Coach Ivanovic may now exhale

Better late than never (totally BiE’s fault, let me tell you) comes Ball in Europe’s dispatch from Francesco Cappelletti rounding up the week that was in Euroleague basketball. For your amusement and edification, Francesco discusses, among other topics, the Terrell McIntyre Backup Curse, which teams should sweep into the Final Four, why Maccabi Tel Aviv is so good in 2009-10 and why Cibona Zagreb should be awesome in 2010-11.

Thrilling night
When a Bojan Bogdanovic-less Cibona Zagreb was up 72-58 with three minutes to go, Caja Laboral’s nightmare was very close to become reality. Then, a 17-2 run handled by Marcelinho Huertas turned the lights out for an overtime everyone knew would not be balanced at all. Baskonia scored 24 points in five minutes to ensure a gap BC Khimki couldn’t fill. With radio and voices running, the 22 point-margin BC Khimki had over Olympiacos to begin the fourth quarter, eventually becoming a 96-83 final score, was insufficient to reach second place in Group H.

Dusko Ivanovic can breathe again now, as his team qualified for the playoffs. But we have to thank Cibona, which was able to play their game even after elimination, just for the love of the game.

The other thrilling game was staged in Madrid, where Real and Maccabi Tel Aviv played for first place in Group F. Pini Gershon has fortified his nomination for the Coach of the Year trophy by winning a match nobody thought he could to chase a 21-point first half. Then, one week after the 43 points laid on Montepaschi Siena in the last 10 minutes, Maccabi turned on the scoring machine again: 30 points in the final period against Real Madrid in Palacio Vistalegre is almost the same result, probably even better number if we consider the game’s context and the Israeli side’s offensive problems over the previous 30 minutes (the third quarter ended 45-36 in favor of the Blancos).

For Maccabi, much is in the chemistry

Two exciting games, two different signs: Caja Laboral can even be said to have depended on the 0-for-4 from the free throw line by Leon Radosevic in the final 30 seconds (and over to the missed triple by Jamont Gordon with the buzzer sounding) of regulation time; on the other hand, Maccabi won the game by itself, not due to Real’s faults or distractions. This says Maccabi Tel Aviv really is a team conscious of its force and is ready to attack the Final Four, while Baskonia will pay for its shortcomings (mainly chemistry) in the quarterfinals against CSKA Moscow.

Best-of-(five) series
Euroleague’s format reminds us the quarterfinals are played on best-of-five series. Well, we are curious to see how many series will have a Game 5. I’ll take a risk and say none will.

Regal FC Barcelona has looked, in every corner of Europe, as the All-Star team that can’t let this opportunity to triumph slip away. Barça has an epic upcoming battle with Real Madrid, who was just beaten 79-57 on the road in ACB and 80-61 in the Copa del Rey final.

This is what is arriving from the Capital: “Everyone in Europe thinks that we have no chance against Barcelona, but we will fight and play hard,” said Ettore Messina, never heard so submissive; “We have to bounce back and play intense against Barcelona, but the Euroleague rarely gives second chances” said Pablo Prigioni; “We must play really tough to beat Barcelona,” said Sergio Llull.

What’s that spell? Yes: F-E-A-R.

They're coming...

Messina could surprise, but this Real team is not the squad of which he dreamed in the summer. The Maccabi Tel Aviv-Partizan Belgrade playoff will send an unexpected team to Paris, even if the Israelis are used to getting invited to the final dance. Maccabi is clearly the favourite, because of talent, length of the roster, and player experience, but we still want to see how the Pionir factor will weigh on a squad that has no problem showing its best face even far from Yad Eliyahu. Oh, and don’t forget the tactical aspect, crucial in a challenge between the two best coaches in Europe.

Asseco Prokom wasted the opportunity to have convincing trainings against eliminated Zalgiris Kaunas and Unicaja Malaga, losing 93-88 and 63-82, respectively. Minds were understandably directed to Olympiacos, but Prokom will meet the Reds with a month of no-competition matches behind them. That’s why a 3-0 is the prediction, despite the ready-for-revenge Qyntel Woods: Against his former team, will Woods collapse or will he finally emerge when it counts?

Caja Laboral has to rely on the Fernando Buesa Arena’s effect in trying to play a trick on CSKA Moscow, now at the top of their development as a team. The young pieces have found a role, Viktor Khryapa is solid as has never happened in his career, and there Trajan Langdon-Ramunas Siskauskas-J.R. Holden unit which knows these type of matches better than anyone.

A reason to shine, a reason to cry
If Tiago Splitter flies overseas to Texas (or maybe to Madrid?), Caja Laboral has seen how the Mirza Teletovic-Stanko Barac duo can be decisive. The Bosnian forward is 25 years old, the Croatian was born in 1987: The future is their property.

Unfortunately for Baskonia, the same cannot be said about the backcourt, where the absence of a great scorer, in place of normal shooters like Carl English and Brad Oleson, is evident. Fernando San Emeterio may aspire to a starting five spot alongside a guard averaging 15-17 points rather than a white guy who turns it on one night a month.

Cibona Zagreb is one of the best stories Euroleague has produced this year. Financially depressed, declared a swindle by one US player (Antonio Graves), Cibona has demonstrated the value and trust which must be given young players. Bojan Bogdanovic and Marko Tomas are two stabs taken at Real Madrid management, and Leon Radosevic more than Tomislav Zubcic has shown his skills across the most difficult courts of The Continent. Next year, Zagreb can restart from a very secure group (Vedran Vukusic, Andric, Marin Rozic), while Jamont Gordon could repeat the path walked by Alan Anderson.

Those who have reasons to cry are Milenko Tepic and Nikos Zisis. Tepic must rebuild his career at the elite level after an year of bench with Panathinaikos, and Zisis is the latest to be hit with the Terrell McIntyre Backup Curse: Prior to Zisis, Vlado Ilievski and Morris Finley had both failed in such a position.

Is Hawkins worthy?

Another club which must think about closing window of opportunity is BC Khimki. Khimki proves that great players and a great coach don’t guarantee a Final Four appearance, and it’s up to them to discharge those who have failed (no. 1 suspect: Robertas Javtokas), on the way to freeing up space for those young Russians whose tasks are bigger in CSKA than in Moscow region. Timofey Mozgov is the best supporting and living model to explain this shame.

Mumble mumble…
Is David Hawkins Euroleague worthy? At the moment, he’s not the right replacement for Rimas Kaukenas; he has a two-year contract with Montepaschi Siena and will probably be the cornerstone of a team which will lose McIntyre and Romain Sato, but Hawkins must improve his basketball to stay in Euroleague … Charles Smith, at the age of 35, has been Efes Pilsen’s best player during the Top 16 and thus has earned another year with a title contender in Turkey or whatever other European league … a DNP for Novica Velickovic in the Real Madrid-Maccabi match means the summer market adds a valuable piece … Bojan Popovic was not a great pickup by Efes Pilsen, averaging 3.3 points in 13 minutes: Were Kerem Tunceri and Ender Arslan really worse options…?

Related posts:

• The Frank Euroleague Roundup: Top 16, week five
• The Frank Euroleague Roundup: Top 16, week three
• Euroleague Top 16 draw: The Frank take

Pops!

Apparently, however, no one told the Muscovite home crowd, who were as stoked for this contest as any game that truly “counts.” And one CSKA player in particular didn’t get the memo.

The highlight clip runs below the break. Some nice shock-and-awe moments to look out for include an awesome block by Viktor Khryapa at 0.30 or so to stifle a fast-break opportunity and Travis Watson’s open JAM for one of Kaunas’ last gasps at 0.54, but the show was stolen by that guy wearing only POPS on his jersey’s back: See the sweet alley oop finished off at about 1.08, Mensah-Bonsu throwing it down again just (YouTube-measured) a few seconds later, and the serious poster shot on the breakaway at about 2.03. Oh, and a “not in my дом” block at about 2.23.

Final score: CSKA 84, Zalgiris 71. Mensah-Bonsu’s final line: 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds and an index ranking of 23. And onto the final eight marches the Red Army…

Related posts:

• The Frank Euroleague Roundup: Top 16, week three
• The Frank Euroleague roundup: Top 16 finales
• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague Boss: Final 16, week three

Langford: He upon whom the Boss' hopes are pinned

Hello everybody, greetings from the Euroleague Basketball headquarters! This is Javier Gancedo of Euroleague.net, in what possibly will be my last SportingBet Fantasy Challenge column this season.

If you want to keep me on the page in the fantasy off-season, make some noise! Start a riot! Go to Budapest and demonstrate in front of Os Davis’ home, wherever it is! Just kidding: It has been a pleasure to give you my impressions on the game. It has been a terrific fantasy season, after all, I just hope you enjoyed reading this column as much as I did writing it.

So the Top 16 comes to an end this week, which means the game will be over on Thursday. On one hand, I can’t complain – no more waiting until 3am to open the game after a long Euroleague/Eurocup week – but on the other hand … of course, I’ll miss it. Still, with one week to go I have a chance to win the BallinEurope Invitational Challenge private league…

I rank second (Honestly, I should be in third place, though, because Eurofootball should have won this private league but left his team open, making a terrible mistake) and am around 25 points away from Radallo, who sits in first with a score of 2,312.8. I have two options: Play conservative and finish second no matter what, or risk a lot to finish anywhere from first to sixth.

And you all already know I’m going to risk. I’m sick of being second. I was second in the previous two editions of the Ball in Europe private league. The managers change, but I keep the same spot. At least the second-ranked team got a terrific set of K1X stuff … we’ll see about this year. So like I said, I will risk a lot, what the hell, I don’t care…

First of all, I am getting rid of Ramunas Siskauskas. After all, CSKA finishes first no matter what and I think everyone has him. If he has a good game against Zalgiris – and remember, he is a former Lietuvos Rytas player – I’m doomed, but I’ll take the risk. I am also trading Milos Teodosic for the same reason: Olympiacos is first no matter what and may sit out its best players, plus Teodosic is everywhere in the game. My third trade will be Travis Watson, because Zalgiris has nothing to lose and may use a different rotation in this game, using Tadas Klimavicius and Mario Delas much more than expected.

Llull: ¡Viva la Revolución!

So, let’s see who we add … since I am looking for players in teams that are fighting for big goals – and especially little-used ones that can break the bank against all odds – I am going for Sergio Llull of Real Madrid. His team plays for first place and his up-tempo game is perfect to play against Maccabi.

The logical thing would be to add Linas Kleiza at shooting guard or small forward … NOT! My man will be Keith Langford of BC Khimki, as they’re playing for survival against Olympiacos in another up-tempo game. I have 137 credits for my final trade of the season. Ah, the irony … saving money all season long and now I have plenty of it. Since Panathinaikos has half of the team sidelined for the game against Maroussi, I am adding Mike Batiste: He should see his usual playing time.

So the final version of Meet the Boss in this 2009-10 fantasy season is:

Terrell McIntyre. Montepaschi is out, but I am sure it wants to please its fans with a final home win.

Sergio Llull. Welcome to the revolution: I expect Llull to play aggressive and do well against Maccabi.

Viktor Khryapa. Taking Siskauskas out was already too hard for me. Khryapa deserves to stay for good this season.

Jamont Gordon is the best player in the game right now; he isn’t going anywhere.

Alan Anderson. In good shape and playing for first place. Anderson already did well against Madrid in Tel Aviv.

Keith Langford. Again, trying to surprise people (i.e. Radallo) a bit. He should have a good game. I hope.

Robertas Javtokas. Not my favourite choice at center, but again, I gotta risk a bit.

Mike Batiste should see extended playing time with Nikola Pekovic sidelined. I expect a solid game from him.

Darjus Lavrinovic. Madrid is playing for a big goal, so Lavrinovic will be motivated to finish first.

Mirza Teletovic. With Tiago Splitter sidelined and Lior Eliyahu not 100%, Teletovic is a must against Cibona.

That’s all for me, people out there! Enjoy the final Fantasy Challenge week and focus on the competition from now on. The Euroleague season has been fantastic, but *the best is yet to come* and we all can’t wait! As for me, you will see me around on Euroleague.net and EurocupBasketball.com, no question about it. Good luck and see you soon!

Related posts:

• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague Boss: Top 16, week five
• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague Boss: Final 16, week three
• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague boss: Final 16, week four

Scariolo: No, really, i can explain everything...

With one more week of Euroleague play to go before the field of viable contenders officially shrinks again, Ball in Europe contributor Francesco Cappelletti wraps the round that was in the big league. In this week’s roundup, Signor C. laments Montepaschi Siena’s fate, Sergio Scariolo’s precarious position and the reason Olympiacos might yet give Barca a workout before all is said and done (Hint: It starts with “Linas” and ends with “Kleiza”).

Group F focus
Oddly, the group which could have been in doubt until the buzzer of Week 6 suddenly has two qualified teams after five weeks: These are Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv, teams which will meet next Thursday at Palacio Vistalegre to define a first place currently in possession of the Israeli side for their 81-76 victory of February 4.

Montepaschi Siena was shocked by a 43-point fourth quarter scored by Alan Anderson and teammates. OK, take out the final (meaningless) 10 points, and 33 remain on the back of the Italian champions. How was this possible? MPS had recovered during the third period thanks to big hearted Terrell McIntyre and bad offensive decisions from previously unstoppable Doron Perkins, but, I mean, if you play with six men (seven minutes of nothing for Nikos Zisis in crisis, Ksistof Lavrinovic plagued by back spasms), and you enter the final fraction with a 3-point advantage at Yad Eliyahu, well, you know your destiny.

Montepaschi ran out of gas, watching the Anderson-David Bluthenthal duo destroy basket from the short or long range. Coach Simone Pianigiani has his faults, obstinate as he is about playing the same rotation every game in every competition. Somehow he didn’t notice the team aging, he didn’t want to accept that it might still be possible to win in Serie A by letting the likes of Tomas Ress, Marco Carraretto and Denis Marconato play more than Romain Sato and Shaun Stonerook…

An era is over, and the bad news is that the two new faces (Zisis and David Hawkins) brought in to represent a new beginning, are not worthy of Euroleague. Instead, Ettore Messina got in a full Abdi Ipecki and that away win he needed to be sure of a playoff spot. The second quarter was decisive, with four consecutive triples (two each for Jorge Garbajosa and Sergio Llull, again the best two on the floor) broke the game open and Efes Pilsen never managed to come back. Despite foul issues, Felipe Reyes was fundamental, giving an internal dimension Real often lacks in perimeter specialist Darjus Lavrinovic and Garbajosa.

On his part, Ergin Ataman forgot Daniel Santiago, very effective in just five minutes of use, while Igor Rakocevic has confirmed suspicions of those critics who say he hasn’t been playing because he no longer the same Igor Rakocevic. It seems Rakocevic has suddenly realized he’s 32 years old: He had the opportunity to turn around the worst Euroleague season of his career this week, but he wasn’t good at all.

Drew Nicholas: BallinEurope.com reader

Mental consistency
Sergio Scariolo must be furious. BC Khimki is now in third place in Group H and clearly not favoured to gain the group’s second pass to the playoffs. The Russians’ saga began with an amazing win in Baskonia, then it was time for a loss (with the same scoring differential!) in Moscow against Tiago Splitter-orphaned Caja Laboral, and the story continued with an unpredictable humiliation in Zagreb, where Cibona took the first success of its Top 16 and kept itself in the race to qualification.

The final week’s schedule shows an interesting game in BC Khimki-Olympiacos: Scariolo’s team must win by a margin of seven points more than Caja Laboral’s over Cibona. Otherwise, Scariolo is out. Out of Euroleague and, probably, his job. We’ll see if in Spain, Dusko Ivanovic will try to put injured Splitter back in the roster for the crucial game: Don’t tell him that Baskonia has a better look without the Brazilian and Mirza Teletovic is playing like an All-Star.

Talking about mental toughness – what BC Khimki hasn’t enough of – some word on Panathinaikos and Asseco Prokom is obligatory. The Greens saved their Euroleague season by winning in Belgrade (Did Drew Nicholas read the last Frank Euroleague Roundup? He answered it with an amazing 6-of-6 from beyond the arc) and messing up Partizan’s plans. Assuming Regal FC Barcelona doesn’t lose a decisive home game against Dule Vujosevic’s boys, the Serbian team is rooting for PAO to beat Maroussi BC, or the third Athenian club will go to playoffs to the Partizan’s detriment.

Kleiza: How will Barca stop him?

The real contender
We’ll have to wait for the draw which will cross the four qualified teams at the Final Four. However, we can just say Asseco Prokom is not a serious rival for Olympiacos, so the Reds are quite sure to be in Paris. The impression is they are the only squad able to make Barcelona sweat on the way to winning the trophy. Olympaicos has the talent, length, weight, and experience.

And above all, they have Linas Kleiza.

“Experts” who describe Kleiza as a power forward make me laugh: Have they ever seen him in action? Maybe when he was at University of Missouri he was a power forward. Now, he’s something out of the European standards of small forward. He has the body of a four, the movements of a three, and the shoot of a SG or SF.

Who on Barcelona can guard him? Big men Fran Vazquez and Terrence Morris haven’t the feet speed to stay with him, Pete Mickeal is physically smaller. Lubos Barton (who played four minutes at Maroussi in his first Euroleague appearance of the year) is for me the ideal solution, even if I know he’s not healthy and Xavi Pascual’s not a lover of individual defensive tachtical moves. But more than pick-and-roll plays involving Milos Teodosic/Theo Papaloukas and Nikola Vujcic/Ioannis Bouroussis/Sofoklis Schortsanitis, over Josh Childress’ explosions to the basket, Oly depends on Kleiza. And on defense, unwatchable and absolutely to change for a team whose ambition is to replace mortal enemy Panathinaikos on the throne.

Mumble mumble…
The breakout games of Sergio Llull (14.5 points in the last two games) did coincide with a light dip in Rimas Kaukenas’ numbers (a total of four points in 23 minutes); Messina thanks his Spaniard but he knows first place in Group F is due to a Lithuanian resurrection … Andrey Vorontsevich is the nicest news for coach Pashutin: With his contribution, the solid Sasha Kaun and an outstanding Viktor Khryapa, Pashution can easily bench Pops Mensah-Bonsu, a big man someone (e.g. Montepaschi, BC Khimki) would welcome with a red carpet … Aleks Maric caught 12 rebounds against Panathinaikos (no Pekovic for Obradovic) and shot 2-of-10 from the paint: It’s hard to face athletic giants like Mike Batiste and Marcus Haislip … Marko Tomas keeps on shining: Real Madrid’s management must again think of that unhappy movement intented to confirm Louis Bullock and discharge the Croatian … Young Zalgiris Kaunas’s honouring its Euroleague Top 16 bid better than did Unicaja Malaga, who would have believed so two months ago…?

Related posts:

• The Frank Euroleague Roundup: Top 16, week three
• The Frank Euroleague roundup: Top 16 finales
• The Frank Euroleague roundup: Top 16, week four

Currently employed as M. Romeris youth team coach, Sakalauskas has done head coaching stints with Vilnius Sakalu and Lietuvos Rytas, but the bulk of his recent career was spent heading up Eisbären Bremerhaven, where he lead the team from 2001 to 2009 and was named Bundesliga “Coach of the Year” in 2006.

Related posts:

• Euroleague Top 16 draw: The Frank take
• The Frank Euroleague roundup, week nine
• SportingBet lines and odds for Euroleague week six matchups

Teletovic rocked for the Boss last week

Hello everybody, this is once again Javier Gancedo of Euroleague.net, ready for yet another SportingBet Euroleague Fantasy Challenge week. There are two more weeks in the Top 16. The good news is that it is being extraordinary. Nobody would have predicted that no teams would be 100% qualified after four weeks and that the only one eliminated from the playoff race would be defending champion Panathinaikos.

More good news … of course, the Quarterfinal Playoff will be fantastic and we are heading to a great, great Final Four. Once again, the perfect combination exists: a great, universally loved city, a first-class basketball event and four very good teams fighting for the ultimate title. The bad news, however, is that we only have two more weeks in the Fantasy Challenge. What will we fantasy players all do in the meantime? It’s a long wait until next October, after all…

Anyway, as for my team, Meet the Boss, I had a so-so week with 144.8 points. Just when I could have reached first place in the BallinEurope Invitational Challenge, I ranked 21st in the private league this week. The private league leader is samwong, who has 53.1 points more than me … but I rank 4th, so it’s going to be tough. Still, of course, I will do my best.

So time for me to look at the trades! Linas Kleiza is questionable against Caja Laboral – even when he may play – so I will take him out of my team. Since Panathinaikos has to chance to advance, I will release Mike Batiste, as it is never easy to play against Slavko Vranes, Aleks Maric and Lawrence Roberts. My final trade is Georgios Printezis, as he didn’t do well last week and will not have it easy against Viktor Khryapa, who naturally stays in my team.

So I have to sign two big guys and a wing player with 216.94 credits. Looks like a lot of money, but I am sure I will be short of it. I believe that Zalgiris is facing its last Euroleague home game of the season, so the Lithuanian giant is going to be highly motivated. And few players put out the intensity that Travis Watson shows in every game, so I will add him right now. Good rebounders normally give good index: You can score 25 points on 5-of-17 two-pointers plus 5-of-13 three-pointers and get a 5 index (not to mention possibly your team chasing you all over the city after the game, too) but hey, 12 rebounds equal 12 index points, guaranteed.

I’m going to add Jamont Gordon because he is on fire lately. I was tempted to get Keith Langford but Gordon was the Top 16 Week 4 MVP and almost had a triple-double in Adriatic League action. As for my final trade, I would like to have Aleks Maric but I am short of money — damn, I told you so — and I will settle with a more modest option. Since Khimki needs to win and he rocked against them in Russia, my pick is Robertas Javtokas: If he gets Dalibor Bagaric into foul trouble, he should have a terrific game.

So my team Meet the Boss will look like this in the next-to-last week. Time is flying this season, huh?

Terrell McIntyre. T-Mc plays much better at home than on the road, but he should be OK against Maccabi.

Milos Teodosic has been unstoppable lately, and without Kleiza, everyone should step up.

Viktor Khryapa. A great rebounder, passing big man right at the prime of his career. A fantasy lock.

Jamont Gordon, who is in outstanding shape lately — and Cibona does not have any other point guard left.

Alan Anderson. Coming off a bad game against Efes, but he should do better in front of his fans.

Ramunas Siskauskas always does well in do-or-die games. And this is certainly one of them.

Robertas Javtokas. Cibona is a bit undersized, so Javtokas may have an advantage under the baskets.

Travis Watson. Here’s hoping he keeps fighting to become the best rebounder in this 2009-10 season.

Darjus Lavrinovic. Madrid needs size against Kaya Peker, Mario Kasun and Ermal Kuqo – hello, Ermal!

Mirza Teletovic. So I kept him, and he rocked. Lior Eliyahu is not 100% fit and Splitter is out, so he stays.

That’s all for me. Remember to choose wisely and enjoy a truly pivotal Euroleague week! See you all – for the last time this season? – next week!

Related posts:

• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague boss: Final 16, week four
• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague Boss: Final 16, week three
• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague boss: Final week

Does The Boss go with Pekovic...

Hello again and welcome back! This is Javier Gancedo of Euroleague.net ready to discuss week four of the Top 16 in the SportingBet Euroleague Fantasy Challenge. The game is coming to an end: Just three weeks remain to find out who will be our special guest at the 2010 Final Four in Paris. There is quite a race atop the overall standings, with no fewer than 10 teams with good chances to win it all. As for the BallinEurope Invitational Challenge, it has been a pivotal week because our previous leader eurofootball left his team open and did not get any points in Top 16 Week 3. If you don’t win the private league, Rafi, you will be the winner in my eyes at least. That left me second in the private league standings against all odds. Anything can happen from now on.

Unless something really strange happens, this week will be the last one in which all 16 teams still have a chance to make it to the next round. From now on, different rotations may take place and little-used players could step on court. Not this week, however, so let’s see how my team looks…

It’s been two weeks and my memory is weak with so much work in the Euroleague office. My team, Meet The Boss, had 185.1 points in the last round − pretty decent − and ranks 345th overall. At 228th, it’s even a bit higher on the Top 16 board. First and foremost, Tiago Splitter is out this week, so despite scoring zero last week, I am keeping Mirza Teletovic. Good fantasy players always follow their instinct more than anything else. I am not good anymore − this is my worst fantasy season by far − but I think Teletovic will do well against BC Khimki.

...or Kaun?

So, let’s go! I’m trading Chuck Eidson because I want Alan Anderson in my team. It’s a sin not to have Anderson in this year’s Fantasy Challenge, and even when I did well without him, I think I will do even better now. I am also trading Robertas Javtokas because I’m not sure that Khimki will beat Caja Laboral, after all; that’s one of the reasons why I’m keeping Teletovic, too. Thanking him for his good game and for not making me look like an idiot (He had 23.1 points … huh?), I am trading Robert Archibald and wishing him good luck in Kaunas this week. We even joked a bit about it in Facebook last week. Archibald is a good man.

Time for me to pick up three players and you know Anderson is one of them. That leaves me with almost 145 credits for two big men. I expect Panathinaikos to put a good fight against Regal FC Barcelona this week; it’s that or the Greens are mathematically eliminated from advancement. The question is whether I should have Mike Batiste or Nikola Pekovic. There is only one way to know, which is checking what happened last week. Batiste had 21 index last week and Pekovic was limited to 12. Hmm … all right, Batiste is the chosen one. That leaves me with 67 credits for my final player, but I have a problem: I have no idea on which player I should choose. The obvious choice is either Pekovic or Sasha Kaun. Since I have never been obvious in my entire life, I will pick Georgios Printezis.

Well, Printezis, of course!

After all these messy decisions, Meet the Boss looks like this in Top 16 Week 4:

Terrell McIntyre earned weekly MVP honors against Madrid and faces the Whites again this week.

Milos Teodosic is coming off a terrific game in the Greek Cup final, so there’s no reason to trade him.

Viktor Khryapa. The ultimate fantasy player due to his rebounds and assists. A must.

Linas Kleiza. Kleiza had a so-so game against Cibona in Week 3, so he should be ready to bounce back.

Alan Anderson. The most unstoppable player in the league right now. Charles Smith must do his best to slow him.

Ramunas Siskauskas. Always in shape at the right time, Siskauskas will do well in a pivotal game like this.

Mike Batiste. Panathinaikos is in a do-or-die situation. Batiste thrives in games like this.

Georgios Printezis. I’m taking a bit of a risk here, though Printezis should use his quickness against Travis Watson.

Darjus Lavrinovic will not have it that easy this time: His twin brother Ksistof is back in action.

Mirza Teletovic is not playing well lately, but I still trust him in a make-or-break game for Baskonia.

That’s all from me today! Choose wisely, enjoy a great Euroleague week and good luck in the Fantasy Challenge!

Related posts:

• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague Boss: Final 16, week three
• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague Boss: Top 16, week five
• The Frank Euroleague Roundup: Top 16, week five

T-Mc: What can we say?

With a scene-shifting week three of Euroleague Top 16 play in the books, BallinEurope’s Francesco Cappelletti defines his surprise, from Montepaschi’s masterful play to Sasha Kaun’s success to the curse of a Panathinaikos title defense, and more. Read on!

Pianigiani’s lesson to Messina
“I think it was a masterpiece from my players. One of the most difficult games since I started coaching. We were tired, consumed, without an important player against a team that could exploit our problems. We’ll enjoy this night to the fullest”: With these words and a smiling face, coach Simone Pianigiani commented on the game between Montepaschi and Real Madrid.

Honestly, he was right; Siena got the expected reaction after a disastrous exhibition in Istanbul, but the win was huge, much more than the fans and staff were waiting for. Even more so because the victory came despite the absence of Ksistof Lavrinovic, a player as key as only Terrell McIntyre is. Real wanted Montepaschi to play a slow game, to defend strongly and to deny the top facets of the Italians’ game: fastbreaks and transition play.

That plan worked for the first four minutes, before T-Mc began runnig the floor and Ettore Messina found himself down in a hurry, by nine points after a 13-0 run made it 21-12. From there, the match was all MPS, as Real was unable to restore its rhythm (the only way to beat Siena at home was by letting the clock wind down 20 seconds while finding solutions near the basket) and suffered from the large rotations Messina employed – for reasons not always clear, especially his selections from among the big men. Jorge Garbajosa was on the court in the fourth quarter: Why? Novica Velickovic was on-and-off from the bench, Darjus Lavrinovic played the entire second half (ultimately scoring 22 points) while he never saw the ball in the first, and Ante Tomic … well, it wasn’t his game.

On the other side, a swaggering McIntyre kept on nailing threes, but he didn’t forget to prime Denis Marconato, who appeared in form we haven’t seen since his days with Benetton Treviso. Called on by Pianigiani due to the foul troubles of Shaun Stonerook and Benjamin Eze (each had two after just five minutes of play), Marconato made the difference on his end of the floor and offensively supplied screens which to define as “tough” would be euphemistic. For further information, ask Sergio Llull and Pablo Prigioni. Marconato also blocked two decisive shots on Tomic and Lavrinovic in the last period, and scored on those marvelous passes (gifts) McIntyre bestowed on him.

By the way, it wasn’t all about the McIntyre-Marconato duo carrying Montepaschi to victory; Henry Domercant’s baskets were crucial and Romain Sato drove Marko Jaric crazy. Rimas Kaukenas destroyed his heir David Hawkins, a cold comfort. Now Real Madrid has two main problems: a big hole at small forward position and a less-than-dynamic playbook too dependent on big men. In a pool like Group F, these weaknesses could be enough to keep them out of the elimination round.

Kaun: "Now i'm going to Moscow."

He’s white, he’s young, and he can jump!

If someone had told me this summer that Sasha Kaun would be MVP of a Top 16 game as the starting center for CSKA Moscow, I probably would have replied with a noisy laugh. My fault, then, because that’s happened Wednesday when Kaun overshadowed Asseco Prokom for first place in Group G.

For one who loves European players, it’s a pleasure to see a 24-year-old Russian playing for one of the most important Euroleague clubs, pushing past former NBA player Pops Mensah-Bonsu. Kaun has simply carried out a path begun six years ago at Kansas University (where he learned by practicing with Wayne Simien, Darrell Arthur, and Cole Aldrich) and continued at Moscow with a team that trusts him blindly, as his three-year, €2.7 million contract confirms.

Is this the right way to develop? We don’t want to say every prospect has to cross the ocean to join a elite NCAA program, but for those youngsters who haven’t the opportunity to play on their teams in their countries, it’s often recommended. Kaun is a practical example of this idea.

It’s unusual that CSKA would give a local boy this opportunity, but it was given to Kaun, once his growth in the US was verified. To make a comparison: there’s little evidence to consider the transfer of Mario Delas from KK Split to Zalgiris Kaunas as a step forward in his young career. Yeah, since he wasn’t in Lithuania he wasn’t showcased in the Euroleague and he’s not yet 20, but how can he round into a quality big man by playing with tutors like Travis Watson and Mirza Begic, losing every game played in Europe? At his age, Delas must search for a solution which allows him to play and learn at the same time: whether the NCAA or a more competitive reality than Baltic League, the choice is unlimited. Despite Delas’ age, his value risks decreasing after this experience (7.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in Euroleague Top 16 play). Not a good start for a boy who just dominated the past U19 World Championships with bronze medalist Croatia.

Khimkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Eastern revenge and contenders on the verge of falling
Few but good, the teams of Eastern Europe are still alive in the race for Euroleague playoff spots: Prokom showed its win in Malaga wasn’t a fluke at Moscow, where it fought until the final minutes; BC Khimki was team of the week after a great blowout in Baskonia; and CSKA Moscow is sailing to another Final Four. These teams are a positive exception into an overview of failures and disappointing seasons, mainly caused by the economic crisis.

In contrast, Panathinaikos is toiling again in defending a Euroleague title – the Greens were eliminated in the Top 16 both in 2002-2003 and in 2007-2008, less than 12 months after celebrating the trophy – while Caja Laboral is close to falling short of the Final Four in back-to-back seasons after having played four consecutive years. PAO seems devoid of motivation and energy.

In Spain, coach Dusko Ivanovic is doing his worst by not giving a headliner to the team, lost in a backcourt rotation which involves eight players in six spots, resulting this week in four minutes given to Taquan Dean and 26 granted Pau Ribas. The next game will be the test to see if they still have Devotion.

Mumble mumble…
The disciplinary judge rejected Regal FC Barcelona’s complaints: Last week in Belgrade, Barça couldn’t demand the instant replay, the use of which is reserved for scored shots or fouls committed with no time remaining in the main clock at the end of a quarter or overtime … Ioannis Bourousis injured and some problems against an aggressive Cibona: Nikola Vujcic remembered the happy times and drove Olympiacos to the win with 10 points in the last eight minutes … BC Maroussi’s two points in the second quarter set a new Euroleague low, as was the 22-18 score at the end of the first half … Prior to this week, Montepaschi was fourth in Group F with a minus-1 scoring differential; now it’s first thanks to victorious match against Maccabi Tel Aviv … Revolution in Kaunas: Ramunas Butautas is coach no more, and sporting director Algirdas Brazys has also been removed from his job…

Related posts:

• The Frank Euroleague Roundup: Top 16, week five
• The Frank Euroleague roundup: Top 16 finales
• Euroleague Top 16 draw: The Frank take

Archibald: The Boss pins hopes on mate

Hello, everybody, and greetings from Euroleague headquarters! This is Javier Gancedo of Euroleague.net, ready to give you all some thoughts about our very own Sporting Bet Euroleague Fantasy Challenge – with just four rounds to go in the competition.

First and foremost, what an exciting Top 16 this is! If anyone had thought that CSKA Moscow, Olympiacos, Partizan and Asseco Prokom would be the four undefeated teams after two rounds, nobody would have believed him. The Top 16 has provided surprises, excitement, incredible action and outstanding drama. The NBA would *kill* to have all this in mid-February: that which makes us strong. Euroleague – and also Eurocup – competitions are as exciting as they can be, and everything will get better from now on. Every single game counts. From now on, every single basket will be decisive in most games…

As for fantasy basketball … well, I had an OK week, I guess. My team Meet the Boss ranks 508th overall, is in fourth place in the BallinEurope Invitational Challenge, but I can only finish second overall because our good man Eurofootball is unstoppable. I have been second in the previous two editions of this Ball in Europe private league.

(By the way, here is a question for our editor-in-chief Os Davis: Will there be any prizes at all? I am ineligible to win fantasy prizes, yet finished first in the weekly standings *twice* in the past … but I could win in here, yes. Bring out the good old goodies, man. Motivate your players out there…)

As usual, I will do my trades live as I write this column. Not only does this makes it fresher, it helps me draw things out by placing neverending, meaningless sentences like this one…

Oh well, let’s focus a bit. Who do we have? First of all, Ksistof Lavrinovic missed a Italian League game this weekend and may not play against Madrid and twin brother Darjus, so he’ll be my first trade. I’m also going to trade Nikola Pekovic because Regal FC Barcelona has a very strong frontcourt with outstanding shot blockers. Finally, I’m trading Juan Carlos Navarro as, even when I think he is great, I expect Barcelona-Panathinaikos to be a really low-scoring game.

This leaves me with 201 credits for three players. Let’s start with the big guys, then. This is a tough one, but since Caja Laboral will play without Tiago Splitter and Stanko Barac is questionable, I will risk a bit and choose Robertas Javtokas of BC Khimki. Discarding the Panathinaikos players and those that have red crosses, Dimitrios Mavroeidis is the most expensive available at just 60 credits. This is going to be trouble: I will have to risk again.

Zalgiris is without Travis Watson and Unicaja may play without Joel Freeland, so that leaves extra room for Georgios Printezis or Robert Archibald. Printezis is a great player, but Rob is a mate, so I’ll pick up Archibald: If need be, I’ll carry a Scottish flag into the Euroleague TV room – if I find one, that is. I have a lot of money to spend on a shooting guard/small forward. I would pick the best player available if I knew who the hell he was. It’s down to Josh Childress or Chuck Eidson and, since I already have two Olympiacos players, I’ll go with Eidson.

So my team looks like this for Euroleague Top 16 week 3:

Terrell McIntyre had back-to-back underachieving games, so he’ll have to bounce back right away against Madrid.

Milos Teodosic. OK, he faces Jamont Gordon, but Teodosic has been unstoppable lately.

Viktor Khryapa. A no-brainer in the game right now: Khryapa’s rebounds, assists and steals make him a must-have player.

Linas Kleiza is being very, very consistent lately. The game against Cibona shouldn’t be an exception.

Chuck Eidson, the American Ginobili, is back! He won’t have it easy against Charles Smith, however, in a big test for him.

Ramunas Siskauskas is playing really well lately. Let’s see how he does against Qyntel Woods on defense.

Robert Archibald. Always good to have him in the team. A solid rebounder and effective in the paint, Archibald should be a good choice.

Robertas Javtokas. Well, Laboral is without centers and Javtokas is big, powerful and experienced. This may work.

Darjus Lavrinovic. If his twin brother isn’t around, Darjus should have a great game.

Mirza Teletovic. Vitoria’s favourite three-point bomber will see extended playing time without Tiago Splitter around.

That’s all for me. Keep enjoying the Top 16 and see you right after the break. Enjoy!

Related posts:

• Fantasy tips from the Euroleague boss: Final 16, week four
• The Frank Euroleague roundup: Top 16 finales
• The Frank Euroleague Roundup: Top 16, week five

The closest game on the schedule, according to Ball in Europe sponsor Bet 365, will feature Asseco Prokom trying to make up 10 points in Moscow against the heating-up CSKA side. While pundits were inspecting the likes of Orleans and Asvel Basket to act as Euroleague Cinderella for 2009-10, most were sleeping on Asseco and Maroussi, two teams suddenly looking great for surprise tournament bids. Figure upstart Asseco covers that 10 and that The Euroleague Fantasy Boss makes the correct decision on Qyntel Woods again.

While the 19.5 points Olympiacos is giving Cibona feels about right, but who can tell what’s going to happen with that 12.5-point ‘spread in the Unicaja-Zalgiris game? Zalgiris sports its third head coach this season for the game, despite Ramunas Butautas seemingly single-handedly guiding the Lithuanian squad to two wins in EL pool play and team’s 24-2 record outside of Euroleague. On the other hand, Darius Maskoliunas and Gvidonas Markevicius have been leading the team through practices this week; sounds good on in the immediate-term on the chemistry level, but will the question of “Who’s the Alpha Male?” interfere with the smooth sailing of this ship?

The lines and odds for tonight’s games, as provided by Bet 365 bookmakers follow below the break.

CSKA Moscow vs. Asseco Prokom
Handicap: CSKA Moscow minus 10
Over/under: 149.5

Olympiakos vs. Cibona Zagreb
Handicap: Olympiakos minus 19.5
Over/under: 155.5

Unicaja Malaga vs. Zalgiris Kaunas
Handicap: Unicaja minus 12.5
Over/under: 152.5

Bet 365 has numerous proposition bets, odds and lines on Euroleague games and other European professional basketball. Click on the Bet 365 logo or banner at right for more information.

Related posts:

• The Frank Euroleague roundup, week nine
• The Frank Euroleague Roundup: Top 16, week three
• Euroleague Top 16 draw: The Frank take