Posts
By: Freaknick
If each group were to pick their three best teams and play a round robin, the smart money would be on Group C. I know that basketball games aren’t won and lost on paper, but I’m petty sure that CSKA, Maccabi and Tau Ceramica could beat Group C’s bottom feeders with a piece of paper as their fifth player. So while every game may not be hotly contested, Group C should provide excitement and storylines galore. Let me explain…
1. Which team will take lashes as the whipping boy? In such a star-studded group, the three remaining teams—Virtus Roma, Union Olimpija, and Qualifier QR2B—are going to take their lumps, which by Week 10 may resemble small mountains. A great way to blow off some steam and ensure your team some W’s is to pick off the weakling from the back of the pack. The problem is we can’t yet pinpoint the runt of the litter. With scoring machine Sani Becirovic asking for too much money and guard Ibrahim Jaaber rumored to be on his way out, Roma might struggle to score 70 per game. Union Olimpija is not without their offensive woes; only one Euroleague team had a worse shooting percentage in 2008-09. And then there’s team QR2B. How does one analyze a team not yet defined? He doesn’t. He instead moves on to the next storyline. Like this…
2. Will Maccabi guard anybody? The other 23 Euroleague teams are praying that the answer is a big, fat “NO”. And well they should be. The storied franchise struggled a bit last year and the reason was frustratingly clear: defense. I’ve seen better efforts in YMCA pick-up games. And the worst part is, the numbers won’t show it. After looking for some stat that I could point to and say “Aha!”, I realized that they were in the middle of the pack statistically in every significant category, if not a little higher. So naturally, it leaads one to believe, how much better could they have been with a little bit more energy on the defensive end of the floor? We should get our answer this season, with the team parting with ball magnet Lior Eliyahu and re-signing the stronger David Bluthenthal for a third stint with the club. Also joining the club will be former Texas Longhorn P.J. Tucker and the aggressive forward Stephane Lasme. Add these bulls to a frontcourt with D’Or Fischer and a backcourt led by the flashy yet effective Carlos Arroyo and Maccabi could again be formidable.
3. Has the financial market finally caught up with Union Olimpija? It would be a damn shame if this were the case, but it may be true. It’s no secret that the economy sucks, and Ljubljana was a small market to begin with. After nearly 10 consecutive seasons of winning both the Slovenian Cup and the Slovenian League, their success came to a screeching halt in last season’s Euroleague in which they posted a 2-8 record and looked extremely overmatched. While some bigger teams may fix that by signing a big name in free agency, Union Olimpija does not have that luxury, instead relying on homegrown talent. Last year their patience paid off in the form of 24-year-old big man Mirza Begic who made strides and dropped 11 points and 6 boards per contest. This year, the hopes rest on the narrow shoulders of another Mirza, Mirza Sarajlila. The 18-year-old guard will be asked to carry a much heavier load than last year, and if Olimpija wants to improve upon last year’s poor showing, he’ll need to grow up. And fast.