NIKEiD Fantasy Challenge: Now what?

November 26, 2008 by Christophe · 5 Comments 

Currently, it looks like a lot of decisions have been made in the Euroleague fantasy league. The time to gain sure credits is nearly over, and only a few players are still available at reasonable prices to give you good credit boosts. I’m thinking here mainly about players like Mirza Begic (49 credits) or Sergio Llull (26 credits). But if you don’t have them in your team already, it’s really time to think about what your goal is.

My personal moves

As for myself, I have enough credits right now so I have to check which players can bring me the most credits for the least value right now: This is the reason why I’m selling Ersan Ilyasova, who has not been in his best shape recently. He’s still worth decent value, so it’s a good move in order to buy a more productive player. I’ll use this money to replace one of my two young point guards and give Zygimantas Janavicius away to bring in Zoran Planinic: He should be able to bring up some good numbers in Serbia against Partizan Belgrade. In the paint, I’m bringing in Nikola Pekovic, as I think that he’s now at a good value of 57 credits and should easily dominate against Asseco Prokom.

OUT: Ersan Ilyasova (FC Barcelona) and Zygimantas Janavicius (Zalgiris Kaunas).

IN: Zoran Planinic (CSKA Moscow) and Nikola Pekovic (Panathinaikos).

Take care of injury minutes

A good move to get interesting players right now is to check out the Injury List for possible “playing-time gainers.” For example, Marcus Haislip is out for three weeks so Boniface N’Dong should see some major playing time this week. Additionally, Carlos Jimenez will probably have a nice game in the absence of the high-flying US player.

With Marko Milic injured and Union Olimpija playing against ALBA Berlin, it may be interesting to gamble on Damjan Rudez who should profit from Milic’ absence. He is currently a bargain at 22 credits and if you want to take some risks, he may bring you 10 or more ranking points this week.

See who’s hot right now

Players often go on streaks, by which I mean they play a few good games in a row. One of these players currently is Mike Hall of AJ Milano. He was the MVP of the last game day, despite his team’s loss in Madrid. Hall managed to score 28 ranking points, however, and he is currently priced at only 30.4 credits: a sure winner in terms of credits first of all, but he looks particularly hot as he came up with a valiant 18 in the weekend’s domestic league game against Air Avellino. AJ Milano will play at home against Panionios, and the chances to earn the 10% bonus with Hall are also quite good.

Another guy who is hot right now is Charles Smith; the US-born guard will play against his former team Real Madrid, and the chances of him coming up with a great scoring effort for his Efes Pilsen squad are good. At 36.7 ranking points, Smith is a good value with which to fill up your roster, and his 18-point performance this weekend in the Turkish league shows that Smith is ready to score.

Euroleague transfer analysis: Group D

July 25, 2008 by Christophe · 2 Comments 

The last of the four groups in the 2008-2009 edition of the Euroleague features some high-quality teams, including defending champion CSKA Moscow and Spain’s biggest name in Real Madrid.

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The Euroleague group draw 2008

July 9, 2008 by Christophe · Leave a Comment 

Yesterday, the Euroleague proceeded for its annual draw in Berlin. After several speeches and awards, the big moment was coming close with the draw of the current Euroleague groups. Here is my analysis of the results.

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Euroleague Transfers Table 2008/2009

June 17, 2008 by Christophe · 162 Comments 

France Transfers - Spain Transfers (acb.com) - Germany Transfers - Turkey Transfers

EUROLEAGUE TRANSFERS

Updated: 29/11/2008 00h49CET

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NB: Please note that names in bold are confirmed transfers. Others listed are rumors published by various media or online discussion forums. The Budget numbers are either official announced figures or estimations. The names in italic are those that have been updated within the last 24h.

SPAIN Arrivals Departures
Real Madrid Marko Tomas (Fuenlabrada)
Jeremiah Massey (Aris TT Bank)
Pepe Sanchez (FC Barcelona)
Quinton Hosley (Karsiyaka)
Ratko Varda (Zalgiris)
Kerem Tunceri (Triumph Lyubertsy)
Michalis Pelekanos (Olympiacos)
Blagota Sekulic (Aris)
Charles Smith (Efes Pilsen)
Pablo Aguilar (Granada)
TAU Ceramica Stanko Barac (Pamesa Valencia)
Fernando San Emeterio (Girona)
Ariel Eslava (Rivadavia)
Guilherme Gitterer (Gandia)
Mustafa Shakur (Sopot)
Dusko Ivanovic (head coach)
Zoran Planinic (CSKA Moscow)
Simas Jasaitis (Joventut)
Neven Spahija (?)
James Singleton (Dallas Mavericks)
Regal FC Barcelona Juan Carlos Navarro (Memphis Grizzlies)
David Andersen (CSKA Moscow)
Lubos Barton (DKV Joventut)
Victor Sada (Girona)
Andre Barret (NBDL)
Daniel Santiago (Unicaja)
Denis Marconato (Bruesa)
Pepe Sanchez (Real Madrid)
Gary Neal (Benetton Treviso)
Alex Acker (Detroit Pistons)
Albert Moncasi (Gran Canaria)
Mario Kasun (Efes Pilsen)
Unicaja Malaga Robert Archibald (Azovmash)
Omar Cook (Crvena Zvezda)
Thomas Kelati (Zgorzelec)
Joseph Gomis (Valladolid)
Aito Garcia Reneses (head coach Badalona)
Sergio Scarolo (head coach)
Bojan Popovic (Bruesa)
Melvin Sanders (Gran Canaria)
Davor Kus (loaned to Cibona)
Daniel Santiago (Barcelona?)
ITALY Arrivals Departures
Montepaschi Siena

Budget: 13M€

Morris Finley (Rieti)
Henry Domercant (Dynamo Moscow)
Bootsy Thornton (Efes Pilsen)
Drake Diener (Avellino)
Vlado Ilievski (Olimpija)
Hector Romero (Udine)
Luigi da Tome (Roma)
Lottomatica Roma Sani Becirovic (Panathinaikos)
Brandon Jennings (High School)
Primoz Brezec (Toronto Raptors)
Andre Hutson (Efes Pilsen)
Angelo Gigli (Benetton)
Luigi da Tome (Montepaschi)
David Hawkins (AJ Milano)
Erazem Lorbek (CSKA Moscow)
Roko Leni-Ukic (Toronto Raptors)
AJ Milano Pier Luigi Bucchi (head coach)
Mason Rocca (Eldo Napoli)
Luca Vitali (Montegranaro)
Jobey Thomas (Montegranaro)
Yohann Sangaré (ASVEL)
Ariel Filloy (Rimini)
Marco Mordente (Benetton)
Sam van Rossum (Ostende)
Massimo Bulleri (Virtus Bologna)
Pape Sow (Prokom Trefl)
Mike Hall (Pesaro)
David Hawkins (Roma)
Joey Beard (Veroli)
Sam van Rossum (loan to Pesaro)
Pietro Aradori (Biella)
Danilo Gallinari (New York Knicks)
Travis Watson (Hapoel Jerusalem)
Air Avellino Zare Markovski (head coach)
Daniele Cinciarini (Biella)
Chris Warren (Cibona Zagreb)
Tamar Slay (Capo d’Orlando)
Marko Tusek (Unics Kazan)
Dan Dickau (LA Clippers)
Antonio Porta (Spartak St. Petersbourg)
Travis Best (Virtus Bologna)
Drake Diener (Montepaschi)
Mike Nardi (Napoli)
Devin Smith (Fenerbahce)
Marques Green (Fenerbahce)
Daniel Cavaliero (Montegranaro)
GREECE Arrivals Departures
Panathinaikos

Budget: 25M€

Nikola Pekovic (Partizan)
Antonis Fotsis (Dynamo Moscow)
Dimitris Verginis (PAOK)
Drew Nicholas (Efes Pilsen)
Dusan Kecman (Partizan)
Sani Becirovic (Roma)
Andrija Zizic (Galatasaray)
Kennedy Winston (Pamesa?)
Nikola Prkacin (Cibona)
Dejan Tomasevic (PAOK)
Dimos Dikoudis (Pamesa Valencia)
Olympiacos Michalis Pelekanos (Real Madrid)
Nikola Vujcic (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Zoran Erceg (FMP)
Theodoros Papaloukas (CSKA Moscow)
Yotam Halperin (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Igor Milosevic (Crvena Zvzda)
Josh Childress (Atlanta Hawks)
Kosta Sloukas (Mantoulidis)
Qyntel Woods (Fortitudo Bologna)
Roderick Blackney (Turk Telekom)
Loukas Mavrokefalidis (Maroussi)
Renaldas Seibutis (Bilbao)
Kosta Vasiliadis (PAOK)

Jake Tsakalidis (Phoenix?)
Panagiotis Kafkis (?)
Arvydas Macijauskas (?)

Panionios Alexander Trifunovic (head coach Lietuvos Rytas)
Goran Nikolic (ALBA Berlin)
Branko Cvetkovic (Girona)
Miroslav Raicevic (Crvena Zvezda)
Aaron Miles (Cajasol)
Makis Dreliozis (Gkiziakos)
Vladimir Jankovic (loanded to Mega Aqua)
Adanas Kavaliauskas (Kavala)
Nenad Markovic (?)
FRANCE Arrivals Departures
Le Mans-Sarthe

Budget: 5.63M€

J.D. Jackson (head coach)
Maleye N’Doye (Dijon)
Pape Badiane (Roanne)
Dee Spencer (Efes Pilsen)
David Bluthenthal (Maccabi)
Brian Chase (Besiktas)
JP Batista (Lietuvos Rytas)
Nicolas Batum (Portland)
Sam Clancy (?)
Phil Ricci (Naharia?)
Vincent Collet (head coach ASVEL)
Luka Bogdanovic (Joventut)
Raviv Limonad (Irony Naharia)
Nebosja Bogavac (?)
SLUC Nancy

Budget: 4.98M€

Steed Tchicamboud (Cholet Basket)
John Cox (Le Havre)
Lamayn Wilson (ASVEL)
Michel Morandais (Estudiantes)
Rod Benson (Dakota Wizards)
Zabian Dowdell (Monferrato)
DJ Harrison (?)
Mike Bauer (Ostende)
Pape Philippe Amagou (Kavala)
TURKEY Arrivals Departures
Efes Pilsen Milos Vujanic (Dynamo Moscow)
Sinan Guler (Besiktas)
Charles Smith (Real Madrid)
Ergin Ataman (head coach)
Bootsy Thornton (Montepaschi)
Kaya Peker (Besiktas)
Engin Atsür (Benetton)
Michalis Kakiouzis (Sevilla)
Preston Shumpert (Besiktas)
Mario Kasun (Barcelona)
Dwayne Jones (Orlando Magic)

Predrag Drobnjak (Besiktas)
Serkan Erdogan (Turk Telekom)
Ermal Kuqo (Pamesa Valencia)
Drew Nicholas (Panathinaikos)
Dee Spencer (Le Mans)
David Blatt (Dynamo Moscow)
Rashad Wright (ALBA Berlin)
Scoonie Penn (BC Kiyv)
Andre Hutson (Roma)
Kenny Gregory (PAOK)
Fenerbahce Ülker Devin Smith (Air Avellino)
Marques Green (Air Avellino)
Gordan Giricek (Phoenix Suns)
Will Solomon (Toronto Raptors)
James White (?)
Tarence Kinsey (Cleveland Cavaliers)
LITHUANIA Arrivals Departures
Zalgiris Kaunas

Budget: 6M€

Willie Deane (Lukoil Academik)
Loren Woods (Houston Rockets)
Tadas Klimavicius (AEL Larisa)
Ratko Varda (Menorca)
Tomas Masiulis (Prokom Sopot)
Ronalds Alijevas (CSK VVS) Tryout
DeJuan Collins (Lokomotiv Rostov)
Goran Jurak (Biella)
Mamadou N’Diaye (?)
Marko Popovic (Unics Kazan)
Vladimir Stimac (Crvena Zvezda)
Donatas Motiejunas (Aisciai-Atletas)
Damir Markota (Vive Menorca)
Marcus Brown (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Ratko Varda (Real Madrid)
Loren Woods (?)
RUSSIA Arrivals Departures
CSKA Moscow Victor Keyru (Unics Kazan)
Sasha Kaun (Kansas-NCAA)
Terence Morris (Maccabi)
Zoran Planinic (TAU)
Erazem Lorbek (Roma)
Theodoros Papaloukas (Olympiakos)
David Anderson (FC Barcelona)
Thomas van den Spiegel (Azovmash)
Marcus Goree (Triumph Lyubertsy)

Anatoly Kashirov (loan to Spartak)

SLOVENIA Arrivals Departures
Olimpija Ljubljana

Budget: 4M€

Damjan Rudez (KK Split)
Jaka Klobucar (Geoplin Slovan)
Vladimir Golubovic (Vojvodina)
Vlado Ilievski (Montepaschi)
Jonathan Wallace (Georgetown)
JaJuan Smith (Cleveland)
Frank Robinson (Cal. State Fullerton)
Ivica Jurkovic
Goran Dragic (Phoenix Suns)
Hasan Rizvic (BC Kiyv)
Ronnie Taylor (AEL)
Chris Booker (?)
Sasa Doncic (?)
Jan Mocnik (?)
Maurice Bailey (Spartak Primorie)
POLAND Arrivals Departures
Asseco Prokom Sopot Piotr Szczotka (Slupsk)
David Logan (Zgorzelec)
Ronald Burrell (Telekom Baskets Bonn)
Koko Archibong (Frankfurt)
Aleksej Nesovic (Olimpias)
Daniel Ewing (Khimky)
Pat Burke (Khimky)
Simonas Serapinas (Azovmash)
Milan Gurovic (Galatasaray)
Pape Sow (AJ Milano)
Christos Harissis (PAOK)
Jovo Stanojevic (Besiktas)
Mustafa Shakur (TAU Ceramica)
Donatas Slanina (?)
Tomas Masiulis (Zalgiris)
CROATIA Arrivals Departures
Cibona Zagreb Robert Troha (Helios Domzale)
Velimir Perasovic (head coach)
Branimir Longin (Oldenburg)
Nikola Prkacin (Panathinaikos)
Earl Calloway (Fort Wayne)
Damir Markota (Zalgiris)
Davor Kus (loaned from Unicaja)
Rawle Marshall (Hemofarm)
Jared Homan (Slask)
Ivan Sunara (head coach Krka ?)
Chris Warren (Air Avellino)
Sam Hoskin (China)
ISRAEL Arrivals Departures
Maccabi Tel Aviv

Budget: 17-18M$

Jason Williams (Bnei Hasharon)
Dror Hagag (Hapoel Jerusalem)
Yaniv Green (Samara)
Effi Birenboim (head coach)
Tre Simmons (Hapoel Holon)
Rodney White (Arecibo)
D’Or Fischer (Bree)
Carlos Arroyo (Orlando Magic)
Marcus Brown (Zalgiris)
Nikola Vujcic (Olympiakos)
Terrence Morris (CSKA)
Yotam Halperin (Olympiakos)
Will Bynum (Virtus, Detroit Pistons)
Vonteego Cummings (Estudiantes)
Zvi Sherf (?)
David Bluthenthal (Le Mans)
Alex Garcia (Bruesa)
Marcus Fizer (?)
SERBIA Arrivals Departures
Partizan Belgrade Jan Vesely (Geoplin Slovan)
Luka Basta (Beovuk)
Aleksandar Rasic (ALBA)
Vukasin Aleksic (Takovo)
Žarko Rakočević (Buducnost)
Joao Soares (Portugal)
Stephane Lasme (Miami Heat)
Nikola Pekovic (Panathinaikos)
Milt Palacio (Khimky)
Dusan Kecman (Panathinaikos)
Dejan Borovnjak (Vojvodina)
GERMANY Arrivals Departures
ALBA Berlin

Budget: 7.5M€

Adam Chubb (Artland Dragons)
Steffen Hamann (Brose Baskets)
Rashad Wright (Efes Pilsen)
Ansu Sesay (AJ Milano)
Casey Jacobsen (Memphis Grizzlies)
Dragisa Drobnjak (Krka)
Goran Nikolic (Panionios)
Phillipp Heyden (Ludwigsburg)
Dijon Thompson (Azovmash)
Aleksandar Rasic (Partizan)
Mladen Pantic (?)
Goran Jeretin (BC Kiev)
Bobby Brown (Sacramento Kings)
Nico Simon (Ehingen)
ULEB CUP WINNER Arrivals Departures
DKV Joventut Sito Alonso (head coach)
Luka Bogdanovic (Le Mans)
Simas Jasaitis (TAU)

Henk Norel (return from loan: Alicante)
Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Benetton)
Bracey Wright (Aris)

Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trailblazers)
Jerome Moiso (Khimky)
Lubos Barton (Barcelona)
Dmitry Flis (Lleida)Aito Garcia Reneses (Spain NT)

ACB remains leader in attendance

June 16, 2008 by Christophe · 22 Comments 

UPDATE (16/6/2008): BallinEurope checked the attendance figures of the different European leagues and has compiled some stats based on the averages. We didn’t see any big surprises, as Spanish ACB still tops the list.

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