Why did Nikos Galis never play for the Boston Celtics?

[QUOTE=Lakas Fan Yo]Galis was unstoppable. If you triple teamed him all game he could drop 40. His game was something like a combo of Stockton and Chris Paul but with a lot more ability to score the basketball.[/QUOTE]

He does sort of remind me of Chris Paul in terms of speed, size, and mannerisms on his drives.

Galis seems to me like a better athlete than Stockton, but I'm not sure he was as good as Chris Paul -- at least in terms of North/South Speed. Maybe Galis had better elevation on his J and could change speeds nearly as well as CP3?

I can't imagine that Galis could be as dominant a PG in the NBA as Paul is today. Paul is like a 6 foot Magic right now. Scoring and Passing as well as could be expected from a PG.

[QUOTE=Lakas Fan Yo]I saw prime Galis. The only other guy in history that compares is Jordan. And like I said Galis even scored 50 against Jordan when they played and Jordan was guarding him.
[/QUOTE]

You love to twist the truth don't you. You're such a Euro homer and that's fine, but don't tell these little white lies, it just makes you look bad.

Galis in his prime scored 50 in losing effort. A blowout actually in an exhibition game against UNC. I can't find any other info on the game. So If Jordan really guarded him I don't know, if the game was taken seriously I don't know. But Jordan wasn't Michael Jordan then. He was 19.

[quote=Lakas Fan Yo]Yeah right. Bob McAdoo and Audie Norris said he was one of the 2 or 3 best players they ever saw. I didn't compare him to Jordan either. I am saying the only other perimeter guy that could score like him was Jordan.[/quote]

Uh no. Kobe Bryant > Galis. Kobe is my last favorite player.

[quote=Jinxed]You love to twist the truth don't you. You're such a Euro homer and that's fine, but don't tell these little white lies, it just makes you look bad.

Galis in his prime scored 50 in losing effort. A blowout actually in an exhibition game against UNC. I can't find any other info on the game. So If Jordan really guarded him I don't know, if the game was taken seriously I don't know. But Jordan wasn't Michael Jordan then. He was 19.[/quote]

Lmao, I didn't know it was against MJ's UNC team. Thanks for posting that. :oldlol:

Pretty much any substance in the MJ argument has been destroyed.

Wasn't UNC pretty stacked in those days? With Worthy and Daughtery?

Just as an aside, Greek Basketball (at least there national team) was HORRIBLE in the 80s before Galis came to the scene. He alone revolutionized the country's basketball landscape.

Not much shame in losing to UNC considering how untalented the Greek team was back then.

[QUOTE=Nikos1982]He does sort of remind me of Chris Paul in terms of speed, size, and mannerisms on his drives.

Galis seems to me like a better athlete than Stockton, but I'm not sure he was as good as Chris Paul -- at least in terms of North/South Speed. Maybe Galis had better elevation on his J and could change speeds nearly as well as CP3?

I can't imagine that Galis could be as dominant a PG in the NBA as Paul is today. Paul is like a 6 foot Magic right now. Scoring and Passing as well as could be expected from a PG.[/QUOTE]

Galis was more athletic than Paul and a better scorer. But they are very, very similar players.

[QUOTE=Jinxed]You love to twist the truth don't you. You're such a Euro homer and that's fine, but don't tell these little white lies, it just makes you look bad.

Galis in his prime scored 50 in losing effort. A blowout actually in an exhibition game against UNC. I can't find any other info on the game. So If Jordan really guarded him I don't know, if the game was taken seriously I don't know. But Jordan wasn't Michael Jordan then. He was 19.[/QUOTE]

Jordan was 20. And yes Jordan guarded him. They played against each other the year before. Galis scored I think about 25-30 against Jordan. After the game Jordan told Galis he was not good and could not play in the NBA.

So Galis remembered that. The next year, Jordan (age 20) played him again and guarded him again. Galis scored 50 on him. After the game Jordan stated that Galis was a complete player that could do everything on the court and that he was a superb level talent.

But of course YOU know more than Jordan does. The only homer here is you.

[QUOTE=Nikos1982]Wasn't UNC pretty stacked in those days? With Worthy and Daughtery?

Just as an aside, Greek Basketball (at least there national team) was HORRIBLE in the 80s before Galis came to the scene. He alone revolutionized the country's basketball landscape.

Not much shame in losing to UNC considering how untalented the Greek team was back then.[/QUOTE]

Ignore those guys. They think scoring 50 points in a 40 minute game on a college team of that level is laughable. They are probably THE definition of why NBA fans have a bad name everywhere in the world outside the US.

Players on that UNC team that played in the NBA included:

[B]Michael Jordan[/B]
[B]Kenny Smith[/B]
Joe Wolf
[B]Sam Perkins[/B]
[B]Brad Daugherty[/B]
Dave Popson

Scoring 50 points on that UNC team in a 40 minute game is something only a very handful of players could do.

Lakers fan,

do you have a link with more info about the game?

I really wish there was more info on that Galis vs UNC games. I really wanted to see the boxscore or highlights.

As for the Chris Paul, it seems Galis has a better vertical on his jumpshot. But Paul probably has the quicker hands and superior playmaking skills to go along with his excellent scoring. He has developed into an out of this world PG. He is an elite NBA player who can score, pass, assist, and create turnovers. I have a hard time imagining Galis would be better than CP3 is now, but I do think he had all star type of talent.

Then again I think Chris Paul is better than any PG not named Magic Johnson in recent NBA history.

It does seem that Galis could have an excellent scorer even in the NBA. I am thinking he would be something like a more efficient and better passing Gilbert Arenas if he played in todays game? Maybe not considered a superstar, but an allstar who can score with the best of them.

Had he played in the 80s? Who knows, he might be at Isiah Thomas type of level? Isiah played great when the playoffs came and wasn't really a dominant regular season player. So Galis might have had a chance at being a multiple all star caliber PG.

I have searched all over for info on Galis, but I can only seem to find the stats in the link I posted earlier in this thread. Along with the same quotes from Norris, Mcadoo and MJ at UNC.

I wonder if he was turnover prone for Seton Hall or Aris. If he wasn't that speaks even more volumes about the dominance of his game his Senior year at Seton Hall and in Greece.

Doesn't seem to be too much info though.

BTW where is [B]Psileas[/B], the guy who posted earlier in this thread. He seemed to know a lot about him and I can't PM him or get him to rejoin this thread. Maybe he has more stats and info?

Lakas I noticed some of the boxscores in the Euroleague Semis and Galis seemed to do relatively poorly. Why is that? Poor supporting cast? His stats in his career are ridiculously good in terms of output AND %'s.

Just bad games?

Just realized on Youtube the other day after watching some Retro NBA highlights.

If I had to compare Nick Galis to any successful NBA player in terms of style it would have to be Kevin Johnson.

Strong Penetrator, Strong Scorer, Good Elevation on Jumper, Good at Creating for Others and For Self.

Kevin Johnson had more of a vertical than Galis and was faster -- but Galis might have been a more crafty scorer and had better change of speed and hesitation moves to score with one on one.

Both were about 6 feet tall and were able to elevate suddenly and shoot over the defender.

Whatya think Lakas? Good comparison?

[QUOTE=Nikos1982]Whatya think Lakas? Good comparison?[/QUOTE]

Sure it's pretty good. But Galis had a 40 inch vertical so I'm not sure about KJ jumping higher.

[QUOTE=Lakas Fan Yo]Sure it's pretty good. But Galis had a 40 inch vertical so I'm not sure about KJ jumping higher.[/QUOTE]

Was it really that high? I guess it could have been, but I have only seen his games from 1987 and on -- maybe it was more apparent in his earlier playing days for which their seems to be little highlights of.

I guess watching KJ dunk over Olajuwon made it seem like he had more HOPS than Galis, although he was hardly a slouch in that department. One jumper I saw from Galis the other day reminded me of KJ's when he went off the dribble and went really high, and was even somewhat off balance, but still in control.

BTW

How tall was Galis? Was he closer to 5-11 then 6-1? It listed him as 185Ibs, but he looks heavier than that. He seemed to have big legs and shoulders (similiar build to Vinnie Johnson). I would guess he was closer to 200Ibs and probably 5-11ish barefoot. Seem accurate?

[url]http://www.arisbc.gr/index.php?SCREEN=page&PageID=927&menu=6&submenu=52&LangID=2[/url]

As you can see, the games were very low scoring just like now. So that is a total MYTH that his stats were inflated.

[QUOTE=Lakas Fan Yo]Jordan was 20. And yes Jordan guarded him. They played against each other the year before. Galis scored I think about 25-30 against Jordan. After the game Jordan told Galis he was not good and could not play in the NBA.

So Galis remembered that. The next year, Jordan (age 20) played him again and guarded him again. Galis scored 50 on him. After the game Jordan stated that Galis was a complete player that could do everything on the court and that he was a superb level talent.

But of course YOU know more than Jordan does. The only homer here is you.[/QUOTE]
Link?

[QUOTE=Nikos1982]Was it really that high? I guess it could have been, but I have only seen his games from 1987 and on -- maybe it was more apparent in his earlier playing days for which their seems to be little highlights of.

I guess watching KJ dunk over Olajuwon made it seem like he had more HOPS than Galis, although he was hardly a slouch in that department. One jumper I saw from Galis the other day reminded me of KJ's when he went off the dribble and went really high, and was even somewhat off balance, but still in control.

BTW

How tall was Galis? Was he closer to 5-11 then 6-1? It listed him as 185Ibs, but he looks heavier than that. He seemed to have big legs and shoulders (similiar build to Vinnie Johnson). I would guess he was closer to 200Ibs and probably 5-11ish barefoot. Seem accurate?[/QUOTE]

Galis was 6-0 barefoot and 6-1 in shoes. I am not sure about his weight, but he was known for being incredibly strong for his size, being able to bench press 400 pounds.

I am tired of all those European people that think top players from their leagues could be star player for an NBA team. I am from Greece and i have heard lots of times that Galis and other famous Greek players could easily play on NBA. But all those people cant understand that all star NBA players except from their clutch,passing, shooting , etc skills are great athletes too. I will tell u some of reasons that most of those european stars couldn't be more than a bench warmer for any NBA team (of course there are expectetions like Dirk,Gasol,Divac etc:

1. NBA teams play at least 82 (48 minutes game) games per season while european players are ultra tired and easily injured after 30-40 40 minutes games ( Some of them deny to play with their National team too ). And when an NBA team goes to playoffs they train for 8-10 hours per day . Not to mention big shooters like R.Allen of G.Arenas who train their shooting 1-2 hours after the team training

2.90% NBA players are taller,stronger,faster than European. So yes Dirk or Gasol or Divac who are 6.10-7.2 and strong enough can compete Shaq , Howard and other big athletes. But Galis ... come on . Wasnt as fast and as other star playmakers like Stockton or Payton or as great shooter as them

3. You see those "great" defensive teams like Panathinaikos and say : "European defense is way better than any NBA defense" and you dont mention that European leagues aint use the 3 sec defense rule and the referies wishl rediculous fouls. T.Duncan played for USA team once and he had 3 fouls on like 2 minutes or something

So think about them the next time u say that galis or somebody else could be as good as M.J or Kobe... Maybe he would bring them the water or clap them for playing good from the bench

P.S as i said before i am European citizen but still think that European basketball is some classes below NBA mostly cause of people that manage it and take decisions about it

[QUOTE=Carter_17]I am tired of all those European people that think top players from their leagues could be star player for an NBA team. I am from Greece and i have heard lots of times that Galis and other famous Greek players could easily play on NBA. But all those people cant understand that all star NBA players except from their clutch,passing, shooting , etc skills are great athletes too. I will tell u some of reasons that most of those european stars couldn't be more than a bench warmer for any NBA team (of course there are expectetions like Dirk,Gasol,Divac etc:

1. NBA teams play at least 82 (48 minutes game) games per season while european players are ultra tired and easily injured after 30-40 40 minutes games ( Some of them deny to play with their National team too ). And when an NBA team goes to playoffs they train for 8-10 hours per day . Not to mention big shooters like R.Allen of G.Arenas who train their shooting 1-2 hours after the team training

2.90% NBA players are taller,stronger,faster than European. So yes Dirk or Gasol or Divac who are 6.10-7.2 and strong enough can compete Shaq , Howard and other big athletes. But Galis ... come on . Wasnt as fast and as other star playmakers like Stockton or Payton or as great shooter as them

3. You see those "great" defensive teams like Panathinaikos and say : "European defense is way better than any NBA defense" and you dont mention that European leagues aint use the 3 sec defense rule and the referies wishl rediculous fouls. T.Duncan played for USA team once and he had 3 fouls on like 2 minutes or something

So think about them the next time u say that galis or somebody else could be as good as M.J or Kobe... Maybe he would bring them the water or clap them for playing good from the bench

P.S as i said before i am European citizen but still think that European basketball is some classes below NBA mostly cause of people that manage it and take decisions about it[/QUOTE]


Galis always played the entire 40 minutes of every game. You clearly have never seen Galis play.

Where do you get this info from Lakas? 400 pounds bench press is very good for his size assuming he was about 190-200Ibs. In his book it says he squatted 360 kilos? But that can't be right, Ronnie Coleman can do that for 2 reps , thats over 750Ibs! Do you think the book meant 360Ibs, because it said he looked like he could have done more.....

I actually own a book with Galis but its in Greek and although I understand some Greek, it is a bit advanced for me considering I didn't grow up speaking Greek in my house.

Galis to me looks like a better scorer than Stockton [B]Carter_17[/B]. Stockton might have been a better defender and playmaker for his teamattes, but I would have to think Galis was simply a better scorer on ANY level than Stockton. In terms of speed I would say Galis was faster. Although Galis was not the fastest player in a straight line -- he changed speeds very well and had strength and enough craftiness to score at a high level against any competition. But Im not sure he could compete with Stockton in the assist department, because his best strength was scoring.

Although Bob Mcadoo did dominate as well in the International game, he was still a solid contributor for a title Laker team in the 80s. So even though many rotational NBA players came over and dominated overseas, they didn't do so at the same level of Galis. And that alone makes me think Galis could be an excellent NBA player. Maybe not elite or a an all star every year, but with the right luck he could make a few all star games and be rated very highly as an NBA guard.

He clearly was on a similiar or better level then guys like Petrovic and Sarunas Marcilonis, who were clearly above average 2 guards in the league. Petrovic was third team all NBA and probably had room for improvement had he not tragically died.

Although I don't think he could have make a Chris Paul like impact, he could probably have gotten 20ppg+ 6apg+ if he landed on the right team and was given a chance to shine......

[QUOTE=Nikos1982]Where do you get this info from Lakas? 400 pounds bench press is very good for his size assuming he was about 190-200Ibs. In his book it says he squatted 360 kilos? But that can't be right, Ronnie Coleman can do that for 2 reps , thats over 750Ibs! Do you think the book meant 360Ibs, because it said he looked like he could have done more.....

I actually own a book with Galis but its in Greek and although I understand some Greek, it is a bit advanced for me considering I didn't grow up speaking Greek in my house.

Galis to me looks like a better scorer than Stockton [B]Carter_17[/B]. Stockton might have been a better defender and playmaker for his teamattes, but I would have to think Galis was simply a better scorer on ANY level than Stockton. In terms of speed I would say Galis was faster. Although Galis was not the fastest player in a straight line -- he changed speeds very well and had strength and enough craftiness to score at a high level against any competition. But Im not sure he could compete with Stockton in the assist department, because his best strength was scoring.

Although Bob Mcadoo did dominate as well in the International game, he was still a solid contributor for a title Laker team in the 80s. So even though many rotational NBA players came over and dominated overseas, they didn't do so at the same level of Galis. And that alone makes me think Galis could be an excellent NBA player. Maybe not elite or a an all star every year, but with the right luck he could make a few all star games and be rated very highly as an NBA guard.

He clearly was on a similiar or better level then guys like Petrovic and Sarunas Marcilonis, who were clearly above average 2 guards in the league. Petrovic was third team all NBA and probably had room for improvement had he not tragically died.

Although I don't think he could have make a Chris Paul like impact, he could probably have gotten 20ppg+ 6apg+ if he landed on the right team and was given a chance to shine......[/QUOTE]

No, he meant 800 pounds. His squat was about 800 and his bench press was about 400. BTW, I looked at some old Greek stuff and it seems his weight at that time I am talking about when he was lifting those amounts was about 195 pounds. He was a work out fanatic. That was what allowed him to jump high, hang in the air, drive in the lane, take contact, and finish the play. He was 6-0 barefoot but he was stronger than the 7 footers of the other teams and that was how he stayed playing inside all game long.

It was also how he played all those years and avoided injury problems. He also did insane amounts cardio training and running which allowed him to play 40 minutes in almost every game.

I think Galis could have had numbers very good numbers in the NBA. Petrovic and Marcuilionis both had very nice NBA numbers and Galis was an even better scorer than they were.

Ronnie Coleman did 2 reps of 800lbs squats, I highly doubt Galis could do the same thing as Ronnie Coleman whos over 300 pounds of steroid induced muscle.

You sure this wasn't an exaggeration or misprint? I beleive Galis could do 400 pounds on the bench, but 800 pounds on the squat? Maybe 600 or 650, but 800 just doesn't sound right.

Even World Class Power Lifters can barely do 900lbs on the squat.

[QUOTE=Nikos1982]Ronnie Coleman did 2 reps of 800lbs squats, I highly doubt Galis could do the same thing as Ronnie Coleman whos over 300 pounds of steroid induced muscle.

You sure this wasn't an exaggeration or misprint? I beleive Galis could do 400 pounds on the bench, but 800 pounds on the squat? Maybe 600 or 650, but 800 just doesn't sound right.

Even World Class Power Lifters can barely do 900lbs on the squat.[/QUOTE]

Not only did his biography book state that was the weight, but his video biography which aired in Greece also stated it and even showed him lifting the weights. It was 2 reps of 400 on the bench and 6 reps of 750 on the squat. 800 was his max on the squat.

It was stated that Galis trained for 16 hours a day every day from 1979 to 1993. It was also said that this was led to his demise as he became a recluse and could not get along in social settings.

Keep in mind that Galis was named the 10th best athlete in the world in 1987, he was named the best European basketball player of the 1980s, and he was named the best athlete in the history of the Hellenic Republic, which has existed since 1821.

[QUOTE=Lakas Fan Yo]Not only did his biography book state that was the weight, but his video biography which aired in Greece also stated it and even showed him lifting the weights. It was 2 reps of 400 on the bench and 6 reps of 750 on the squat. 800 was his max on the squat.

It was stated that Galis trained for 16 hours a day every day from 1979 to 1993. It was also said that this was led to his demise as he became a recluse and could not get along in social settings.

Keep in mind that Galis was named the 10th best athlete in the world in 1987, he was named the best European basketball player of the 1980s, and he was named the best athlete in the history of the Hellenic Republic, which has existed since 1821.[/QUOTE]

Lakas what is your email address, I would like to ask you some questions regarding Galis. I can't seem to Private Message anyone and Inside Hoops hasn't responded on this.

[QUOTE=Nikos1982]Lakas what is your email address, I would like to ask you some questions regarding Galis. I can't seem to Private Message anyone and Inside Hoops hasn't responded on this.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure I want to give out my email address in a post on the board though........

[QUOTE=Lakas Fan Yo]I'm not sure I want to give out my email address in a post on the board though........[/QUOTE]

Can you PM me?

My email is

[email]nikosgalis2009@yahoo.com[/email]

can you email me?

Here is slightly more specific information on Galis not playing for the Celtics on The Draft Review

[QUOTE]Nick Galis - But who is Nick Galis? If you're about to access your mental library in attempt to recall his the NBA career, I'll spare you the reference check. Galis didn’t play a minute in the league, but he is counted among the notables due to his legendary play in Greece. Galis is to Greece what Sabonis is to Lithuania and what Jordan is to America - the best player ever. He was born in New Jersey to Greek parents, but he was not an overnight prodigy. [B]Galis developed through countless hours of practice.[/B] As a senior at Seton Hall he finished third in scoring in the nation, and is considered one of the school's best players. [B]Yet despite his talent, Galis signed with an inexperienced agent who didn’t even have the player workout for any NBA teams. Given the opportunity for workouts, he more than likely would have seen late-first to mid-second round. After being selected by the Celtics, Galis was injured in training camp and limited him for two weeks.[/B] Celtics' GM Red Auerbach decided to cut Galis which opened up the opportunity for him to play overseas. The next 14 seasons were spent carving out a tremendous career highlighted by 5 Greek MVP awards, 8 Greek League Championships and 2 medals as a member of the Greek National team. Lastly, one has to take the word of the late Red Auerbach, one the best ever evaluators of talent in the business of basketball. [B]He mentioned cutting Galis as one of his biggest mistakes.[/B][/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6035&Itemid=115[/url]

By Matt Maurer



PS LAKAS can you email me?

He was drafted 68th overall