By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
With CSKA Moscow and Real Madrid sharing the top of the standings as the only perfect teams, nothing can be taken for granted for anyone else.
As you can see in this week’s results very few things ended up as expected and that brings us to our MVP who comes from Bavaria.
MVP
When the number 2 pick of the 2011 NBA draft signed with Bayern Munich at the start of the preseason, nobody knew what to expect. He gave the answer with 22 points and 8/12 FG in the big win against Baskonia, a team that aims for the Final Four. By the numbers, he is not the best player of this week’s action, but the statement he made changed the perception that everyone had for Bayern.
BEST FIVE
- Rodrigue Beaubois : He led Anadolu Efes to the win over Fenerbahce with 17 points and 4 assists. His place in the best five was locked.
- Mike James : He did everything he could in order for Milan to beat Khimki. That translated to 25 points (7/17 FG 9/11 FT) and 8 assists.
- Derrick Williams : His presence makes Bayern a different team.
- Brandon Davies : He was decisive with 18 points, four rebounds and one block in the first road win of Zalgiris Kaunas against Panathinaikos.
- Walter Tavares : He had a full stat line in an easy game for Real Madrid, but 10 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks simply can’t be overlooked.
Coach of the week: Ergin Ataman
This is a repeat. Ataman was picked last week because Efes got a big road win against Khimki and he had to be rewarded, even if he was heavily criticized in Turkey for the way he managed the last quarter of the game. This week, he beat Zeljko Obradovic and Efes has a great start in the season with a 3-1 record.
Last word: Khimki Moscow’s last-minute woes
For the second week, Khimki lost a game in the last shot and remains on the bottom of the standings without a win. It goes without saying that the Russians are a much better team than their record indicates, but they already have to cover valuable lost ground.