By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The latest EuroLeague Experts Round Table edition focuses on the best moments in 2019 and expectations for 2020.
The panel consists of Ermal Kuqo, long-time EuroLeague player and recent Final Four Ambassador; Piti Hurtado, professional basketball coach and current EuroLeague analyst on DAZN; Vladimir Stankovic, veteran journalist and longtime EuroLeague.net collaborator; Drazen Kanazir, Editor, Eurohoops Germany; and Andy West, EuroLeague.net contributor, and EuroLeague.TV commentator. Check out their opinions on three key questions!
What will be your lasting memory of the EuroLeague in 2019?
Ermal Kuqo
“Seeing Efes go to the Final Four I must say was a special moment for me. After having tried for years while playing for the club it kinda stings that I wasn’t able to succeed, but seeing the team carry on the mission and finally make it to the Promised Land felt special. Efes has a special place in Turkish basketball history and its success and wellbeing carry a vital mission for the future of the sport in the country. Making it to the Final Four has renewed the club’s thirst and motivation for further success and this is great news for Turkish basketball in general.”
Piti Hurtado
“My lasting memory is a EuroLeague that reaches 2020 with a three-way tie for first place, in which no one can say who is the top candidate, with several teams that took a step forward in terms of depth, budget and quality to make the upcoming playoffs the most competitive in history. If the 2018-19 EuroLeague was fantastic, the 2019-20 EuroLeague is even stronger with more top-class players. Each round is an exciting battle. And remembering Shane Larkin and his 49 points and 10 three-point shots made against Bayern Munich.”
Vladimir Stankovic
“As always, the best of the season is the Final Four. It is the culmination of the competition with lots of emotions. The Final Four in Vitoria was no exception. The final tournament offered good games and Efes was a nice surprise and I think that CSKA deserved to win its eighth title.”
Drazen Kanazir
“It is not easy to pick one out, because it had so much offer. But I think back to the Final Four in Vitoria-Gasteiz with a smile and especially to the unforgottable clash between Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. Anadolu as we remember took down its rival in an impressive way and thanks in large parts to Shane Larkin. The American guard put on an absolute show as he recorded 30 points and was only the second player, after Nando De Colo in 2016, to hit that mark in a semifinal since 2010. Larkin finished his offensive clinic with a historic PIR of 43. It was the highest performance index rating at the event in recorded history.”
Andy West
“The outpouring of raw emotion among CSKA Moscow players and staff as they celebrated winning the championship game on the court at the Fernando Buesa Arena in May. It was moving to see just how much the title meant to that group of people, who had worked so hard over many months to achieve their goal. It’s easy to take the abilities of elite players for granted, but we shouldn’t forget just how much sacrifice and dedication is required to create greatness. The mixture of joy, excitement and pure relief in CSKA’s celebrations in Vitoria-Gasteiz were a powerful reminder of that.”
What is your basketball wish for 2020?
Ermal Kuqo
“The biggest wish is obviously for the game to grow the way it has in the past three-four years. The EuroLeague has done a tremendous job promoting the game, but of equal importance has also done a great job of focusing also on the managerial side of the sport. The coaches and the players are in a better situation after having their unions formed that will protect their rights. On the other hand, fan interaction has never been better and healthier. Now it’s time to take the next step and my biggest wish for 2020 is for European basketball to unite and move forward with the common goal of bringing this beautiful game to levels it has never been before.”
Piti Hurtado
“My wish is that basketball and all its small details on the court keep being important. I wish that big men play a little bit more in the low post, not just small forwards with an advantage. I wish to see more switching defenses and that there are fewer important injuries. I wish for a lot of passion in the stands, always with respect, and that all actors in our competition understand they have their share of responsibility to make the EuroLeague even bigger.”
Vladimir Stankovic
“My wish is that the 2020 Final Four in Cologne stays on the same line of providing excitement, drama and quality games as the previous editions. There’a an extra reason: it will be the 20th EuroLeague season-ending. An adventure that started in 2000 and was a smashing success, the best European competition at club level. Credit goes for everyone that took part in this revolutionary project in European sports. Congratulations.”
Drazen Kanazir
“As we check out from the old one and head into the new year, the biggest wish on my list is very simple. Just a continuation of these great games, as we have seen them in every round played so far and unbelievable individual performances by the extraordinary talented players in this competition. The main event will most certainly feature both. On the road to the 2020 Final Four in Cologne on May 22-24, the intensity will build up week by week, as the current season progresses and the battle for the four most wanted spots is going to be filled with everything you love about the game.”
Andy West
“A close finish to the season. This is a relentlessly competitive league where no victories come easily, and it would be fitting for playoffs places and top four finishes to be decided on the final day. After that, I hope we’ll have some closely contested playoffs series and then, of course, a pair of exciting semifinals and championship game. In fact, it’s coming up to four years since we had overtime in the title decider, so if I can be really specific with my wish, I hope for a 90-90 tie in regulation and then the season-winning shot coming on the buzzer at the end of double-overtime!”
Which team do you think will become the first EuroLeague champion of the new decade?
Ermal Kuqo
“This is a very difficult question to ask after 16 weeks with such a tight race and many teams playing top-notch basketball like Efes and Real Madrid are doing right now. There’s so much basketball left and it would be premature for me to say just one name. I love how good CSKA has been playing with practically a new roster after having lost most of its core in the summer. Barcelona seems stubborn to get back to its glory days and so far has played as a true contender for the throne. Maccabi has raised their level of play tremendously and they are as well in the race. These are the usual suspects that in my opinion right now have equal odds at lifting the trophy in Cologne. It’s just too hard to say one name, I’m sorry.”
Piti Hurtado
“The winner will be that team able to arrive at the playoffs healthy, being able to balance the power of a long roster at the end of the regular season and during the playoffs, keeping a clear mind when it comes to using fewer players in the Final Four. The winner will be that team able to play the best defense against central pick-and-roll, stopping the best scorers and those who generate advantages, limiting their opponents’ scoring options and ball circulation. The winner will be that team with the more intensity to get long rebounds in close games.”
Vladimir Stankovic
“It’s hard to predict. The candidates are more or less the same, maybe except for Fenerbahce, but if they manage to make the playoffs I cannot rule them out. From what I have seen in the first leg, my favorites are the current leaders – Real Madrid, Anadolu Efes and FC Barcelona – plus CSKA.”
Drazen Kanazir
“Since the off-season, it was pretty clear that FC Barcelona is very serious about making it all the way this year and winning its first title since 2010. The signings of Nikola Mirotic, Alex Abrines, Brandon Davies and Cory Higgins gave the squad of Svetislav Pesic a huge boost and present a huge nightmare for the opposing teams in every way possible. Barcelona is on track as they were able to finish 13 games with a victory out of the 16 rounds and rank third in the competition. Nothing is certain, but the present looks good the Spanish powerhouse.”
Andy West
“Maybe I’m a little biased as I live in the city and commentate on all their home games, but I’m going to say Barcelona. The individual quality of summer signings like Nikola Mirotic, Brandon Davies and Cory Higgins is obvious, but it’s been impressive to see how quickly they have jelled together to create a unified team. There seems to be great spirit and camaraderie within the group, and by the end of the season it will be a big plus to get back Kevin Pangos and Thomas Heurtel, who should be physically fresh for the decisive games to give a fresh lift at the most important time.”
Check out the Experts Round Table on euroleague.net!