Βy Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops presents the top ten of Euroleague summer free agents signings. Here are the ten moves which will have a huge effect in the upcoming season with CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce/ Ulker being the most dominant teams in the market.
Ηe decided to return to Europe, very few teams were able to afford him and he ended up in Moscow. Will he be the missing piece for CSKA in order to win the Euroleague? He is in his prime and he can be a difference maker in Europe.
After the final four, he was considered a possible scapegoat and Fenerbahce/ Ulker was waiting for him. However CSKA decided to keep him and also gave him a raise! Nobody understood exactly why, until the FIBA World Cup came and Milos once again proved that he is the best European point guard of his generation.
The top scorer of last season’s Euroleague became too expensive for EA7 Milano, which decided to let him go. That didn’t stop him from getting back to Euroleague, even via the qualifying round as a member of Unics Kazan. He proved that he is instant offense and the question is how far he can go this time, after reaching the play offs last year.
The MVP of Eurocup’s regular season is also a natural scorer and his duel with Langford for the top scorer title will be more than exciting. Under the system of Obradovic in Fenerbahce he can be a star in his second year in Europe, with a huge fan base supporting him and the final four being on his sights.
5. Dario Saric
The biggest all around talent in Europe will play under Dusan Ivkovic. Just imagine the potentials. Saric is already part of Sixers‘ plans, but he will have the chance to polish his skills with a coach who is the best in transforming talents into real players. Arguably Saric is already polished enough, but in Efes he will be present for the first time in the biggest stage.
His future may be the NBA, but before that he has many things to achieve in Europe. The rising star of last year’s Euroleague left Partizan also for Fenerbahce/ Ulker and he is expected to thrive under Obradovic. Yes, this is expected to be the year that Turkish teams finally return to the final four and Bogdan is expected to have a major contribution in that.
The veteran Argentinian forward can be the key addition to the already more than complete roster of Real Madrid. He is replacing Nikola Mirotic and he is bringing on the table the only thing that Mirotic was lucking. The vast experience of Nocioni who is a proven winner, specially with the Argentinian national team, can make the difference this season for Real in crucial moments.
He is part of the modern undersized center movement, which has become a trend in Euroleague. He will be playing in Anadolu Efes for Dusan Ivkovic, who created the trend by winning the title with Kyle Hines and Joey Dorsey at five. So we expect great things from him and from his team.
9. Jeremy Pargo
After a failed season in CSKA Moscow, he returned to the promise land and he is by far the best player on the roster of defending champions Maccabi Tel Aviv. Will he lead the Israelis at least in the final four once more? There’s a big challenge ahead of him, but in his previous season in Tel Aviv he was sizzling.
10. Justin Doellman
Real Madrid was following him for a long time, considering him the ideal replacement of Mirotic. He ended up in Barcelona and after being the MVP of Eurocup’s final, he will have the chance to compete for the Euroleague crown. Even if he doesn’t have a season like the one he did with Valencia, he can be a key contributor in a powerhouse.
Honorable mentions: Gustavo Ayon (Real Madrid), Ricky Hickman (Fenerbahce/ Ulker), Linas Kleiza (EA7 Milano), Nenad Krstic (Anadolu Efes), Jan Vesely (Fenerbahce/ Ulker), Tornike Shengelia (Laboral Kutxa), Stratos Perperoglou (Anadolu Efes), Tibor Pleiss (Barcelona)