, etc....


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>WonderPelekanos</b>!
> The new pg of Virtus Bologna is *Erick Murdock*, 36 years old, former player of the other side of the former "Basket City" (it was 1996-97, I guess).
> Comments: hahahahahahhaahahahhahahahaha!


After this signing by Virtus, I realise that this club has become (just exactly as Olympiakos has become too) a perfect "Savourosyllektis". If there is a junk player available, they'll sign him. 

However, you can never know....... Maybe he'll be a bargain for Virtus. Time will show.


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## AleksandarN (Jul 9, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Zelena Hracka</b>!
> 
> 
> Exactly, you are right. However, as I noted in my original post I was reffering to both greek, and naturalised greek players that have been in Virtus' roster in the past. Jaric is naturalised greek and that's why he was playing in Fortitudo and Virtus as a Bosman player.
> ...


if you say so. Let me ask you this, What national team he plays for? I am sorry he considers himself a Jugoslav then a Greek. The only reason he has a Greek passport is because he played there


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>AleksandarN</b>!
> 
> 
> if you say so. Let me ask you this, What national team he plays for? I am sorry he considers himself a Jugoslav then a Greek. The only reason he has a Greek passport is because he played there


Let me tell you. He plays for the Yugoslav NT (as well as Tarlac, Stojakovic, Gurovic, etc, etc, who are also "greeks"). The reason is simple. The Greek Basketball Federation doesn't allow "naturalized" players in the Greek NT. The greeks are the only ones that do this. On the contrary teams like Turkey tend to assemble all of their Yugoslav "yenicars", change their names and let them play for the Turkish NT. Similar policies have other countries too. Greece never gave the chance to its naturalized players to join the NT. (some people argue that they have done so with Tsakalidis but it is controversial whether he has indeed greek roots or not.) What's for sure is that none of the yugoslav naturalized "greeks" had greek roots and therefore none of them was ever considered a proper greek)

Of course Jaric is a Serb. No one denies that. But as I told you, why shouldn't he referred as a "greek" while Turkcan is referred as a Turk or when Fu cka is known as Italian? 

I always disliked naturalizations. I also don't like it when some players are considered having a certain nationality which is not their original one.


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

Something irrelevant that just came into my mind. Theodoros Papaloukas' first team was called "Ethnikos Ellinoroson" ("National of Grecorussians"). What kind of team is this, and does it have anything to do with the fact the he plays now in Russia? I don't mean that he's russian or anything (we all know he's not), but what kind of people did found Eth.Elli/son?

Does anyone know?


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## Desert Nomad (Jul 15, 2002)

I believe there is a rule whereby if you have played international ball for one country you can NEVER play for another country in international competition. That is why Shawn Bradley can't play for the US since he already played for Germany.
Also, do you consider Bradley German or American. He was born in Germany from American parents. How do you base your thinking on whether someone is Yugo, greek, etc.?


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

Yes, there's this rule, but some exceptions have been made in the past: 
1. Biriukov, he played with the Spanish NT after having defended the colours of Soviet Union
2. Olajuwoon, he played with the USA NT (OG1996, Atlanta) even if he had already played with Nigeria (junior NT). And FIBA said "Olajuwoon can play with the United States because he won't change the balance of competition" 

Who is Serb, Greek, Italian... normally someone who has Serb, Greek or Italian roots (*immediate* roots. It's very difficult to consider Stojakovic as Greek (Predrag Kinis) or Radulovic as Italian or Yehovic as Turk (Mirsad Turkcan). 
I don't like to see foreigner players in the national teams, but some exceptions could be done. For example, Dusan Sakota (son of the coach of AEK Athens). He's a 16 years old guy (2m06, he plays 3-4), very interesting, now he's member of AEK junior team. He started to play basketball in Greece, he keeps on playing basketball in Greece, he has Greek citizenship. Practically he has only Serb blood, but he's a Greek basketball player. He will play with Yugoslavian NT (decision of the father) and he has been forced to answer "no" to the call of the Greek junior NT...


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Zelena Hracka</b>!
> "Ethnikos Ellinoroson"...
> What kind of team is this?...
> Does anyone know?


Ellinorosson is a suburb of the Great Athens, this is what I know... probably the basketball team there is just called "Ethnikos".


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>WonderPelekanos</b>!
> 
> 
> Ellinorosson is a suburb of the Great Athens, this is what I know... probably the basketball team there is just called "Ethnikos".


Oh, that makes sense! I've never been in Athens and I haven't got a clue about Attica's subdivisions and suburbs (apart from the big ones or the ones that have a relatively well known basketball team!).

Cheers.


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## WonderPelekanos (Dec 17, 2002)

Anyway, no doubts: Theodoros Papaloukas is Luka Teodoric Papov, he's a Russian that came in Greece when he was 17 years old, and he got Greek name and passport, and he continued to play with the Greek NT because Greeks don't have good youngs, and they have not a basketball school. 
The history of Luka Teodoric Papov is exactly the same of Dick Hoodes from Pensylvania, now known as Dimosthenis Ntikoudis.


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>WonderPelekanos</b>!
> Anyway, no doubts: Theodoros Papaloukas is Luka Teodoric Papov, he's a Russian that came in Greece when he was 17 years old, and he got Greek name and passport, and he continued to play with the Greek NT because Greeks don't have good youngs, and they have not a basketball school.
> The history of Luka Teodoric Papov is exactly the same of Dick Hoodes from Pensylvania, now known as Dimosthenis Ntikoudis.



Good one , WP.


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