By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The third edition of our annual rankings of the European basketball domestic league almost included a surprise. For the first time in recent years Spain was in danger of losing the top, however the main contender, Turkey, will need more consistency in order to get the first place from ACB.
Taking into account a number of factors which are not only court related (competitiveness, margins of surprises, budgets, rosters’ quality, promotion, marketing, growth prospects, facilities) Eurohoops is ranking the top ten of European leagues. Once again there’s no new entry, since the Ukrainian league took a step back because of the political situation in the region, Belgium needs more than Oostende and Poland despite getting a team in Eurooleague’s regular season, still can’t crack the top ten.
Here you can see the 2013 and 2012 ranking.
TOTAL RANKING
1. Spain – Liga Endesa (-)
2. Turkey – TBL (+1)
3. VTB United league (+1)
4. Germany – BBL (-2)
5. France – ProA (-)
6. Italy – Legabasket (-1)
7. Adriatic league – ABA (+1)
8. Greece – ESAKE (-1)
9. Lithuania – LKL (-)
10. Israel – Winner’s league (-)
Liga Endesa
The Spanish league was in danger this summer of playing the upcoming season with one team missing, because of the situation in Bilbao. This decision changed, but still it’s obvious that money is an issue for many teams. That’s why the duo of the richest clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, is dominating the league in recent seasons, having met in the finals for three consecutive years. Still you can’t find yet in Europe a better mix of clubs, fans, arenas and marketing that the one Spaniards provide.
TBL
Basketball in Turkey is booming, even the newcomers in TBL have money to spend and the presence of legendary coaches Obradovic and Ivkovic brings much needed prestige. Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahce/ Ulker have signed top talent, Galatasaray is also a contender and there’s a great interest for the sport from the general public. Turkey is the league which can arguably go head to head with the Spaniards on the court, but still doesn’t have the tradition and the infrastructure of ACB. And hopefully this year there will be a Game 7 in the finals, if needed…
VTB United league
This is probably the richest league in Europe, has three Euroleague teams, two title contenders in Eurocup and some of the biggest stars of Europe play on its courts. So why it’s still in number 3 of the standings? There are two problems. VTB lost this summer not only the Ukrainian, but also the Lithuanian teams, however even without Zalgiris Kaunas and Lietuvos Rytas, the star power of the league is impressive. Still there’s one even bigger issue, which hurts not only the image, but also the financial aspect of the league. The fans’ interest for VTB is not what someone would expect – and that’s a really polite way to put it – and that probably won’t change any time soon. Check the presentation of the new season and see for yourself.
BBL
Germany made important progress during the last few seasons, has a solid league with solid clubs. Bayern Munich is the locomotive which push every one else to progress and sparks the general interest. However, there’s a serious lack of big name players and star power in the league. Bayern losing Malcolm Delaney, the first player who emerged as a Euroleague star from the German league is a proof for that. That doesn’t make BBL a bad league. On the contrary Bayern, Alba and Brose Baskets are a joy to watch, but can’t compete head to head in talent and prestige with the top clubs of Spain, Turkey and VTB.
ProA
There’s also a serious lack of star power in France with veteran David Andersen being probably the biggest name competing this season in the league. Having said that, ProA still is the most competitive league in Europe, the most hard to predict and a league in which upsets are the rule. The interest of the general public for basketball is bigger than ever, thanks to the national team’s success and the upcoming Eurobasket. Also ProA is the only league in Europe which starts the season by announcing the exact budgets of its teams and at least for Eurohoops that’s a very big plus.
Legabasket
The Italian league suffered a huge blow because of Siena’s scandal, but EA7 Milano was a powerhouse ready to emerge and did just that, having a core that includes probably the best Italian players who are not competing in the NBA and signing Linas Kleiza. Behind Milano there’s a group of solid teams, like Sassari, Brindisi, Roma, Varese and Cantu, which are a great “supporting cast” for any league. You can argue that there’s no progress from this league in recent seasons, which is a shadow of the Italian league of the 1980’s and 1990’s, and you would be right. However, they are still offering a solid product.
ABA
The decision of ABA to use a four teams play offs format is a sign of – slight – progress, however with few exceptions ABA Liga is widely considered the best “farm league” in Europe for the NBA and the top teams of the old continent. And despite all this talent, money and arenas are always an issue. Last season’s champion Cibona decided not to play in Euroleague, due to financial reasons, Partizan is rebuilding and the duo of Cedevita and Crvena Zvezda is trying to save the prestige of the league in Euroleague. If you are a scout, ABA is the league to watch, but if you are a fan…
ESAKE
The duo of Panathinaikos and Olympiacos simply belongs to an other world compared to the rest of the league. Unreal as it may sound, only three Greek teams are playing this year in European competitions, with PAOK being the only Greek participant in Eurocup. Add the rumors about the main sponsor of the league, the state’s lottery company, reducing this year’s deal to half compared to the money given last year, Panionios’ gate and you have a dead end. The only really good news during the summer was the decision of legend Nick Galis to help with his presence Aris BC, but until now this move looks more like a publicity stand than anything else and the fans of the club are not supporting the move with actions.
LKL
A new format, a new website and a reboot of the league are not enough for Lithuania. Zalgiris is still recovering from the “Mad Vlad” Romanov era and has to deal with financial issues, the eleven teams format is unusual, Lietuvos Rytas seems settle for mediocrity and Neptunas has to rise up to the challenge of Euroleague. The love of the country for basketball is the saving grace for many things, but in order for a league to be successful and gain the interest of the rest of Europe, much more needs to be done.
Winner’s league
You may argue that the Israeli league having the Euroleague champion in Maccabi Tel Aviv and finally a true rival in Hapoel Jerusalem should be higher in this list, but appearances may be misleading. The team which made true progress during the summer was Hapoel, while Maccabi lost many key players from the championship team. Also it’s not a secret, that the general level of play is mediocre at best, because of the low level of local talent. The fact that Maccabi will not have a walk in the park is some kind of progress, but that doesn’t create a league.