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Kostas Papanikolaou: Staying in Europe
Papanikolaou agreed Thursday with Olympiacos B.C. of the Greek Basket League on a three-year contract extension, likely ending a bid to return to the NBA.
Several NBA teams had reportedly reached out to Papanikolaou to gauge his interest in a return to the league, where he played from 2014 to 2016 with the Rockets and Nuggets. The offers Papanikolaou might have received from teams likely wouldn't have come close to matching the guaranteed money the forward received from the Greek club, so he ultimately felt it was best for him to stick in his home country. Papanikolaou will now be under contract with Olympiacos through the 2020-21 season, but his deal could include an opt clause that would allow him to pursue an NBA return if he so chooses.
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Kostas Papanikolaou: Could return to NBA
Papanikolaou has drawn interest from several teams this offseason and is considering a return to the NBA, Ian Begley of ESPN.com reports.
Drafted by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft, Papanikolaou's rights were traded twice before he made his NBA debut with the Rockets in 2014-15, appearing in 43 games. He was dealt to the Nuggets the following season and suited up for 26 games and saw his numbers drop across the board before being released in January 2016. The 6-foot-9 Papanikolaou has spent the subsequent two seasons with Greek club Olympiacos, with whom he's re-emerged as one of the top forwards in the EuroLeague. Set to turn 28 years old later this month, Papanikolaou's window to rejoin the sport's top league could close swiftly, so it wouldn't be surprising if he elected to take one more chance at trying to establish himself in North America. If he ends up signing with a team, Papanikolaou wouldn't necessarily be guaranteed a roster spot and would likely have to be receptive to a bench role no matter where he lands.
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Kostas Papanikolaou: Signs on with Greek club
Papanikolaou agreed to a contract with Olympiacos of Greece that will run through June 2019, Sportando reports.
After being waived by the Nuggets earlier this month, Papanikolaou will head back to his home country, and could very well remain overseas for the remainder of his career. He failed to make much of an impression in his two seasons in the NBA, averaging 3.6 points on 35.4 percent shooting over a combined 69 games with the Rockets and Nuggets.
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Kostas Papanikolaou: Cut by the Nuggets
Papanikolaou was waived by the Nuggets on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.
After serving as a fill-in starter for Danilo Gallinari (ankle) at small forward over a five-game stretch to close out December, Papanikolaou had assumed a bench role for the Nuggets' previous three games, and only appeared in two of those contests. Regardless of how he was been deployed in his 26 games with the Nuggets, Papanikolaou was rarely effective, averaging just 2.6 points while shooting 36.4 percent from the field. He may have to head back overseas before he gets another opportunity at the NBA level.
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Nuggets' Kostas Papanikolaou: Not doing much with starting opportunity
Papanikolaou failed to score (0-3 FG, 0-2 3Pt) and collected five rebounds and one assist across 22 minutes in Tuesday's 93-87 loss to the Nuggets.
Papanikolaou has picked up five starts in a row with Danilo Gallinari (ankle) unavailable, among a number of other players, but he's been unable to do much with his increased minutes. Over those five games, he's averaging just 4.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 three-pointers. He's safe to ignore in most formats until he supplies a few notable stat lines.
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Nuggets' Kostas Papanikolaou: Starts Wednesday
Papanikolaou will start Wednesday against Phoenix, broadcaster Jason Kosmicki reports.
Denver has a whole host of injured players which will allow Papanikolaou to see added minutes and the start Wednesday. He'll be starting at power forward while Kenneth Faried shifts over to center, while both are backed by Darrell Arthur, Joffrey Lauvergne, and J.J. Hickson.
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Nuggets' Kostas Papanikolaou: Scores nine points in start
Papanikolaou contributed nine points (3-5 FG, 3-4 3Pt) and one steal over 11 minutes in Tuesday's 111-107 loss to the Lakers.
Papanikolaou showed a nice stroke from outside to make the most of his time on the court, but the allotment of playing time he received was still disappointing in what was his first start of the season. While Papanikolaou figures to hold down a regular rotation spot while Danilo Gallinari (ankle) remains hobbled, it appears second-unit stud Will Barton, who scored 25 points in 38 minutes Tuesday, will absorb most of Gallinari's playing time.
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Nuggets' Kostas Papanikolaou: Will get the start Tuesday
Papanikolaou is in the starting lineup for Tuesday' game against the Lakers, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post reports.
Papanikolaou moves into the starting lineup, as Danilo Gallinari will sit out with an ankle injury. Many believed Will Barton would be the starter, but it looks as if coach Michael Malone wanted to keep him in a bench role due to the amount of success he's had there recently. With that being said, the start marks Papanikolaou's first of the year and second of his career, so look for him to see an increase in minutes from the nine he's averaged so far this season. Barton and Darrell Arthur should see plenty of time at the three as well behind him.
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Nuggets' Kostas Papanikolaou: Reappears in rotation
Papanikolaou saw 14 minutes off the bench in Monday's 114-106 win over the Nuggets, producing five points (2-4 FG, 1-2 3Pt), one rebound, one block, and one steal.
It was the first time in December that coach Michael Malone turned to Papanikolaou, who had went unused in the previous five games. It's likely that the absence of Darrell Arthur, who missed Monday's game with a knee issue, was largely responsible for why Papanikolaou got off the bench. Since it doesn't appear that Arthur's injury is a long-term concern, Papanikolaou shouldn't see many minutes beyond Monday's game.
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Nuggets' Kostas Papanikolaou: Plays two minutes Sunday
Papanikolaou failed to score in his two minutes of action for Denver in their 118-105 loss Sunday to the Warriors.
Papanikolaou has played in every game for the Nuggets since signing with the team on Nov. 5th. However, he's only averaging 7.2 minutes per game in that span. Papanikolaou has managed to score 2.1 points along with 1.2 rebounds per game. His opportunities will continue to be limited behind Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur.
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Kostas Papanikolaou: Signing with Nuggets
Papanikolaou is expected to sign with the Nuggets on Thursday, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post reports.
The Nuggets released guard Erick Green on Thursday, clearing a roster spot, which they're expected to use on Papanikolaou, who was with the team briefly in the offseason. The Greece native came over from Houston in the Ty Lawson deal, but the Nuggets waived him in late-September prior to camp. With the Nuggets currently dealing with a slew of frontcourt injuries, Papanikolaou will return and could step into a meaningful role, at least in the short-term. He appeared in 43 games for Houston last season, averaging 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 18.5 minutes.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-8, 235 lbs |
| Birthplace: Trikala, Greece |
| Age: 33 |
| Experience: 1 |