BallinEurope, the European Basketball news site

With the sad departure of Tremmell Darden and the mathematical probability of Euroleague advancement very low, things can’t get much worse for Zalgiris Kaunas.
Or maybe they can. Just before midnight yesterday, Lithuania-based basketball website Krepsinis.net reported that Ksystof Lavrinovic has received offers to jump ship from more than one Russian team and “will soon leave” Zalgiris.

The teams were unnamed, but Krepsinis notes that, while players can no longer added to Euroleague rosters, any additions made would still be allowed to play in VTB United and Russian League games through the season’s remainders.

As BallinEurope’s man in Lithuania Y. would surely say, “Just frustrating.” And the nadir may not have been reached yet…

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Tick, tick, tick…

An English-language extrapolation of the interview follows. As of this writing, Liga Endesa-imported coach Joan Plaza still holds his position with Žalgiris, but Romanov’s evasive answer to the question of Plaza’s short-term future aren’t exactly enthusiasm-generating…

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Kleiza gets the call

Notable exclusions include Darius Songalia plus Kšyštof and Darjus Lavrinovič; Songalia’s spot on the preliminary roster was filled with Mindaugas Katelynas of Lietuvos Rytas, while CSKA Moscow head coach Jonas Kazlauskas reportedly wanted Darjus to stay home and rest up this summer anyway.

On board is the young sensation Canada wants to see in Jonas Valanciunas; returning after absences in the 2011 FIBA tourney are Linas Kleiza and Jonas Maciulis; and, though he’s been remarkably tight-lipped about yet another return to the national team, good ol’ Sarunas Jasikevicius is penciled in as well.

Below runs the prospective 18; how do you like Lietuva’s chances?

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He's baaaa-aaaack!

Returning from the surprise of 2010 are Robertas Javtokas, Mantas Kalnietis, Martynas Pocius, Tomas Delininkaitis, and Paulius Jankunas of Zalgiris Kaunas, plus Martynas Gecevicius and Simas Jasaitis of Lietuvos Rytas. Also named to Kemzura’s preliminary squad is Zalgiris’ Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who was a reserve for the 2010 Team Lithuania.

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August is here and it’s full speed ahead for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey later this month. In coming weeks, we’ll be seeing the national teams competing in the tournament playing warmup games all over the planet – indeed, some have already begun play.

With the last few big names having declared “yea” or “nay” on participation in the Worlds, BallinEurope figured it was high time to introduce power rankings for the upcoming tournament. Keep in mind that these rankings are not necessarily how BiE is fearlessly predicting they’ll end up when the 2010 Worlds are over, but rather how the squads are currently trending: You know, if the tournament started today…

All rankings are guaranteed to be 100% subjective with some semblance and factoring in of facts, FIBA rankings and sportsbooks’ odds on the tournament; the handy arrows indicate the team’s progress/regress on the chart (BiE’s pretending we ran one last week. Top 15 teams are ranked below the break.

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Huge in 2006: Sofoklis and Team Greece

After taking a look at the European players of the decade and top professional teams of the decade, BallinEurope today turns attention to the national level. Which teams from the 2000s will we still recall fondly in years to come? Below are listed eight key national squads from the passing ten-year span, the unforgettable basketball teams that made their marks in sports history.

• 2001-02 Yugoslavia. Sure, Team USA had taken hits to its perceived invulnerability in international competition between meeting Oscar Schmidt in 1987 and Y2K, but on one day in 2002, the Yugoslavian team slammed the door on American preeminence in basketball forever. And this was after breezing through Eurobasket 2001, winning five of six games by double-digit margins. Yugoslavia was the only country to take golds at Eurobasket and FIBA World competitions with (basically) the same team; the 2002 roster included Dejan Bodiroga, Peja Stojakovic, Marko Jaric, Dejan Milojevic, Vlade Divac and Vladimir Radmanovic, a roster good enough to merit mention among a discussion of greatest basketball teams ever assembled, period.

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Some consider Serie A to be the second best European league behind (and I mean, kilometers behind) only the ACB, others consider the league’s unstoppable decreasing level which began at the beginning of new millennium. Anyway, between clubs which fail year by year, rules about US and EU players never staying consistent for more than one season, and continual delusions of grandeur about the national team, there is one certainty that still stands before us atop this crisis. That certainty is called Montepaschi Siena and, honestly, it’s the only reason why Serie A could keep on attracting attention from every angle of Europe. After its threepeat, Siena goes for number four in 2009-10, and it seems it will be another easy ride.

A look at Siena and this rest of the top six in Serie A follows.

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Coming up on his 20th anniversary with Montepaschi Siena, general manager Ferdinando Minucci shows no signs of letting up – either in terms of hard work on his winning ways. Minucci’s rise through the ranks in the 1990s coincided with Montepaschi’s increase in prestige in Serie A. Achieving the lofty title of General Director and Vice President in 1999, Minucci’s hands-on approach through the 2000s has created a veritable European basketball powerhouse, with four Italian Championships (and a current three-year run), three Italian Supercups and last year’s Italian Cup titles to its credit.

As though confirmation of the excellent work done in the Montepaschi front office were necessary, Minucci has most recently been bestowed the Italian League Executive of the Year Award in 2007 and 2008, while also being named Euroleague Club Executive of the Year in 2008.

Mr. Minucci recently took ten minutes from his crazy-busy schedule to tell Ball in Europe about winning, the secrets of success, more about winning, his club’s adaptation to the current financial crisis, and his favorite thing about the job – Here’s a hint: It starts with “W”.

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Hello everybody at BallinEurope, this is once again Javier Gancedo, all the way from Euroleague headquarters in Barcelona. This has been arguably the best Top 16 since I joined the company in 2003. I have great memories of my first Top 16 as an insider (Sharp’s three-pointer against Zalgiris, Basile’s triple against Efes followed by the one-point win in Pau on free throws by Vujanic, and great games every single week) but this one could be even better.

It has also been a great Top 16 fantasy-wise, for me at least: I have three teams ranked 6th or better in the Top 16 standings, plus two more in the best 20. Again, it is just an anecdote, because I can’t win. But it is nice to do well.

Of course, the luck I’m having will soon fade, but I hope to at least finish with a decent ranking overall and keep my privileged position in the BallinEurope private league. In fact, the fantasy week looks more complicated than ever. With too many tough games this week, I just don’t know where to start…

I have to be loyal to my own principles and trade both Terrell McIntyre and Ksistof Lavrinovic, just because they play against CSKA. Then I have doubts about Sergio Llull and David Hawkins. Llull has been playing fantastic but I doubt he will keep that extraordinary level when Raul Lopez comes back, possibly in Week 4. Then Hawkins plays against Tau Ceramica. Last time  Hawkins was in Vitoria, like two years ago, he had a -6 index.

So Hawkins is out. Let’s see about additions. I’m tempted to sign D’or Fischer but he won’t have it easy against Hervelle and Van den Spiegel, so I am going to give Ioannis Bourousis a chance. He hasn’t played really well recently but oh well, I like him a lot.

Then I ain’t taking risks at point guard and choose Dimitris Diamantidis, the best playmaker in the game right now. Additionally, Panathinaikos is playing high-scoring Lottomatica Roma. The shooting guard/small forward is a no-brainer, as Sani Becirovic faces his former team Panathinaikos. A talented player highly motivated in his return to OAKA? He’s my man this week.

So the team looks like this:

Sergio Llull – One of the most pleasant surprises in the Euroleague this year. How will he do against Carlos Arroyo?

Dimitris Diamantidis – had an index of 13 or more in his last six Euroleague games. Hope he keeps doing good work against Roma.

Sani Becirovic – Going back to Athens to face Panathinaikos. Should be a solid choice.

Juan Carlos Navarro – He is a must-have option when he plays at home. Navarro is once again ready to explode.

Igor Rakocevic – Well, I don’t see why people shouldn’t have him. He’s been on fire all season.

Pete Mickeal – He will not have it easy against David Hawkins, but still …  he’s a winner, you know?

Ioannis Bourousis – Great offensive rebounder and always productive. He does face Pat Burke and Ronnie Burrell, though.

Felipe Reyes – Big players step up in big games, and the Madrid-Maccabi showdown is a key game for both teams.

Nikola Pekovic – Perhaps one of the most unstoppable players in this continent, and in top form right now.

Stephane Lasme – Well, Slavko Vranes and Jan Vesely had the flu all week long. Lasme should see tons of playing time.

That’s all from me today. Enjoy the big games out there, keep following the Top 16, and see you next week! Good luck!

Hello all at BallinEurope, once again this is Javier Gancedo, as always from Euroleague Basketball. If you don’t know by now, my team Meet The Boss was the first-ranked, number one OVERALL in the NIKEiD Fantasy Challenge last week. Needless to say I am very proud about this, beating dozens of thousands of basketball fans out there with a team I actually published here in advance.

Of course, I can’t win a prize – After all, I set the prices, organize the game and handle it all season long. But it’s all about pride, plus I obviously improved my situation in the BallinEurope private league. This is the second time in five years of Fantasy Challenge that I rank first overall. I also lead the Top 16 standings, so it’s like a new challenge.

The reaction from friends and workmates has been pretty cold. Maybe it’s that the game is not that popular among them, maybe it’s something else. Fact is, what you can’t describe is the FEELING you get when you know you’ve won. It was like at 3am when I realized it and I’ve been smiling since that moment.

It also rounded out a perfect week with huge Euroleague and Eurocup showdowns. The Real Madrid – Regal FC Barcelona superclassic, the big wins by Cibona and AJ Milano, Pamesa rallying to beat Zvezda in Pionir …  The Top 16 is here and I love it. Anyway, won’t talk too much about me finishing first – I cannot say winning – last week. I am already a two-time champ, like Tomas Van den Spiegel.

Of course, it was easy to trade last week but we’re back to just three per week, so don’t expect anything big from my team this week: I have enough already. With five weeks to go, it’s tough to actually surprise people. First of all, I am trading Lior Eliyahu. Maccabi Electra plays at Barcelona – not the easiest place to come around in the Euroleague this season. Eliyahu will be facing a superb defender like Ersan Ilyasova, so I decided to trade Lior.

I dropped Vassilis Spanoulis for the same reason: He’s playing on the road, on a tough court in Martin Carpena and against two solid defensive players in Thomas Kelati and Berni Rodriguez. My CSKA rule still applies, so the third trade is Alan Anderson.

I decided to sign David Hawkins, as I think he has a good chance to shine against Asseco Prokom: He’s too strong for David Logan, too fast for Koko Archibong. My second pick is Pete Mickeal, because he had a terrific game this weekend.

Sadly, Tiago Splitter is not with the team for personal reasons. All I wish is that Tiago will be back on court soon and that I am able to express my condolences one day. It is just too tough. Without Splitter, Mickeal and Igor Rakocevic have to step up against Olympiacos. I don’t like any other option at center but Stephane Lasme. It is not that I think he will have a 30-index game, but he will be solid playing at home, plus I save almost 26 credits.

So my team looks like this:

Sergio Llull – Will be here as long as Raul Lopez stays sidelined. Llull, as I expected, had a breakout game last week.

Terrell McIntyre – He plays at home and, for a change, T-Mc is taller than his opponent. McIntyre must have an OK game.

David Hawkins – Not very convinced, but I like the fact that Hawkins can help AJ Milano in many, many ways.

Juan Carlos Navarro – A man made for big games like the one against Maccabi. Jaka Lakovic is out, too.

Igor Rakocevic – Right at the prime of his career, stays a must-have for everybody – including YOU!

Pete Mickeal – More minutes for everyone in Tau Ceramica. Mickeal is ready to lead Tau in a tough game.

Ksystof Lavrinovic – He loves playing in the high post, and that is what he’ll probably do against Savas and Erden.

Felipe Reyes – Remains the man to stop in Real Madrid. A solid choice in the next two games.

Nikola Pekovic – Not very convinced about keeping him against Robert Archibald and Ndong, but I had no better option either.

Stephame Lasme – A bit of a gamble. I trust him because of his rebounds and blocked shots at Pionir.

That’s all from me this week, enjoy the Euroleague games and see you next week! As usual, good luck!