By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
We rated the 16 teams – 10 being the highest grade – in five different areas that can reveal the capacity of each team at the start of the season.
THE CRITERIA
The quality of the roster: What is evaluated here is the talent of all the players on the roster and their depth in every position.
Chemistry: Big and fancy names do not guarantee a good team. Even though it’s very early and the teams are still trying to create their core, the chemistry that the players have between them is very important, as is the level of familiarity with their coach.
Status: The name and history of a team do not play basketball, but in crucial games sometimes the “weight” of the jersey can determine the outcome.
Transfer moves: In this particular category we evaluate the moves that were made in the transfer market and estimate the weakening or strengthening of a team.
How far they will go: Our assessment regarding the course of each team. The teams that are big favorites to get in the Final Four and win the title are graded with a 9; the teams that aim for a presence in Vitoria and have good chances of making it are graded with an 8; the teams whose big goal is to reach the playoffs, with a 7; the teams that are expected to have a decent run, with a 6; and those that are out of the running for qualification early on are graded with a 5.
The evaluation regarding the course and dynamics of every team has, of course, been developed before any official games have begun and so it is expected to change throughout the season.
#16 BUDUCNOST VOLI PODGORICA
Quality of the roster: 6
Chemistry: 6
Status: 5
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 5
Total: 29
Good things come to those who wait and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica had to wait 15 years. Better late than never, though. They’ve returned to the EuroLeague for the first time since 2003 and they’re planning to enjoy every minute of it. The fact that many important players from last season have stayed on and that there have been few departures (Justin Doellman, Kyle Gibson and Kyle Landry) is expected to help them enjoy it. Renewing Nemanja Gordic stands out among the management’s moves as regards the core, while Aleksandar Dzikic – in his second season with the team – is already working on integrating the newly-acquired players in his plans and the competition’s demands. Edwin Jackson, Alen Omic and Coty Clarke take precedence because of their experience, but this doesn’t mean that Earl Clark and Aaron Craft are inexperienced.
#15 HERBALIFE GRAN CANARIA
Quality of the roster: 6
Chemistry: 6
Status: 5
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 5
Total: 29
There’s a first time for everything and Herbalife Gran Canaria are ready to experience their first time in the EuroLeague. Coming off a historic season domestically, they want to continue in the same vein abroad, too, and break through their low ceiling (compared to the other Spanish teams) once again. Obviously, every beginning is difficult, but Salva Maldonado, in his return to the team’s bench after having been there from 2005 to 2009, would like to believe that he has the necessary material to carry out the mission. The name that stands out from last season’s roster is that of Marcus Eriksson, but there are also the experienced Kim Tillie and DJ Strawberry, while the newly-acquired Clevin Hannah and Christopher Evans promise to do their part, too.
#14 DARUSSAFAKA TEKFEN ISTANBUL
Quality of the roster: 7
Chemistry: 6
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 6
How far they will go: 5
Total: 30
Under different circumstances Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul wouldn’t want to hold on to too much from last season’s absence from the EuroLeague. But winning the 7DAYS EuroCup didn’t just give them a European trophy; it came with a return ticket to the top club competition. Their profile differs considerably from last season’s, mainly due to the departures of David Blatt and Scottie Wilbekin, but the renewal of Michael Eric, combined with the arrival of players like Ray McCallum, Jon Diebler and Jeremy Evans, promise a competitive squad. They’ll be on the court and Ahmet Caki will be on the bench, marking his return to the team after his two-year stint between 2004 and 2006.
#13 FC BAYERN MUNICH
Quality of the roster: 7
Chemistry: 6
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 6
Total: 32
Even though they’ve only been away from the top club competition for two years, those were one year too many for a brand name such as FC Bayern Munich. Dejan Radonjic, in his own return to the EuroLeague, wants to present nothing less than a squad worthy of its name. Jared Cunningham and Reggie Redding won’t be there to help, but from last season, there are Stefan Jovic, Devin Booker and Vladimir Lucic, among others. Staring this one, Petteri Koponen, Nemanja Dangubic, Leon Radosevic and Maodo Lo are on board with their own EuroLeague experience, while Derrick Williams brings a lot of his own and Robin Amaize aims to get some. Milan Macvan was supposed to join them but he was unfortunately injured for the second time this year.
#12 KHIMKI MOSCOW REGION
Quality of the roster: 7
Chemistry: 8
Status: 7
Transfer moves: 7
How far they will go: 7
Total: 36
Last season, Khimki Moscow Region was one of three teams (Real Madrid and Olympiacos Piraeus were the others) that never lost their places in the top eight. Despite that, they weren’t as consistent as they should have been and didn’t go past the playoffs. Now, they’d like to believe that in their third consecutive appearance in the competition they are in the position to correct the mistakes of the recent past and go the extra mile. The EuroLeague’s heavy artillery that goes by the name of Alexey Shved is here to guarantee points on offense, and players like Anthony Gill and Malcolm Thomas return to complement him with whatever else is needed. Their newly acquired compatriots Jordan Mickey, Tony Crocker, Dee Bost and Casey Prather will try to prove that Georgios Bartzokas didn’t make a mistake when he chose them for the roster in his second season with Khimki.
#11 ANADOLU EFES ISTANBUL
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 6
Status: 7
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 7
Total: 36
The fall was steep for Anadolu Efes Istanbul, who went from the playoffs in 2017 to the last place of the regular season in 2018. The changes in the roster were going to be important and this is precisely how the summer unfolded. Errick McCollum, Vladimir Stimac and Sonny Weems are a few of the many names that went through the exit door. On the other hand, there were plenty of names that went through the entrance door. The ones that stand out are Shane Larkin, Rodrigue Beaubois, James Anderson, Adrien Moerman, Vasilije Micic and Tibor Pleiss, who are now tools in the hands of Ergin Ataman. In the second season of his third stint on the team, the coach is called to make these players gel with those that stayed on – among whom, Bryant Dunston, Krunoslav Simon and Brock Motum stand out – to avoid repeating last season’s mishap.
#10 AX ARMANI EXCHANGE OLIMPIA MILAN
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 7
Status: 6
Transfer moves: 9
How far they will go: 7
Total: 37
If the transfer moves played in a league of their own, then the ones AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan made would rank pretty high. The last two seasons, which saw them going from last place to second-to-last, forced them to invest like they haven’t invested in the recent past and acquire players that can make the difference. Mike James and Nemanja Nedovic primarily belong to this category, while the renewals of Dairis Bertans and Kaleb Tarczewski were also important. With Vladimir Micov, Curtis Jerrells, Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Arturas Gudaitis continuing from last season, and Jeff Brooks and Christian Burns having been added to the roster, as well as a score of older and younger Italian players strengthening the whole, the new season looks promising for Simone Pianigiani in his second season there.
#9 KIROLBET BASKONIA VITORIA-GASTEIZ
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 7
Status: 7
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 7
Total: 37
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz counts five appearances in the Final Four: four in the 2005-08 period and one more in 2016. Given that the Final Four will be hosted in Vitoria-Gasteiz this season, there’s no better time for them to make a comeback. How will they do it? First of all, they will continue under the instructions of Pedro Martinez, the coach that reformed them after their poor start last season. Second, they’ll have Tornike Shengelia on the court this season again, a player whom a lot of teams wanted but whom the Spaniards managed to hold on to. They also renewed Matt Janning, while they signed Shavon Shields and Darrun Hilliard, against the departures of Beaubois and Janis Timma, among others. With Jayson Granger, Vincent Poirier and Johannes Voigtmann standing out among those that stayed, the goal is not unattainable.
#8 MACCABI FOX TEL AVIV
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 7
Status: 7
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 7
Total: 37
If there is more than one way for a team to make a mistake, then Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv have almost exhausted them in recent years. Given that everyone learns from their mistakes, it’s time for the team to present an improved image compared to the recent past, one that is consistent with their history. Continuing from last season, Neven Spahija has a better knowledge of the “what” and the “how”, and he’s expecting his players to put it into practice. The arrival of players like Wilbekin, Johnny O’Bryant and Tarik Black against the departures of Norris Cole, Pierre Jackson, Deshaun Thomas and Jonah Bolden, among others, will strengthen the core, in which the names of Jeremy Pargo, Michael Roll and Alex Tyus stand out. The best may be yet to come.
#7 FC BARCELONA LASSA
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 6
Status: 8
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 7
Total: 37
It’s been five years since their last appearance in the Final Four, but right now FC Barcelona Lassa will settle for anything better than the last two seasons, when they remained far from the top eight. Moves like the signings of Chris Singleton, Kevin Pangos and Kyle Kuric, to strengthen the efforts of Thomas Heurtel, Adam Hanga and Ante Tomic, among others, allow them to hope. Svetislav Pesic has hope, too, in the second season of his second stint with the team. All this comes at the start of the post-Juan Carlos Navarro era, as the EuroLeague Legend retired after a career that lasted 21 years, 20 of which he spent in Barcelona.
#6 ZALGIRIS KAUNAS
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 8
Status: 7
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 7
Total: 38
Zalgiris Kaunas was last season’s surprise, starting from the bottom in everyone’s eyes and going all the way to being cheered at the Final Four. Now, Sarunas Jasikevicius and his players are called to prove that they have what is necessary for a similar run this season. It’s a pretty tough task, since rival teams know what to expect, while in the summer the team lost some of the players that played a key role in their third-place ranking, like Kevin Pangos and Axel Toupane. Despite that, they renewed some equally important players, like Brandon Davies and Edgaras Ulanovas, alongside Paulius Jankunas, Arturas Milaknis and Aaron White, among others. The experienced Nate Wolters, the EuroLeague rookie Thomas Walkup, and the returning Leo Westermann responded to the call for reinforcements.
#5 OLYMPIACOS PIRAEUS
Quality of the roster: 7
Chemistry: 8
Status: 8
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 8
Total: 39
Every summer brings along changes for all the teams, and in Olympiacos the biggest change came in the form of a new coach for the first time in four years, as David Blatt replaced Ioannis Sfairopoulos. What hasn’t changed is the goal, which is none other than to return to the top. With their leader, Vassilis Spanoulis, having renewed, as did Kostas Papanikolaou, the ever-present Georgios Printezis and players like Nikola Milutinov, Vangelis Mantzaris and Janis Strelnieks rounding off the core, they have every chance of succeeding. The newly acquired players are hoping to help in this. Some, like Toupane, Timma and Sasha Vezenkov, are more experienced in the competition than others, like Nigel Williams-Goss and Zach Leday.
#4 PANATHINAIKOS OPAP ATHENS
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 8
Status: 8
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 8
Total: 40
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens haven’t made the Final Four since 2012, but they start out each season with one and only one goal in mind: not just to return to the Final Four, but to go all the way, like the six stars on their jersey demand. There were many changes in the roster, with key players like James, Singleton and K.C. Rivers departing, but in came Keith Langford, two-time winner of the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy, as well as Ioannis Papapetrou, Deshaun Thomas, Stephane Lasme and Georgios Papagiannis – the last two returning to the team. All aspire to fill in the gaps alongside those who stayed on, like James Gist. They will be guided on the court by the unstoppable Nick Calathes and from the bench by Xavi Pascual, in his third season with the team.
#3 FENERBAHCE ISTANBUL
Quality of the roster: 8
Chemistry: 9
Status: 9
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 9
Total: 4
With a title win in 2017 and four consecutive appearances in the Final Four, Fenerbahce Istanbul is aiming again for nothing less, something that one could assume just by seeing Zeljko Obradovic on the team’s bench for a sixth season. The changes in the roster were few but important, and every gap has been filled. Brad Wanamaker and James Nunnally are no longer on the team, but Tyler Ennis and Joffrey Lauvergne took the opposite route and so the team’s status remains at the highest level. This wouldn’t be the case without those that stayed, all unique players in their own right, with Kostas Sloukas, Marko Guduric, Luigi Datome, Nicolo Melli, Jan Vesely and Nikola Kalinic making up the core.
#2 CSKA MOSCOW
Quality of the roster: 9
Chemistry: 9
Status: 9
Transfer moves: 8
How far they will go: 9
Total: 44
Faithful to the plan that allows them to star every season – the 15 appearances in 16 Final Fours since 2003 are the proof – CSKA Moscow, without Victor Khryapa now, are once again starting off the season with their eyes on the prize. The departures of players such as Westermann, Vitaly Fridzon and Victor Rudd left behind what is basically the core, and Dimitris Itoudis, in his fifth season on the team, once again has the best to work with. Nando De Colo, Sergio Rodriguez, Kyle Hines, Cory Higgins and Will Clyburn, are the standouts and they’ll have Daniel Hackett – the player with whom they made the difference in the transfer market – to keep them company alongside EuroLeague rookies Alec Peters and Joel Bolomboy. There aren’t many teams-to-beat, but the Russians are still one of them.