Bartzokas quit as head coach of Maroussi

One season without any money was enough.


Giorgos Bartzokas resigned from his position as head coach of Maroussi BC. The team is under new management but under very shady circumstances. They're so shady that nobody really knows what's going on in the team. Noone knows if there is a new owner of if there is a new general manager. Bartzokas won the award of Head Coach of the Year for season 2009-2010 but it's no secret that none of the players of Maroussi were paid any salaries.

All key players of Maroussi last season signed in other teams and although they recently signed Dewarick Spencer and Ron Slay, noone really knows how will such expensive players be paid. Bartzokas left because the players were not given any of their first salaries and he drew a line showing that he is not willing to coach another team of unpaid players. The future of Maroussi now hangs in the balance as this could signal a surge of departures..

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Udine signed Gerald Lee

Another Finnish player in Italy.


Udine announced the signing of Finnish forward/center Gerald Lee(2.07-PF/C) and it was announced via their official website. Gerald Lee Jr is the son of Finnish basketball star Gerald Lee and this will be his first pro contract in Europe. Lee is also a part of the Finnish National Team.

He graduated from Old Dominion this summer averaging 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 36 games in the NCAA and he also played for the Finnish National Team for the Eurobasket Qualifiers averaging 10.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 8 games.

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AEK signed Anthony Grundy

Grundy returns to Greece.


After a season in Italy, Anthony Grundy(1.88-PG/SG) returns to Greece and this time it's for AEK. Grundy was the top scorer of the A1 league during season 2007-2008 playing for Panellinios averaging 21.2 points per game and he also played in season 2008-2009 averaging 15.1 points per game. He continued his scoring streak in Italy where last season he played for Ferrara averaging 18 points per game in a total of 22 games in the LegaA1. Sadly even Grundy's scoring prowess saved Ferrara from relegation.

This coming season he will be playing for AEK Athens. He sent his contract back earlier today agreeing to a salary of 120,000 euros per season according to basketopinions.blogspot.com. This means that Grundy's contract is essentially a 1/4 of the players' budget of AEK One thing's for sure, he is the prime candidate to be the top scorer of the Greek A1 league.

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Spartak St Petersburg released Stephane Lasme

Spartak St.Petersburg announced that Stephane Lasme  (203-F-82, college: Massachusetts) is no longer member of the team.


According to the official web site of Spartak SP, the Gabonese forward has problems with the US immigration service and will have to stay in US for the next few months. The club announced they will have to look for Lasmes replacement.

Stephane Lasme signed contract with Spartak SP this summer, but it seems he will not play any game for them. Lasme spent last season with the Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Electra Tel-Aviv. He appeared in 20 Euroleague games for them averaging 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 bpg. Maccabi reached the Quarterfinals. In Israeli league, Lasme had 8.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 1.7 bpg in 24 games. There, Maccabi failed to defend the title, so they just won the Israeli National Cup last season.

A year before that, Stephane Lasme spent with Partizan Belgrade. That was the best season in his career and Lasme grabbed many awards. He won three trophies with the Serbian squad: Serbian league, National Cup and Adriatic league. In Euroleague, they reached the QFinals. Lasme had 11.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 1.6 bpg for 18 games. His first season as a pro Lasme spent with the Golden State Warriors, LA D-Fenders and Miami Heat. With the Heat he had 5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 1.5 bpg for 15 games. He graduated at the University of Massachusetts in 2007.

source : eurobasket.com

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Le Mans signed Alex Acker

Le Mans Sarthe Basket finalized its roster for the upcoming season with the signing of veteran Euroleague swingman Alex Acker, who arrives from Armani Jeans Milano. 


Acker (195, 27) has played for three Euroleague teams over the past four seasons. Last season he averaged 8.8 points in four Euroleague games, having his season cut short by a leg injury. In 14 games in the Italian League, Acker registered 9.3 points per game. He was a top-ten scorer in the Euroleague as a rookie with Olympiacos in the 2006-07 season. The following season Acker joined F.C. Barcelona before heading to his native United States for a year, where he split time between Detroit and L.A. Clippers the NBA and Fort Wayne in the NBDL. He played college basketball at Pepperdine University.

"Alex is a player who brings a wealth of experience," Le Mans head coach J.D. Jackson said. "I'm sure he comes to Le Mans motivated and ready to win. Although our recruitment was longer than usual, I am convinced that our patience will be rewarded in the long term. Of all the good players we looked at, Alex is the one who seemed best able to fill the shoes left vacant by the departure of Dee Spencer."


source : euroleague.net

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Aris close to Udrih and Erceg

In Aris they're trying to fill the gaps in the roster.


Aris Thessaloniki are in negotiations with Slovenian combo-guard Samo Udrih(1.95-PG/SG). He is the brother of NBA player Beno Udrih and he is currently playing with the Slovenian National Team in World Cup in Turkey. Information from Greece indicates that Aris and Udrih are in advanced negotiations and the deal is close to be sealed. If Aris get Udrih they fill another gap in the backcourt and then they will wait to see what will happen with Kostas Haralambidis. Panellinios are asking for 50,000 euros to release the player. This sounds strange coming from a team that will lower their budget to 600,000 euros. Haralambidis' contract alone for next season is 130,000 euros.

Udrih played for Hopsi Polzela in the beginning of the season but then moved on to Cibona where he helped them win the Croatian League and got them to the finals of the Adriatic League. He has also played for Polzela in the beginning of his career. Other teams were Pivovarna Laško, Geoplin Slovan, Union Olimpija, Maurienne SB, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Girona, Granada and Estudiantes. He averaged 9 points 2.3 rebounds 1.8 assists in 13 games in the Adriatic League. He has played 3 games for Slovenia so far averaging 6.7 points 1.3 assists and 1.3 rebounds.

On another front Zoran Erceg(2.11-PF/C) is a player that could fill the gap in front-line of Aris. His contract of 700,000 euros is too high for Aris but they could cover a portion of it. It seems that Dusan Ivkovic doesn't account for Erceg in his roster plans for Olympiakos and the player would like to play in a tough league so he doesn't stay out of touch. More on this will be made known in the days to follow. It should be noted here that Erceg was also offered to Aris last season as well but Fotis Katsikaris turned him down to get Dragan Labovic(2.07-PF) instead.

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Spartak St Petersburg added Smush Parker

Spartak Saint Petersburg strengthened their backcourt.


The team signed a one-year deal with Smush Parker (193-G-81, college: Fordham). The 29-year-old guard spent the previous season in China. He tallied 18.7 points, 6.2 boards, 5.7 assists and 3.1 steals per game for Guandong Southern Tigers in the CBA. Parker Smush has long played in the NBA. He had stints with the Cavs, Pistons, Lakers and Clippers. Parker Smush also played for Aris in Greece.
 

source : eurobasket.com

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