Webber pondering playing in Greek league

[acisking]

From espn.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3040997
Webber has offer from Olympiacos of Greece

By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com
(Archive)

Chris Webber has a multi-million dollar contract offer on the table from Olympiacos of Greece, and he plans to decide by this weekend whether to accept it or wait on the sidelines for another chance at playing in the NBA.

Two sources familiar with the offer told ESPN.com that Olympiacos was offering a two-year deal that would net Webber between $10 million and $12 million, which would make him the highest-paid American player in Europe.

Webber has said he is leaning toward returning to the Detroit Pistons, although signing Webber prior to training camp, even for the veterans' minimum, would have cap ramifications that the Pistons want to avoid. Webber is said to be comfortable with the idea of waiting at least a month or two for the Pistons' roster issues to work themselves out, which would allow him to join them in midseason as he did in 2005-06.

Webber also spoke over the summer with the Dallas Mavericks, who believed he would be a good fit for their system. But the Mavs failed to hear anything resembling a commitment from Webber (or from P.J. Brown), and they've let Webber drop off their radar -- at least for the time being.

Now, the offer from Olympiakos is giving Webber something to think about as he prepared to fly back to the United States from Europe, where he attended a gala for Vlade Divac in Belgrade, Serbia, last weekend.

Olympiakos, based in Athens, currently has three American players on its roster: NBA veterans Qyntel Woods, Lynn Greer and Lawrence Roberts, one of whom would have to be released if Webber signed. Also on the roster is Roderick Blakney of South Carolina State, who holds dual American and Bulgarian citizenship. Olympiacos is also home to former NBA players Jake Tsakalidis and Arvydas Macijauskas, along with Greek center Sofaklis Schortsianitis, whose NBA rights are held by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Olympiacos' rival in Athens, defending Euroleague and Greek League champion Panathinakos, recently outbid Olympiacos to sign Sarunas Jasikevicius to a financial deal considered extraordinary by European standards, since it reportedly contained money to help Jasikevicius absorb the cost of a buyout he agreed to with the Golden State Warriors. Panathinaikos has also recently added shooting guard Vassilis Spanoulis, who spent last season with the Houston Rockets and was released by the San Antonio Spurs earlier this summer. Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.

 

[acisking]

I for one hope he does the Pistons thing in which he resigns midway through the season. It helps him in two ways - 1) it keeps his body fresh for playoffs and 2) allows him to make a big entrance once again.

 

[Purple Reign]

WOW!!!!! The trip to Serbia must have really opened up Chris' eyes to something. I am shocked!!!

 

[chrisnu]

Dominique Wilkins did it, in order to win a championship. He'd also be making a boatload of money, if that's part of the motivation.

 

[nebs]

HA! Do it Chris! You know that would be an awesome experience for him.

 

[BritishColumbia]

Really interesting news .... Webber is slow for NBA but not for Europe (may be just a little bit) ... he still can be a superstar in Euroleague .... besides sunny Greece is much nicer place to be than Detroit.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Ah, the power of Europe, ever moreso this year. DerMarr Johnson, Rafael Araujo, Lynn Greer, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Macijauskas have all been lured or lured back to it. Charlie Bell almost turned to it. Kirilenko--who knows. But now Webber? Hmmm...

 

[Bricklayer]

I have a really hard time seeing this, unless it is just a differnt way for Webb to announce his retirement from the NBA and go screw around for a while. New role as ambassador or somesuch.

 

[VF21]

Webber has said he is leaning toward returning to the Detroit Pistons...

I think the rest is rumor and speculation. Webber doesn't need the money and I simply don't see him leaving the country to finish his career.

 

[DocHolliday]

It would be hard for me to believe that Chris Webbers' ego would let him do this. He can say whatever he wants to say abotu why he is doing it, if he were to do it, but te fact of the matter is EVERYONE would look at it as a step down, and think that he doens't want to admit he's too slow for play ball anymore, so he went somewhere where he felt wanted. Feeling wanted means getting 10 million and 12 million instead of the vet minimum.

 

[kyo2002]

Looks like he's hoping the offer will get the pistons to resign him sooner than never.

 

[bozzwell]

If Detroit makes him an offer, he probably won't have to think twice about. If numbers don't work for Pistons and there is no offer, it _could_ be really a nice end-of-career move for Chris:

1. He'd be by far the biggest NBA star in Europe. Kind of an ambassador really.
2. It's the Greek league. They are crazy out there. They would be crazy for him too.
3. He does not need money for _himself_, but he is doing so much good work with his money and his celebrity that I am sure he would find a way to spend it and further cement his legacy.
4. It's Greece! If he can survive traffic, he could have time of his life.

 

[VF21]

Looks like he's hoping the offer will get the pistons to resign him sooner than never.

What I got out of that story was pretty much nothing. Webber didn't even confirm the Greek offer.

Webber doesn't need to go to Greece or anywhere else to validate his career. And I simply do not see anything resembling a valid reason for him to go there.

 

[sloter]

What I got out of that story was pretty much nothing. Webber didn't even confirm the Greek offer.

Webber doesn't need to go to Greece or anywhere else to validate his career. And I simply do not see anything resembling a valid reason for him to go there.

1. Offer has been made, the same team has tried to get a couple of NBA players this year and lost Jasikevicius to their city rivals so they're getting desperate. Webber was in Serbia and I think he went to Greece right after (at least Divac and some part of his crew went to Greece), so it's very likely that Webber was around and has met with the people from Olympiakos.

2. Webber would probably get more money and star status playing there than anywhere in the NBA, at this point

3. All major basketball news agencies in Europe are saying that Webber is close to moving to Europe

 

[HndsmCelt]

It's prety clear that offers for Webber are and will be there in the NBA... jsut not GOOD offers. Im not sure if he is willing to play from the bench, so in all likelyhood the only offers he would consider serious are offers to start or baring that offers from teams with championship written all over them. Detroit no longer quallifies as a true contender given the age of the team, last seasons performance and improvemnts in Boston. So if his choice is playing for Vets min to start on a non-contender or go to Europe, collect a nice payday, be a superstar, maybe get a Euro title and kick it in Greece... hard to see why he would play in the US. Now if Boston, San Antonio or another top contender made an offer that might be tempting.

 

[Bricklayer]

It's prety clear that offers for Webber are and will be there in the NBA... jsut not GOOD offers. Im not sure if he is willing to play from the bench, so in all likelyhood the only offers he would consider serious are offers to start or baring that offers from teams with championship written all over them. Detroit no longer quallifies as a true contender given the age of the team, last seasons performance and improvemnts in Boston. So if his choice is playing for Vets min to start on a non-contender or go to Europe, collect a nice payday, be a superstar, maybe get a Euro title and kick it in Greece... hard to see why he would play in the US. Now if Boston, San Antonio or another top contender made an offer that might be tempting.

That would be true, except this summer the teams rumored to be interested in him were Detroit, Dallas, and Phoenix. That's about half of the contenders right there. Have to believe that if he decided not to pursue those opportunities, that he's just about ready to call it an NBA career. Greece might look like a nice vacation to wrap it up.

Of course again I'll believe it when I see it. Webb has always been a guy who looks around and considers 1000 different possibilities. Actually pulling the trigger on something that drastic would be another thing entirely. No reason at all why he couldn't. Might even be a popular choice except that most top level NBA guys try to eke out every last year they can out of their bodies in the NBA chasing titles and whatnot.

 

[HndsmCelt]

That would be true, except this summer the teams rumored to be interested in him were Detroit, Dallas, and Phoenix. That's about half of the contenders right there. Have to believe that if he decided not to pursue those opportunities, that he's just about ready to call it an NBA career. Greece might look like a nice vacation to wrap it up.

Of course again I'll believe it when I see it. Webb has always been a guy who looks around and considers 1000 different possibilities. Actually pulling the trigger on something that drastic would be another thing entirely. No reason at all why he couldn't. Might even be a popular choice except that most top level NBA guys try to eke out every last year they can out of their bodies in the NBA chasing titles and whatnot.

I don't see him as a very good fit in Pheonix so I question that roumor. As for Detroit and Dallas... maybe but given changes in the off season and last seasons play off performance no sure I'd consider either team as top contenders anymore... top 5 in their leage no doubt. Regardless I would too would not be surprised to see Webber sign up with either team or another team headed for the play offs. Personaly I think the best fit option could well be Boston if they are willing to take the salary hit and make an offer. As for Webber's indecision a long time ago I realized that for Webber every day is Wednesday... "Anything Can Happen Day"

 

[Variant]

Pretty sure he'll stay with Detroit, but I halfway would like to see him take the Greek offer. It'd be kinda fun to follow him over there and hopefully see a few of his games televised on NBA TV.

He's almost always been very open-sounding about any opportunity put forward to him though, so I'm not even sure we can accurately gauge his interest from this article alone.

 

[VF21]

He's almost always been very open-sounding about any opportunity put forward to him though, so I'm not even sure we can accurately gauge his interest from this article alone.

Exactly what I was thinking...

 

[OptimusRhyme]

I think he should do it, good contract and good expierence and who knows he might still be able to put another year or two in after this contract is up and come back to the NBA, I think it'll be a very good expierence. Plus i might start watching greek basketball!

 

[Ryan]

Webber has great potential to be an NBA ambassador. I know he's had a rough couple of years, but I think he should pull a Reggie Miller and announce that this is his last year playing in the NBA. Then we could send him off with style. Whatever he wants to do after that is up to him, but I would love to see him go out the way Reggie Miller did.