Pete Mickael is going up against the league’s best defense in Montepaschi, so should you start him this week? What about Marco Mordente’s chances against Madrid? Also Emir Preldzic, Taquan Dean, Tiago Splitter, Mike Batiste and many more. We give you the answers you’ve been looking for.
Over the next four days, Slam will be laying down the previews for each group and I’ll be nipping at his heels with the top 3 stories that might emerge from each group.
Here we go. Page one, chapter one…
1. Can Pete Mickael fill the void left by Ersan Ilyasova’s departure?To say Ilyasova was inconsistent is to say World War II was a mere skirmish. His weekly rankings during the top 16 went a little something like this: 4, 7, 39, 3, 8, 22. So it’s not the Red and Blue will be missing a rock. Whereas Ilyasova can bust open every third week or so, Pete Mickael’s game is a persistent display of strength and force with a side of outside shooting if he feels like it. Barcelona has enough guys who can fill it up (Navarro, Vazquez, Lakovic), so Mickael’s toughness and consistency should both be welcome assets. Barcelona shouldn’t have any problems getting out of this round and the next, but only a Euroleague championship will satiate their hunger this time around.
2. Will Montepaschi have the guards to compete? In the blink of an eye, Siena’s strength morphed into an area of glaring need. With respects to JC Navarro, Terrell McIntyre was the Euroleague’s best guard in 2009. He averaged 13 in the regular season, then 20 in the Top 16 and an eye-popping 25 in the Playoffs. If that weren’t enough, they’ll also be without feared shooter Rimantas Kaukenas. But all hope is not lost; they re-signed stellar big man Ksistof Lavrinovic and the wildly energetic Shaun Stonerook who can guard all 3 frontcourt positions. Add that to the long, strong Benjamin Eze and you’ll have a chance to win every time out. But who’s going to score from the perimeter? Morris Finley? Not likely. Henry Domercant? Perhaps, but he faded down the stretch. The brunt of the load may fall into the lap of recently acquired Nikos Zisis, who has never had to be the offensive catalyst. Look for that to change this season.
3. Is this the year Fenerbahce Ulker grows up? If you have epilepsy, we kindly request that you close your eyes. Fenerbahce’s season was a season punctuated by flashes of brilliance that yielded sporadic results. Oguz Savas (pictured dunking on the sliding panel on top of this very site) was the week 10 MVP and then disappointed for many of the games to follow with spotty playing time and even spottier production. But this year will be different! Right? With veteran Mirsad Turkcan and Gordan Giricek back to stabilize things, Savas and recent Suns draft pick Emir Preldzic should feel comfortable enough to play their games without trying to do too much. But that’s what we said last year…
Group A Preview– Regal FC Barcelona, Montepaschi Siena, Cibona, Fenerbahce Ulker, Zalgiris, Asvel Basket
By: Slam
The Favorites
Best Team: Regal FC Barcelona: In my honest opinion Group A looks to have two classes: Barcelona and everyone else. Barcelona made the Final Four last year behind the best player in this group and reigning Euroleague MVP Juan Carlos Navarro. No one in the group can really match their talent as they probably have the best backcourt and frontcourt in the group with Navarro and Jaka Lakovic as the guards and Pete Micheal, David Anderson, and Fran Vazquez up front.
The Turkish Sleepers
Surprise Team: Fenerbahce Ulker: If the young players on Fenerbahce Ulker such as Ogus Savas, Semih Erden, Omer Asik, and Emir Preldzic can finally reach their potential then they could be the sleeper team of this group. This group is pretty weak and Ulker has so much talent, it just needs to find a way to play together instead of everyone playing so inconsistently. With a healthy Gordan Giricek and Mirsad Turkcan controlling the paint, Ulker just needs two of the fore mentioned young players to step up for the team to succeed.
Those are the best teams but the best player in the group is: Continue Reading…
While 60 young men were celebrating the realization of their NBA dreams, the world was mourning the loss of Michael Jackson. So, to recap the 14 players plucked from European squads on draft night, we will borrow some songs from the greatest entertainer of our generation:
Ricky Rubio (#5-Timberwolves): “You Are Not Alone”. Congratulations, Ricky! You’re our starting point guard and the face of the franchise! But…uh…we’re going to draft three more point guards, just in case.
Brandon Jennings (#10-Bucks):“Wanna Be Startin’ Something” . Brandon Jennings has been known to stir things up and talk out of turn. Bucks coach Scott Skiles doesn’t particularly go for that sort of thing. We may have an 82-round brawl on our hands.
Victor Claver (#22-Trailblazers):“Black or White”. White men can’t jump. But don’t tell that to Woody Harrelson. Or Victor Claver. Dude has hops.
Omri Casspi (#23-Kings): “We’re Almost There”. While he may stay overseas another year, he’s very close to contributing to Sacramento’s re-building efforts.
Rodrigue Beaubois (#25-Thunder):“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”. Despite erratic play, poor shot selection and questions about his durability, Beaubois’s sporadic outbursts of athleticism kept him close to the hearts of scouts worldwide.
Christian Eyenga (#30-Cavaliers):“Smooth Criminal”. Eyenga snuck into the back end of the first round despite an unimpressive body of work, and could be stealing Cleveland’s money.
10:38 – Dante Cunningham is going to be a solid NBA Player. He plays well above his talent level and never quits. He has a nice runner in the lane and will play the 3 or 4 in the pro’s.
Jonas where are you hiding?
10:41 –Jonas Jerebko where are you? This draft has been so crazy weird but we can’t have you drop too much farther Jonas. Sweden needs you to get drafted.
