By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
No coach likes to have to make mid-season roster changes. However, in some cases, those players have made history, as happened in 2012 when Acie Law and Joey Dorsey signed with Olympiacos and then won the EuroLeague trophy in the unforgettable Istanbul championship game against CSKA Moscow.
Players are signed every year after the season starts. Some have an immediate impact.
With several mid-season transfers already completed and the February 7 deadline looming, Eurohoops identifies five players who have already proven to be more than key additions for their teams.
KENDRICK NUNN, PANATHINAIKOS (13.5 PPG, 2.6 APG, 8.9 PIR)
His numbers are not the flashiest of the bunch, however, his presence on the court leaves no doubt. No matter how you judge it, there’s no bigger mid-season addition in the EuroLeague than Nunn, and you can trace the pre-Nunn era of Panathinaikos compared to the post-Nunn era.
Of course, he didn’t do it all by himself, however, he has already emerged as a potential leader on a team that has legitimate Final Four ambitions. It can’t get better than that.
SHABAZZ NAPIER – EA7 EMPORIO ARMANI MILAN (11.2 PPG, 4.5 ASP, 10.7 PIR)
This is a peculiar case and the result was already tested and expected. Napier did the same last year for Milan, signing mid-season and changing the total outlook of the team. He left for Crvena Zvezda, he didn’t fit in, and he returned to Italy because there was a special clause on his contract that permitted him to make this specific jump.
He immediately emerged as Milan’s starting point guard, and the only question remaining is why he didn’t stay in the fashion capital in the first place, even if the financial hit on the club covering his contract can be the easy answer.
DAN OTURU – ANADOLU EFES (10 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 12.8 PIR)
There’s always a question mark when players make the jump to the EuroLeague from other European clubs, but in no time, Oturu has proven to be a factor for Efes, making no less a player than Ante Zizic, who left for Virtus Bologna, expendable.
Oturu has become the anchor of Efes on defense and does his job on the offensive end, too. He has also created an interesting domino effect, as his replacement in Belediyesi Denizli Basket, Moses Wright, has already left for Olympiacos as the newest potential impact signing in the competition.
JUSTIN ANDERSON – VALENCIA BASKET (5.7 PPG, 2 RPG, 4.7 PIR)
He has the lowest PIR among our picks, but after seven games with Valencia, three of them as a starter, Anderson has proved beyond any doubt that he can help the Spanish club in its playoff quest. This is, after all, his first season overseas and he is doing a great job.
His last performance against Baskonia was one more sign that he belongs at this level, and as time goes by he can give even more to a solid unit with big ambitions.
BRUNO CABOCLO – PARTIZAN MOZZART BET BELGRADE (10.9 PPG, 4 RPG, 12.2)
He was one of the earliest additions after the season tipped off, and he has already played in 16 games, starting 13 of them and giving Partizan a much-needed boost in the frontcourt.
For many years, the Brazilian big man was on the verge of signing in the EuroLeague. Partizan took the risk and he has delivered with his athleticism and ability to defend against pretty much anyone in the league.
Notable mentions: More mid-season additions have turned heads, however in most cases either the sample of their games is too small, or their teams have lost ground in the playoffs race. The first category includes Javonte Smart (Crvena Zvezda), Rodney McGruder (Milan), and Filip Petrusev (Olympiacos), who is not a stranger to the EuroLeague but he is still searching for his role in Olympiacos. The second applies to Edmond Sumner, who has numbers comparable to Anderson, but his contribution hasn’t translated to wins.