Wright, Christmas earn co-MVP weekly honor

Zack Wright looks over the Maroussi defense

Zack Wright and Dionte Christmas are this weekend’s co-MVPs after leading Rethymno to a 92-80 victory over Maroussi.

This is Wright’s sixth MVP award this season and it’s the third consecutive week he’s captured the honor — the Greek league’s version of player of the week. Christmas now has two MVP honors this season.

Temple alum Christmas recorded his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds against winless Maroussi. Wright also scored 21 points. He was 9 of 11 from the field, with four rebounds and three steals. Both players had performance ratings of 31.

The official announcement is expected later today or tomorrow. Last week, Wright shared the award with Jon Diebler of Panionios (which defeated Maroussi 97-57).

Sink threes, win prize … Diebler, Wright co-MVPs

Jon Diebler‘s barrage of 3-pointers against Maroussi has earned him co-MVP honors with Zack Wright of Rethymno. Yes, the same Zack Wright who was named MVP last weekend.

You’ll recall that Maroussi’s Nestoras Kommatos had a good case for the honor after scoring 40 points Saturday against PAOK. But the system rewards players on teams that “win.” The award is the Greek league’s version of player of the week.

Jon Diebler

Diebler hit six 3-pointers — including a buzzer-beater at the half — and finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead Panionios to a 97-57 victory over the Maroussi Six (as in, they only have six professionals on the roster, seriously).

Wright led Rethymno to a 81-71 win over PAOK on his home court in Crete. He scored 18 points, had 7 steals, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 4 turnovers. Rethymno was in control throughout. The 6-2 Wright’s dunk late in the third quarter gave his team a 15-point lead.

This is Wright’s fifth MVP award this season. His teammate Dionte Christmas had 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals in last night’s win.

Why is that important? Maroussi’s next opponent is Rethymno, at home on February 25. No game this Saturday.

Wright has shared the award twice before — with Georgios Printezis of Olympiakos, and with former Boston Celtics center Patrick O’Bryant of Kavala.

Kommatos snubbed for weekly MVP honor?

Did I mention Maroussi just can’t catch a break? Star forward Nestoras Kommatos doesn’t seem the type to get worked up about player of the week honors. He’s almost 35 years old and has won a Euroleague title (Maccabi Tel Aviv, 2005). But I bet his old bones would feel better with a little recognition for his one-man show (40 points; seven 3-pointers) up in Thessaloniki.

Nestoras Kommatos

But — and there’s always a “but” in Maroussi World — the league selected always stellar Zack Wright as MVP of last weekend’s games. Wright is the American point guard for Reythmno, on the island of Crete. He’s very good. I attended Reythmno’s game at Peristeri — in Athens earlier this season — and when he went to the bench because of foul trouble, Peristeri went on a run and almost tied the game. He returned, regained control, and his team won. Fans also threw stuff at the referees and Reythmno players (I’ll post those videos at a later date).

It’s the fourth time this season that Wright has won Greece’s version of Player of the Week. He’s a lock for the All Star game (see ‘League cancels All Star game’). Wright was instrumental in helping Reythmno beat Ilysiakos 71-67 in a road game following a loss, so it’s a good win. He scored 16 points and recorded 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 assists, with no turnovers. His efficiency rating was 25. He shot 4 of 10 from inside the 3-point line, 1 of 3 beyond it, and 5 of 8 from the free throw line.

Kommatos scored 40 points against PAOK, in an 86-82 loss, going 7 of 15 on 3-pointers, although he missed his last five 3-point attempts. He had 7 rebounds, three assists, a steal and four turnovers. He hit 11 of 14 free throws. To boot, he played without his starting point guard — and two other teammates have already bailed because they weren’t getting paid — so he was essentially his team’s only scoring threat. His efficiency rating was 42. The system rewards the highest rating on the winning team, but rules are made to be bent.

A hoops snub? This must be how Mark Wahlberg felt when Oscar overlooked his performance in “The Fighter” — not to mention “Rock Star.”

Anyway, Wright graciously told the league’s website, esake.gr, that his award is a “team honor.” Maroussi (0-16) visits Panionios (12-5) on Wednesday in downtown Athens and hosts Reythmno (9-7) on Saturday, February 25.