By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
This week’s panel includes Juan Antonio Casanova, the former long-time EuroLeague writer for La Vanguardia in Spain; Ramunas Siskauskas, two-time EuroLeague champion and Euroleague Basketball Legend; Djordje Matic of Serbian newspaper Novosti; Antonis Stroggylakis, Global Version Editor, Eurohoops.net; and Igor Petrinovic of Euroleague.net. Check out their opinions on three questions about what teams are trending or will be doing so a month from now, going into 2018.
1. Which of the top four teams do you see holding first place one month from now, going into 2018?
Juan Antonio Casanova
CSKA. The team from Moscow has a much more favorable schedule than Olympiacos, the only other team with the same 7-2 record. They will play each other in Piraeus, which is the most difficult game left in 2017 for CSKA. What’s more, in my judgment, that’s the only game left this year that CSKA can lose. But even if that happens, I still see CSKA in first place going into 2018 because Olympiacos has just that and one more game – against very tough Real Madrid – at home. If not CSKA, I would pick Panathinaikos to be first at year’s end.
Ramunas Siskauskas
That’s very difficult question. All of the top four teams – CSKA, Olympiacos, Fenerbahce or Panathinaikos – could be first at the end of 2017. Olympiacos have to play against CSKA, but they play at home, so they have a little bit better chance to win. Of course, that’s only if they don’t lose any points with other teams. There are many options and all of those teams can reach the top, because one bad game can turn everything around! It will be a very interesting period, so let’s see what happens.
Djordje Matic
It’s a very hard question. At the moment CSKA and Olympiacos are on the top with the same number of wins, but they have harder schedules than Fenerbahce and Panathinaikos, including a game between themselves. Fenerbahce also has a hard schedule, but the Istanbul giant during the Obradovic era has shown that it knows how to play several big games in a row. Panathinaikos, on the other hand, will play vs. teams from the middle and bottom of the table, but I think that Fener will be on top going into 2018.
Antonis Stroggylakis
CSKA Moscow and Olympiacos have difficult schedules ahead. Things are slightly less rough for Fenerbahce, while Panathinaikos has already gone through hell and high water with successful results. I’ll pick CSKA simply based on the fact that I expect them to turn the heat up in the following month. While there’s room for improvement in every single of those teams, I believe the ceiling is higher for the Russian squad. They might have been inconsistent in some games, even when they’ve won, but their backcourt chemistry with Sergio Rodriguez and Nando De Colo has just begun clicking and might evolve into a terrifying force soon.
Igor Petrinovic
We will be at the midway point of the season when 2017 turns into 2018. CSKA and Olympiacos are already one game ahead, and even though each coach will tell you there are no easy games in the EuroLeague, I’d argue that CSKA has a more favorable schedule. It also seems to be catching its offensive stride, with Sergio Rodriguez running the show, Nando De Colo doing what Nando De Colo does, and Kyle Hines and Othello Hunter dominating the paint. CSKA and Olympiacos do play each other in Piraeus in a can’t-miss clash in Round 13. Both teams are stashing wins and gaining consistency along the way, but I give a slight edge to CSKA right now in that game, and to be the EuroLeague leader at the end of the calendar year.
2. Which of the middle-ranked teams could climb fastest into the top four?
Juan Antonio Casanova
Real Madrid. To start, I believe that CSKA, Fenerbahce and Panathinaikos will finish 2017 with 11 victories at a minimum, which would only leave one spot free, and Madrid could take if from Olympiacos. But it won’t be easy, even if Madrid has the better schedule, because the Greek team has two more victories right now than the Spanish one, that is hurt by injuries and has won just one of its last five games. After Madrid, the candidates are Maccabi and Khimki. Zalgiris, Brose and Barcelona have very tough tests ahead, and I see them behind Baskonia at the end of December.
Ramunas Siskauskas
Again, all the second-tier teams right now are good ones. If Real Madrid had all its players, I would say that they have the best chance to reach the first four teams, but with several injuries, they are in a difficult situation. Khimki started well, but they have lost some games and dropped down. I think Baskonia shows very good basketball now, so they have a very good chance to climb up. Zalgiris is also playing well, but they need more consistency.
Djordje Matic
Real Madrid. I know that they had and still have big problems with injuries, played without some big names, especially in the paint. But one weekend with no domestic league game will help them to rest some players and is also a good opportunity to fully adapt Walter Tavares to the team’s system.
Antonis Stroggylakis
Things are looking brighter and brighter for Baskonia with each passing day and we might’ve seen just the start. They have been playing some pretty effective, difficult-to-stop basketball since Pedro Martinez arrived. Their psychology is at the top and their momentum is growing. Their schedule is one that might bring them plenty of victories since their ventures away from home (Milan and Efes) aren’t as dangerous as their home games (Fenerbahce and CSKA), where Baskonia traditionally can beat any powerhouse. Furthermore, they recently acquired Kevin Jones so they now have some extra frontline depth to rely upon.
Igor Petrinovic
This coming game against Fenerbahce could do wonders for Baskonia. The team has already won its last three and is now full of confidence to host the reigning champs. That’s in addition to Baskonia having won its last seven home games against Fenerbahce, including a 34-point romp last season. Johannes Voigtmann is playing very well inside, Toko Shengelia and Rodrigue Beaubois have been everywhere, while playmakers Jayson Granger and Marcelinho Huertas are giving the team’s offense a nice flow. If Baskonia keeps this momentum and extends its winning streak to four games this week, it would not surprise me to see Coach Martinez’s team keeps rolling in games against Unicaja, Efes and Milan, and soon jump up to join the league leaders.
3. Which of the bottom 5 teams in the standings has the best chance of rising to challenge for a playoffs spot?
Juan Antonio Casanova
None, yet. I believe the eighth team at the halfway point of the regular season – my guess is Baskonia – will have seven wins, and that’s a figure that none of the five teams at the end of the table right now can reach. Some are not playing well; Valencia and Crvena Zvezda have lost five in a row and Unicaja three. Efes is better than its place would indicate and players four of the next six at home, but two of its visitors are Olympiacos and Khimki, so it won’t be easy to get the five wins it needs to reach seven.
Ramunas Siskauskas
Milan started badly, but now they are playing much better. I think they are able to try to reach the playoffs eventually. Also, Unicaja and Valencia are good teams and can beat any of the others. It is very important for these teams not to lose points, however, especially when playing at home!
Djordje Matic
By the names, Efes has the best team in this group. Also, a lot of its players have the experience of playing in the EuroLeague, and nobody expected their very bad start. But if we look last season, Efes also didn’t start well. In the middle of the season, they hit their stride and at the end regular season they went through to the playoffs, then taking finalist Olympiacos to five games.
Antonis Stroggylakis
Efes still has many problems, particularly an often naive defensive approach in some games, but the quality of the players and Velimir Perasovic‘s coaching skills are definitely not reflected in their 2-7 record. There’s so much potential left untapped in that roster and some fine opportunities for this to be proven on the floor. Efes has a relatively easy schedule since they face only one team (Olympiacos) of the current top four in the next month. They have Olimpia Milan and Brose Bamberg at home and play Crvena Zvezda on the road. We haven’t seen what Efes can truly do and I believe they will pleasantly surprise us in the coming games.
Igor Petrinovic
I think Efes has the best chance to get out of the cellar and get into the midst of the playoffs race. Of course, it has to start winning games, but home tilts against Milan, Baskonia and Brose, as well as the road test against Zvezda, are all good opportunities to do so. This team has had its ups and downs dating back to last season, but Efes has been closer than it appears in most of the games in the first nine rounds, and should profit from added depth that comes with the arrival of Zoran Dragic, and the improved play of rookie Josh Adams at point guard. However, it is the return of team’s best player, Derrick Brown, that should change the complexion of this entire team. I don’t expect Efes to be among the bottom five at the end of the calendar year, but to be a team on the upward move.
Source: EuroLeague Basketball