Vaunted European coach Panagiotis Giannakis is looking for an NBA bench opportunity. He visited Bucks camp and has plans to visit the camps of the Pistons and Pacers, international journalist David Pick reports for Basketball Insiders. Giannakis coached the national team of Greece to a second place finish at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, which included a win over Team USA.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Brandon Jennings will be a free agent at the end of the season, but Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders believes he could change teams before his current deal expires. The Pistons have talked up the Reggie Jackson and Jennings pairing, but Greene doubts the duo can coexist long-term. He argues that it comes down to the money. Detroit just invested $80MM in Jackson and it might not be feasible to retain Jennings at market value next offseason, which is why the team may opt to get something in return for the point guard rather than losing him for nothing.
- Jameer Nelson‘s impact on the Nuggets goes beyond his play on the court, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Nelson has taken on the responsibility of leading the team and he is embracing his role. “To be a leader you have to be uncomfortable,” Nelson said. “You have to get extra shots up, you have to be early to be on time. You gotta hold yourself accountable, so then when you hold somebody else accountable they’re not looking at you with a side eye. [Instead] they’re like, ‘He’s doing it, he’s showing us.’ ” Nelson re-signed with the Nuggets for $13.5MM over three years this offseason.