By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
They were in the headlines during the summer, but in the winter and the spring their names were connected with bad games and regrets. Usually from both sides. Eurohoops picked ten players who cost a lot to their teams, played too bad in the biggest part of the season and mostly in the crucial games. In our list there are also two players of CSKA and one of Barcelona who will try to change their image in the Final Four. After 29 games, it’s hard to do it. But as you know: “The last picture is that everyone remembers”…
Semih Erden (Efes Anadolu)
He’s the absolute example of the worst deal in the European basketball. And it happened twice. Two years ago when he returned from the NBA and last summer when Efes didn’t cut his contract. Semih Erden is only 28 years old but plays like he’s 38! He didn’t show any willingness, any passion in his actions, any effort to play defense. His numbers are poor but his image when he was playing, was worse. After all he’s out of roster long before the end of the season because coach Angelou decided that it’s better to go on without him. Even if his Turkish passport could help a lot the team in the domestic league…
Linas Kleiza (Fenerbahce)
He came back from the NBA as the scoring machine who will lead the team in the crucial moments. In his previous (and only) season in Euroleague with Olympiacos he got the Alphonso Ford award as the top scorer of the competition. But that happened before his serious injuries and when he had Teodosic and Papaloukas (two of the best passers in the European history) as teammates. His role in Fenerbahce wasn’t the same, Obradovic didn’t use him as Kleiza himself would like and he finished his Euroleague season with 10.1 points per game. He was absent from most of the big games and in the last five matches of the Top 16 he scored 31 points in total…
Jeremy Pargo (CSKA Moscow)
During the summer he was: the NBAer, the guard who led Maccabi to the Final Four three years ago, the pure scorer and the leader point guard who would play alongside Teodosic. After few months under Messina, Jeremy Pargo understood that he couldn’t transform himself to a team player who would play defense and don’t look first of all for one on one scoring situations. On the same time the Italian coach decided to go on with Teodosic and/or only Jackson (when Teodosic was injured) in the point guard position. It’s hard for Pargo to change his image in the Final Four. After 26 games in the Euroleague he scored double digits only five times…
Mirza Begic (Olympiacos)
Olympiacos signed him hoping that Begic would be the ideal complementation piece of Dunston and Simmons as the only 7footer in the roster. The ex-player of Real Madrid was injured in the start of the season, followed the rhythm of his teammates later, but eventually Bartzokas never trusted him. The Reds’ coach admitted later during the season that he asked Shermadini to stay but due to negotiations issues, he chose finally the Slovenian center. After that, Shermadini during the season came back and Begic was out of the team. Eventually, Begic played only in 12 of the 29 Euroleague games and only in four of them more than 10 minutes. His confidence was damaged and after a while it was obvious that there was no reason for him to try.
Zoran Planinic (Efes Anadolu)
After his great season with Khimki he was considered as one of the best point guards in the market. Efes signed him but after some months the Turks understood that the Croatian guard has the same (or even worse) attitude that he had until last summer. He’s by far the worst player in +- stats. Actually when he’s on the court, Efes loses by 22 points in 100 possessions, more than any player whose team qualified in the Top 16. His best games in the Euroleague were in the second round of Top 16, when Efes was already eliminated.
Maciej Lampe (Barcelona)
You can’t spent too much money to buy out and pay the contract of your third center. Barcelona paid 1.5 million euros to Baskonia for the Polish center and 1 million to him but after the start of the season most of the times he was sidelined. Maciej Lampe is less talented in the offense than Tomic and he is less athletic than Dorsey, but he could have a bigger role in Pascual’s plans. After an average regular season, Lampe played in the Top16 and the playoffs 8 games and scored 18 points in total. The only gain of Barcelona with that signing was that a big rival in Liga Endesa lost its starter center.
Luka Zoric (Fenerbahce)
After two very good seasons with Unicaja his name was maybe the hottest among the available centers in the market. Fenerbahce decided to buy him out and paid him a very good salary to build on him the front line. Which was the result? The excellent pick ‘n roll Croatian didn’t score a lot because usually his teammates didn’t feed him consistently. Also he couldn’t hide his lack of defensive skills and as a result in most of the games he didn’t make a difference.
Nenad Krstic (CSKA Moscow)
The best center in Europe during the last two years and permanent member of the First Euroleague team had a very poor regular season, a very good period in the start of 2014, when he was the January MVP, and very poor playoffs. Messina was disappointed with Krstic since last Final Four when (according to rumours) threatened him with the notion of cutting of his contract. The Italian coach understood that the new trent in European basketball are undersized centers, like Kyle Hines and diminished the role of Krstic. The Serbian center is too heavy to face them and usually has problems in defense.
Marcus Williams (Lokomotiv Kuban)
Until his stay in Malaga he was the typical player who changes teams every year. The breakout season for Marcus Williams gave him the chance to sign a big contract with an ambitious team. Evgeny Pashutin built Lokomotiv Kuban in a way that the three American players would be the cornerstones of the team. Hendrix and Brown made it but Williams had many ups and downs and after some months he had a fight with his coach. His role in the team became less important; he lost confidence and Kalnietis felt alone for some period…
Roko Leni Ukic (Panathinaikos)
His first season with Panathinaikos was average but he shined in the cup’s final and the league’s finals against Olympiacos, so he stayed for a second season in row. Roko Leni Ukic came back injured from Eurobasket, his treatment had problems and eventually during the season he used to follow his own practicing schedule. Panathinaikos counted on him but he couldn’t help for many games in row. So, Diamantidis was almost alone in the point guard position in the age of 34. Ukic didn’t have the explosion he used to have in the past and couldn’t penetrate easily in the paint. He scored in double digits only six times during the six months of the season. Once a month is too little for Roko and Panathinaikos…