By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Liga Endesa starts in some hours and Eurohoops presents the teams which are going to have a dominant role in the league. As expected the duo of Barcelona and Real Madrid is really strong for one more season, while Valencia remains a “threat” for both.
Laboral Kutxa and Unicaja Malaga, which complete the five Spanish Euroleague teams, aim at least to the semis, while Zaragoza and Herbalife Gran Canaria are looking for the step further than just participating in playoffs. Finally, Seville wants to get into the top eight in the league.
The battle of the title and the question mark
Barcelona: The Catalans, although they won the championship, changed more or less half their team, in some cases not by their choise. Of course any other result than the “repeat” will be a failure. Juan Carlos Navarro remains the super star of Barcelona, while the key to a successful season will be not its undoubtedly strong front line but the performance of the guards in the crucial games of the season.
Real Madrid: Real is once again the favorite to win the title. This season the pressure is even bigger for Pablo Lasso and one more season without a major title (Euroleague or championship) for a team with this roster will be a huge failure. However the big failure of last season will probably make the character of the team even stronger. Rudy Fernandez is the superstar of the team, while Rodriguez and Llull remain the guys for the crucial decisions in what’s probably the deepest roster in Europe.
Valencia: Valencia belongs to the teams which will compete for the title, although it is a big question mark whether they can get to the finals. Velimir Perasovic’s team returned to the Euroleague and it’s time to prove that it can be competitive in two really tough leagues. Valencia lost the MVP of the league, Justin Doellman and a key player, Oliver Lafayette, so there’s a question mark about their replacements. Probably the team will be for one more season very competitive, because it kept the most of its core, its chemistry and the clear roles on the court.
Ready for the next step
Unicaja Malaga: The Andalusians invest in the same philosophy and as a result they decided to extended Joan Plaza’s contract. The solidification of the team’s identity is a target for this season in order to continue what it started last year. The key for a successful season is going to be the way the team will cope with missing Zoran Dragic and Nik Caner-Medley, two key players before the summer.
Laboral Kutxa: With a new coach, Marco Crespi, and seven new players in its roster Baskonia will be different from last season. Laboral’s target can’t be something less than the semis, but Barcelona and Real Madrid are much better and it’s really difficult to beat them in a series. The chemistry of the team, the identity on the court and the clear roles are a key issue for the Italian coach, whose adaption in his new environment is also an interesting point .
Gran Canaria: Herbalife Gran Canaria have demonstrated a remarkable stability last season in ACB and it’s one of the best teams of the league. Every year it becomes better at all levels (on the court, moving to a new stadium with 11.500 seats) and the question is whether they can reach even bigger heights in such a difficult and competitive league as Liga Endesa. Gran Canaria’s new coach, Aíto García Reneses, may be a step in that direction.
Zaragoza: Zaragoza’s target is to play again in playoffs and then without pressure to try for a step forward. There’s stability in the team during the last seasons and that produces a very competitive unit against any opponent. They can also go deeper in Eurocup this year, after their first experience last season. Australian Chris Goulding debuts in Europe and he is going to be a key player for Zaragoza.
Seville: With its sights once more to the playoffs. Seville is a group of many young and talented players under the guidance of an American coach, Scott Roth, in his first season in Europe. The most experienced players of its roster like Berni Rodriguez and Jacob Pullen are going to be the keys of a successful season. We wait with great interest to see how competitive Seville will be, also in Eurocup.