The summer of 2009 in Athens was particularly hot, and not because of the weather. Vassilis Spanoulis, then a Panathinaikos player, moved to the great rival Olympicos. The green fans were in shock, and the red and white marked a big victory.
Years later, Spanoulis said Željko Obradović, then Pau's coach, stopped talking to him following the move. The hostility the Greek guard received from anyone identified with the color green was enormous. Switching between Athens' two arch-rivals is rare and almost impossible, so when it happens it shakes the forearms and increases the fierce rivalry.
Spanoulis later became the great icon of Olympiacos, but with all due respect to him, what happened on Saturday is even more dramatic. Spanoulis may have been a leading player and an important cog in Panathinaikos, but Kostas Slokas, who did the opposite today, is an icon. Spanoulis changed uniforms after 4 seasons in green, Slokas after 9, and after it looked like he would end his career at the club.
The wonderful point guard and the great winner ended a tremendous period at the club, which included two spells with two EuroLeague Cups, and a painful loss with the club in the EuroLeague final against Real Madrid this season. Until a few days ago, such a scenario would have been considered imaginary, but from the moment it became known that Slokas was not continuing in red and white, there were moves beneath the surface that ended this afternoon with an amazing agreement.
Slokas. Exhibited in Greece, photo: Panathinaikos
"Tax payment"
The player who appeared to be on his way to Fenerbahce or Partizan Belgrade crossed the street on a three-season contract in which he will earn a whopping €9 million. Such a contract, for a 33-year-old player, includes illogical elements, and is strictly excessive. There is a "tax payment" in this contract for the great desire to do precisely and ignite the sworn city rival, and of course to convince a player to do the brave deed. Therefore, the sums grew and reached as far as they came.
In retrospect, it turns out that Olympiacos "gave" its star to its city rival on a platter. She could have extended Slokas' contract, in what seemed to be the most natural move, but it turns out that beneath the surface not everything was rosy. There were financial differences between the player and the team, but what tipped the scales in favor of leaving was probably the relationship with coach Yorgos Bartzokas.
Slokas, who came off the bench throughout the season, was unhappy with his status in the team, as well as the amount of minutes he played. He and the coach did not broadcast on the same frequency. In order to fully understand the background to the departure, it should be noted that it happened immediately after the conversation that the coordinator had with Bartzokas.
The dissatisfaction, and implicit criticism, could be understood from Slokas's parting remarks: "I feel that I have not been able to arouse the same respect from everyone. However, even if the taste of the ending is sour, it does not overshadow three wonderful years. I leave with great satisfaction and a clear conscience. I did everything to honor the uniform I was wearing."
Bartzokas. A touch of the title, photo: EPA
The Empire Returns
The bomb dropped by Panathinaikos will reverberate for a long time. Crossing the lines of the excellent point guard is another part of the statement of the team and its president, Dimitris Yanakopoulos. The team is back in a big way.
Since 2012 it has not qualified for the Euroleague playoffs, and in the last two years it has reached its lowest point, nor was it a significant factor in the Greek league against Olympiacos. The opponent's dominance was absolute, while reaching the Euroleague finals, Pau finished at the bottom of the factory.
Panathinaikos. , the big days are coming back?
Summer the direction of the wind changes, all the steps indicate the return of the duel. It is not clear how much the budget will increase, but it will be by tens of percent. Yancopoulos has returned to center stage and is building a team to restore glory to its former glory, the group goes for all the cannons on the market.
Even if they failed to add Kevin Panther, they had already managed to sign Matthias Lasor, Jerian Grant, Luca Vildoza and Dinos Mitogal before Slokas. This is only the first part of the procurement journey.
Move of the summer? 👀
Kostas Sloukas joins @paobcgr ☘️ pic.twitter.com/Ucn139Rd0X
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) July 8, 2023
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