Friday, September 24, 2010

The latest on Enes Kanter

Through out the entire process with Enes Kanter, John Calipari has been adamant that he believes Kanter is an amateur.

Yesterday, when talking to reporters, Calipari made it clear that he believed that Kanter's team from Turkey simply wanted him back, which is what that team's GM made the comments he did to Pete Thamel.

"Obviously, one side wants him back," Calipari said. "There's four million reasons they want him back."

The "four million reasons" Calipari is referring to is the transfer fee that the Turkish team would receive if Kanter played in Europe. This isn't a new theory, either, as the motives behind Fenerbahce Ulker's push to get Kanter ineligible have been fairly transparent.

If Kanter does end up getting cleared by the NCAA, it isn't going to be based on the word of Coach Cal, who, I'm sure, many would tell you is not trustworthy, versus the word of a Turkish GM that clearly has an agenda. The decision is going to depend on the records. Fenerbahce gave the NCAA their records for paying Kanter, proof, so they say, that Kanter received a salary while playing in Turkey. But according to Calipari, the family kept "meticulous" notes in order to preserve Kanter's eligibility.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Calipari's press conference is that he did not even get the information correct. As Draft Express pointed out this morning, precedent says that Fenerbahce would likely receive about a $300,000 transfer fee for Kanter. In addition, Calipari said that players cannot sign a contract in Europe until they are 18, which is not true either.

Regardless of what decision ends up getting made, I think the NCAA's track record of a slow speed when making decisions like this guarantees that Kanter, who has been cleared to take classes and practice with the team, will miss some game time.

1 comment:

Boss said...

Calipari is right in terms of contract:

http://www.fiba.com/pages/mod/v3/util/downMana.asp?fileID=1243&nodeType=2

FIBA regulations. at page 72

"At or after the player’s eighteenth (18) birthday, the club of origin, i.e. the club or other
organisation for which he is licensed at his eighteenth (18) birthday (the “club of origin”), has the right to sign the FIRST contract with the young player."

Let me emphasize the word FIRST. They can license the player but they cannot sign a professional contract. Enes moved to the US at the age of 17.