By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Mystery still surrounds the circumstances of the recent casino heist in Barcelona. While the EuroLeague trophy is still missing, the police remain alert as all over the old continent there are reports about mischievous wrongdoings from people above suspicion.
If you are in a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague basketball arena, just look closely and you may understand. They may seem like athletes, but looks can be deceiving. That’s why once more five arrests that were made for the recent incident ultimately led to dead ends. The suspects are released, but this is not going to be the last time those five scoundrels will be bothering the authorities.
Ricky Hickman: His tracks seemed lost after 2014 and the big Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv heist in Milan. So what were the chances for what happened this week? In Milan again, now wearing the red of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, he punished his old gang, getting up to his old tricks for 22 points and a 32 performance index rating. You just can’t count him out.
Will Clyburn: A new entry in the most wanted list. He is based on the nefarious city of Istanbul, which has turned up more than a few suspects on this list during the past few years. Last week, he was seen in Belgrade, scoring 19 points and keeping alive Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul against Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. He stole the win from the Serbs and you get the feeling that this is not going to be his last such larceny.
Andrea Bargnani: The “Magician” left Europe at an early age and now he is back with a vengeance for Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz. Nobody doubts his abilities, he proved them right against the fully loaded Anadolu Efes Istanbul gang. He needed just 25 minutes in order to score 26 points and demonstrated that he is going to be a force be reckoned with from day one. Who would have expected a man of his size to be such a gifted sniper after all?
Luka Doncic: He is high school student who was released after claiming police brutality during his arrest. On the court, however, he is nothing like a kid, but rather a jack of all trades. He did it all for Real Madrid against Olympiacos Piraeus, posting in total 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. It’s obvious that he has the audacity of his age and that’s why everyone has an eye on him.
Juan Carlos Navarro: The “Don” of Barcelona had his own ups and downs in recent years. He doesn’t get his hands dirty if he does not have to, but that was not the case in Kazan against Unics. With his gang down, he had to shoot and once again he didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. At the end he registered 13 points, 8 of them in a 13-0 run that decided the outcome. Order in the underworld was restored.
Photo Credit: JPsportart