Olympiacos vs. Asseco Prokom: Josh Childress and Linas Kleiza are doing just fine.

by Nick Gibson

As I write this, the Atlanta Hawks are third place in the Eastern Conference. The Denver Nuggets, third out West. Thousands of miles away in Piraeus, Josh Childress and Linas Kleiza don’t have time for regrets or for what-ifs.

After a rookie year of ups and downs, Childress has bumped his EL scoring from 8.8 to 14.7 on 63 percent shooting and just might earn a spot on the All-Euroleague team. A seasoned international player before he even left Colorado, Kleiza has already established himself as the most complete scorer in Europe. The size/athleticism gap between the NBA and the EL has allowed him to slide to power forward—he leads the team in rebounding—or take his man outside and go to work. Even on a team stacked with talent, Kleiza’s 17-point average is enough to lead the league, and if the season ended today he would get my vote for MVP. The individual accolades are nice, but Josh and Linas know why the Aggelopoulos brothers plucked them from the NBA: to win Olympiacos their first Euroleague title since 1997. A 13-3 record and ridiculous 88.4 points per game (translates to 106 points in 48 minutes) has them well on their way. David Logan, Qyntel Woods and Polish champs Asseco Prokom will do their best to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Whippersnapper Watch: Milos Teodosic | PG | Olympiacos | 6-5 | 180 pounds | 1987
With stubble on his face, a mop on his head and a floppily carefree demeanor, Milos looks more stoner than baller. His release is lightning quick, inconsistent and rarely features a pair of set feet, yet Continue Reading