By Nikos Varlas varlas@eurohoops.net
A full week of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague awaits us and that means 16 clashes over four days! The curtain opens on Tuesday with four games and one of those is the battle between German champion Brose Bamberg (9-17) and Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz (15-11) in Freak City!
The hosts have lost their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs, but always remain a dangerous opponent, which gives 100% in every game. The visitors are coming off a big win over CSKA Moscow and enter the game tied for the fifth-best record in the league together with Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens and Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade.
Baskonia looks ready to give everything it has for a strong finish to the regular season and the best possible spot for the playoffs. On the court, one of the highlights will be the duel between a pair French guards who are key players – mostly on the offensive side – for their respective teams: Fabien Causeur and Rodrigue Beaubois.
Causeur, 29, is in his sixth EuroLeague campaign. He made his first appearance with Cholet Basket and played for four seasons for the team he’ll be facing on Tuesday night before signing with the German champion over the summer. In 25 games so far in the EuroLeague this season, he has been worth 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a performance index rating of 10.8 in an average of 26 minutes on the floor.
Causeur’s trophy case includes a French League crown captured with with Cholet Basket in 2010 and a German Cup from this year with Bamberg. He has also played for the French national team at the 2010 World Championships and the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Causeur is one of the most reliable combo guards in the EuroLeague.
He can score in many ways through his excellent shooting range or drives to the basket. Causeur creates for others at a high level and is very effective in transition situations as well. He’s a dedicated defender in one-on-one situations and often takes it upon himself to stop the rival’s best attacking guard.
Beaubois, 29, is playing in Europe’s premier competition for the second season after debuting last year with Strasbourg. This year for Baskonia, he is averaging 12.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and an index rating of 8.5 over 21 minutes in 23 games. Beaubois began his career with Cholet and later spent four seasons overseas with Dallas in the NBA before returning to Europe, where he has suited up for Charleroi in Belgium and Le Mans and Strasbourg in France. He stepped into Causeur’s shoes at Baskonia this season. Beaubois performs better when he is used as a classic shooting guard. He has speed and an excellent first step, is a very good mid- and long-range shooter, and on nights when he finds his rhythm, he has the ability to torture any defense.
The performances of both Causeur and Beaubois may become decisive factors in terms of the productivity of the two teams as well as the pace of the game, and we’re certainly expecting an exciting game with suspense and possibly a close score until the final minutes and, why not, the very last possessions of the game! Get ready for the Bamberg vs. Baskonia clash and a matchup of star Frenchmen with speed and lots of offensive talent!