By Vaggelis Patas/ info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi are one of those teams that have one of the longest traditions in European basketball. In the “people’s team” they’re trying to forget about last season, which was the worst in their recent history since they were left out of the Top 16 for the first time, went on in the Eurocup but were disappointing there too.
On top of that, they didn’t manage to win the championship in Israel, and weren’t even able to get in the final! The 2014 European champions spent a lot of money in the summer in order to build a worthy roster that will give them back their glamor in Europe.
Signings
Maccabi made some big signings, acquiring players who have experience in the Euroleague and who can play a leading part. A quick look at their roster and one can see names like Goudelock, Weems, Zirbes, Iverson, and Rudd. They got especially unlucky with Quincy Miller, who was the player-revelation last year but who is going to miss the entire season as he suffered a knee injury while playing basketball with his friends in the summer.
Coach
Erez Edelstein faces the difficult task of returning Maccabi Tel Aviv into the elite of the Euroleague. The 55-year-old coach, who has passed through Olympiacos as Pini Gershon’s assistant, has extensive experience and since 2014 he has also been on the bench of the Israeli national team.
They will be satisfied if…
… they get back into the Final Four of the Euroleague. For a team like Maccabi Tel Aviv, the goal is of course to win the trophy and that’s what they’re going to try to do. But after a terrible season like last year’s, even the return to the top four will be a big success.
We are anxiously waiting to see…
… how a team that has assembled many good players – though ones that would like to… have the ball all to themselves – will manage to gel and go a long way in the tournament. Also, there’s still a question mark regarding the aspect of coordinating their game, with Gal Mekel being the big bet, considering that Goudelock thinks first about scoring.