By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops.net welcomes Top16 by searching for the best players of the 8 teams which only… lived to play at this year’s regular season. Some of them can be transfer targets for the 16 teams of Euroleague’s second phase. Since nobody knows the way each administration thinks and acts (if they are interested to sell one of their players -mostly cause he is on the last year of his contract- or if they prefer to maintain everybody on their roster, cause they are looking after their national league’s title), we are only going to mention who made the difference, from each one of these eight teams and could still have a job in Euroleague!
Union Olimpija Ljubljana
It’s not a secret the Slovenians had the lowest budget of all Euroleague’s teams this season, simply cause they don’t have a lot of money. The most expensive player of the roster is Aron Baynes, with an annual salary of 170.000 euros. So, it’s possible for the club to sell the Australian center, who did a remarkable job. Maccabi T.A. with Caja Laboral are already after him. Dylan Page also might be in the market, with Jaka Blazic and Klemen Prepelic having a huge… aftersale impact! But Olimpija has all the time in the world, for these two. Unless there is a team willing to give big money to get them right now.
Μapooro Cantu
It’s not easy to even think that you might need to sell one of your starters. Moreover Cantu clearly wants the Italian championship and they can get it -since they belong to the very few cases of clubs which don’t have financial problems. They don’t need extra money, to survive. They can do that, without giving away anything and by that we mean Jonathan Tabu or Alex Tyus or Maarten Leunen or Manu Markoishvilli. We think it’s more possible to get one player (a shooting guard) than to sell – even – one.
Elan Chalon-Sur-Saone
The French team can teach the… art of spending exactly the amount of money you have (not a cent more) in order to create a competitive team, capable of getting (again) the LNB’s title. It will not be a surpise to have offers for Blake Schilb and Steed Tchicamboud (both could improve their game, by playing on a higher level team). Also, we cannot ignore what Shelden Williams did in Euroleague.
Asseco Prokom Gdynia
The owner of a A-licence had a mediocre presence in this year’s Euroleague, mostly because they build their roster just few days before the start of the season. Prokom traditionally sells players, during the season and this year this guy might be Jerel Blassingame. You see, it’s really difficult for another of Prokom’s player to have gotten on a elite team’s radar -no offense.
Cedevita Zagreb
Α financially strong club is in the pursuit of happiness in Adriatic League and in Croatian League, after they disqualified from Euroleague. That means they don’t need to sell, unless Alexandar Petrovic feels the need to change something. In that case, maybe Marques Green is heading to some place else or Bracey Wright, with Mickael Gelabale being the first to leave (for Valencia). Luksa Andric has a big contract, but he also has a big value for the team.
EA7 Emporio Armani
It’s the absolute failure, for this season’s Euroleague. And Antonis Fotsis could leave, given that Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce want him (and they give a lot of money), with Maccabi lining to other options (the Israelis can’t beat the other two teams on money). Fotsis stated he wants to honor his contract and Armani wants the Italian championship, but the Greek forward is at the last months of his contract with the Italians and his future could be elsewere. Also Coach Scariolo clearly doesn’t like Richard Hendrix. The Italian is looking for a decent guard and Carlos Arroyo (who has at least two more offers) may be one option.
Partizan MT:S Belgrade
They fought till the end but they lost their place at Top16 with money being an issue for the Serbians and coach Vujosevic insisting that he will built a new successful team, if they keep all the players. It is unlikely they will sell anyone, but if they do, the most probable to go will be Drew Gordon.
Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius
They chase VTB League’s top and also the Lithuania’s champioship. Either way, they are going to find their road to next year’s Euroleague. And to do that, they will have to stick together till the end, with Leon Radosevic being the… dream-player of many Euroleague’s teams, but we bet on him staying in Vilnius.
Don’t forget
Pops Mensah Bonsu is healthy and free, with Maccabi releasing him after his injury. Speaking of Tel Aviv, coach David Blatt is looking for a team willing to get Sermantini and Caner-Medley in exchange of the player he needs to add on his roster.
TOP5
If you add all the parameters together with the fact we cannot really know what’s on the mind of every president or coach, here are the TOP5 of the players who might finish elsewhere this season.
- Antonis Fotsis
- Blake Schilb
- Aron Baynes
- Jaka Blazic
- Pops Mensah Bonsu