Hooped Up

Every week a NBA player is going overseas and today Gordan Giricek was the latest to pack his bags.  The former Phoenix Suns sharp shooter signed a two-year deal with Turkish league champions Fenerbache for €5 million.  

Fenerbahce becomes Giricek’s third Euroleague team. Previous to his single season at CSKA, Giricek played several years in his native Croatia for Cibona Zagreb. Giricek helped shoot Cibona to five straight Croatian League titles between 1997 and 2001. 

Euroleague

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that the Sixers have acquired guard Gordan Giricek and a first-round pick from the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Kyle Korver. “We are excited about acquiring a player of Gordan’s ability, as well as an additional asset in the form of a first-round draft pick,” Stefanski said. “This move will provide us with increased salary cap flexibility this off-season and also allows us to continue our evaluation and development of the young talent we have on this team.”

Gordan Giricek is scheduled to have a meeting with Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor and coach Jerry Sloan this morning — the first time he and Sloan will have spoken since Sloan sent him home to Salt Lake City from the eastern road trip early last week. The two exchanged words on the bench during the game Dec. 19 at Charlotte, and Giricek was told after the game to go home while the team went on to Orlando and Miami. He was not at Jazz practice Tuesday nor at the shootaround or game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.

Deseret Morning News

Sent to the locker room by coach Jerry Sloan during the Jazz’s loss at Charlotte on Wednesday night, reserve shooting guard Gordan Giricek later was ordered back home to Salt Lake City to serve what amounts to a suspension of undeclared length. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” Giricek said three different times after leaving the locker room, “and I don’t have no comment for anything.” Whether or not the veteran from Croatia has played his last game for the Jazz remains to be seen.

Deseret Morning News