By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
With the season in full swing, we already have some major changes in the power rankings, with some deep dives and also huge leaps forward. What didn’t change after the 10th game of the season is the dominance of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, which has already created an advantage against the other contenders.
As usual, status, momentum, form and importance of results were the criteria for ranking the 18 teams.
#18 ALBA BERLIN
Previous ranking: 9 (-9)
Record: 3-7
At home: 1-3
Away: 2-4
Offense-Defense: 81.1-81.9
Until the third game, Alba Berlin was undefeated and received one compliment after another from the opponents. Since then, they have seven consecutive defeats despite playing their usual brand of basketball. The team still performs at a high level and produce an enjoyable spectacle, however, the drop compared to the launch is obvious.
#17 LDLC ASVEL VILLEURBANNE
Previous ranking: 15 (-2)
Record: 3-7
At home: 1-3
Away: 2-4
Offense-Defense: 71.7-77.3
November proved to be a tough one for ASVEL, closing it with consecutive defeats, saying goodbye to the positive record they had until Round 6. They struggle on offense as the second-worst team in the league, something evident in two recent losses (@Crvena Zvezda 71-67 R8, @ Panathinaikos 77-58 R10) though being the fifth-best defense gives them hope.
#16 AX ARMANI EXCHANGE MILAN
Previous ranking: 6 (-10)
Record: 3-7
At home: 0-5
Away: 3-2
Offense-Defense: 68.3-75.2
They are suddenly at the bottom of the standings with six straight defeats, no wins at home and the league’s worst offense? Things couldn’t be worst for Milan. The absences of Savon Shields, Gigi Datome, Stefano Tonut and, most recently, Kevin Pangos – some short-term and others long-term – make it questionable how and when they will recover.
#15 VALENCIA BASKET
Previous ranking: 11 (-4)
Record: 4-6
At home: 2-4
Away: 2-2
Offense-Defense: 78.3-81.6
After three consecutive defeats, Valencia has one of the longest negative streaks in the league, dropping from their previous positive record. The harm is double if one considers that the last two losses were registered at home and will be followed by consecutive trips to Belgrade (@ Partizan R11) and Tel Aviv (@ Maccabi R12).
#14 FC BAYERN MUNICH
Previous ranking: 18 (+4)
Record: 3-7
At home: 1-4
Away: 2-3
Offense-Defense: 73.6-77.6
They had to wait until the November 3 for their first win (vs. Efes 91-78 R6), but it’s better late than… later for Bayern. They have added two more wins since then and they are in a much better shape now, always by comparison, since they remain part of a four-way tie for last place.
#13 VIRTUS SEGAFREDO BOLOGNA
Previous ranking: 13 (-)
Record: 4-6
At home: 2-3
Away: 2-3
Attack-Defense: 75.1-77
The recent double-game week was not kind to Virtus Bologna, which suffered two narrow defeats, first by Panathinaikos (88-85 OT R9) and then by Efes (85-80 R10). Perhaps things would have been different if Toko Shengelia had returned to action. They have a 1-5 record in the last six games, letting their opponents score 80+ points.
#12 PARTIZAN MOZZART BET BELGRADE
Previous ranking: 12 (-)
Record: 4-6
Home: 3-1
Away: 1-5
Offense-Defense: 84.2-86.9
Just when Partizan was starting to find their way, they lost their path again with three defeats in the last four games. And if in some of those contests, they performed much less than what the fifth-best offense would suggest, in theory, in others they were just playing the worst defense in the league. Vladimir Brodzianski (28 years old, PF/C) has also been added to the roster.