Euroleague F4 Arena destroyed, or The Euro player-blogger roundup

Here we go again with our roundup of what our favorite player-bloggers are telling us. Once again, it was Adam Hess that came up with some shocking news. Before the game in the brand new O2 World in Berlin, which will also host the Euroleague Final Four, the following dramatic scenes happened:

[I] was impressed that the visiting locker room of the O2 arena was three times the size of my apartment, had a spa that could fit ten people, twelve bikes so every player could warm up at once (I guess that is important??), a plasma TV, and some other things alluding to the obscene amount of money put into the building.

I will also mention that 160 million dollar arenas do not come equipped with strong toilet seats. One of the guys broke it during its inaugural use. Who knows, maybe it will be good luck, like when people smash a champagne bottle against a ship before its first trip. And no, I will not divulge who. He is a sensitive one and might be offended!

So of course, the question remains: Who was the delinquent? To give you some hints, the following are the “official” weights of some of Adam’s teammates: Darren Fenn, 112kg; Dirk Mädrich, 116kg; Darius Hall, 120kg. I have some doubts about the figure listing Hall at only 120kg, because when you check out his highlight clips on YouTube, he really looks like the possible toilet seat breaker.

Euroleague.net has also presented its new Euroleague blogger, Ricardo Greer. Well his first post could have been used as one of our upcoming Euroleague Team previews and doesn’t have that much funny to report, except maybe this:

…we’re all going to have fun, but I know one guy who might have more fun than anyone in the league: our new center Rod Benson. He’s already famous for his blogs back in the States, and we’re all running round here saying “Boom Tho” all the time, to get with his movement. Maybe I can’t blog head-to-head with Rod, who’s got an incredible imagination, but I’ll do my best.

Well said, Mister Greer, so let’s check what the founder of the Boom Tho movement has to say … Well, nothing special, indeed, except a nice road trip video with a very important croissant story.

But not only do Euroleague players blog. Hundreds of US-born players are active as professionals in Europe and those active in the lower European divisions particularly face problems that some top stars could not imagine. Brandon Adair is one of these players; he’s currently with the Schwenningen Panthers in the fourth German league and he talks about the current problems that his team is up against.

Tuesday was another scheduled practice. Everyone showed up, everything seemed to be OK. Next thing you know, the coach calls a meeting for the players, and he starts talking to them (I do not know German) I do not understand a word he is saying, but it seems to me that he is not happy. Well, after my teammate translated it for me, it comes to find out that he is NOT under contract. The organization has come to a verbal agreement with him, but he has not been able to sign anything because they have not come up with the papers. THEN, another shocking moment, only 3 players have signed a contract for this year. Me and two other players. Everyone else is under “verbal agreement” which does not suit well with the coach. He wants to coach this team, but he wants to coach the team with no off the court issues such as contract problems. …

We had a team/club meeting on Thursday about the problems both the players and coaches have. I had the joy of sitting there in the room for about an hour listening to a language that I did not understand. I enjoyed sitting there looking at everybody’s faces to see if they were getting disgusted or having a good time. The actual meeting room was business-like. Also, it was in the shower room with chairs.

If you want to know how the situation develops, I would recommend you read Brandon’s blog, as it is quite interesting and his writing style is pretty funny, too.

What’s going on with the Euroleague? (Part 2)

After we spoke about the discussions that came up last week when the ACB proposed an alternative format for the Euroleague, we had the opportunity to speak with Kirsten Haack of Euroleague Basketball in order to clarify the situation and get to know what is really going on with the Euroleague.

First of all, Kirsten told us about the discrepancy between the official voting results of the Euroleague and the figures published by El Mundo Deportivo. The Euroleague General Assembly has 34 members; these 34 members are the 24 teams playing in the Euroleague, the nine leagues that they represent, and the president of the Euroleague. However, the president has no voting rights, so only 33 votes are possible. So the result published by the Euroleague with 25 votes in favor, 5 blanks and 3 nays is correct. The problem that arose occurred when one of the 25 pro-voters took his decision back after one week. However, this was considered by the Euroleague as too late, and his vote was thus taken into account as a positive one.

What was voted on in Berlin was only an objective, a plan; it was not at that time a decision to change the format of the Euroleague for 2009/2010. This is also a very important point.

Last week, the ACB proposed an alternative competition format to the ULEB assembly, a different committee than the Euroleague assembly. However, this proposal has not been officially introduced to the Euroleague so far. And only the Euroleague General Assembly may decide on the format of Euroleague competition. This proposal is, in contrast, not backed by all ULEB members as of today, as you can see in the official Euroleague press release, where lots of international decision-makers are still backing the proposed new Euroleague format.

This sounds all super complicated, so here is the summary. In 2008/2009, the Euroleague will be played in the decided format of four groups with six teams. The plan of the Euroleague to create these different A, B and C licenses is set to become reality for the 2009/2010 edition. However, it still needs to be voted for in following Euroleague General Assemblies. Beforehand, both the Euroleague and the ULEB will discuss this format as well as the ACB proposal to try to reach consensus.

The next Euroleague general assembly is only in January 2009, so both parties have enough time to discuss and compromise.

Monday’s cigarettes

Here we go again and the smokiest cigarettes from all around Europe have been looked at, selected and are presented to you right here.

• It’s mystery time in Zagreb at the moment. After the departure of American PG Earl Calloway without any obvious reason, now Damir Markota did not join the team on a preseason trip to Russia without explanations.
• But there is also good news coming from Croatia as you can see by this big smile.
• Brandon Jennings played a practice scrimmage with Virtus Roma. And got introduced to European fouls.
• One week before the start of the ACB, TAU Ceramica has already won their first title by winning the Supercopa on a 86-85 win in the final against CAI Zaragoza. The former Seattle SuperSonics/now Oklahoma City Thunder draftee Serge Ibaka won the Slam Dunk Contest.
• The German Women Basketball Bundesliga will broadcast all of their games live on Zap Internet TV.
• The German Bundesliga, in collaboration with the federation, has created a fund for youth players. This means that every Bundesliga team that gives minutes to players younger than 24 years old earns money. How much? It’s €10,000 per gameday, divided according to the minutes played. And who gets what can be seen here.
• And we still stay in Germany for the most incredible story of the weekend. During the National Streetball Championship, eight-year-old Aaron Prenszlau won the Slam Dunk competition. Having not been at the contest, I don’t know what happened there, but he is officially the youngest ever slam dunk champion.
• After his first high-flying impressions, Josh Childress is reported to have suffered a minor injury and has been sidelined for a week.

The Italian league explained

Though this ranking will probably be jumbled in eight months, let’s take a look at the teams in the Italian league. A preliminary remark: this season will see one of the most balanced championships of the past five years, with almost every team improving its situation and not merely to beat the invincible Montepaschi. Serie A is still alive and is breathing new air.

Montepaschi Siena. To be a two-time Serie A champion is not enough to remain among the Euroleague elite. Therefore, attempting to improve on a 60-12 team in 2007/08, Domercant and Finley are in, while Thornton and Ilievski are out. Domercant is the scorer Montepaschi needs to develop its perimeter game; Finley looks like the new McIntyre, a quick offensive playmaker who knows how arm his teammates to the tune of 3.3 assists per game for Rieti last season). Bringing back the Euroleague title after seven years is the target, well focused upon by a group close to the last significant opportunity of their careers. If there is any shortcoming at all in the Siena game, it’s that the team is no so heavy in the paint.

Lottomatica Roma. Any desire is an order. So, Jasmin Repesa asks, Bodiroga and owner Toti deliver, equipping the coach with something like a Dream Team. Going into his third year as head coach, however, it’s time for the Croatian to win a title. The best way would be to beat Siena, in a rivalry born and intensified during the last four editions of the playoffs. To do so, Roma introduced to Italian fans one of the preseason’s most exciting stories, namely Brandon Jennings. Roma’s destiny is carried on the shoulders of the Oak Hill Academy point guard and his maturity in leading a team very rich of talent (Becirovic, Ray, Jaaber), but endowed with little desire to defend. Consequently, Brezec – and his impact in the paint – is the key.

Upim Bologna. Striking for its offensive power, Fortitudo Bologna starts the season as a possible surprise in the Serie A race. Huertas, Forte, Woods, Mancinelli, and Barron sounds good, don’t you think? Considering this starting five to be the best in the league is no joke. An excellent bench (combo guard Gordon, Malaventura, Slokar) completes the roster driven by Dragan Sakota, whose most serious task might be getting on with his players. After disappointing and boring seasons, though, Bologna can dream again; this is what “Basket City” needs.

Virtus Bologna. Hatred of Fortitudo is so nasty that the ephemeral title “King of the Summer Market” is something to be proud of. The showy agreement reached with former NBA star Earl Boykins is the best move owner Sabatini could have made in confirming command in Bologna and attacking Serie A at the highest levels, whereas Virtus wants to come back. The roster goes beyond just Boykins, because in acquiring Vukcevic, Arnold, Langford and Koponen, the average quality has increased. Sharrod Ford, if he can repeat last season’s numbers, could truly become the best center in Italy. Curiosity and concern here is about coach Pasquali, in his first experience heading a team this skilled.

Air Avellino. Things are getting better in Avellino, and a terrific 2007/08 might represent the entrance into a richer and more successful era. This year, the amazing Euroleague to play and key moves made during summer, mean that last season was no anomaly, despite coach Boniciolli’s resignation. The signing of Dickau – probably one of the most adaptable point guards coming to Europe from the NBA indicates the presence of a solid plan, strengthened by the construction of a new and larger arena. Apart from Dickau, Avellino has landed Warren, swingman Slay, the imaginative Porta, and role players like Tusek, Cinciarini and Crosariol. Zare Markovski must again find the right chemistry after the awful losses of Green and Smith, but you can’t teach talent and Avellino has gobs of it.

Armani Jeans Milano. A new property referred to Mr. Giorgio Armani is a great guarantee. From the transfer of ownership, Milano began its season, renovating the roster, ambitions and technical staff. New GM Lucio Zanca (Montegranaro miracle’s author) has been called to design a team which could excite fans: The first step to achieve that aim was shipping out Caja and his reasoned game. Bucchi was the right addition, along with names such as Sow, Hawkins and two-meter tall guard Vitali. Some say Armani Jeans hasn’t the stars that can bring it a title – excepting Hawkins, this is true – but this team’s toughness and depth are virtues everyone must keep in mind. Further, Milano has a huge number of Italian players: They may not be champions (Rocca), may be in terrible decline (Bulleri), or may be desirous of redemption (Mordente), but they all speak the same language.

Benetton Treviso. Too much time has passed since Ettore Messina led Treviso to the Italian title. Today, Messina is the best European coach and is in Moscow, while the Benetton family no longer feels much like investing a lot of money, especially after years that have also stained the club’s reputation. (Remember the Lorbek affair?) Mahmuti, still aboard despite the disaster of last season, would like to have better players, choosing them spot-by-spot, but that’s the situation: the coach must be satisfied with Wood, Neal, and Wallace. It’s conceivable that Mahmuti would use a platoon system in trying to squeeze all he can out of players which don’t look like champions but have the pieces to get Treviso back in the playoff hunt.

Tercas Teramo. Now the fun begins. This is going to be a great season for Teramo, which will fight to get to playoffs, its 2008/2009 goal. Technical improvement is evident, and surely this team is a top 10 Italian club. Poeta, waiting for a better and more consistent leadership, is the key player in a skilled group, for whom awfully streaky-shooter Jaycee Carroll and all-around player David Moss should make the leap. Former Montegranaro star Amoroso has to ignore the negative voices around him, saying he’s mentally lacking to play at the highest level (and that this is the reason Siena didn’t employ him), while coach Capobianco must forget his previous experience in Serie A (Avellino’s relegation to Legadue in 2005/06). But with Teramo looking good and a solid bench featuring Hoover and Jaacks, the fans will enjoy themselves at least.

Scavolini-Spar Pesaro. What lesson can be learned from last season? Above all, talent without mentality is not enough to create a team. In order to avoid making the same mistakes, this Pesaro edition presents fewer “crazy horses” like Ron Slay and Keydren Clark, and more professional players like Hurd, Akindele and Stanic. This sudden U-turn occurred because results, barring a semifinal in the National Cup, didn’t arrive. Reactions of the fans to this new situation and its lowered expectations aren’t so positive, and it’s up to coach Sacripanti give them the lie. Sacripanti needs Ramel Curry healthy and Van Rossom, on loan from Milano, able to fulfil his promise. For Van Rossom, Pesaro is the test to determine if he can be a top player outside of Oostende.

Cantù. Cantù is always one of the most interesting Italian teams, because of its ability in discovering young players from minor leagues, working within a budget which can’t compete with the league’s bigger teams; McCullough, Thornton, Stonerook, and Morandais should teach us something. The tune in Cantù hasn’t changed, and limited resources have brought GM Arrigoni to the American summer leagues. Imported from the US were Sundiata Gaines and Jason Rich, a fast and promising backcourt duo that will prime scorers like B.J. Elder and Mazzarino. Many hopes depend on Tourè’s efficiency, and his capacity to raise the decision-making. It’s difficult to imagine Cantù in the playoffs again, but dreams cost nothing.

Angelico Biella. Missing playoffs is not a disaster; nevertheless, Biella had got into the habit of postseason play. This year the hunt begins anew, thanks to management sensationally signing great young prospects coming from the NCAA: Aboard are Gist and Plaisted, two big men intended for top European teams. After them, additions include the homecomings of Joe Troy Smith and Reece Gaines (problematic in Milano and Treviso), and other youngsters ready to fire (Jerebko). Biella’s recipe to obtain results never changes.

Eldo Caserta. Exciting: Running over Caserta’s roster, this is the word that immediately comes to mind. Coming back from Legadue after 14 years of purgatory – this was coach Marcelletti and GM Betti’s intention. They wished to raise a team that needs great offensive players to survive, drawn along the lines of Oscar Schmidt and Vincenzo Esposito; the natural consequences of this act were the acquisitions of Butler, Foster, Slay and Di Bella, although everyone knows about Eldo Caserta’s defensive weaknesses. Nevertheless, their upside is huge. Eldo’s budget is important for a Legadue newcomer, but it seems that the choices made could pay large dividends, too. See them in the playoffs?

Premiata Montegranaro. The miracles are over. Vitali, Amoroso and Ford are gone. Reality is depressing, because a Eurocup justly reached has been lost on behalf of Treviso, and in Montegranaro what remains to replace last season’s heroes are only workers (Rice, Chiaramello) and immature talents (Bryce Taylor, Cinciarini). Surprisingly, hope is represented by six-time NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp, signed at the end of a one-month-long negotiation. Kemp is the attraction, the man who could change Montegranaro’s anonymity. People think about his last tragic appearance in NBA five years ago with Orlando, and while the 39-year-old center attests to his physical fitness (and his mental fitness…?), time and a long period of inactivity won’t help him.

Snaidero Udine. It’s all about the money, we say. Sad but true. The same thought has crossed president Snaidero’s mind, when he knocked on the doors of local sponsors and institutions. In all of Friuli, nobody wants to invest in basketball, and Snaidero has taken a step back. The team’s plan: Stay in Serie A, full stop. Jermaine Jackson will get the leadership, while Rashad Anderson is the first offensive option after a 20 ppg season in Livorno. Udine has a strictly defensive identity, as is coach Caja’s want. More probable this season are wins of 65-60 scores, as opposed to 90-87. Pay attention to what Antonutti provides in his second year as starter.

Solsonica Rieti. The financial situation is not so wonderful in Rieti. Within a limited budget (rumoured at about €1.5 million), created was a team which could avoid relegation, this season made even more difficult due to a two-point penalty Rieti must pay for administrative offences of last year. Meanwhile, leader Finley has departed for Siena, and the team begins its run with four new American faces: Jerry Green, Folarin Cambell, Pervis Pasco and Roderick Wilmont. Coach Lardo is the best re-signing that Rieti could have made.

Carife Ferrara. If Collins becomes the next McIntyre; if Jamison has still the fuel to be a factor in the paint; if Mykal Riley and Ndudi Ebi don’t complain of pressure … So many ifs for Ferrara, but the future here may be brighter than we expect. The team structure has remained the same, and coach Valli isn’t frightened to face his first Serie A championship; the place is boiling over in anticipation of a new adventure. The ingredients to obtain a stay in the highest Italian league are all there, but the road is not so easy.

Written by Francesco Cappelletti

Fantasy Basketball: France is ready, too

After we presented a German Bundesliga Fantasy League and created the BallinEurope.com division three weeks ago, today French website basketnews.net launched its own French ProA and ProB Fantasy League. Here is the way if you want to participate even if there is no possibility to create a private division.

First of all, you have to go to the specific website of the fantasy league, which you can find here. You create your account by clicking on “créer un compte” in the red box on the right side. Then you create your account by entering the normal characteristics and you can chose the English language, which is a great feature that neither the German nor the Spanish SuperManager (which we will also introduce to you in the next few days) offer.

So I created my own “BallinEurope.com” team today and if other readers want to compete with me, just publish your team name in the comments here so that I can make a follow up. And we will have our own private division here on BallinEurope.com. Good luck…

In our German division, though, the first day has not been as successful for my “Local Heroes” team as I have wished. With the injury of my center hope George Evans and the bad game by Derrick Allen, all my hopes for an early lead have been washed away. So the first congratulations go to uhg80, who managed to take the lead of the race with his “einbeinigen Blinden” team. So for those who are interested, here is the roster I used to start the season.

Guards

C. Hoffmann (Trier)
D. Bahiense de Mello (Frankfurt)
P. Günther (Ulm)
J. Jenkins (Berlin)
D. Raivio (Trier)

Forwards

J. Lischka (Gießen)
D. Allen (Frankfurt)
B. Bailey (Düsseldorf)
J. Gibbs (Ulm)

Center

T. Ohlbrecht (Bamberg)
G. Evans (Trier)
T. Pleiß (Köln)

First evidence as to why to follow Josh Childress in Europe

We finally got some basketball action from Athens, where Olympiakos played an exhibition game. The first time somebody posted the video, I wasn’t expecting too much - well, watch for yourself to see some Dwight Howard blocks and LeBron James dunks … made by Josh Childress.

Might be a great season to start following the Euroleague!

The stats from the game: Olympiakos 88, Kolossos 82. Josh Childress, 14 points.

Shawn Kemp, by the way, went back to the States to take care of the victims of hurricane Ike. His Italian team is now somewhat worried that Kemp might not come back. Now this is only a rumor picked up at the IBN forum, but those people are always pretty well informed. We will see.

The French League explained

“A long, long time ago…” This is how fairytales for children begin, but it could also lead off the status of the French League. So, a long, long time ago, French teams were big names in the European context: CSP Limoges won the Euroleague, ASVEL qualified for the Final Four, and Pau-Orthez was the most regular participant in major European competitions. Players like Antoine Rigaudeau, Michael Young and Delaney Rudd made French fans dream and the sportive results built ProA a good international reputation. But this has changed since then.

Young French players today dream more about the NBA than the Euroleague, and yearly the best young prospects leave the ProA while most are still projects at the European level. This year, Alexis Ajinca and Nicolas Batum preferred to move overseas and risk a year in the NBDL rather than stay with their European club. So it is no surprise that France currently has nearly as many NBA players (Ajinca, Batum, Diaw, Diawara, Gelabale, Mahinmi, Noah, Tony Parker, Petro, Pietrus, Turiaf) as Euroleague players (Gomis, Sangaré, Koffi, Diot, Badiane, Leloup, Tchicamboud, Julian, Samnick, Morandais, Parker). But let’s check what the upcoming season brings.

The Big 4: STB Le Mans and SLUC Nancy will play in the Euroleague this season and both have recruited heavily by French standards. With J.D. Jackson as head coach, the all-youth years are over in the Sarthe region, and the new players are all more or less experienced on the European level. To bring Dee Spencer back to France as well as signing Euroleague players Bluthenthal and J.P. Batista was seen as enormous for a French team. The addition of Pape Badiane in the paint and the multi-versatile Maleye N’Doye are even more than a cherry atop the cake for the team. Now with such a loaded roster, the clear goal is the French Championship.

SLUC Nancy also went big in recruiting, with the addition of Rod Benson, John Cox and Lamayn Wilson, even if the names sound less flashy Le Mans’ moves. But a team core built around the Greer brothers, Wild Thing Julian and the new French backcourt composed of Tchicamboud and Morandais, who will play in France for the first time in his professional career, is pretty strong. And if Roger Zaki plays in the regular season like he started the preseason, defending the title is not an impossible task.

ASVEL Villeurbanne is probably the only team that can compete with the two Euroleague participants in terms of budget and player material. With the experience of Vincent Collet as head coach and the newly added firepower of Eric Campbell, J.R. Reynolds and Amara “The Admiral” Sy, it looks like the self-declared Euroleague wild-card team can finally battle for the title it’s been seeking for a long time. It remains to be seen how this newly composed roster will harmonize. Chorale de Roanne tries to return to the old days with the reappearance of Aaron Harper. Additionally, some proven ProA players joined the team while the coaching staff once again tries to hit the jackpot in the annual college lottery by signing some rookies.

NT members’ teams: It sounds surprising, but it were Vichy and Cholet who featured a significant number of national team players for the unsuccessful Eurobasket 2009 qualifiers this summer. Now both must integrate these guys at high speed in order to be competitive for a season that begins in just 10 days. Besides the French de Colo and Marquis, Cholet also features Iranian national team player Samad Bahrami and is somehow unique on the European scene with this signing. Besides those, the rest of the team is composed of more or less known NCAA players and some promising young guys. For Vichy, the situation is quite different as the roster is composed of four US boys and French rotation players. Despite being national team members, Issa, Gradit and Soliman won’t be the superstars that take Vichy to another level and success therefore depends a lot on the four American-born players.

The all-youth teams: Pau-Lacq-Orthez – to be correct – is attempting to rebuild its team around a very interesting core of young players this season. Ludo Vaty already knows ProA, but some youngsters like Fernando Raposo and Thomas Heurtel are ready to gain major minutes at the senior level. Hiram Fuller knows the league as well so he can teach rookies Jameson Curry and Josh Duncan how life goes in the Bearn.

The All-America teams: These teams are the most difficult to rank, as all rely greatly on their four alloted US-born players. STB Le Havre finished as high as 5th place last season with such a roster and this season looks similar as after the Americans are only prospects from the local youth program. Hyères-Toulon is a bit different, as they’re build around the comebacker Mous Sonko and veteran Vincent “Bang Bang” Massingue to guide their import players.

Of this group of teams, BCM Gravelines has aligned the most common names during the summer time. Yannick Bokolo will lead the group and Cyril Akpomedah, J.K. Edwards and Tony Stanley try to fire up the scoreboards in the traditional Sportica Arena. Chalon preferred to sign quality US guys in Brian Boddicker and Zack Wright and surrounded them with experienced Frenchmen and some younger prospects; the results in the preseason look promising so far.

SIG Strasbourg signed former Roanne sharpshooter Brion Rush and also added some players that know how ProA works. It looks all very good on paper, but now it is the team’s job to bring this to fruition. Orléans looks a bit like the “nouveau riche” squad of the league. Laurent Sciarra, Brian Greene and Adrien Moerman appear to be the most promising recruits, even if the French PG is already out with an injury in the beginning of the season.

Who?: The two teams promoted from ProB, Rouen and Besançon, could also be ranked in the All-America teams category. Still, their rosters are even more unknown to me when it comes to discussing the US players they signed than for the rest of the league. We’ll see during the season how these teams play and there may always be surprises coming from them. But it is still difficult for me to assess them at the moment.

Brandon Jennings will be a blogger

Thanks to THE man at SLAMmagazine, Ben Osbourne, we have learned that Brandon Jennings will sign with Under Armour. Under Armour might be as well known to Europeans as European travel calls are to NBA players: not at all.

I’m not even sure if Under Armour is sold in Europe right now. (Oh wait: It is - even a German soccer club is wearing Under Armour jerseys.)

Looking at this picture, I can’t really tell what kind of untied sneakers Brandon is wearing; all I know is that the picture was taken in the Lottomatica practice arena while the sun was shining. So we will see if Brandon releases his own pair soon and if it will be available in Europe or if Under Armour is investing in Brandon’s NBA future.

What’s interesting and more important for us is that Brandon will start his own blog soon - in October 2008:

The blog will allow fans the opportunity to follow Brandon’s experiences in Rome and his pursuit of his athletic goals.

Let’s hope Brandon does not take the Euroleague players’ blogging as an example and write one post within the whole season. Welcome to the family, Brandon!

What’s going on with the Euroleague?

We’ve already spoken several times about the the Euroleague’s new formula. Now today, Euroleague.net published a report that was somewhat misleading: After the decision to make a semi-closed league was taken in Berlin before the summer, it now seems that we’re facing new changes for the major competition of European basketball.

Read more

The Greek league explained

A great tradition that brings waves of young prospects to the scene every year; the smallest, disagreeable, noisiest arenas in Europe; the fieriest fans a player could desire; economic powers in Panathinaikos and Olympiacos. This is Greek basketball: This is Esake.

What can we expect from the upcoming season? Simply another battle between the Greens and the Reds, with the others dividing up the 3rd to 14th spots. So no surprises. Nor would it be shocking if Olympiacos should steal the title from Pao’s hands after six successful years in a row, because in Piraeus there’s Josh Childress, the marquee attraction from the USA, the pioneer of an en masse movement of NBA players to Europe. Then, hurry up and finish the regular season! It’s hard to wait for May to see Yannakis and Obradovic’s teams contending against each other for the title.

PANATHINAIKOS: Finally, Batiste is Bulgarian. So, Pana has the option of adding another US citizen to the team. The problem: Where’s a space? At what spot? The Greens are counting on just 13 players, seven in the backcourt and six in the front, each none too willing to lose minutes in Obradovic’s rotations. But the remarkable moves made by Olympiacos might force Panathinaikos to a final staggering acquisition – maybe a PF/C coming from NBA training camps…? At the moment, the 29-time winning team is a battleship, ready to return to the Euroleague throne. Among the new arrivals, Pekovic and Fotsis are two players who can have an immediate impact, but the paradox is that the former Partizan center will probably come off the bench, along with a superstar like Spanoulis. Pana’s potential is astounding, and Nicholas provides Obradovic with a tactical weapon – the three-point streak-shooter – whom the Serbian coach has never had before. Whichever way you look at it, it’s always the same thing: Jasikevicius is still the key player. He’s 33 years old, his knees continue to creak, his mental stability is no longer the same of years past, but Jasikevicius has the talent and ability to win a game, a playoff series, a championship.

OLYMPIACOS: “Yes, we can. We can break Pao’s dominion, coming back to the title after 11 (!) years. Who do we need to beat the Greens? Josh Childress? No problem, we’ll buy Childress, and then Papoloukas, Vujcic…” That’s what owners Aggelopoulos should have said early this July, when they were going to build an Olympiacos squad that many fans consider better than 1997’s, when Rivers and Tarlac brought the Euroleague to Piraeus. So the former Hawks forward has crossed the Atlantic Ocean due to an offer worth €20 million over three years, landing on a team that had just come to terms with European top players as Vujcic (is he healthy?), Papaloukas and Halperin. Remember, Olympiacos had already confirmed Bouroussis, Printezis, Teodosic, Vasilopoulos, before enlisting Pelekanos and Serbian prospect Erceg, a 2.13-meter player not far from becoming role player on a Euroleague contender. Had enough? Lynn Greer is still a Red, while Macijauskas is injured again, and close to getting waived (a legal controversy between attorney and the club on the matter has not been resolved). This list of champions doesn’t necessarily equal a triumphant season for Oly, but the way drawn makes the fans hope. A first step to bridge the gap with the rival cousins: It’s not a matter of money, but maybe of conviction. Now it’s up to Yannakis, who manages a team any European coach would envy training.

PANIONIOS: We can’t say how they wanted it, Panionios will face the Euroleague this season. No small effort for a team often involved in the race to playoffs, certainly not in the race to the title. So, within a medium-sized budget, new coach Trifunovic has created a roster which seems balanced – if not ultra-talented – and could make headway in Euroleague group D, where only Partizan is beyond the reach of the Greeks. The goal is to climb to the Greek semifinals again, trying to play a trick on Olympiacos or Panathinaikos, and win at least one home game against CSKA, Real and Efes. It won’t be easy. However, the frontcourt is very heavy, deep and full of rebounders (Baxter, Kendall) and mid-range threats (Nikolic, Raicevic), while the backcourt is not at all convincing: Miles is a guarantee but lacks in scoring tools; Cvetkovic needs to stay healthy; Xanthopoulos, Zoroski, and Kalampokis are a bit undersized when the opponents aren’t sets like Egaleo, Panorama and Trikalia. Panionios’ wallet is still open, probably to fill the shooting forward position: a go-to-guy is needed to complete a roster that, at the moment, doesn’t show a top-level offensive player.

PANELLINIOS: Anthony Grundy was Panellinios. But this time, the 6’3’’ guard will feel less lonely, because Newley (an amazing Aussie shooter from beyond the arc who averaged 11.1 ppg in last Uleb Cup with Panionios), Papamakarios (who’ll be the starting point guard), and Ivan Radenovic have joined coach Elias Zouros in Athens. The former Arizona PF is a great addition for Panellinios, which should automatically be much improved with him performing in the low-post. Radenovic has the size (208 cm), youth (24 years old), and a multi-faceted game even away from the basket, to become a star. No less important is that he’s young but has always played for winning teams, acting as a main characters (See what he did in the Uleb Cup Final Eight with Girona). If Radenovic is the second option after Grundy, and the raw Ostojic fills the C spot, the bench looks like a defensive tank, counting on Kalaitzis and Golemac, besides the all-around Nadjfeji and a shooter in Petrovic, Newley’s perfect substitute. Can Panellinios get to the semifinals? Summer signings tell us that the management has tried to bolster its chances, but – not to repeat ourselves – much depends on Grundy.

ARIS: Sometimes the coach is more decisive than the players: This is the case of Aris, and Mazzon has returned after a painful experience with Fortitudo Bologna, where fans didn’t forgive him for anything (Note: He did haven’t Forte, but rather Jenkins and Torres. Where are you pretending to go with these old stars?). In the end, Mazzon has come to Thessaloniki, and wants to guide the team to its previous successful goals (an Uleb Cup final lost to Dynamo Moscow in 2005). Aris is emerging from a difficult season, and is trying to renovate its ambitions by shaking up the roster. No more Wright and Massey: Keydren Clark, Sean Marshall, Nelson and Sekulic have received little attention from the media, but are similarly dangerous as young, skilled and experienced in Euroleague teams. The downside is a bench full of fighters (Iliadis, Barlos, Agadakos) with nobody able to make the difference. Maybe Aris needs another piece in a backcourt rotation, poor except for Clark. We’ll bet on Marshall’s future: At just 24 years old, he returns from an extraordinary season in Karsyaka alongside Hosley and Neal, and we can take the oath about his readiness to play at the top level, following the way begun by Massey.

THE REST: Maroussi has a strong starting five: Pat Calathes could become Jorge Garbajosa’s heir and the frontcourt is full of promise with the Mavrokefalidis-Glyniadakis duo, but to stay high in Esake (last year they finished 4th), Keys, Stevenson, and Padius must combine for at least 35 points per game. PAOK has given crazy contracts to Tomasevic (What a risk: how many games will he play?) and Gregory; consequently their teammates, except Vassiliadis and Charissis, are not so impressive. AEK is in the middle of a dramatic economic crisis, while Olympia Larissa has decadent players such as Castle, Jamel Thomas and Schulze. As for Panorama, Trikala, Kolossos Rhodes, AEL, and Egaleo, call me if you see something interesting.

Written by Francesco Cappelletti.

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