Petteri Koponen Watch: Where Do We Go From Here? Edition
No word on how Koponen is copin'-in (ha) with Team Finland getting clubbed like some Saimaa Ringed Seal pups on the ice by Team U-S-A. Thanks to Hippo, we do know that Koponen has solidified his place as one of the top guards in Italian Serie A. Here's the latest:
About a year ago, Petteri Koponen was pretty much a curiosity in the Italian Cup final.
Sure, he had three good stints with Virtus Bologna, finishing with five points, one rebound and one steal in 15 minutes of play. But, like rookies usually do, Koponen had to spend the crunch minutes on the bench waving towels and sipping Gatorade when Virtus core players Earl Boykins, Keith Langford and Sharrod Ford tried to upset the mighty Montepaschi Siena. Despite a valiant fight, Virtus lost the nailbiter 69-70.
The score wasn't much different this past weekend: lead by Shaun Stonerook and Romain Sato, Montepaschi Siena took home the Coppa D'Italia crown, 83-75. Siena's power forward Stonerook was named the MVP of the game after finishing with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. But what really surprised the capacity crowd in Avellino was the improvement of Petteri Koponen.
Koponen shared the cup final leading scorer's crown with Stonerook. In the first three quarters, Koponen concentrated on playmaking and had only 6 points to go with one assist. In the last six minutes, Koponen went buckwild and dragged Virtus from down 15 (55-70) to down 5 (72-77), scoring 13 points and snatching two steals in that short period. It wasn't enough for Virtus to win the game, but Koponen's 19-point performance in the biggest game of the season so far was indeed impressive. (Box score.)
Koponen has improved and gathered self confidence so much in these last months, that he can already memorize team owner Claudio Sabatini's November outburst with a laugh. Koponen has also silenced Italian legend Dino Meneghin, who stated last spring that "there are dozens of young Italian guards better than this Finnish boy." Our good friend and language genius Mr. Google Translate also allows us to know that Italian fans are extremely convinced that Koponen has the potential to become something special (although it might be too daring to state that 2010 will be Koponen's decade, not Ricky Rubio's, like someone has already said.)
For Virtus Bologna, the outcome of the cup final was more than positive. After forward David Moss gets his Bulgarian passport (!), they will be able to bring in yet another American player to help the team. Koponen-Andre Collins is among the three best backcourt in Serie A. They lack the talent and the big game experience of Montepaschi Siena, but as we can see, things haven't been too good for Siena lately.
Ok, let us be realistic for a while. Montepaschi Siena is the creme de la creme of Italian basketball. Virtus Bologna, Pepsi Caserta, Armani Jeans Milano et al. are ok, but none of them really have the potential to win Siena in best-of-seven series unless Siena implodes. But it is worth noticing that giving Siena a fight and snatching a Euroleague spot would be a dream come true for Virtus Bologna.
And of course, Virtus Bologna's plans are centered around Petteri Koponen: last year he barely played, this year he is among the three best players in his team and next year he is supposed to be The Man. If Koponen keeps on improving and takes his team to a surprise title, both Euroleague and NBA teams would definitely pay Virtus a hefty dose of Euros to get him. Unless Koponen suddenly starts to underachieve, it's a win-win situation for the club: he is either the future face of the franchise or someone Virtus can get big money from.
Portland Trailblazers may be the San Antonio Spurs of the future; a gutty, disciplined, good defensive team full of veterans that can afford having a half dozen players abroad. While Blazers had a logjam at guard position just a couple of months ago, there seems to be a lot of room for Koponen right now. Sergio Rodriguez is gone, Steve Blake is gone. Andre Miller is stable, but not getting younger. Rudy Fernandez is reportedly unhappy with his minutes. Coach doesn't seem to like playing Jerryd Bayless, probably because Blazers already have a dominant ball-handling (pause) guard in Brandon Roy. Patty Mills has skills and an NBA-ready body, but the Blazers faithful have been pretty much comparing him to Taurean Green.
Even for Finns, Koponen is still an enigma. For the last three years, Finnish basketball fans have labeled him overrated, but his breathtaking improvement hasn't been left unnoticed. To convince his fellow countrymen, Koponen would at least have to be an NBA All Star. But the reality is that no matter what the Finns think, Koponen is already a very realiable player in international competition and he already has a few potential employers in the big league. Whether or not he can help the Blazers, we just might get a glimpse in Las Vegas Summer League 2010 - IF he decides to participate.
