International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

International Notes: Gabriel, Korkmaz, Marjanovic, T. Williams

December 23rd, 2024 at 9:06am CST by Arthur Hill

Former NBA big man Wenyen Gabriel is headed to Panathinaikos after the team agreed to pay a $350K buyout fee to Maccabi Tel Aviv, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. In his first EuroLeague season, Gabriel is averaging 5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game with the Israeli team while shooting 54% from the floor. He could make his debut in Greece as early as Friday.

Coach Ergin Ataman confirmed on Sunday that Panathinaikos was looking for roster help after losing Mathias Lessort, a member of the French Olympic team, to a fractured fibula that will sideline him for at least four months.

“We have three to four candidates,” Ataman said. “Gabriel is one of them, but he’s a Maccabi player, and we don’t know if Maccabi will let him go. Our GM [Sani Becirovic] is working, and I hope [Monday] we’ll have an answer from one of our candidates. At this point, we need a player urgently.”

Gabriel played for seven teams during his five years in the NBA and appeared in five games with Memphis last season. He was also part of the South Sudan team during the Olympics.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Furkan Korkmaz, who signed with AS Monaco this summer after seven NBA seasons, plans to transfer before the EuroLeague’s Wednesday deadline, Urbonas states in a separate story. Sources tell Urbonas that Korkmaz is considering options both in and outside of the EuroLeague. His production has been limited by a leg injury that forced him to miss the first month of the season. In an interview with Urbonas last month, Korkmaz indicated that he had interest in playing in his native Turkey.
Long-time NBA center Boban Marjanovic is looking for a new team after being released by Fenerbahce, Urbonas adds in another piece. The one-year contract Marjanovic signed this summer included a termination option that had to be exercised by January. The team recently elected to retain former NBA big man Khem Birch, who had the same clause in his deal. Marjanovic is exploring his options, which may include leaving the EuroLeague, Urbonas adds.
Trevion Williams has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv after leaving ALBA Berlin, according to EuroHoops. The former Purdue star spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by the Suns’ new affiliate in the June expansion draft.

And-Ones: Team Canada, DSJ, 2025 Draft, Kendrick

December 21st, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Canadian players are still dealing with the disappointment of not winning a medal at this year’s Summer Olympics, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Featuring a roster loaded with NBA talent, Team Canada had a chance to reach a milestone for the nation’s basketball program. Instead, they left Paris empty-handed with the realization that the next opportunity is four long years away.

“It’s different once it’s over and you realize that you’re not going to be in that position, not have a chance for four more years,” RJ Barrett said. “Like, that’s a rough part about it, especially when we felt like we had a team that had a great mix. I think we had young guys, but not rookies, you know, and we had guys in their prime or close to their prime, and we had some vets that are still at a good stage in their career. We had the experience, and we had the talent, we got we had the coach. We felt like that was our time, but I think experience, and those type of tournaments is huge.”

The Canadians looked like a legitimate threat to capture the gold after going undefeated in pool play against Greece, Australia and Spain, who were all viewed as medal contenders. But their hopes ended quickly with an 82-73 loss to France in the quarterfinal round. Grange notes that Canada was able to control Victor Wembanyama, holding him to seven points on 2-of-10 shooting with Dillon Brooks guarding him for much of the game, but Guerschon Yabusele and Mathias Lessort led the hosts to victory by combining for 35 points.

“Every year, I get a chance to win an NBA championship,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said, “(but it’s only) every four years I get a chance to try to win the Olympics, you know?”

There’s more from around the basketball world:

When Dennis Smith Jr. entered the G League player pool, he was expecting to be claimed by the Spurs‘ affiliate, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer write in a Substack column (subscription required). Instead, he wound up with the Bucks‘ affiliate, making his future in the G League less certain, sources tell The Stein Line. Real Madrid reportedly has interest if Smith wants to play in the EuroLeague.
Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are making an impact at Rutgers, but the NBA executives and draft experts who talked to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com believe Duke’s Cooper Flagg remains very likely to be the top pick in 2025.
Frank Kendrick, who was part of a championship team with the Warriors during his only NBA season, died this week at age 74, the team announced (via Twitter). Kendrick also won an NIT title at Purdue and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

And-Ones: MVP Race, Redick, Birch, Obst

December 20th, 2024 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Nikola Jokic has a commanding lead in ESPN’s first straw poll of the season on the MVP race, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. The Nuggets center captured 57 first-place votes among the 100 ballots, giving him 827 total points.

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in second with 24 first-place votes and 678 points, followed by Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo, who topped 19 ballots and has 643 points. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (267 points) and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (123) round out the top five.

A win by Jokic would give him four MVP trophies in five years and would put him in very select company, Bontemps notes. Only LeBron James and Bill Russell have collected the award four times in five seasons, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain are the other players to be named MVP at least four times.

Bontemps adds that Antetokoumpo had a significant surge in the poll after his dominant performance in the NBA Cup final. Twenty-nine voters changed their ballots after Tuesday’s game, giving him more than twice as many first-place votes and moving him much closer to Gilgeous-Alexander.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

J.J. Redick, who was a rising media star before being hired to coach the Lakers, weighed in on the NBA’s declining television ratings after Thursday’s game, according to Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Redick doesn’t believe the league is being presented well by its national TV outlets. “We don’t have anybody that’s willing to step up to the fact that this is an awesome game and we should talk about it and celebrate it in a positive way,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t critique it. We should critique it, but we should celebrate it. Nobody’s doing that, and the people that are have a small niche following on Twitter. And frankly, I would argue as well, that everyone in our ecosystem pays too much attention to what is said on Twitter. And part of this whole ratings discussion is because people on Twitter are talking about it.”
Khem Birch will remain with Fenerbahce for the rest of the season, relays Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. In September, Birch signed a one-year contract with an exit clause that would have allowed the Turkish team to terminate the deal in January. Urbonas states that other EuroLeague teams had interest if the 32-year-old center had become a free agent again.
German sharpshooter Andreas Obst spoke about a potential three-point shootout with Stephen Curry and his interest in an NBA future in a BasketNews Film Session Episode. Obst says he heard that NBA executives were talking about him after he starred in the 2023 World Cup, but he never got a formal offer. “At some point, yeah, I could see myself in the NBA,” he said. “I can fill a role as a shooter. I know how to use my gravity to space the floor, spot up, and play off the ball. That’s something I think any NBA team could use.”

And-Ones: Hall Of Fame, Brown, Maledon, Lessort, G League

December 19th, 2024 at 4:58pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame officially announced its list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2025, including several-first-time nominees (Twitter link). Ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony and eight-time All-NBA team member Dwight Howard are among the notable names.

WNBA greats Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Chamique Holdsclaw and Maya Moore are first-time nominees, as are legendary coaches Lisa Bluder, Billy Donovan, Mark Few and Doc Rivers. NBA stars Marc Gasol and Amar’e Stoudemire round out the list of new candidates, while Heat owner Micky Arison is nominated as a contributor. According to a report from The Associated Press, the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team was among the repeat nominees.

Along with announcing the list, the Hall has adjusted its waiting period for candidates from three seasons out of the game to two.

“To better recognize the distinguished careers of potential first-ballot nominees in a more timely manner, the board has appropriately shortened the waiting period,” Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “We are excited about this change and believe that honoring individuals while their contributions are still fresh in people’s minds is both meaningful and impactful.”

This is the first step in the process of enshrinement. Finalists are selected on Feb. 14 in San Francisco during NBA All-Star weekend and the full class will be revealed on April 5 in San Antonio at the NCAA Tournament. There are a total of 189 candidates in various categories, according to the Hall.

We have more from around the basketball world:

ESPN announced that 91-year-old Hubie Brown will call the final game of his broadcasting career on Feb. 9. That game, between the Bucks and the Sixers, will be jointly called by Brown and Mike Breen. Brown, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, worked for the Knicks, Grizzlies and Hawks.
Former NBA guard Theo Maledon is reportedly being targeted by Real Madrid, according to a report from Sportando. Maledon is currently playing with French club ASVEL and is fourth in the EuroLeague in points per game (18.8). According to the report, Real Madrid offered a buyout to current guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes with an eye toward giving Maledon a multi-year deal. Maldeon most recently played with the Suns in 2023/24 and also had stints with the Thunder and Hornets after being selected with the 34th overall pick in 2020.
Mathias Lessort, whose draft rights are held by the Knicks, suffered a fibula fracture and will be out for the next four months, according to a report from Eurohoops.net. Lessort has been an impressive defensive force for Greek club Panathinaikos. There’s been some speculation that Lessort, the 50th overall pick in 2017, could make the move stateside at some point — he’s in the final year of his current contract.
The G League Union elected a new executive committee as the league is in the negotiation process of creating its first-ever CBA for players, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets. Robert Baker of the Osceola Magic will serve as president, Yauhen Massalski of the San Diego Clippers will be secretary-treasurer, and College Park’s David Singleton and Salt Lake City’s Josh Pierre-Louis were elected as vice presidents, according to Bontemps (Twitter link).

Adam Silver Talks NBA Ratings, Europe, CBA, Las Vegas

December 18th, 2024 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic and other media outlets on Tuesday ahead of the NBA Cup championship game, NBA commissioner Adam Silver admitted that the league’s television ratings are “down a bit” this season, but expressed confidence that interest in the league remains strong.

“If you look at other data points, in terms of our business, for example, we’ve just come off the last two years of the highest attendance in the history of this league,” Silver said. “We’re at a point where our social media audience is at the highest of any league and continuing to grow exponentially. So, it’s not a lack of interest in this game.”

Silver pointed out that the NBA isn’t the only league dealing with a decline in traditional television ratings. According to Sports Media Watch, while the ratings for NBA national broadcasts are down 19% compared to the same period last year, men’s college basketball (21%), the NHL (28%), and women’s college basketball (38%) have seen more significant ratings dips. Viewership for college football games has also dropped across all networks this fall, per Sports Media Watch, albeit by single-digit percentages.

“We’re almost at the inflection point where people are watching more programming on streaming than they are in traditional television,” Silver said. “And it’s a reason why for our new television deals, which will enter into next year, every game is going to be available on a streaming service. And as we move to streaming service, putting aside how the actual game is played on the floor, it’s going to allow us from a production standpoint to do all kinds of things that you can’t do through traditional television. All kinds of new functionality, all kinds of new options and screens that are available.”

Some fans and league observers have suggested that a focus on analytics, which has led to a significant increase in three-point shots, has hurt the game’s appeal. According to Vardon and Amick, Silver said moving back the three-point line isn’t something the NBA is seriously considering, but he made it clear the league is having “discussions about the style of basketball” and is open to rule tweaks that wouldn’t drastically change the game.

“It’s not unique to the NBA, where analytics start to be too controlling and create situations where players are doing seemingly unnatural things because they’re being directed to do something that is a more efficient shot,” Silver said. “And part of what we’re focusing on, too, is that what makes these players so incredible is the joy they bring to playing the game and the freestyle notion of the game too.”

Here are a few more highlights from Silver’s media session on Tuesday:

Silver confirmed that the NBA and FIBA have been discussing launching a new professional league in Europe. “We’re not ready to make any public announcements. We haven’t made any internal decisions yet, but I do think there continues to be an enormous opportunity to take basketball to another level in Europe,” Silver said, per The Athletic. “I think the quality of the basketball in Europe has been fantastic. Many of our top players, of course, are from Europe, but we think there is more of a commercial and fan opportunity to create something special in Europe.”
Responding to NBA team executives who believe the trade rules in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement have had unintended consequences that have made it too challenging to make deals, Silver suggested those consequences were, in fact, intended, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “I understand the frustration of some of the general managers because particularly if you go over the apron, we’ve cut down on your flexibility,” Silver said. “But that was the very intent of the second apron and with the goal being to have a better distribution of star talent around the league. And I think we’ve been successful in doing that.”
As Reynolds relays, the commissioner pointed to the Bucks (a second apron team) and the Thunder (operating under both aprons) ahead of the NBA Cup final as proof that teams can still succeed using a variety of cap/spending strategies under the new system. “There’s many different ways to win,” Silver said.
Asked about whether Las Vegas will continue to host the NBA Cup semifinals and final going forward, Silver acknowledged that some teams have expressed interest in playing those games in their home markets. While the league isn’t shutting the door on that idea, it would make scheduling more complicated, according to the commissioner, who said he likes the job Vegas has done as a host the past two years. “You start to build in tradition, you have a lot of fans who can circle these dates on their calendar and plan to come to Las Vegas, plan a holiday around it,” Silver said. “I think the teams are on both sides. I think they like the idea of winning that opportunity to play at home. But then you’ve got to move tickets very short term. We have some experience doing that in the playoffs, but this is a little bit different.”

And-Ones: NBA Cup, Timma, Trade Candidates, Flagg

December 17th, 2024 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

While the NBA Cup figures to be a regular part of the league’s schedule going forward, there will likely still be some tweaks to the format and the schedule in future seasons, according to stories from Joe Vardon of The Athletic and Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Managing the schedule for both the knockout round games and the extra regular season contests for teams not in Las Vegas is a challenge, but Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault isn’t thrilled that his team will play a road back-to-back set on Thursday and Friday on the East Coast after its Cup final in Vegas on Tuesday, as Vardon relays.

“We’re basically on a six-day West Coast road trip right now, and our next game coming out of this is three time zones away, four-hour flight to Orlando and then a back-to-back against Miami — which if you look that as a road trip, is an unprecedented road trip,” Daigneault said. “The NBA would never schedule that. They would never put a team a on six-day West Coast road trip, and then fly them east for a back-to-back.”

Besides considering potential scheduling tweaks, the league may explore a new location for the final four of the NBA Cup. According to Vardon, Abu Dhabi’s public investment fund has expressed interest in hosting the event, though that would create more significant scheduling issues. Cities like Mexico City, Nashville, Tampa and San Diego have also inquired about hosting, per Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal.

As for for the format, the NBA and Amazon – which will broadcast the NBA Cup knockout round beginning next season – have discussed possible changes, including possibly moving the tournament later in the regular season, says Bontemps.

Sources who spoke to ESPN cautioned that there’s no guarantee the format will look any different next season, but Bontemps suggests expanding the group-play stage from four games to eight is one idea the NBA may explore, since it would increase the odds of the league’s top teams advancing to the knockout round and create more marquee matchups.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Veteran Latvian forward Janis Timma has been found dead in Moscow, according to a report from the Russian news agency TASS (via Eurohoops), who say that authorities believe it was a suicide. Timma was selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 60 pick of the 2013 draft and had his rights traded to the Magic in 2015 but never signed an NBA contract, having spent most of his career competing in European leagues — in addition to playing in Latvia, Russia, Spain, Greece and Turkey, he also had stints in the G League and in Puerto Rico. Timma won Baltic League and Latvian League titles and was named an All-Star a total of five times in Latvia and Russia.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has published his first “trade board” of the 2024/25 season, identifying 30 of the most notable players who are candidates to be on the move by February 6. Vecenie’s list is headlined by Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Cameron Johnson and includes three or more players apiece from the Bulls, Nets, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Wizards, and Jazz.
Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) spoke to NBA executives and scouts about Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, exploring his strengths and weaknesses, what makes him a unique prospect, and why he’s the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Andrei Kirilenko, Jayson Tatum, Franz Wagner, Aaron Gordon and Grant Hill are some of the current and former NBA players Woo’s sources referenced as comparables for Flagg.“I don’t think he’s a generational guy — I think that word started getting used too frequently,” one executive said. “(But) when you look back at this draft, if he goes at 1, regardless of if other people end up better, nobody is going to say that was a bad pick.”

And-Ones: All-Trade Buzz Team, Cotton, Expansion, Oni

December 16th, 2024 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) has revealed his All-Trade Buzz team, made up of 10 players whom scouts and executives around the NBA are keeping a close eye on now that trade season has opened. According to Marks, Dennis Schröder would’ve been one of the headliners, but he was dealt just before the list was published. Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, D’Angelo Russell, Bobby Portis, and Zach LaVine are among the players who made the cut.

LaVine, who was also viewed as a trade candidate last season, has been healthier and more productive in 2024/25 and is one year closer to the end of his maximum-salary contract. However, the market for the Bulls star is still expected to be very limited due to his substantial cap hit and the restrictions imposed by the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, says Marks.

“If we were operating under the 2017 CBA and there were no apron rules, I could make a case to my owner on LaVine,” one team source told ESPN. “But his salary boxes you into a corner on how we can add to the roster.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Bryce Cotton hasn’t been on an NBA roster since 2016, but the 32-year-old guard has caught the attention of teams in the NBA, EuroLeague, and Asia with his recent play in Australia’s National Basketball League, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. As a member of the Perth Wildcats, Cotton is averaging a league-leading 27.8 points per game on .507/.464/.855 shooting. He has scored at least 40 points in each of his past four outings, including an NBL-record 59 on November 30 vs. the New Zealand Breakers. According to Urbonas, Perth has offered Cotton an extension that would make him the highest-paid player in NBL history, but he could test his options in free agency in February or March after the current season ends.
With the NBA in Las Vegas this week for the semifinals and final of the NBA Cup, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes that the city already feels like part of the league and explains why it seems inevitable that Vegas will get an expansion team. Meanwhile, Joe Vardon of The Athletic takes an in-depth look at the possibility of expansion to Mexico City, examining the potential complications and outlining why it’s still probably “many years off” from becoming a potential reality, in the words of commissioner Adam Silver.
Former NBA swingman Miye Oni has signed with Badalona for the rest of the 2024/25 season, the Spanish team announced in a press release. Oni appeared in 80 NBA regular season games for Utah from 2019-22 and was in camp this fall with the Grizzlies before being waived at the end of the preseason.

And-Ones: Top Front Offices, Daniels, NBA Cup, Rookies

December 13th, 2024 at 9:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Sam Presti and the Thunder were voted as the NBA’s best front office by a panel of 40 executives (team presidents, general managers, VPs, and assistant GMs) across the league who were polled by Sam Amick, John Hollinger, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

As The Athletic’s trio explains, each respondent picked their top five NBA front offices and points were awarded in the same way they are in the MVP vote – 10 points for first place, seven points for second, five points for third, three points for fourth, and one point for fifth – in order to determine the rankings. The only rule was that execs couldn’t vote for their own team.

The Thunder were a runaway winner with 354 points, showing up on 39 of 40 total ballots and earning 29 first-place votes. The Celtics (250 points; nine first-place votes), Heat (114 points), Grizzlies (64 points; one first-place vote), and Timberwolves (54 points; one first-place vote) rounded out the top five.

A total of 21 front offices received at least one vote. The nine who didn’t were the Lakers, Suns, Kings, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Bulls, Pistons, Hornets, and Hawks.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Dash Daniels, the younger brother of Dyson Daniels, has committed to joining the Melbourne United as part of the Australian National Basketball League’s Next Stars program, report Shams Charania and Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The younger Daniels, who is considered one of the top international prospects of the 2026 draft class, is considered a standout defender like his brother, having averaged a tournament-high 3.6 steals per game at this year’s FIBA U17 World Cup.
NBA executive VP of basketball strategy Evan Wasch referred to Las Vegas as a “fantastic home” for the NBA Cup semifinals and final, but indicated this week in a Zoom call that the league isn’t necessarily committed to Vegas as the in-season tournament’s long-term host. “We’re very open to all sorts of different formats for the future,” Wasch said, per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “That could mean taking the tournament on the road. It could mean taking it to different markets in the U.S. It could mean exploring international markets. It could mean, for example, having the semifinals in home markets like we have for the quarterfinals to build into the local fandom and exciting arena atmospheres. I would say everything is on the table for the future.”
While most of the top picks in the 2024 draft haven’t come flying out of the gate this fall, there are plenty of second-rounders and undrafted free agents from the ’24 class who are making positive early impressions. John Hollinger of The Athletic highlights several of them, including Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski, Suns big man Oso Ighodaro, and Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells.
The Athletic’s NBA writers identified the biggest need for all 30 teams, with good health coming up for a handful of clubs, including the Sixers, Bucks, and Magic.

Former NBA Forward Anthony Randolph Retires

December 13th, 2024 at 8:11am CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA forward Anthony Randolph has decided to call it a career after 15 professional seasons, he announced on Instagram.

“Basketball has given me more than I could have ever dreamed, shaping me both as a player and as a person,” Randolph wrote. “While this chapter comes to a close, I’m excited for what lies ahead and the new opportunities to continue growing and giving back.”

The 14th overall pick of the 2008 draft after one college season at LSU, Randolph spent six seasons in the NBA, suiting up for the Warriors, Knicks, Timberwolves and Nuggets from 2008-14. In 252 regular season games, he held career averages of 7.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 0.9 BPG in 15.2 MPG.

While Randolph’s NBA résumé was fairly modest, the 35-year-old had a long and productive career in Europe, spending two seasons with Russia’s Lokomotiv Kuban and seven with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.

A German-born American who later became a naturalized Slovenian citizen, Randolph helped Slovenia win a gold medal at the 2017 EuroBasket tournament. He also won two EuroLeague championships and three Liga ACB titles with Real Madrid, among other accomplishments (Twitter link via BasketNews).

As BasketNews notes in a full story, Randolph was slowed by several injuries in recent seasons, which likely led to his retirement. He last played for Madrid during the 2022/23 campaign.

Nathan Mensah Signs With Olympiacos

December 11th, 2024 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Hornets big man Nathan Mensah has signed with Olympiacos for the rest of the 2024/25 season, the Greek team announced today in a press release. The deal includes a team option for a second year.

Mensah, who played his college basketball at San Diego State from 2018-23, caught on with Charlotte last season after going undrafted. He spent much of his first professional season with the Greensboro Swarm in the G League, but also appeared in 25 NBA games with the Hornets while on a two-way contract from December to March.

The 6’11” center played in a total of 23 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Swarm, averaging 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 24.9 minutes per contest. In 25 NBA outings, he posted averages of 1.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 0.6 BPG in 12.3 MPG.

Mensah played for the Spurs‘ Summer League team this July and then was with San Antonio in training camp before being waived during the preseason. The Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s NBAGL affiliate – acquired his rights from the Swarm and he has played 12 games for the G League club this fall, averaging 5.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in 21.0 MPG.

Mensah will provide depth up front for an Olympiacos squad that had been actively seeking another big man due to injury issues. The Greek team has championship aspirations this season, having gone 8-1 in domestic play and 9-5 in EuroLeague competition so far. Olympiacos has the top point differential in both the Greek Basketball League (+167) and EuroLeague (+69).