Georgios Printezis, a 6-foot-9 forward for Olympiacos, is the toast of Europe this week. He hit the game-winning floater over Andrei Kirilenko with 0.7 seconds left to give Olympiacos its first Euroleague championship since 1997 with a 62-61 victory over CSKA Moscow.
European reports have lionized Printezis’ floater as one of the most “iconic’’ shots in European history. That doesn’t mean, though, the Greek forward has shot his way to the Knicks next season.
In a footnote to December’s Tyson Chandler sign-and-trade, the Mavericks included the draft rights to Printezis, an Athens-born forward who won the Greek Slam-Dunk contest in 2007. Now 27, he was selected in the second round by the Raptors in 2007.
“They have a nice little asset now,’’ one NBA executive said of Printezis. “People now know who he is now.’’
However, getting him in a Knicks uniform is a problem. Printezis is a free agent and likely has earned a significant contract from Olympiacos, one of Europe’s deepest-pocketed teams.
The Knicks believe he could make a good NBA reserve, but would only have the rookie minimum to offer Printezis — because they do not want to use risk a portion of their $5M mid-level exception.
The dilemma is they can’t even bring him in for July’s summer league in Las Vegas to work with him and get a good look. Printezis, a gritty forward who can rebound, penetrate and shoot, is on the Greek National Team vying for the London Olympics. Greece will play in the final Olympic qualifier in early July in Venezeula as heavy favorites to make it to the London Games.
“He’s playing the best ball of his life,’’ said an NBA executive who saw him play during the Euro-league. “The NBA has always been on his mind, but he would need a long-term commitment. He wouldn’t just come for one year.’’
With potentially eight free agents, the Knicks have depth concerns and plenty of roster spots open next season. They are scouring Europe for a diamond-in-the-rough such as center Timofey Mozgov.
But Printezis is a longshot for their roster because the Knicks are concerned about crossing the $74 million luxury-tax threshold that penalizes club with a heavier tax and lower mid-level exception.
“I think he could do well in the NBA as a backup 4 man,’’ another NBA scout said. “He used to attack the rim a lot more than he does right now. Now he plays more on the perimeter. He’s a tough player who will give his team a lot of intangibles.”Loose balls, rebounds, steals, good defensive position
* Knicks GM Glen Grunwald earned a sixth-place in Executive of Year voting, losing to Indiana’s Larry Bird. Grunwald received two second-place votes and two third-place votes on the merit of discovering Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak and his innovative maneuvering to sign Chandler.