Monday’s cigarettes

Here we go for the opening week of the Euroleague. So if you need all the information, you are right here in the right place.

• Solobasket now offers content in English, too.
• Hedo Turkoglu told the Orlando Sentinel that he could imagine moving back to Europe after this season, when he becomes a free agent (found via basket-ball.com).
• Rasheed Wright wins it at the buzzer for Poitiers in the French ProB and gets naked. By the way, Rasheed greets his family (in French) in the post-game interview, says that it was the 10th buzzer-beater in his career and that he scored most of them. But why is the camera zooming on his body the whole time?
• Finally, Danilo Gallinari is back at practice. However, Mike d’Antoni thinks that Danilo will start the season in the D-League with the Reno Big Horns. Well, let’s hope “il Gallo” doesn’t get too desperate and spends all his money in the Biggest Little City in the World.
• Where a boy named Dirk happens.
• During the trip to Los Angeles for the American tour of Euroleague teams, the president of FC Barcelona Joan Laporta declared that he is in favor of the creation of a Global League including Euroleague teams, NBA teams and eventually Chinese squads.
• The German Bundesliga sees ALBA Berlin at the top. Not a real surprise for the new favorite for the best attendance in Europe (more than 13,000 fans on average after the first three games). The surprise of the season so far is Giants Nördlingen, who have a 4-1 record and are in second. The team coached by just 32-year-old Andreas Wagner is playing great basketball so far and beat former Euroleague team Brose Baskets in their arena this Sunday — a Brose Baskets team that currently only has one win in five games.
• Do you know who are the two best scorers of the Spanish ACB after the first three game days? Well it’s Brad Oleson and Paolo Quinteros. While the former, who holds by the way a German passport (hello Mister Bauermann) is still at the top, the latter was not as efficient in the duel both players had this weekend. Still, ACB TV had a nice clip to present the two of them.
• The weekly Brandon Jennings watch tells us: 14 minutes, 3 points (1/5 FG, 1/2 FT), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 turnover).

The Spanish league explained

Is the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto still the best league in Europe? The question is now open, considering the recent arrivals of NBA stars to Russia and especially the return to the top level by many Italian teams. At the moment, though, the most admired European basketball is still played in Spain, at least partially because the ACB is where several world and Olympic champions show off.

Today, BallinEurope takes a look at the race for the ACB crown.

AXA FC Barcelona. As every September, you can hear voices from PaluBlaugrana saying, “We have the best team” and “We are candidates for everything.” True, it’s Barcelona’s management making this noise, and they have the right – historically, politically, economically – to do so. I’ll be more careful, though, because in the end, FC Barcelona hasn’t won the ACB since 2004 and Euroleague since 2003: Too much time for “mès que un club.” The huge investments on the market make this a crucial season, despite Ettore Messina still playing in Moscow. Xavi Pascual is now head coach, and we don’t know how ready his is to manage a group like this. With Navarro and David Andersen, the availability of talent has been improved, while Sada is one of the most interesting young Spanish players, and Barton is probably the best defender at forward in the entire ACB. Only the playmaking area raises a question, because Lakovic isn’t a winner and doesn’t convince at all, and as new backup, Andre Barrett is what this team with the Slovenian as starter absolutely doesn’t need: Barrett has playing instincts that don’t match with the European style.

Real Madrid. What went wrong this summer? Real Madrid didn’t free themselves from Papadopoulos. As for what went right, the team reached a deal with Jeremiah Massey and Pepe Sanchez. Summarizing the Merengues’ roster, aside from the basic arrivals of the dominant internal player from Aris and the Argentinean director of operations (essentially to take pressure off Raul Lopez and let Bullock play only shooting guard), Hervelle’s re-signing is remarkable. To strengthen the backcourt, Marko Tomas returns after a good year in Fuenlabrada (averaging 13.2 points per game) and Quinton Hosley awaits confirmation of the ability shown in Turkey that made him one of the most blossoming surprises in Europe last year. With great talent and a great bench, Real Madrid still lacks a shooter in a department where there are players able to create off the dribble (Bullock, Lopez), can assist divinely (Sanchez), and are strong enough to attack the basket (Tomas, Hosley). On the other hand, coach Plaza calls on great forwards and centers (also Felipe Reyes and Mumbrù), but can’t win Euroleague with them alone: Due to the competitiveness of the ACB, this is out of the question.

Tau Vitoria. Home sweet home: Dusko Ivanovic is in Vitoria again. Is that enough to become convinced of a legitimate run for the ACB throne? Spahija wasn’t so well seen, but had a great season in carrying Baskonia to the Supercopa, the national title, and the usual qualification in the Euroleague Final Four. In the end, his legacy is not so easy to define; instead, Ivanovic has been considered a king in the Fernando Buesa Arena. He will enjoy Splitter for another year (the center has extended his contract until 2012) and Rakocevic is still Tau’s guide, but the market hasn’t smiled on the champions yet: The expected return of Goran Dragic from Lubiana, where he shined last season, didn’t happen, with the Slovenian playmaker desirous to fly overseas to Phoenix to play with the team that acquired him in a trade with San Antonio, who chose him as 45th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Until this knot is resolved, Tau has some problems at PG, where Prigioni can’t guarantee more than 15 quality minutes. This means Tau is on the shoulders of Rakocevic, now that Planinic is in Messina. San Emeterio could confirm his great progress in playing with Girona to gain authority in the national team as a great addiction off the bench. He’s no worse than Berni Rodriguez. However, the market isn’t closed yet, and in Vitoria two or three more players should arrive.

Unicaja Malaga. No doubt Malaga has made the best moves on the Spanish market. Signing Omar Cook (hey, he’s from New York!); Thomas Kelati (a useful all-arounder revealed himself last year in Turow); the unflinching Robert Archibald; and retaining the most of last year’s squad (Kus has gone to Cibona, the disappointing Popovic to Bruesa), Unicaja is a strong candidate for the title. Also, the departure of Sergio Scariolo has been amortized with Aito Garcia Reneses, one of the chief characters for the beautiful Joventut Badalona. Without Santiago (Where will he go? To the NBA?), Malaga’s play will be less anchored in the paint, speedier, and in the hands of Cook, a slightly selfish star-in-waiting endowed with an awesome understanding for the game. Cabezas will get back several balls to handle, Welsch will try to be what Rudy Fernandez was in Badalona, while N’Dong and Haislip are two athletic big men which perfectly suit Aito’s system. The debut game against Real Madrid will tell us how high Unicaja Malaga’s ambitions can go.

DKV Joventut Badalona. Badalona can’t be a title contender for one simple reason: Rudy Fernandez is now a Blazer. And his loss probably becomes a larger specific burden than Ricky Rubio’s explosion did, because after the Olympic final in which the 18-year-old embarrassed NBA veteran Jason Kidd, this is Rubio’s team. He is the cornerstone of a group refreshed by Simas Jasaitis from Tau, Bracey Wright from Aris, Pops Mensah-Bonsu from Granada, and Luka Bogdanovic from Le Mans – young and promising guys all, just as Penya management wants. New coach Alonso (Aito’s former assistant) makes you ask about Badalona’s ambition. Wrong: Badalona trusts its sons and the results (last year, the team won the Copa del Rey and the ULEB Cup) are available to everyone. 2008/2009 will mark the first season of a new successful era for Joventut.

Pamesa Valencia. Someone should call Valencia “no victory’s land.” This is an empty and distressing palmares, unacceptable after years of huge outlays on the market. This is Pamesa Valencia, an elite Spanish club which can show only a Saporta Cup and a Copa del Rey as its trophies. The 2008/2009 season begins with confirmed coach Katsikaris and four new faces (Florent Pietrus, Dikoudis, Kuqo and Rafa Martinez) to join the big three of Ruben Douglas (15 ppg over the last two years), Shammond Williams (4.8 assists per game last season) and Vule Avdalovic. The roster, including Miralles and prospect Victor Claver, is not so bad at this stage, but GM Johnny Rogers is keeping the door open for another acquisition at either playmaker or center, depending on how Avdalovic recovers from his knee problems. As things stand, Valencia doesn’t seems so strong in the paint (both Kuqo and Dikoudis love to play five meters from the basket), while the backcourt is rich in great catalysts and bad defenders. Must Pamesa’s fans expect another tormenting season?

Remote possibilities. Kalise Gran Canaria starts its run from the comfortable 9th place of last season. There still are key players like shooter English and big man Freeland; furthermore, landed are Joshua Fisher; Melvin Sanders, who can make the difference on both ends of the floor when he wants to; and James Augustine, just returned from an unsatisfying experience in NBA and ready to show his athleticism and mental toughness. Iurbentia Bilbao finished its amazing last season in the quarterfinals, losing 2-0 against Barcelona; a repeat of that result could be too difficult, but the team moved very well on the market, inking a solid playmaker in Janis Blums and Seibutis, the man who was considered Rimas Kaukenas’ substitute for the future Lithuanian national team. Seibutis is due for a breakout season, now that he will exploit much more minutes than in Piraeus and Maroussi. Bilbao’s season passes from him, and from the ability of the rest of the roster to increase its scoring tools, now that Huertas has gone to Fortitudo Bologna. MMT Estudiantes will try to get into the postseason: The team isn’t full of talent, but Vonteego Cummings, Martin Rancik and Iker Iturbe know the way to achieve the goal. And the Spanish movement hopes this will be Carlos Suarez’s season because, at the age of 22, he hasn’t yet made a name for himself. Vive Menorca expects to make a push for a playoff spot: It has expanded the skilled backcourt base that showed just Stojic and Bazdaric (25 points per game together), and now has grown in value with Pooh Jeter and Duda Machado. Boisa-Eley is the new frontline starter for a team whose most evident shortcoming is a poor bench. Cajasol Siviglia has landed Andrea Pecile from Granada, a move not to be underestimated. The Italian combo guard will provide offensive impact, creativity, and great leadership, now that everyone has seen that Tyrone Ellis is a perfect second fiddle, stop. Ilic-De Miguel will not struggle in grabbing rebounds and representing a decent threat around the basket, while Dusko Savanovic has a less limited shooting range that will allow him to play several minutes as small forward.

The rest. If CB Murcia can repeat its 12th place finish of last season, it will be a miracle. It’s not easy, but the two new big men, Lamont Barnes and Chris Moss must lock up the paint, while Chris Thomas, Taquan Dean and Momotou Diarra will be the offensive finishers. Bojan Bogdanovic, on loan from Real Madrid, is a great project, but we don’t know how many minutes he’ll find in the rotation. Alta Gestiòn Fuenlabrada is ready to launch Kristaps Valters and P.J. Ramos, but how about the reaminder of the team…? CB Granada lost Pecile and is now relying on Hunter and Videnov (Is there enough ball for both?), but for the fourth season, fingers must be crossed for Borchardt, one of the best all-around centers in Spain when healthy. Cai Zaragoza, newly arrived from the LEB, came to terms with a great name from the US: Taurean Green, a two-time NCAA champion with the Florida Gators. Green is unproven in Europe, but he can be a great addition to a roster that is aging (Ruben Garces is 34, Larry Lewis is 38 years old) and, barring Victoriano, Guerra and Phillip, has no ACB experience. The bright side is one of the best groups among that clubs seeking to stay in the top Spanish league. The other newly-admitted from the LEB, GBC Bruesa, has signed former top players searching for the final contracts of their career (Marconato, Roe) or an opportunity to forget previous disasters (Bojan Popovic, Urtasun); if coach Pablo Laso understands how to make them play as a team rather than individuals, he could fulfil a few expectations. Furthermore, what newcomer has ever lined up a playmaker as Sergio Sanchez in its first year in ACB? Ricoh Manresa remains. A name and a surname to analyze it: Serge Ibaka. But is he enough to keep the club in ACB? Perhaps not. Just wait to see him though. Before he flies to Oklahoma City, that is.

Article written by Francesco Cappelletti.

Euroleague transfer analysis: Group B

After explaining the first transfers of Group A, I will take a closer look at group B today to see who did what and give you my opinion on these moves.

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And you thought the Navarro deal was big…

How about David Andersen joining Juan Carlos Navarro on FC Barcelona, while CSKA signs Terrence Morris? No, this isn’t the daily rumors section: It’s official, as you can see here and here.

Where does this leave Barcelona and CSKA Moscow? Right: As number one contenders for next year’s Euroleague Final Four. I am already excited to read our expert’s opinions on this year’s final four winner.

While the Andersen deal is not all that unexpected, Terrence Morris signing with CSKA is. Everybody expected Morris to sign with Panathinaikos or even Olympiakos, but the CSKA budget must have convinced him; I’m Terrence is throwing a party right now over that deal.

Tererence Morris played college ball at the University of Maryland, was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks, went to the Houston Rockets, was waived by the L.A. Clippers and ended up with the Orlando Magic.

Though most know him only as an Australian, David Andersen also holds a Danish passport.

Everyone expected Andersen to follow Ettore Messina to Barcelona; now he is still going there with Messina staying in Moscow. I am sure they’ll meet at one point during this upcoming season; how about in the Final Four?

ACB remains leader in attendance

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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My little brother is a Barcelona fan

You might think an eight-year-old German boy is all about soccer; well, yes he is, but there is still one other thing he also likes a lot: basketball. Being 27 and having a much younger brother is pretty cool, and it’s even nicer to see him wanting to play basketball with me all the time.

A few weeks ago I met with former Orlando Magic center Mario Kasun, now playing for FC Barcelona. After a Euroleague game I asked him if he could give me his jersey for my little brother since he started to collect them.

Of course, my brother wanted to wear it, but as you can imagine a 3XL jersey is pretty big for an eight-year-old. On Tuesday, I had to tell him that FC Barcelona just lost in the Spanish finals but he still wanted his jersey, telling me that he would keep it until he can actually wear it as a jersey and not as a dress:

Well, Mario, my brother just wanted to say thanks, and this is why we wrote this post.

The BallinEurope playoff round-up

As the playoffs are running across Europe, BallinEurope will give you some regular updates about series in the different countries and the stories that you don’t read in the box scores.

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