Euroleague Update: Jason Kapono Goes Nuts In Greek Debut

5.  Theo Papaloukas, CSKA Moscow (played with Maccabi Tel Aviv last season)
0 points, o rebounds, 1 assist in 5 minutes 

While Papaloukas’ combination of height and passing ability and has often invited Magic Johnson comparisons, perhaps John Havlicek would be more fitting. In Theo’s 236 Euroleague appearances—an all-time high—he has come off of the bench for 216 of them, making him the world’s most accomplished back-up outside of Manu Ginobili over the last decade and change.  His 939th assist this past week widened the gap between he and Pablo Prigioni (798) for the all-time lead in helpers, and his 327 steals are seven more than the Knicks’ point guard as well, who’s tied with Dimitris Diamantidis for second overall in the category with 320.  Papaloukas will be more player-coach than he is player-player for CSKA Moscow, a club with whom he spent six seasons, won two championships (2006 and 2008) and won an MVP award (2007) in his heyday, but his vocal presence on the bench and instruction during practice should prove invaluable to younger teammates like 6’7″ point guard Anton Ponkrashov, who would do well to heed Theo’s words and live in His image.

6. Darko Planinic, Maccabi Electra (from Siroki WWin)
1 point, 0 rebounds, 1 steal in 5 minutes 

It’s tough not to weigh the Other Darko’s production against the man who Maccabi didn’t sign: Aron Baynes, the Union Olimpija center who led the Euroleague in rebounding and was apparently available to the Israeli club for a €350,000 buyout.  Alas, the 22-year-old center has had a Hell of a campaign in the Adriatic League (15.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks) and his availability will be even more useful now that Nik Caner-Medley is out for a month with a torn hamstring.  Head coach David Blatt’s doghouse comes complete with 7-foot doorways, and has accommodated the likes of Milan Macvan and most recently Giorgi Shermadini, so we’ll see if the young Croatian can keep his footing on Blatt’s slippery good side.

7.  James Gist, Panathinaikos (from Unicaja)
2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 15 minutes

The Maryland product gained instant Euroleague traction in 2010 when he joined Partizan in their third game and did everything louder than usual.  His bravado was a perfect fit for Belgrade, and the fans appreciated each tip slam as much as they replicated the subsequent chest-thumping yells.  But two years and three teams (Fenerbahce Ulker, Unicaja, now Panathinaikos) removed from his Pionir christening, Gist has yet to surround his undeniable athletic ability and infallible effort with the situational awareness necessary to make a consistent impact on a club like Panathinaikos, whose fans are as knowledgeable and critical as any in Europe.  A spectacular dunk earns you no more brownie points than a timely defensive shift or a smart pass out of a double team.  Consider this: Panathinaikos was +11 with Kostas Tsartsaris on the floor, and the 33-year-old only took a single shot in his 28 minutes of action.  Yet in a game that Panathinaikos won by one, Gist found himself at -14 for the evening with half of the old man’s playing time.

8.  Cemal Nalga, Besiktas (from Banvit)
0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block in 5 minutes

Randal Falker hasn’t been as beastly on the boards as Besiktas had hoped, but Damir Markota and Gasper Vidmar have upped their play of late.  Nalga brings girth, Euroleague experience (Lietuvos Rytas), and five fouls to give.

DNPs (For Now)

Uros Tripkovic, Fenerbahce Ulker (from Blanco de Rueda Valladolid)

There was a time not long ago when Uros Tripkovic’s stroke from deep made him the most appropriately named shooting guard in Europe.  He hasn’t fallen from grace as much as he has leveled out prematurely, but he’ll enter his ninth Euroleague season at just 26 years of age, and can still draw enough attention to spread things out for Bo McCalebb, who’s coming off of his worst game as a Euroleaguer (2 points, 1 assist at Barcelona).

Giorgi Shermadini, Olympiacos (from Maccabi Electra)

Only CSKA Moscow’s Andrei Kirilenko and Nenad Krstic averaged a better index rating per 40 minutes than Giorgi Shermadini last season.  When he made the offseason jump from Cantu to Olympiacos, I considered him for an All-Euroleague nod.  While I ultimately decided against it (and replaced him with his current teammate, Kyle Hines), nobody could have foreseen the disappointing year he’s had in Tel Aviv up until now, posting just 4.8 points in 9 minutes per game.  Now, free of David Blatt’s laser-like glare, the 7-foot-1 Shermadini gives Olympiacos a dimension—long, pick-and-roll finisher who can run the floor and defend the Krstic’s of the world—that they’ve lacked since Ioannis Bourousis left for Milano two summers ago.

Jeremiah Massey, Brose Baskets Bamberg (from Krasnie Krilya Samara)

Bamberg missed the Euroleague’s deadline for pre-Top 16 player signings and thus, the former Eurocup MVP will not be available until week eight.  Here’s an interesting piece by Dave Hein, who posits that Bamberg might have missed the deadline intentionally and strategically to save money and set themselves up for another championship run in the German League (Beko BBL).

(Still) Dangling On The Line

Shelden Williams, Elan-Chalon

Anthony Parker’s brother-in-law was third in the Euroleague with 7.6 rebounds per game in the regular season.  Fenerbahce Ulker was second worst in that same category as a team and out-awfuled themselves this week, posting their lowest total of the season—just 18—in a 100-78 excuse for a basketball game against Barcelona.  It was originally reported  that Williams would be joining the Turks as soon as they wired the €350,000 from Istanbul to Chalon-sur-Saone, but now Sportando has backtracked, saying Mike Batiste will remain with the club for the remainder of the season, making Shelden’s Asian vacation less likely.  Who wants to cough up the cash?  Maccabi and Olympiacos have already grabbed their bigs, and if Fenerbahce’s out of the Shelden sweepstakes also, then very few sufficiently fat wallets remain.

Aron Baynes, Union Olimpija

Baynes led the league in boards with 9.8 per and was in talks to become the newest member of Maccabi’s frontline, but the Israeli club opted for the cheaper Darko Planinic.  Union Olimpija now claims that they want to retain the big Aussie to ensure qualification for next season’s Euroleague, but if the right offer came around (again, reportedly €350,000), I believe the constantly cash-strapped club from Ljubljana would happily accept it and part ways with Aron.  Considering his strong showing in the London Olympics and the momentum he’s carried with him into this Euroleague season, the odds are good you’ll see him in the NBA next season on a team that wants a physical, athletic finisher.

Nick Gibson, editor of EuroleagueAdventures.com, covers Euroleague and other international basketball developments for SheridanHoops.com. Click here to follow him on Twitter.