By: Nick Gibson / @euro_adventures
Let’s get your season back on track. Whaddaya say? And before you hit that ‘Submit’ button, check out the injury report.
Pick ‘Em Up
Nick Calathes, PG, Panathinaikos
Price: 50.6 Average RKG: 14.3
His 32 minutes in week two were chopped in half last week against Zagreb, but he still managed 12 points in both contests and six more RKG points with fewer minutes. Zeljko Obradovic has taken him along slowly, but Nick’s turning into a little Dimitris Jr.
Thabo Sefolosha, SG/SF, Fenerbahçe Ülker
Price: 44.0 Average RKG: 14.0
Well according to bwin’s ‘Most Sold Players’ gizmo, 2,712 folks already beat me to this. Allow me to hop on the bandwagon, or at the very least, advise you to reserve your spot. Defense keeps him on the court regardless, so steals and boards will balance the RKG against a missed shot here or there. Buy him now, have more cash next week.
Kyle Hines, PF/C, Olympiacos
Price: 61.2 Average RKG: 13.2
Milko Bjelica isn’t strong enough, Kevin Seraphin isn’t agile enough and Joey Dorsey—if he plays—will be rusty and good for a few hacks. Hines should have a mismatch against the entire Caja frontcourt which could lead to buckets and more than a few fouls drawn. Plus, Matt Howard’s out for the next three weeks. The only problem? Hines is atrocious from the free throw line (4-12 this season and 47% last year with Bamberg). If he hit even 60% I’d count him among the elite bigs. Buy him. He’s worth the risk.
Cut ‘Em Loose
Curtis Jerrells, PG, Fenerbahçe Ülker
Price: 43.4 Avergae RKG: 4.0
Talented guy with his Euroleague jitters exorcised playing on a stacked offense that’s not afraid to run. That was the idea, at least.
David Logan, SG/SF, Panathinaikos
Price: 40.5 Average RKG: 0.6
Everybody struggled to understand this signing, and David’s not making it any easier for us to make peace with it.
Erazem Lorbek, PF/C, Baarcelona
Price: 74.3 Average RKG: 18.7
Barcelona’s frontcourt is a revolving door of big games, which is excellent if you want to win a Euroleague championship. Not so great when you’re going for a fantasy title. For close to 80 credits, you should be able to count on at least 16 RKG points every week. Erazem can’t offer that sort of security.
Ride ‘Em Out
Roko Ukic, PG, Fenerbahçe Ülker
Price: 53.5 Average RKG: 7.0
One guy and one guy only can get Fenerbahçe out of its funk, and he’ll get the minutes to do it. Pencil Roko in for 30 or so per night until they get everything sorted out, which should prove helpful for fantasy owners. If your money’s extremely tight, however, you might want to sell him for a Justin Hamilton type and then swap them back out in a week once you’ve gotten your racks together.
Manuchar Markoishvili, SG/SF, Bennet Cantu
Price: 33.2 Average RKG: 6.9
He’s always had more talent than he’s had basketball IQ, but for this price you can wait him out between high scoring affairs.
Marcus Slaughter, PF/C, Brose Baskets Bamberg
Price: 52.8 Average RKG: 11.2
Slaughter acknowledged that last week’s zero point, zero rebound effort against CSKA was perhaps his worst game as a pro. Credit Moscow’s freakishly long defense and give Marcus another shot. Bamberg definitely isn’t giving up on him, and the fantasy community shouldn’t either.
Maybe Next Week
Acie Law, PG, Partizan
Price: 39.7 Average RKG: 0.0
He’s struggled. Looked terrible for stretches. And that’s why I won’t advise picking up a man who’s got a zero in the ‘Average RKG’ column. But he’s fifth in the Euroleague in minutes (34:14) and the back up situation—or lack thereof—necessitates such overexposure. He’ll keep getting chances until they cut him and bring in someone else. But wait a week until he’s sitting there in the low 30s with the rest of the bench riders.
Nemanja Bjelica, SG/SF, Caja Laboral
Price: 34.7 Average RKG: 8.2
He made the most of his 19 minutes last week (the most he’s ever gotten in a Euorleague game with Caja), but with Reggie Williams supposedly back he might be down toward the end of the bench. Alternate scenario: Dusan Ivkovic finally admits Nemanja’s ready to contribute weekly and expands his role further. If it’s that second one, snap him up this time next week.
Ratko Varda, PF/C, Union Olimpija
Price: 31.1 Average RKG: 5.5
Bad teams like veteran leaders. Union Olimpija is a bad team. Ratko Varda is a veteran leader. Pick him up in the 20s next week and don’t look back.
******
Freaknick+Paulius=Forever
The boys followed a 126.1 point performance with 127.9 last week. Three cheers for consistency and another for gradual improvement. My 254.8 total points puts me 10th in the Twitter Airlines Euroleague division, right behind ELA’s @robscott33 and just in front of @heinnews. Time to make my charge.
My Drops: Aleksey Shved (that one hurt a little), Damir Markota, Nedzad Sinanovic
The squad…
Jerel Blassingame, Asseco Prokom: A lot of moving and shaking. I need more passing and making.
Sergio Llull, Real Madrid: I thought: would I rather have A) Aleksey Shved or B) Llull and five more credits to throw around?
Nicolas Batum, Sluc Nancy: He was OK last week, I guess.
Sasha Vujacic, Anadolu Efes: I’m waiting for that big game. It’s coming.
Tremmell Darden, Unicaja: I have no problem holding onto him even as he saps my team of credits. I’m in this thing for the long haul, and Darden is Unicaja’s best (and smartest, along with Berni) perimeter player. It’s you and me, Tremmell.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Zalgiris: He looks good when he’s out there. Maybe the new head man, Trifunovic, will agree. At least until he gets fired next week.
Andrei Kirilenko, CSKA Moscow: If he gets 20 or more this week, he’ll jump up another 15% to 115 overall. Think about that. Now the only risk you run owning Kirilenko is that CSKA might dominate to the point where AK’s no longer needed. But if he can keep putting up 23 RKGs in 22 minutes without taking five shots? Then yes. Yes, please.
Luka Zoric, Unicaja: Going up against an undersized Bamberg frontcourt this week should help the big Croat clean the glass.
Akin Akingbala, Sluc Nancy: And Slam laughed when I said he’d have an “incredible” year.
Georgios Printezis, Olympiacos: Welcome home, Georgios.