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I wish he could have hit one of his three pointers but I still think he had a solid game.
I will keep this thread of how he do in Greek League, Greek Cup, and Euroleague.
Against one of the smallest Greek clubs Aigaleo. Olympiacos the team of Childress win game 90-65.
4-9 FG
0-3 3 PT
8-8 FT
16 points
2 rebounds
1 assist
1 steal
1 block
1 turnover
He have number 5 highest player ranking of Olympiacos players for game.
I will keep update for the American NBA fans here so they can see how he do in Greek League and Euroleague. In this game best player of game is Michalis Pelekanos.
Childress dunk from game
and other pic from game
Will try find highlights if they are available later.
Last edited by Kill_Bill_Pana; 10-20-2008 at 03:17 AM.
I wish he could have hit one of his three pointers but I still think he had a solid game.
highlights?
Big, Fat Greek Contract Makes Europe Irresistible
October 12, 2008
By PETE THAMEL
ATHENS — On a conference call with his agent’s office in early July, Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress was told about all the N.B.A. teams interested in signing him. Franchises like Phoenix, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Cleveland were discussed before his agent, Jim Tanner, added one surprise.
“Oh, and we got a call from Greece,” he said.
Childress laughed at the unexpected development. But three months and one potentially groundbreaking decision later, Childress is living in a three-bedroom apartment in the fashionable Athens suburb of Glyfada. He received a three-year, $20 million contract from Olympiacos, making him the highest-paid basketball player in the world outside of the N.B.A. With his housing, Volvo, chef, telephone and Greek taxes paid for by the team, Childress estimated he would take home about $6 million this season, about twice as much as he would have had he played in the N.B.A.
“I get paid double, my role increases, I have no expenses and I move to a nice city?” Childress said. “How many guys wouldn’t do that, regardless if you’re a lawyer or a doctor? In a business sense, if I were to tell people that I passed on that deal, I would be stupid. That would be the next headline: Josh Childress Shouldn’t Have Gone to Stanford. He’s an Idiot.”
It is unknown whether Childress will be an anomaly or a trailblazer, but Olympiacos’s aggressive ownership has offered hefty contracts to N.B.A. players like Chris Webber, James Posey and Michael Finley in the past two years. Those big-name players declined, but solid N.B.A. players like Earl Boykins (Italy), Nenad Krstic (Russia), Juan Carlos Navarro (Spain) and Jannero Pargo (Russia) leapt overseas this off-season for more money and bigger roles.
Americans have been playing in Europe for decades, but they have usually been fringe N.B.A. players looking for a job or a slightly bigger paycheck. Childress’s decision to leave the Hawks may signify a change in how N.B.A. players look at Europe as a basketball destination.
Childress, 25, has the highest profile of any N.B.A. export. He was the No. 6 pick in the 2004 draft and averaged 11.8 points a game as one of the league’s best sixth men.
The moves do not seem to bother Commissioner David Stern, however. While on a speakerphone with a reporter for a recent interview, the N.B.A.’s deputy commissioner, Adam Silver, entered Stern’s office. Stern sarcastically said to Silver that he was “wringing his hands” wondering how the N.B.A. will move on without Childress and Boykins.
“The one thing that we knew even before Thomas Friedman told us is that the basketball world is flat,” Stern said referring to the development of basketball throughout the world. “And the way that you deal with that is you become a part of it. You participate with that. The reality is that basketball is getting to be a more popular sport, and there are more leagues that can afford to pay more players.”
The chances of mass defections or an elite N.B.A. player heading to Europe appear unlikely in the near future. But the players who appear most ripe for the taking are solid N.B.A. players like Childress who believe they are worth more than the midlevel exception of $5.6 million, which Childress likely would have made this season if he had stayed with the Hawks.
That has opened the eyes of N.B.A. executives, because restricted free agents will be prime targets.
“I just know all of a sudden there is that option that wasn’t there before, and we’re going to have to think about it,” the Knicks’ president, Donnie Walsh, said of restricted free agents.
Childress said he had received calls from 10 to 15 N.B.A. players inquiring about his decision and how he liked Greece. And after Childress flew to Greece to visit the team and sign his contract, the BlackBerry belonging to Olympiacos General Manager Christos Stavropoulos started buzzing with messages from agents saying, “We’re here if the Childress deal falls through,” and “Don’t forget about us for next season.”
Childress said he had told N.B.A. players that playing in Europe was not for everyone. Olympiacos does not fly charter everywhere, and players have roommates on the road, inconveniences that N.B.A. players are not accustomed to. But Childress is a bit of a free spirit and said he had always tried to be a bit different his whole life, pointing to his trademark bushy Afro to the fact that he does not have tattoos or wear earrings. Every year, Childress and his best friend, the Toronto Raptors’ Jamal Sampson, take a trip to a foreign country after the season. Their vacation spots have included Sweden, Uruguay and Spain.
“He’s a free-spirited person,” said Jamal Childress, Josh’s older brother. “In our family, he’s the dancer.”
Josh Childress looked at Olympiacos as another adventure. He signed a three-year deal, but he has the option to leave after a season. He had planned on re-signing with the Hawks, who had said signing him and Josh Smith were off-season priorities. But Childress expected a contract within days of the start of free agency this July, and negotiations dragged on for weeks. He said it was unlikely he would play for the Hawks again; he expected them to waive his rights to clear cap space.
While Atlanta dragged its heels, Olympiacos emerged as a serious contender. In a pitch to Childress at a clandestine meeting at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas in July, Olympiacos impressed Childress by saying that it had scouted more than 50 of his games on television. The Olympiacos assistant Manos Manouselis broke down Childress’s preferences and weaknesses.
“It’s a good feeling,” Childress said. “I felt wanted. I felt important.”
Childress said he also felt that playing for Olympiacos would rekindle some of the atmosphere he loved so much in college basketball.
The fans sing and chant like those in a college student section or a European soccer crowd. And the rivalry of Olympiacos and Panathinaikos is so intense that Childress calls it “100 times worse” than the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. Fans of one team are not allowed in the opposing arena because of incidents with flares, firecrackers and postgame brawls.
The European game also better suits Childress’s style. His college coach, Mike Montgomery, said Childress’s on-court gift was “the joy he takes in his teammates doing well.” European basketball is far more dictated by teams playing five on five; the N.B.A. is more of a one-on-one league.
“Even something like team meal,” Childress said. “Yes, it’s something kind of silly. But I missed the team aspect of it and being close with all your teammates and having that family type atmosphere.”
Though Childress has a team-leading average of 15 points in exhibition games, Olympiacos does not want Childress to be a prolific scorer. The Olympiacos staff and front office have embraced Childress because he has not come here with a swagger the way many Americans do. Instead, he has accepted his role, learned the team’s new triangle offense and blended in.
“We don’t want him to press and think we need a lot of points,” said Olympiacos Coach Panayiotis Yannakis, who also coaches the Greek national team. “He can do so many things to help the team.”
And in this increasingly flat basketball world, Childress said he realized that his Greek experience would be closely watched.
“I found a little loophole,” Childress said. “I can’t take all the credit. Olympiacos made the initial contact. I think it’s something that’s going to force a change in the collective bargaining agreement. It’s going to be difficult for some teams to match teams in Europe.”
Howard Beck contributed reporting.
HahahahahStern sarcastically said to Silver that he was “wringing his hands” wondering how the N.B.A. will move on without Childress and Boykins.
But it is a good chance for the good players in the NBA to make some extra cash and live in exotic cities. If I was Josh Childress, I'd be partying all the time with some fine eurobabes.
word
Childress understands that Basketball is his job, and he needs to get his money. Good for him.
Stern = Snarky like Stark-y.
meah, as long as Childress has a good time, meets many Eurobabes and is paid handsomely for his skillz, I see nothing wrong with him playing over there.
I heard Olympiakos provides everything including a sleeping dictionary
“How many guys wouldn’t do that, regardless if you’re a lawyer or a doctor? In a business sense, if I were to tell people that I passed on that deal, I would be stupid. That would be the next headline: Josh Childress Shouldn’t Have Gone to Stanford. He’s an Idiot.”
Epic quote!!!
Wu Tang said it best
Cash Rules Everything Around Me
YupHahahahah
But it is a good chance for the good players in the NBA to make some extra cash and live in exotic cities. If I was Josh Childress, I'd be partying all the time with some fine eurobabes.
I lived in that region (Greece & Turkey) : beautiful countries, perfect weather, amazing food, insanely hot women
I hear the Greeks and Turks dont like each other
True
But both countries are similar
Childress dunk from Olympiacos vs. Aigaleo game
That gym suck.
That's where they play professional basketball games over there?
Looks like the place the CBA team played in McAllen last season.
not a bad first game.
That looks like the gym the Spurs used during summer leagues.
That's where they play professional basketball games over there?
That's why they can pay 83 million $ to Kobe.
wow, that looks like a high school gym.
The Cox Pavilion seats more people.
Americans are idiots. How many times this have to be explain? Euro sports is different then American ones. That is gym of Aigaleo one of smallest clubs in Greece. That is all they can afford it they want their own gym. They can of course rent of many huge arenas if they want but they will not have enough fans to come there.
Americans is such idiots. Europe is promotion and relegation system EVERY league have 2-3 very small clubs every year that is how it works.
If NBA had same system it would also be the same. Miami Heat would be in the D league this year. And some team from D-League or CBA or USBL or ABA or some place would be in the NBA.
Beside Americans keep extreme exaggerations about arenas in Greece. Anyway that is not even normal arena of Aigaleo. That is 1,200 seat gym they are just rent because is cheap. their normal arena is 5,600 seat gym but they are keeping it empty for save costs because like I say is small club that every year does not know if will stay in top division.
Every league work same way with only major clubs having big arenas because these are only clubs that are guarantee for at least few years of stay in top division. In Greece basketball league is 8 big clubs: Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, AEK Athens, Aris, PAOK, Panionios, Maroussi, Panellinios. After this is groups of smaller clubs that is always rotating in and out of league which is normal for EVERY league in Europe. Like in NBA teams will get new arena from their city when they will not even be in NBA anymore like Sonics. And now not like in NBA they can just move to different city, they will be relegated out of league even if they move.
The 8 main clubs have or are going to have soon all top level arenas, better then any other domestic league in all Europe.
Panathinaikos play in 20,000 seat arena They are also right now building new arena with NBA level features that will seat 20,000.
AEK Athens normally play in 20,000 seat arena but this year they not play in any European cups because their ownership was changing so they turn down the Eurocup place they had and so they rent smaller 2,000 seat gym. This was just to make it easier to sell club at time. But normally they play in 20,000 seat arena.
New arena that is be built and be ready soon for Aris is 15,700 seat arena with NBA arena features.
Arena for PAOK is seat 8,650 and is be made right now they are working on this, bigger to seat 9,000.
Panionios arena is seat 15,000 and this arena is already built with NBA arena features.
Olympiacos play in 14,776 seat arena and they is already working on new arena to seat 20,000 and with NBA arena features.
Panellinios will rent current arena that Olympiacos plays in when new Olympiacos arena is ready so they will play in the 14,776 seat arena.
Maroussi will rent arena Panathinaikos plays in now after they finish new arena so Maroussi will be in the 20,000 seat arena.
By 2011 season is supposed to be like this:
1. Panathinaikos 20,000 seat arena built in NBA standard
2. Olympiacos 20,000 seat arena built in NBA standard
3. Aris 15,700 seat arena built in NBA standard
4. Panionios 15,000 seat arena built in NBA standard
5. AEK Athens 20,000 seat arena
6. PAOK 9,000 seat arena
7. Maroussi 20,000 seat arena
8. Panellinios 14,776 seat arena
Also there is several bigger arenas in Athens that is empty but clubs can use. One more Athens club beside Panellinios could also use current Olympiacos arena if they want when Olympiacos move and also one more Athens club is allow use Panionios arena. And also there is to 8,000 seat arena in Athens that is empty right now because no team want rent it.
With few years Greek League will have better arenas then any other domestic league in Europe.
Last edited by Kill_Bill_Pana; 10-18-2008 at 04:56 AM.
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