The sniping back and forth between the two sides in the Enes Kanter case reached a new low on Tuesday night when the general manager of the Turkish club once again used the New York Times as a forum to lash out at his former player.Nedim Karakas reiterated that his club paid Kanter $100,000 in salary and expenses and refuted Kanter's father's contention that the club is trying to set an example to prevent other prospects from leaving Europe to play U.S. college basketball. Karakas also denied Kentucky coach John Calipari's accusation that the club is trying to prevent the freshman big man from playing college basketball so it can collect a transfer fee if he plays professionally elsewhere.
"Three or 4 million USD would not mean that much," Karakas wrote to the Times. "So before he talks to press, I would advise Coach Calipari to learn more about the people and/or institutions he will brag about."
Kanter continues to await word from the NCAA on whether he will be eligible to play with his Kentucky teammates next season. The NCAA announced earlier this month that the highly touted big man is not allowed to practice until a ruling is issued determining whether the Turkish import compromised his amateur status by accepting extra benefits while playing in his homeland for three years.
What's troubling about Karakas' latest statements is that he seems more interested in trashing Kanter's reputation in the American press than he does preserving the NCAA's amateurism principles.
All Karakas would have to do to prove his point is give reporters the bank statements and documents he claims he turned over to the NCAA proving that Kanter received an annual salary from his club. Instead Karakas unleashes more accusations and even needlessly pokes holes in the notion that Kanter would play college basketball because he's academically motivated.
"Enes has a good basketball potential yet academically, he is not gifted as much," Karakas said.
It's still very possible -- perhaps even likely -- that documents will prove Kanter accepted money from his former Turkish club and the NCAA will issue a lengthy suspension. Nonethleless, Karakas' latest comments detract from his credibility and add to the perception that he has an agenda.
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