Petteri Koponen, who was drafted 30th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, has been under the basketball radar since he was 16 years old.
Being one of the most hyped players to ever come out of a Nordic country, he naturally attracted the attention of NBA scouts. As a result, he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, all by the age of 19.
Koponen has seen major success, both in Europe and abroad. He played in the World All-Star team of the Nike Hoop Summit in 2007, and found major success. At the tournament, he was considered one of the top players despite guarding future Top Five picks Derrick Rose and OJ Mayo.
Most Blazer fans are adamant that what this team needs is a solid pass-first point guard to make the leap from the lottery to the playoffs. Although Jerryd Bayless is ultra-talented, many believe his skill-set will not suit the needs of this organization.
Hippo T. of NBAdraft.net says: "(Koponen is) A classic pass-first, pass-second, shoot-third point guard when (he) is fully adapted to (a) team's system". That, along with an excellent basketball IQ and NBA size, leads most to believe that he could be the answer to Portland's point-guard issues.
After a good (but not great) 2008 Las Vegas Summer League, there has been much debate over whether he will take over Portland's last roster spot. Many believe he will develop into a NBA-caliber point guard under Nate McMillan's coaching faster than he would overseas.
Although it is easy to believe that the Blazers can wait it out and sign him next year if they have the space, it's not that simple. In this past year, Koponen's body has filled out and his skills have become much more refined; and as a result he has garnered a lot of interest in Europe.
Because of all this fame, he has several large, multi-year offers from established European clubs. Despite the fact that he has publicly stated that his first priority is to sign with the Blazers, he would gain much more financially to play for a Euroleague team.
Recent news shows that it is becoming more likely that the Blazers will not sign this Finnish superstar. Most people think that if we don't sign him now, he will be lost forever.
While it is probably true that he will sign a three-to five-year deal overseas, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Being only 20 years old, his best basketball is still ahead of him.
If he signed with another team, he would get much more playing time against tougher competition than the D-League, which is most likely where he would end up.
The Blazers can still sign him when he is in his mid-20s. By then, he will have much more experience and obviously be more skilled.
So sit tight, Blazer fans, it is very unsettling to know that we won't be seeing his name for another couple of years, but Portland still holds his draft rights and a buy-out is always possible. We definitely haven't seen the last of the Finnisher.
7 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Michael G Burke 11 months ago
The question is whether or not he'll be willing to accept rookie pay after getting much more overseas and able to get even more after his contract is up. Rudy did, but who knows if Kopenen will be willing to? I sure hope KP signs him now. I like him a lot and don't want to chance losing him.
MGB
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Don from Oregon 11 months ago
I agree. He needs experience, but has more potential than any of our current "pure" point guards. For the most part, he did pretty well in Summer league. Sign him up!
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Cameron Jerde 11 months ago
This seems to be a reoccurring theme with the Blazers and their European draft picks. We all know what Rudy's choice was. While the Euroleague is much more competitive that the NCAA or the D-League, I don't think any player in their right mind, especially one with as much raw talent and skill as Kopenen, would ever pass up a chance to play the sport they love, in the best league in the world. I think the Blazers should sign him right away, so that he can be an instant contributor, off the bench of course.
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Jonathan Stephens 11 months ago
Kopenen looked really sharp and confident in the summer league, and appears NBA-ready within the right franchise. Whether that is Portland or not is debatable. With Blake, Roy and Bayless all more or less combo guards, it would sure be nice to have a true point, and I just don't see Sergio as the answer. I see us platooning our guards this year anyway. I'd hate to lose his potential, but it's tough to see where his minutes will come from, and I assume Rudy will get most of the back-up big guard minutes behind Roy. Perhaps if we trade Sergio, he could get a little time behind Blake and Bayless at point. I like him and think either way this not the last we'll here of Petteri Kopenen.
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Doran Lower 11 months ago
I have to agree, the Blazers should sign Koponen and not waste their last spot on a veteran, who might not pan out, or even if he contributes won't tip the scales this year. I think signing a veteran this year would be premature and would most likely take playing time away from Martell and Outlaw. If we let one of those two go for a veteran like Battier or someone, Travis or Martell is sure to go "Jermaine" on us.
It would be interesting to let them (Sergio, Blake, and Petteri) play and see who pans out and let, the best man:
Sergio (I like his flash, but he's pretty one dimensional, pass first, second, third, fourth, fifth..., loft a brick.)
Blake (Great guy, solid game, needs to be around as an insurance policy, but is a short term solution.)
or Koponen (Could be a great compliment to the inevitable starting backcourt of Bayless and Roy.)
win, (so to speak).
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Nedward Farra 11 months ago
Petteri and Blake seem to have a lot of the same skills on the floor. The are both smart, good ballhandlers, very good shooters, serviceable defensively, and both are a good mix away from the scorers of the bunch in the backcourt (Rudy, Roy, Bayless).
Assuming Sergio is not a long term cog at the PG position for the Blazers (safe assumption since his playing time continues to decrease...not a good sign for a developing player) there could be room to add PK to the roster knowing that in a few years, PK could take over Blake's role as the pass first PG who can consistently nail the 3 pter.
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Federico Giordano 11 months ago
I think that Blazers HAVE to sign him right now: I know that maybe he's not yet ready, but think: the more he'll be a good player, the less Blazers'll have chances to sign him in the future. Let's think: if he'll become a very good player, in 4 or 5 years (when he'll be 24-25) he could have a very HUGE contract, even when his next contract will expire. The best 3-4 Euro PG right now take 2-3 million euros net x year. In 4-5 years by now, if he becomes one of the best Euro PG, even if his contract will expire, he'll receive offers of this type from best Euro teams. And Blazers, what could offer? A 27th pick contract...believe me: he has to come NOW. Let's all think about Splitter: this summer he wanted to go to San Antonio, but TAU offered him a lot more money than a low-first round pick contract...and who knows now when and IF Splitter will ever come to the NBA. These guys have to take the best offer available (an injury, a couple of bad season, and the huge offers are over). Portland has a chance NOW. It doesn't matter if he's not ready now: if he's a good player, he'll be ready, soon or later.
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