By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The year 2015 ends and 2016 is going to be a pivotal chapter in the history of European basketball. Things are changing and the seeds for this change were planted during the last 12 months.
There are many ways to review a year, specially when death claimed so many basketball figures. However, there were five key moments which for various reasons can be considered unique. Five of them stand out without giving much thought, without any hesitation and they are probably what will be remembered from 2015, transcending countries, clubs, likes or dislikes.
1.Gasol and Spain dominating Eurobasket 2015
For the first time in recent years Spain was not the favorite to win gold in a Eurobasket. That title belonged to host country France. In the end, however we were all witnesses of Pau Gasol’s greatness. The veteran star put the team on his shoulders and in a record breaking tournament in every aspect, he stole the show.
It wad the third European gold for Spain, Gasol entered the conversation for the best ever in European basketball history and he will have the chance to fight for an Olympic medal in the upcoming games of Rio. It will be the best possible finish for the leader of the “Golden” Spanigh generation that dominated Europe and the world basketball scene for a decade.
2.The Golden State Warriors show
A rookie coach, a star in the making and an unexpected NBA title. The story of the Golden State Warriors, the high energy style of basketball they are preaching, their shooting ability and Steph Curry are bordeline Hollywood material.
While coach Popovich and others are calling their game plan a “circus” the Warriors are on a class of their own at least during 2015, breaking record after record and changing on the way the importance of three points shooting in the game. So what’s their European connection? NBA champion Ognen Kuzmic is a member of Euroleague contender Panathinaikos and there’s an even more interesting detail. When he was not yet a super star, Steph Curry was offered to Olympiacos in order to play in Europe during the 2011 NBA lock out. That’s an interesting “what if” don’t you think?
3. One less than 10 for Real Madrid
Real Madrid is back on its Euroleague throne, having won the “triple crown” for the first time in 41 years, or if you prefer the “poker” as the Spanish called it by including the Spanish Supercopa. Arguably there’s no bigger basketball and football (soccer for you on the other side of the Atlantic) club in Europe and 20 years since the last Euroleague triumph of 1995 were a lot.
Madrid needed this kind of year, after the heartbreaking Final Four defeats by Olympiacos in 2013 and Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014. Players like Rudy, Sergio Rodriguez, Felipe Reyes, Sergio Llull and Jaycee Carroll can now demonstrate their titles and the only question at this point is if there are more to come.
4. The new Euroleague
The new Euroleague era has started, even if 2016 will be the year of the new competition. It’s a bold move which will be judged after the end of a decade however at this point there are two facts that can’t be denied.
All the big clubs in Europe which are the backbone of Euroleague are supporting the new project and never before an investement of 630 million euros quaranteed was made for the sport in the old continent. There are flaws in this project, many clubs are left out, however it’s a start that had to be made. Why you ask? Just remember what Obradovic said about European basketball and the NBA.
5. End of an era
Great minds think alike. Dimitris Diamantidis and Kobe Bryant decided that this is their last basketball season. While Kobe is a global icon, Diamantidis is the last great leader of the Panathinaikos dinasty and without him on the court, the Greens are going to be a very different team.
Diamantidis will retire as the all time leader in assists and steals and also second in games played in the competition. Not bad for a guy who was ignored by all the junior Greek national teams, signed with Panathinaikos in 2004 when he was already 24 years old and his career exploded after that.