By George Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
Moving from one team to another is commonplace in Spanish basketball, with Barcelona and Baskonia reaching some important deals through the years.
Important names, players with great or less important careers, stars and subs make up a list of athletes who have competed on the courts of the ACB, the EuroLeague but also the NBA.
With Barca missing the EuroLeague postseason for a second straight year and Baskonia advancing, Eurohoops presents the players who left Vitoria and what they have achieved in “Blaugrana”
Roko Leni Ukic
Tau Ceramica (2005/2006): 4.4 points, 1.9 assists, 3.2 PIR
Barcelona: (2006/2007): 5.1 points, 2 assists, 5.2 PIR
Roko Leni Ukic’s course in European basketball, both at a club as well as an international level, is important and includes a number of different teams.
In the early stages of his career he found himself playing for Tau Ceramica (2005/2006) and then Barcelona (2006/2007), with who he wasn’t able to win the championship, but at least he got to celebrate the Copa del Rey.
Under the instructions of Dusko Ivanovic, the Croatian guard didn’t manage to stand out through his performances since, in 23 games in the EuroLeague, he averaged 5.1 points and 2 assists. Barcelona didn’t make the Final Four after being knocked out by Malaga in the playoffs, while back home they saw Real Madrid winning the domestic league in 3-1 wins in the finals.
Ukic and Barca parted ways after just one season. Of course, we shouldn’t forget that the player was just 22 years old at the time.
Conclusion: Barcelona’s management was not vindicated by its choice
Pete Mickeal
Tau Ceramica (2007-2009): 9.4 points, 5 rebounds, 10.9 PIR
Barcelona (2009/2013): 11.6 points, 4.3 assists, 12.3 PIR
An excellent player and an excellent character, Pete Mickeal played in Baskonia and Barcelona, putting up amazing performances with both clubs and celebrating several titles.
More specifically, he was an important part of the Basque team that won the championship (2008) but also the Copa del Rey (2009), before signing with the Catalans. There, he improved his performance levels even further and under the instructions of Xavi Pascual he celebrated two championships (2011, 2012) and three Cups (2010, 2011, 2013).
However, the moment that stands out is winning the EuroLeague (2010) in the final against Olympiacos. In that Final Four, Mickeal was one of the big protagonists with 11 points and 5.5 rebounds!
Conclusion: Barcelona’s management was absolutely vindicated by its choice
Marcelinho Huertas
Baskonia (2009-2011): 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 11.6 PIR
Barcelona (2011-2015): 8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 9.3 PIR
Marcelinho Huertas has linked his name with both Baskonia as well as Barcelona since he was there for important home wins for both teams.
In the summer of 2009, he was transferred from the Italian Bologna to Baskonia’s club, where he celebrated the 2010 championship, being one of their best players. His very good performances convinced Barcelona’s people to make him theirs, with the collaboration between the two starting in 2011 and ending in 2015.
In this time, the Brazilian, under the instructions of Xavi Pascual, played very good basketball and won the Spanish championship two times (2012, 2014) and the Copa del Rey once (2013).
In the EuroLeague, however, things didn’t go as well. In Huertas’s four seasons at Barcelona, the club reached three Final Fours but didn’t advance to the final, suffering painful knockouts at the hands of Olympiacos (2012) and Real Madrid (2013, 2014). He returned to Baskonia and he is ready for the playoffs.
Conclusion: Barcelona’s management can feel partly vindicated