LKL

The end of the first round of the quarterfinals, or if you prefer, the pause between the court change saw the two Greek teams having mixed feelings. Olympiacos are feeling much much better that they were before the series started, whilst Panathinaikos is having trouble.
Nikos Kousoulis

If Angelopoulos brothers leave Olympiacos and Giannakopoulos brothers leave Panathinaikos, it might mean the end of Greek basketball as we know it. It is highly doubtful that in today’s Greece a new investor will be found (Panathinaikos are looking for one for two years now and haven’t found any takers) so this season might be the swan song of the two Greek giants.
Nikos Kousoulis

Asking around Greek fans and trying to eliminate the differences of personal views, I have to admit that everybody painted a certain picture of what they expect from this year’s Eurobasket. They all expect this tournament to be one of the best ever. And I’m not even talking about the games or the players.

Personally, I am sure Lithuania will be able to hold an excellent tournament. Best fans in Europe, best place for basketball in Europe, what’s not to like about this year’s tournament? Oh, and the greatest players will be there. Dirk Nowitzki has already hopped on board!
 

As you can easily derive from the above, there is only one reason to become a team owner in Greece: love for the game and for a team. Very rich people that love their teams and have the financial status to buy them are the most successful Greek owners. They are doing their… hobby, no matter how expensive this seems to the rest of us. And they are the main reason Greek basketball stays at the foreground.
Nikos Kousoulis

The start of his career was a major setback for him (especially for his reputation within Greece), since he wasn’t ready for Olympiacos at that point. But he bounced back. He is an amazing coach now, matured really well over the years and last year he was named “coach of the year” in Eurocup. Of course, I don’t know whether Zouros will be successful in Zalgiris. But be sure of that: he has all the ability, potential and ambition to be successful. This is a chance he was waiting for, the timing is perfect for him and if Zalgiris is patient and professional in their approach towards their new coach this will be a… win-win situation. It has started to seem that Ioannidis wasn’t wrong at his “prophecy” after all…