London Links: Tall Buildings, Open Letters and Nikos Galis

Nick GibsonMay 9, 2013

We start the day with an open letter from Simon Jatsch of In-The-Game.org to Euroleague CEO Jordi Bertomeu. ITG was denied credentials for the Final Four, along with the incomparable Eurohopes and European Prospects, the two-headed scouting monster that’s kept Europe and the world up to date on our game’s most exciting young players for years. I have never spoken to an agent, fellow European basketball journalist or international NBA scout who isn’t familiar with all three. As for ITG, Simon’s contributions in the advanced statistical field aren’t only unmatched, they’re unapproachable. These three sites have collectively filled two of the most vital and trendy niches in the European basketball blogosphere—advanced metrics and prospects—and I can’t wait to read what they’ll produce this weekend from both the Final Four and the NIJT.

Another day, another fascinating nugget from Euro-Step.net’s Countdown to London series. This one about Marcelinho Huertas’ significance within the Barca offense comes from our own Rob Scott:

Barcelona finished out the playoffs with the 5th best offensive rating in the league, at 110.6 points per 100 possessions, but that jumped up to 113.2 with the Brazilian point guard maestro on the floor, which is better than top-ranked CSKA Moscow.

Read the entire, pace-adjusted piece here. (That’s right; I double-linked it.) -Euro-Step.net

London is Rob Scott’s stomping ground, so get used to hearing from and seeing him this week. Now that Sam has touched down in the United Kingdom, Rob thought he’d show the Amurrican around. First up, a trip to London’s Tower Bridge to discuss: would you rather have Khryapa-Kaun or Reyes-Slaughter down low?

Then they headed to the House of Parliament (also known as the Palace of Westminster, which undoubtedly sounds fancier) to talk about Theo Papaloukas and Vassilis Spanoulis.

Guess they weren’t kidding about that London wind. Special thanks to @georgerowland for braving the elements to capture this footage. -ELA

“I need more Rob Scott,” you’re probably saying aloud as you pound a single, balled fist on your desk. I know you do. Breathe easily. Here’s his Real Madrid preview over on Euro-Step, where he tells us which play and which player will be key to Los Blancos London hopes. -Euro-Step.net

You thought Rod Higgins wasn’t going to write an Olympiacos preview? Come on, son. -Euro-Step.net

Os Davis and Dave Hein never flop; they get their feet set and take the contact. On the newest Taking the Charge podcast, TalkBasket personality and ELA drinking buddy John Swiss Hobbs (@johnswisshobbs) drops by to answer this question: do Londoners even know there’s a basketball tourney in their city this weekend? Then we’ve got some British Basketball talk (I see you, Leicester Riders) and, of course, plenty of Final Four banter and analysis. It’s three smart dudes talking about European basketball. We only get that sort of IQ here when @sJacas joins the show. -heinnews.com

And in a non-London link, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net was in the building to see Aris rename their arena Nikos Galis Hall in honor of one of Europe’s greatest scorers. It’s about time. Here’s Nikos dropping a Greek NT record 53 points on Panama at the World Championships in Spain.