BallinEurope is previewing all 18 Euroleague Basketball teams ahead of the start of the season. Today it’s the last but certainly not least of the 18 clubs. Ioannis Sfairopoulos and Crvena Zvezda are going on a wild ride.
This is definitely a better Crvena Zvezda team than last season. Ioannis Sfairopoulos knows that just being better isn’t enough. The Belgrade club needs a big jump forward to be relevant in Euroleague Basketball.
Last season
Euroleague record: 11-23
Regular season position: 16th
Playoffs: NA
ABA record: 22-4
Regular season position: 1st
Playoffs: Won finals vs Partizan (3-0)
Other: Won Serbian League finals vs Partizan (2-0), Won Serbian Cup vs Partizan
Who’s gone?
Stefan Lazarevic (FMP), Mike Tobey (Gran Canaria), Trey Thompkins (Coruna), Freddie Gillespie (New Zealand Breakers), Adam Hanga (Joventut Badalona), Nikola Topic (OKC Thunder), Javonte Smart (Orlando Magic).
Who is new?
Mike Daum (Anadolu Efes), Codi Miller-McIntyre (Baskonia), Isaiah Canaan (Olympiacos), Nikola Kalinic (FC Barcelona), Ognjen Dobric (Virtus Bologna), Uros Plavsic (Mega MIS).
Who stayed?
Milos Teodosic, Rokas Giedraitis, Luka Mitrovic, Joel Bolomboy, Yago Dos Santos, Nemanja Nedovic, Dejan Davidovac, Branko Lazic, Dalibor Ilic.
BallinEurope is ramping up its YouTube game this season. Subscribe to our channel now for player exclusives, analysis videos, and much more.
Need to know
It’s a clear net improvement for Crvena Zvezda with this roster. Ioannis Sfairopoulos will love having Codi Miller-McIntyre in his arsenal now. Nikola Kalinic brings great experience of playing in winning cultures across Euroleague Basketball. Isaiah Canaan will feel he has more freedom, and generally the ins are far better than the outs.
The question is certainly going to be in how effective the backcourt is defensively. The rotation at point guard in particular isn’t one that screams of shutdown. With Sfairopoulos installing the system, the hope for Zvezda is that he can mask the cracks.
What the bookies think
There is a lot of range on the sportsbooks when it comes to Crvena Zvezda. That indicates that the market doesn’t know what to make of them in Euroleague Basketball betting. The short price for Ioannis Sfairopoulos and company is 25/1. The longest price is 50/1. It’s hard to gauge where, if anywhere, their Euroleague betting price will settle.
BallinEurope has a book, a real life actual book called I Like it Loud, and you can buy it on Amazon now. It’s here as a book and here in Kindle form.
What we think
You won’t be bored watching Crvena Zvezda this season. That goes for those of all interests in the club. In Euroleague Basketball, as a neutral at least, the goal is to get either fun or drama from a team. Ioannis Sfairopoulos and Zvezda look primed to deliver both.
The potential for swings in fortune at repeated points this season is enormous. You will be hard pressed to find a team in this competition with more changes in form this campaign.
Fearless prediction
The order in which I picked when teams appeared in this preview was entirely based on who plays when on the opening night. That has, wonderfully, led to this conclusion. Not quite a contender or pretender. Neither elite nor also ran. It’s a team that is right on the border of it all in Euroleague Basketball. Ioannis Sfairopoulos and Crvena Zvezda are destined for a dramatic campaign.
Pick: 11th in the regular season
Leave a Reply