By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Almost two months after the heist of the EuroLeague trophy, five more arrests were made and in four cases those apprehended were more than well known to the authorities. Still, in what has become the standard procedure, no charges were made against anyone.
It’s obvious that the plot thickens and a criminal mastermind must be behind all this. Can it be someone hiding on plain sight, like it happened last year? Only time will tell. For the moment, we can only recount the records of those arrested and who are already walking free again.
Dmitry Kulagin: One more member of the fearsome CSKA Moscow gang who, until now, was virtually an unknown to the police. That all changed in Milan, where he did a little bit of everything. His 14 points, 2 assists, 1 steal may not seem like that much, but considering the strange absence of well-known perpetrators like Milos Teodosic and Nando De Colo in the showdown against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, his dastardly deeds were more than enough to ensure the victory returned to the Russian capital.
Nicolo Melli: He was considered just a thug with a previous arrest on his record, dating back to November 2015. For the second time, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv was his victim. The fact that this time he had the audacity to operate in Israel and not on his home base, the German town of Bamberg, prove that he is not a lower-ranked member of the criminal underworld any more. Just look at the numbers: career highs of 27 points, 14 rebounds and a 40 performance index rating. Those are not the works of a brute, but of a refined criminal.
Ekpe Udoh: The butcher of Istanbul struck again. The authorities are consistently on his tail, still there’s no way for him to be stopped. In a vicious crime, which has not been registered since 2001 and the days of the notorious Dino Radja, Udoh had 15 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks, as Fenerbahce Istanbul walked over Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. He is always unarmed but this does not make him any less dangerous.
Luka Doncic: The juvenile criminal who was arrested two months ago was again behind bars this week. Once again his 17 years of age proved to be an issue for the authorities, but if he keeps the same attitude, things are going to change. You can’t go soft on a kid who had 17 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals and crippled Zalgiris Kaunas with well-timed shots just when they hurt the most. That’s what the leader of Real Madrid gang would do…
Jayson Granger: Did you miss the playboy from Uruguay? He was back to his old tricks against in Istanbul, seducing beautiful dames off the court and then viciously punishing his opponents. He did it against FC Barcelona Lassa with 16 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists for Anadolu Efes Istanbul. After that, he was calmly waiting to be arrested, probably knowing that he was not in any real danger.