Dino to Greece????

[Tony Pinto <bagaco@worldnet.att.net>]

news:33B48B11.737E@erols.com
Michael Thompson <mikejt@erols.com> wrote:
>Here is an article from today's Boston Globe. 
>Panathinaikos in mix 
>
>                  Greek team shows interest in signing Radja
>
>                  By Peter May, Globe Staff, 06/28/97 
>
>                  Dino Radja is no longer on Larry Brown's screen and he
>may be veering off
>                  Rick Pitino's screen, but there is interest in the
>30-year-old forward from an
>                  old friend: Panathinaikos. 
>
>                  Sources yesterday said the Greek team, which bailed
>out the Celtics three
>                  summers ago by signing Dominique Wilkins, is
>considering trying to sign
>                  Radja. The sources also indicated that there have been
>preliminary
>                  discussions between the team and Marc Fleisher,
>Radja's agent. Fleisher
>                  could not be reached yesterday but said Thursday that
>he had received no
>                  offers from any team in Europe. 
>
>                  Radja is under contract to the Celtics for three more
>seasons and, under the
>                  rules of the NBA and FIBA, basketball's international
>governing body,
>                  cannot simply leave and sign overseas. What he could
>do is agree to forfeit
>                  the guarantees in his Boston deal - more than $16.2
>million. If he clears
>                  NBA waivers - and no team would claim him because of
>his contract - then
>                  he would be free to go to Europe and the Celtics would
>be free of his salary.
>
>                  According to the sources, however, Panathinaikos is
>concerned about
>                  Radja's left knee and would be disinclined to offer
>anything more than a
>                  one-year deal in the $3 million area. That would
>represent a major financial
>                  risk for Radja. 
>
>                  ``It's not something I expect to happen,'' Fleisher
>said Thursday. ``There are
>                  all kinds of problems that make it a long shot.'' 
>
>                  Then again, Radja may be interested in a lifestyle
>change. He is having family
>                  problems in Boston and many of his friends in the
>organization were victims
>                  of the Pitino Purge. He also knows he is not in
>Pitino's plans. 
>
>                  Panathinaikos also explored re-signing Wilkins, who
>left the team after one
>                  bitter season and was involved in a nasty lawsuit with
>the club. However, its
>                  offer was not enough to entice Wilkins to return, the
>sources said. Wilkins's
>                  agent, Steve Kauffman, said yesterday that he is still
>talking to the Greek
>                  team but doubts a deal will be made. 
>
>                  The prospect of Radja returning to Europe, where he
>was an international
>                  star, has gained speed since the Celtics traded him to
>Philadelphia eight days
>                  ago. Radja waited until close to the deadline to
>report to the 76ers and take
>                  his physical, and then flunked it, voiding the deal.
>The Celtics contested the
>                  decision and then backed off, recognizing they had
>little chance of prevailing.
>                  The team then released a statement that said, ``We
>plan to continue Dino's
>                  rehabilitation program and will continue to explore
>all avenues to benefit the
>                  Boston Celtics.'' Having Radja return to Europe would
>be such a benefit to
>                  Boston that the Celtics might consider renting the
>Concorde to make it
>                  happen. 
>
>                  Radja played three seasons in Italy, two for Il
>Messaggero and a third for
>                  Virtus Roma. He has been playing internationally for
>Yugoslavia and Croatia
>                  since he was 17.


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