Yarone’s weekend Joints

Lots of three-ball action took place this week. Some went in with great accuracy. Others will have to pay for the rim damage. Lazos, Erceg and Childress are the most overpaid players of this week, the double OT in Istanbul had two sides, Spencer caught up, Nancy made history, Jennings made us proud, and one Emir Preldzic…

These are the stories of week 4 of Euroleague 2009.

In case you missed it… - CSKA tied the Euroleague record for most three pointers made with 18, and more amazingly they hit them at a 72% rate. Those who follow CSKA closely saw them only last week connect on 20 three pointers at 71.4% in a Russian cup game. Keep in mind that Holden and Smodis are injured and could probably add a couple more to the party. Do you still remember just a week ago the Euroleague champs scored only 58 points at Real and hit five three-balls at a poor 18.5% rate?

CSKA tied a record set by Lottomatica Roma, who went 18/34 back in December 2003, but it reminded me more of the most amazing three-ball display in Euroleague history: Efes’ unbelievable fourth quarter back in November 2006. In a home game against Olympiacos, the Jenkins-Nicholas-Erden-Haislip-Kuqo combination connected on 11 of 12 long-range shots in the final 10:04 of the game.

The Jennings report – Brandon Jennings, in one of the toughest arenas in Europe, explained why. Last week in a text written on this server, Jennings was asked, for the first time in his Euroleague career, to combine baskets inside and outside the arc, and right away he provided. The boxscore displayed 17 minutes on court, 13 points, 4-of-7 from the field, three assists and not a single turnover on the way to an index rating of 17. He played a key role in the third quarter when Tau pushed hard to take over, and made sure Roma stayed on top. Can’t ask for more from this kid.

Just imagine – Terrell McIntyre was 1-of-8 from long range in OAKA. Shaun Stonerook was 2-of-11 from the same distance, but Montepaschi still left Athens with only a five-point loss. If any of the above had shot at just a tiny bit better percentage…

Over? Under! – Four games into the Euroleague season and not only is Zalgiris Kaunas continuing to seek their first win, they’ve also failed to reach 70 points in a game: Their season high is 67 points at home, in the 26 point loss to Montepaschi. True, Kaunas lost Brown, misses Dean, and the go-to guy right now is the great Maciulis, who hasn’t fully adapted to the idea that he’s the main man this season. Nevertheless, it’s not that much we’re asking: In the next three games, Kaunas hosts Barcelona and Pao, followed by travel to Siena. None will be shocked to see them go 0-6, but if the Lithuanians can’t shoot to reach 70…

Standings – After four weeks, CSKA Moscow is the only undefeated team. Surprised? Group D, where CSKA play, is the only group in which just one team has reached three wins. Behind CSKA are four teams with a 2-2 record and in last is a team with no wins: Exactly the scenario predicted for this group from the first second after the draw. The only difference: Panionios was expected to be the winless team, while in fact it’s struggling AJ Milano.

It’s a close league after all – Four teams, one in each group, are still in search for a debut win, but that’s not a case of teams that are just too weak to win. All of them have already sensed a win in their hands at least once during the four weeks. Le Mans was close four weeks in a row, including an OT loss in Tel Aviv; AJ Milano has been in the neighborhood twice already and this week lost by a point; Olimpija lost once by a point as well and this week fell in double OT; finally, Zalgiris hasn’t been as close to success as the other three, but has lost their last two games by five points or fewer.

Index Morris – Last week, CSKA’s Terence Morris went 0-of-8 from long range in Madrid. This week he had three perfect hits from distance already after three minutes on the way to a 5-of-7 night.

Home sweetest home – 11 of the 12 games this week went in favor of the home team, including a double OT win for FenerUlker, a one-point win for Real, a two-point win for Alba and five-point wins for Nancy, Panathinaikos, Panionios and Avellino. The only team to drop the home game was Tau, considered one of the most difficult teams to beat on their home court, who lost by a small three-point margin.

Emir – If you’re a big prospect and want to make a break, then shower, shave, grab a bottle of water, some orange Tic Tacs, pack a small bag and go stand outside the house of coach Bogdan Tanjevic. Wait patiently, have some Tic Tacs and hope he’ll take you in. From there, you’re set. 18 points, more than 50% from the field, seven rebounds, five assists and just a single turnover: That’s the line Emir Preldzic produced this week. He’s playing inside Tanjevic’s system as much as a Bosnian can play inside a system, but also gets a lot of freedom from his coach to bring his skills and creativity to the floor. Follow this kid. He’s much more than just great numbers: He’s fineness and finesse.

Double OT, triple lead – The interesting thing about the game in Istanbul, only the third in Euroleague history to go 50 minutes, was that in all three crucial possessions FenerUlker were up. In regulation, it was a huge running three-pointer by Saso Ozbolt (Welcome back!) to tie the score. Then Damjan Rudez scored on a layup to force another overtime, and finally Vlado Illievski took the chance when down by two with a long distance attempt that went out.

Vlado + Saso > Europe – Olimpija’s Ilievski and Ozbolt played a double OT but still combined 79:50 minutes of play so they didn’t hold a much bigger margin on other backcourts. Nevertheless they took no less than 21 shots from long range (11 by Vlado). Those 21 attempts by only two players represented more three-point attempts than those taken by the entire teams of Panathinaikos, Panionios, Alba, Cibona, Maccabi, Barcelona, Prokom, Real, Avellino, Le Mans, Roma and Nancy this week.

Joventut > Europe – Vlado and Saso weren’t the only ones. Demond Mallet and Luka Bogdanovic of Joventut also combined for 21 attempts from long range, and they played much less obviously. Luka was on a big night hitting 7-of-12 from long distance without taking a single shot inside the arc or the charity stripe. Mallet was a tiny bit less glamour at 1-of-9 from the same distance.

Both were merely executing Joventut’s game plan, or so it seemed on the court. Rudy’s former team took 23 shots inside the arc, but no fewer than 37 outside: a huge difference that hints at a lack of guiding hand and another reason to hang a “We miss you Ricky!” sign in the lockerroom. Joventut had the last ball of the game down by two at Alba, and take a wild guess what their play was…Wrong! Pau Ribas tried to find an open man for the three, but Alba did a great job in the passing lanes, forcing the young guard to go to the rim. He added one more miss to his pocket and Alba celebrated their second win.

All Blacks – OK, the national team of New Zealand isn’t playing in the Euroleague yet, but while I was watching Nancy-Zalgiris on Wednesday night, I suddenly noticed something refreshing: With Cyril Julian out due to injury, Nancy this week was a team composed of only black players, probably the first time ever in European basketball history. Quickly, Mr. Ney was sent to check the NBA rosters and figure how many NBA teams have only black players on the roster, and his answer was one: The Philadelphia 76ers, thus making the occasion in Nancy this week very unique indeed. From the Greer duo to the promising young Zaki, it was a refreshing occurrence. The fact they have won isn’t as exciting as the happenings in Illinois not too long ago, but certainly is a happy episode.

Double OT, triple miss – While Olimpija had to come back from behind time after time in the finals seconds, the Turkish side can be happy to win a close game, but proved he can miss time after time in these situations. Devin Smith had a decent shot from the three-point corner to win the game in regulation but missed. At the end of the first OT, Fenerbache had 6.5 seconds to win the game but managed to lose the ball, while at the end of the last overtime Marque Green missed his first free throw in the final seconds, leaving Olimpija a chance to win.

Whole story in one Zoran – Olympiacos paid around <!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> €700,000 just to buy out Zoran Erceg from FMP Zeleznik. His contract probably isn’t cheap, either, and the buyout plus contract is worth around $1.5 million easily. This is more than Maccabi’s second-highest paid player. Erceg played less than seven minutes this week, and other than pick up one foul did nothing on the court. No rebounds, no shots taken, no assists, no turnovers. His team still won by 19, the second-greatest margin of the week. His story tells the difference between Olympiacos and a second-tier Euroleague team.

Frustrated Milanese - If you’ve ever had the chance to stop whatever it is you’re doing in your daily life and wonder what’s more frustrating, to lose a five-point lead in the last minute or a 23-point lead in the second half, well, your search for an answer is over! AJ Milano solved this riddle for you! Once again, one player shone above all: This time it was Michael Hall, who won the MVP of the week award, and once again Milano seemed on the sure path for a win. Answers shall be provided after the debut win.

Looking for Lazos – Not too long ago, in the summer of 2007, Lazaros Papadopoulos was a hot item in the market. At 210cm with post moves, decent rebounding and one of the smartest brains in the Euroleague chasing up a 14.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg and a season index rating of 20.3 with Dynamo Moscow. Then came a multi-season deal with powerhouse Real Madrid, who wanted to return to greatness. On that paper, it says Lazos will make more than <!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> €2 million per season, but he never really proved worthy of it.

His decline already began last season, when his season numbers dropped to 6.9 ppg with 3.2 rpg and season index of no more than 7.8. If someone was waiting for Lazos to come back to life this season, well…maybe later. Right now, he’s finished two games in a row with no points, something that hasn’t happened to him in a European competition since January 9th, 2003. His index ratings in the past three games were 2, -2, and 2. His minutes dropped from 20 to 12 to five. Lazos is no longer a factor. Can’t wait to have him back in shape.

Weekly battle – After Bluthenthal wrote a landslide last week, it was time for Dewarick Spencer to retort. This week, the US guard won the “let’s see who shots more” battle 15-4. Le Mans, no news, lost a close game in Italy. Overall score: Bluthenthal 2, Spencer 2.

Shooting Josh – If you think Lazos is the most overpaid player this week, well, Josh Childress is giving him good competition. The $7 million man finished the game against Maccabi with four points on 1-of-6 from the field and five turnovers. Maccabi gave him a lot of space to shoot from long range, and Josh didn’t punish. The tale from Piraeus is that after the game, while media walked around the lockerroom, looking for Childress, the US swingman went back to the court to work on his jumpshot, to make sure no team will bet on his shots again. Time will tell…

Three-ball Rawel – Cibona’s Rawel Marshall arrived to Malaga with a 7/17 ratio from long range. He finished the game 7 of 10 from that distance. Cibona scored only one additional three pointer. Unicaja combined for a team total of six three-pointers.

Marshall hit just a single bucket inside the arc. Each and every one of his long balls is worth a look. He showed great diversity making off dribble and catch and shoot attempts, eith with a hand in his face or wide open, right on the arc or a step behind…

Euroleague: DKV Joventut Badalona, Spain

Luis Fernandez can truly be considered as one of best experts in terms of youth basketball in Europe. He writes for Draftexpress as well as for acb.com and so we are more than happy to have his opinion on one of the most talented teams of the Euroleague when it comes to young prospects.

Overall record prediction: 5-5

It happens all the time: some teams qualify for the Euroleague after delivering an excellent season in their national championships, and then get weaker when it comes to actually play in the top European competition. They just can’t retain –often can’t afford- those top players that allowed them to perform at such a great level. DKV Joventut is just another example in the line. After being easily a top-8 team in Europe last season, playing some of the most spectacular basketball seen across the Old Continent, they had to suffer the departures of Jerome Moiso, Lubos Barton and especially the team superstar Rudy Fernández. Even the head coach, Aíto García Reneses packed his bags.

So it’s quite a new story this season, but still a lot of the old one. Showing less potential –it hurts to lose arguably the top player in the continent- Joventut is willing to keep alive most of the vitals that proved so successful during the last campaign (good enough for Copa del Rey and ULEB Cup titles). Fast tempo, perimeter oriented offense –relying heavily on three pointers- and aggressive defense are the staples of this team’s game.

If we talk about fast tempo, it doesn’t only mean to run the floor, but also to take quick shots. The objective is to get open looks, and fire as soon as the players find them, so Joventut ends up playing a lot of transition ball where players jack-up jumpers before the defense is established. We don’t need to mention that Ricky Rubio will be key here. Actually, he’s expected to become the leader of this core now that Rudy is out, and in a context of transition game, his decision making should emerge crucial to keep things under control for his team while it gets out of control for the opponents.

In the set offense, Joventut suffers a clear shortage of players able to disrupt defenses by themselves. Again Ricky Rubio and the new signee Bracey Wright –who has somehow come to play some of Rudy’s role in the team- should be the main facilitators to come up with individual solutions in the offensive end, Ricky officiating more as a distributor and catalyst, while Wright being more of a scorer (although he can pass the ball too and, for example, nicely executes the pick and roll). Demond Mallet is another option here, although a step behind, while Pau Ribas can provide some pick-and-roll creation.

If you look at the rest of the roster, it’s mostly finishers and role guys, and there are no legit low post threats to run the offense through them (youngster Henk Norel is clearly the most skilled post player, but he’s physically not ready to be more than a complimentary contributor yet). So virtually the whole offensive flow will be generated from the perimeter. Eventually finishers such as Eduardo Hernández-Sonseca or Pops Mensah-Bonsu will execute from around the rim, but expect much more regular long-distant production off the ball movement.

The best proof of the team’s willingness to continue being a major threat from the arc is this summer signings. Getting a couple of specialists such as Simas Jasaitis (who should improve his performing level enjoying a bigger role in Badalona than he had back in Vitoria and Tel Aviv) and Luka Bogdanovic provide a clear message on the issue. They will join forces with Demond Mallet, Jan Jagla, Bracey Wright, Ferrán Laviña or Pau Ribas, enabling the team to occasionally come up with massive scoring outbursts.

On defense, it remains to be seen if Joventut stays as aggressive on the passing lines as in the past. You can count on Rubio gambling there, but after losing both Rudy Fernández and Lubos Barton (with Ricky, the top three ball thieves in the whole ACB League last season), the team might opt for a little more conservative approach. Anyway, they have plenty of size with Sonseca, Jagla, Norel and especially Mensah-Bonsu to intimidate around the rim and cover the perimeter’s back, allowing their teammates to take risks. Still expect different kind of defenses, a variety of zones and full-court pressures. After all, the new coach, Sito Alonso, had been Aíto’s assistant for a few years. All in all, the defense should be the first source of fastbreaks and transitions plays.

In the end we’re talking about an exciting team, limited talent-wise, but still able to battle and beat any opponent if their shots are falling, and yet probably inconsistent for the same reason. Nevertheless, there’s enough meat here to get into the Top-16 without struggles, and perhaps battle for a quarterfinal spot. Much of Joventut’s forecast depends on Ricky Rubio. This should be the season when he establishes himself as a star in the Euroleague, and his habitude of exceeding expectations might carry the whole team in the same direction.

Final Four participants: Montepaschi Siena, CSKA Moscow, Panathinaikos, Olympiacos

Euroleague winner: CSKA Moscow

written by Luis Fernandez

Please note that this preview has been written before the injury of Ricky Rubio. Luis wants to mention that his absence could severely hurt his team options.

Monday’s cigarettes

There we go: We know now all the Eurobasket 2009 participants except one, and the Euroleague tipoff is only one month away.

• So France and Italy have to go through an additional qualifying round next summer in order to qualify for Eurobasket 2009. In the tournament, they will face Bosnia-Herzegovina, Portugal, Finland and Belgium. Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine and Estonia will play for the relegation in Division B.
• Talking of Division B, there are still three teams that remain unbeaten and have the best chances to move up to Division A: Belarus, Montenegro and Sweden. The competition will resume in summer 2009.
• The first major European League, the German Bundesliga, started this weekend. You can still join our Fantasy League Division and if you want to get the real feeling, watch the impressive pre-season trailer from Telekom Baskets Bonn. By the way, the league will start with three new arenas and is about to reach 2nd place in our European attendance ranking.
• ACB Classico brings us the phenomenal Sarunas Jasikevicius during the 2003 Finals with FC Barcelona, where he comes up with a monumental blocked shot to decide the game.
• The French basketball press saw some changes recently, with the end of Maxi-Basket and Basketnews and their merger into two new magazines: BasketNews weekly and MaxiBasketnews monthly. Additionally, BasketNews now also has a very informative website, though only in French.
• A shocker in the Italian League, as two teams have been excluded: Capo d’Orlando and Napoli. The Sicilian team was late in their payments while Napoli faked documents in an attempt to enter the league. Both teams will not be replaced.
• The Lliga Catalana has once again been won by DKV Joventut Badalona in beating Regal FC Barcelona 95-83 behind 29 points from Demond Mallet.