Gagaloudis signs in Cyprus

Well, any slim hope Maroussi (0-17) had of winning a game this season just took a crushing blow. Yannis Gagaloudis, the team’s talented and hot-tempered point guard, left today for Cyprus to play for Appollon Limassol.

Yannis Gagaloudis

Gagaloudis led the Greek league in assists (6 per game) and was a top-10 scorer (15.6 ppg). He had a double-double (16 points 10 assists) in his final game, a 97-57 loss to Panionios on Wednesday evening.

The move was not a surprise. The 33-year-old recently told me that Maroussi’s financial situation — the team’s owner simply stopped paying players — was weighing on him. The team has been unable to sign imported players because of a FIBA ban, which resulted from Maroussi failing to pay a former player.

“Every day we come and we don’t know how many players we have,” Gagaloudis said.

Power forward Dimitris Haritopoulos was the first out the door. He’s playing in France. Frank Elegar was next. The American center is headed to Turkey, although he hasn’t signed a contract yet.

Now the countdown is on for Nestoras Kommatos, the league’s leading scorer (20.4 ppg). Like Gagaloudis, Kommatos has international experience, and has indicated he’s willing to leave.

Smart money is on Kommatos leaving before Maroussi’s next game, which is February 25 against Rethymno.

Maroussi now has just five professionals on its roster. It has been relying on amateurs from its junior team to eat up minutes.

Why Maroussi? Five reasons to care

Maroussi was a Top 16 Euroleague team just two years ago. Then the money stopped flowing. They’re now 0-15 and one of their top players just defected to France. No Greek A1 team has ever gone winless for the season. They’ll almost certainly be relegated to a lower division next year. So, why care? Five reasons:

5. The Greek financial crisis. The club’s owner (who is no longer the club president) is in the construction business, which has ground to a halt during the country’s financial crisis. No business = no euros for team (especially players). It’s more complicated than that, but you get the picture.

4. FIBA’s influence. European clubs have long treated player contracts like suggestions, rather than agreements. Now, players and their agents have smartened up. They include a clause in their contracts, giving either side the right to seek arbitration through FIBA. Former Maroussi player Jared Homan won his case — FIBA ruled that Maroussi owed him about $110,000. Maroussi didn’t pay, so FIBA imposed a ban on signing new players.

3. The fans. After one recent loss — Maroussi missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer — a group of fans walked across the court to the Maroussi bench, where they applauded the players’ effort and consoled them with handshakes and words of encouragement. That was cool.

2. Greek basketball. It’s bad. Financially, anyway. It’s not just Maroussi. Other teams have been slapped with FIBA bans because they owe money. Greece used to be one of the top leagues — if not the best — in Europe. It might not be in the top 5 right now. Like Maroussi, it’s hard to envision its survival.

1. The players. They’re the ultimate underdogs. Most teams have three or four imports (usually American). Maroussi has one, and he’s thinking about leaving. They have just 6 pro players on the roster (Homan-FIBA issue). If starters get into foul trouble, the coach inserts teenagers and crosses his fingers. Here’s the thing — they’re good. They have the #2 scorer in the league and the point guard is the league’s assists leader. In the games I’ve seen, they bust their asses.