Kostas Papanikolaou is ready to make the jump from the Euroleague to the NBA, Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle writes. Papanikolaou signed with the Rockets back in August though the deal hasn’t been formally announced yet. On his decision to join the NBA, Papanikolaou said, “I didn’t want to be thinking like five years later that I had this opportunity and didn’t do it. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I didn’t want to miss it. I thought, ‘This is the time.’ I spoke with the GM (Daryl Morey). The coach himself (Kevin McHale) called me. That means a lot to a player. But I just didn’t want to be stupid and lose this opportunity to be here, to live this dream to go to the NBA.”
Here’s more from around the Association:
- The staff over at NBA.com previewed the Pacific Division, as well as provided their opinions on the division’s best offseason moves, which player they believe will have a breakout season, and much more.
- It’s not too early to start thinking about next year’s NBA Draft, especially if you are a fan of a team that isn’t expected to compete for a playoff spot. The crew over at DraftExpress preview the top NBA prospects in the Pac-12 Conference, with Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Norman Powell topping the list.
- The staff over at DraftExpress also ran down the top NBA prospects in the Big 12, with Kelly Oubre, Cliff Alexander, and Myles Turner snagging the top spots on the list.