Yarone’s Weekend Joints - Part II
December 22, 2008 by Yarone · 3 Comments
The last pack of Joints before the big break presents you with the stories behind the games in Barcelona and Roma, with a short stop in Athens and a final visit to Kaunas.
Puff it up!
Mirza Bryant?
An NBA glitch for a minute. The most memorable game from Kobe’s rookie season was the last of that season: The Lakers were down 3-1 against the Jazz and playing game 5 in Salt Lake City. It came down to a tied-up game on the last possession and Laker ball. Kobe was an 18-year-old rookie back then, having started in only six games the entire season and averaging about 8 points per game — Far from the sole go-to guy he became later on.
Nevertheless, Kobe took that last shot that hit nothing but … air. The game went into overtime. Some might thought the kid would shy from the ball after the airball, but nothing was about to stop Bryant. Not even when he made another airball, and another and then another. Three airballs in a row on decent (Kobe-style) shots in a single overtime.
Kobe detractors celebrated and claimed nothing would come of such a selfish kid who shoots airball after airball in a clutch moment in a playoff game in his rookie season. For one of the writers on Ballineurope.com, though, it was a sign this kid was something special. So very few players have the balls to take such shots and continue to play like nothing has changed after the first airball.
What does this have to do with the Euroleague? In recent weeks, we’ve seen a 17-year-old kid named Mirza Sarajlija who plays 20 minutes per game for Olimpija. In Roma, with the game tied at 62-62 and the final seconds of regulation running down, Sarajlija held the ball. Veterans like Jasmin Hukic and Ivica Jurkovic were in Olimpija’s lineup but the kid, who was 1-for-7 from the field to that point, didn’t only have the ball but also the balls. Sarajlija ran the clock down and took the game on his shoulders. His shot hit nothing but … air.
Olimpija somehow manged to tie the score and the game went into overtime, but not before the kid had another chance to win the match and instead turned the ball over. While we didn’t witness another series of airballs in overtime by the skilled Sarajlija, but he kept his game going and didn’t hide from the ball. There’s something special in this kid…
The Barcelona show
No doubt who’s the hottest team in Europe now: It didn’t even take the two losses in three games by CSKA to put an undisputed crown on Barcelona’s head in the last days of 2008. The 24-point win over Pao in the first leg wasn’t impressive enough. Barca had already smashed Pao that badly twice already in the last years, but didn’t do much more than that later the season.
In the last two weeks, things have changed. First came the easy-easy-easy win in OAKA, and this week the team tortured Montepaschi with a 25-3 first-quarter start. Lavrinovic entered the game on a 0-for-10 streak from the arc and at the final buzzer “climbed” to 1-for-14, but that three-pointer was the bucket that saved his team from a quarter of a round zero points. Take a look at the team stats close to the end of that first quarter and figure it out.
The thing about Barca is not that they look unstoppable, they just make the opponent look miserable. Very, very miserable. The following Joint might explain it best.
First ever for Rimas
Coach Simone Pianigiani’s players seemed in total shock from tip off to buzzer. Nobody played close to his level. Probably the best example was Rimas Kaukenas, one of yours truly’s favorite players. The best way to describe his game style would be to say he’s an all-around guard. Kaukenas can score, sometimes even a lot, but he’s not a scorer. He does a lot of things on court. He’ll rebound, assist, steal and make the defense move to create situations for his teammates. Not a lot of players contribute in so many aspects on court in such a steady manner as the Lithuanian talent.
Let’s put it into numbers. From 2000/01, when he started his pro career after college, to today, Kaukenas played 96 games in European competitions and 276 in domestic leagues in Israel, Lithuania, Belgium, Germany and Italy for six different teams. In the European cup games, Kaukenas didn’t finish a single game without one rebound or assist. Always at least one of the above. Mostly, of course, with more than one in both.
In domestic league games, Kaukenas had only seven nights without a rebound or assist. In five of these seven, he had at least one steal; in the other two, he had no steals as well but at least drew fouls. In Barcelona, he had his worst game ever in this respect: He played over 32 minutes, more than anyone else in Montepaschi, finishing with eight points on 4-for-12 shooting from the field, but lost three balls and was blocked twice. That’s it. For the first time ever in his pro career, a total of 344 games, Kaukenas finished a game with no rebounds, no assists, no steals and no fouls drawn. If you needed an image of Montepaschi’s lack of production, even on a miniscule scale, on that night, Kaukenas was the perfect example.
Saved by the Point
Montepaschi scored only three points in the first quarter at Barcelona, but stayed out of the record books. The one to hold the undignified record for fewest points in a quarter is another Italian club: Benetton Treviso. Under one of the best coaches out there, Ettore Messina, Benetton scored just two points in the third quarter of their Top 16 game in Istanbul against Efes Pilsen on March 10, 2005. The final score was a 52-43 win for the Turks.
If you’re looking for a link between the games, you can find it in Henry Domercant. Back in 2005, Domercant was on Efes and excelled with 16 points, 8 rebounds and an index rating of 24. This week, he was on the other side with Montepaschi, but was still best on his team with 13 points, 5 boards and an index of 17.
Where we stand, Group C
Tau (6-2) will travel to Roma (6-2) after the break and must win if they want to finish on top. An Italian win will give Sani the first spot in this group thanks to two wins over the club from Vitoria. In recent years, no team other than CSKA has managed to beat Tau on both legs.
Olimpija is now officially out of the picture, so three teams will fight over two tickets. Fenerbahce Ulker’s (4-4) big win over Joventut (4-4) this week will most likely be enough to give them an advantage in any tiebreaker. Fener will be out only if Alba wins both games and Ricky’s gang does not get a victory at Tau. Since Joventut still needs to play in Vitoria (although that game might not matter to Tau if they lose in Roma) and will host Alba (3-5), the chances of the two teams chasing the Turks to pass them are slim.
All this means that the fourth ticket will be decided in Badalona right after the break when Joventut hosts Alba. The differences play no role here. A win by Simas’ gang will keep Alba out of the Top 16. In the case of a German win, the club from Catalonia will need to win in Vitoria and pray for Alba to lose at home against knocked-out Olimpija in front of 13,000 fans in O2 arena.
Paulius the first
One last bit from Kaunas. Paulius Jankunas had another big game in front of his fans, but this one will go in history books. He finished with a season high of 23 points, going 5-for-5 inside the arc and a surprising 3-for-5 from distance. The Lithuanian big guy can shoot from outside, but he’s someone you can leave open with the state of mind “So he’ll make one of three at best. I can live with that.” That’s probably true but no consolation for Prokom, who saw Jankunas hit three times from beyond the arc for the first time in his Euroleague career, a total of 96 games.
Triple Lior
Since Pini Gershon rearrived in Tel Aviv, Lior Eliyahu is blooming. This week he notched his third double-double in a row. As noted by Arale Weisberg on Ynet.co.il, Maccabi legends Anthony Parker and Nikola Vujcic never held such streak. Maceo Baston reached it just once and Nate Huffman three times. The Euroleague longest streak is held by two double-double masters: Mirsad Turkcan and Joe Blair. Both reached a streak of seven, which is no surprise as they also have double-double career averages.
It’s raining three’s
When CSKA shoots 14 three pointers at a 48.2% clip on you in Moscow and you still win, it’s close to a miracle. True, the Russians missed Siska and Smodis, but it’s still one very impressive win for the Spanish squad. Three pointers played a big role in this game, as the teams combined for 26 hits from that range in 50 attempts, and didn’t fall far behind the shots taken inside the arc (31-for63).
Most unique was that no fewer than 10 players — five on each team — scored more times from long range than from inside the arc. Aleksey Savrasenko and Erazem Lorbek were the only CSKA players who didn’t shoot from distance, and obviously scored more inside it. J.R. Holden was the exception. For Real, only Hervelle and Massey tried both options and were more successful from the inside. The rest — Felipe Reyes, Sergio Llull and Venson Hamilton — avoided shooting from three-point land.
Ricardo’s trauma
Panathinaikos and Nancy met in OAKA in one of the most boring games of the season. Pao won, as expected, 83-69, and that’s was the main problem: It was too expected. Both sides played with no real passion. Pao took a double-digit lead in the second quarter and from there the game continued to be played, but nothing happened.
Well, almost nothing. Ricardo Greer, who’s on the sure path to have the worst turnover per game ratio in Euroleague history as published here, contributed another unforgettable performance with seven turnovers. If you keep in mind that he had a season high of eight in the first game against the Greeks, you get an average of 7.5 turnovers per game. The irony is that those two games also represented his best index rating performances of the season. In France, he had his season high in points with 26, five rebounds and index of 19, while this week he tallied 21 points, six rebounds and 16 index rating.
Where we stand, Group D
Despite the losses, unless the Earth move, CSKA (6-2) will finish this group on top. Real (5-3) stands a very good chance to finish second, but it’s far from a done deal, as they still need to play in Milano and host the only team in the final week that can still snatch the spot: Efes.
The last two tickets are up for grabs, as Efes (4-4) and three teams with a 3-5 record - Partizan, Milano and Panionios — can finish in or out of the pack. Panionios will play at Partizan and host Milano in the upcoming weeks and a lot will be decided in these battles. We might even see here a four-way tie at 4-6, so everything is still wide open in this race.
Difference-making Sani
The index rating doesn’t always reflect what happened on court, but in a very certain way did show what took place in Roma. The game went to overtime and could have gone in favor of the visitors but by the end of the night, Roma had a team index rating of 86 while the group from Ljubljana was stuck at 49: A difference of 37 that doesn’t tell the story of the night, but funnily enough former Olimpija player Sani Becirovic finished the game with an index rating of 38 on the way to MVP of the Week honors. A single Roma player wasn’t too far from Olimpija’s total, and almost made the entire difference between the teams.
The Italian league explained
September 26, 2008 by Tobias · 5 Comments
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
Great rivalries in European basketball: Panathinaikos vs. Olympiakos
July 11, 2008 by Christophe · 2 Comments
During these summer weeks in which club team action is slowing down a bit despite a hot transfer market, BallinEurope will give you a little history lesson with the presentation of the biggest rivalries in European basketball. And we’ll start in Greece.
