| 14 November 2011
Update: The magic number for BBC Bayreuth and the teams' managing director Manfred Schottner: two.
In an interview conducted today between Schottner and Spox.com, a deal could be reached between Bayreuth and Kevin Durant within the next two days, with Schottner already booking two games on the schedule in December for Durant's BBL debut.
Two games are scheduled right after Christmas -- December 27th, a home game against Bremerhaven and December 29th, an away game at FC Bayern.
To Schottner's knowledge, Durant will make his decision "during the latest on Tuesday or Wednesday".
As has been the case with many NBA players jumping overseas, insurance may hold up any arrival or deal at all between Durant and Bayreuth. Don't be alarmed when Wednesday comes and goes and Durant is still undecided about his future plans to play in Europe.
It could be the dollars and cents of it all. Insurance woes may raise the red flag. Either way, the doubters will fall in line saying this is just a PR stunt. It's not coming from Bayreuth's side. Give Bayreuth this much: they are making the story interesting.
--------------
Update: This already has the makings of Bolgna-Kobe all over again.
As state side reports indicate teams like Valencia and Maccabi are showing interest in Kevin Durant, the press and sources near those teams are painting a very different story.
Now according to a report by MundoDeportivo.com in Valencia, the team has nothing going on with bringing over Durant.
"Kevin Durant is a great player, we are proud that we put players at this level, but there is nothing," said team president Vicente Sola.
Sola went on to say that in the event the NBA season is officially cancelled, "if a player is really worth and the owner would like some incorporation could be studied".
Remember, this is a team looking to replace team captain Victor Claver, who recently suffered an ankle injury and will be sidelined for 6-weeks. It just doesn't sound like the funds are there to make Durant that man.
Something else to chew on from the report: Aaron Goodwin, who represents Durant, is apparetly asking a monthly salary roughly $ 750,000 higher than it earns in an entire season's highest-paid player Valencia.
With this news, coupled with earlier details out of Israel (see below), Germany's BBC Bayreuth appears the only legit club in the running for Durant at this point.
-------------
Update: Hours after the NBA players union stated on Monday they are disbanding after rejecting the NBA's 72-game offer and thus risking any chance of there being a season, the Kevin Durant sweepstakes heated up.
ESPN's Marc Stein via Twitter: "Source close to Durant says Thunder star will now widen his net and talk to more teams beyond Valencia, BBC Bayreuth and Maccabi Tel Aviv".
Read on below as to why we might be able to strike Maccabi from the conversation...
---------------
Forget trying to lure national hero Dirk Nowitzki or even German National teammate Chris Kaman to play in Germany’s premiere basketball league.
Kevin Durant just might be taking over the 18-team Beko Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) if a Yahoo.com report holds true that the Oklahoma City Thunders All-Star small forward is considering offers from three teams overseas, including BBC Bayreuth.
According to the report by Marc J. Spears in a phone interview with Durant, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Valencia are the two other teams of interest.
Actually, go ahead and make that two teams with a third team playing "mind games".
While Monday’s ongoing NBA lockout negotiations will shed much light on Durant’s future playing basketball abroad if a work stoppage jeopardizes the rest of the season, management for BBC Bayreuth has said “serious negotiations” are being conducted between the two parties.
"With the delicacy with which we have been negotiating with the agent for Kevin Durant, it's only once over. The fact is that we have been about three weeks in serious negotiations with the agent for Kevin Durant, Aaron Goodwin, and its partners in Europe, "says Manfred Schöttner, BBC’s managing director, told the northern Bavarian Courier.
Negotiations have been ongoing for the past three weeks.
"Currently, one can classify the negotiation status so that an agreement on financial matters is very possible. Furthermore, it was already staked out the potential for a period engagement…
"We are also working intensively on the biggest challenge of a possible short exposures of Kevin Durant: The organization of the mandatory wage loss insurance," explained Schöttner.
The team has been working closely with sponsors and is believed to be still rounding up additional potential partners in order to compensate Durant’s salary (for the Thunder, Durant is under contract on a 5-year, $86 million deal). There is speculation that Valencia BC has made a formal offer of 675,000 Euros a month, equal to $ 919,815 a month, for Durant but that has not been confirmed to this point.
At least Valencia and BBC Bayreuth’s interest and reported offers can be contrived as genuine and realistic, that is apparently more than what can be said coming from Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Plainly put by one source in Israel when asked about the interest in Durant: “These are just mind games going on.”
"Maccabi did not make an offer for Durant to come. It was a nice trick and can't see Maccabi spending this kind of money. Maybe other European teams like Real Madrid or Barcelona have the money for this kind of deal."
If that is the case, it's very typical as we've come to see over the last few months. Just ask the good people of Bologna, Italy about Virtus signing Kobe Bryant.
One thing is for sure -- Bayreuth could certainly use Durant’s help to salvage their season in the BBL.
They are currently ranked 13th in the league with a 3-5 record.
If Bayreuth has it their way, Durant would join American-import players Danny Gibson (University of Southern Indiana), Kevin Hamilton (Holy Cross, on injured reserve with left leg stress fracture), Tyler Smith (University of Iowa/University of Tennessee), Corey Stokes (Villanova), Beckham Wyrick (University of NC Wilmington), Brandon Hunter (Ohio), and Ekene Ibekwe (Maryland) on the roster.
While Ibekwe spent time with the Portland Trail Blazers summer league team last season, Hunter -- who played for the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic -- is the lone member of the team with official NBA experience.
Durant, however, is on a whole different level.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
