As expected, Group A is loaded with recognized Euroleague Basketball powerhouses, but the presence of three newcomers with high ambitions - Dynamo Moscow, Le Mans and RheinEnergie - make this an unpredictable mix of competitive teams as battle flags are being raised for opening week. The incoming favorite, after its back-to-back Final Four trips, has to be Tau Ceramica, back with a pair of All-Euroleague selections, first-teamer Luis Scola and second-teamer Pablo Prigioni, who set Euroleague assist records last season. Olympiacos, of course, has dreams of reaching the Final Four next spring in Athens and a coach, Pini Gershon, who knows the way there. Efes shares the Final Four dream and has re-tooled its roster, adding Top Scorer trophy winner Drew Nicholas, to achieve it. Climamio Bologna boasts one of the best young shooters in the world, Marco Belinelli, and a team leader like no other, Tyus Edney. Prokom Trefl Sopot has been to the Top 16 before, and wants to go at least that far again. Dynamo, the ULEB Cup champion, debuts with strong aspirations under legendary coach Dusan Ivkovic. Le Mans brings a youthful team with a rookie's energy to the task of making joyful noise. And RheinEnergie will use its momentum as German champion to the fullest.

Among established new Tau signees like Fred House, Zoran Planinic and Igor Rakocevic, center Kaya Peker will face his long-time club, Efes Pilsen, in November and January. Peker might face heightened early responsibility, too, as Scola might not open the season healthy and Tiago Splitter has missed games in the Spanish League, as well. If its big men continue to sit out, expect Tau to use its guards to speed up the tempo when possible. Olympiacos has its own injury trouble, of course, as major offseason acquisition Arvydas Macijauskas, a 2004-05 All-Euroleague first team selection, will miss extended time with an Achilles' tendon injury. The Reds found old pro Damir Mulaomerovic to replace him, and should be solid in general with newcomers like Scoonie Penn, Henry Domercant and Ryan Stack, to join the likes of Sofoklis Schortsianitis and Panagiotis Vasilopoulos. Injuries are also a theme with Efes, where forward Antonio Granger's status is uncertain. The new high-scoring backcourt of Drew Nicholas and Horace Jenkins might have to carry Efes early. At Climamio, the leadership of veteran guard Tyus Edney will be crucial, as will the shooting accuracy of Belinelli and former Euroleague winner David Bluthenthal.

Prokom is betting on defense once again, with the additions of guard Justin Hamilton and center Huseyin Besok, who playes against two of his former teams in this group, Efes and Le Mans, the latter of which he helped to win both the French League and French Cup titles last season. The key for Prokom, however, might be the shooters added on the perimeter, Donatas Slanina and Jasmin Hukic. Dynamo is no ordinary newcomer, with Ivkovic at the head of a bench that runs deep as any. Establishing enough support inside for big man Lazaros Papadopoulos might be the only question mark for this team headed into the season. With a wealth of talent and togetherness but almost no Euroleague experience on its roster, Le Mans is something of a wild card in its debut season. Young point guards Yannick Bokolo and Pape Philippe Amagou will be bear a lot of responsibility quickly. RheinEnergie faces the primary challenge of attracting fans to a neighboring city, Dusseldorf, but this team will never lack for motivation under spirited head coach Sasa Obradovic. Point guard Demond Mallet will be counted on to make RheinEnergie get out of the gate strong.

If injuries do not affect the favorites too much, the real battles in this group will come in the middle, with as many as five teams likely to contend for three sure places in the Top 16. Travel might influence these teams a little, as the Dynamo, RheinEnergie and Prokom make this one of the northernmost groups in recent memory. If snowstorms are added to the battles already expected in this group, expect the road to the Top 16 to be even longer and more difficult.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Euroleague.net












As expected, Group A is loaded with recognized Euroleague Basketball powerhouses, but the presence of three newcomers with high ambitions - Dynamo Moscow, Le Mans and RheinEnergie - make this an unpredictable mix of competitive teams as battle flags are being raised for opening week. The incoming favorite, after its back-to-back Final Four trips, has to be Tau Ceramica, back with a pair of All-Euroleague selections, first-teamer Luis Scola and second-teamer Pablo Prigioni, who set Euroleague assist records last season. Olympiacos, of course, has dreams of reaching the Final Four next spring in Athens and a coach, Pini Gershon, who knows the way there. Efes shares the Final Four dream and has re-tooled its roster, adding Top Scorer trophy winner Drew Nicholas, to achieve it. Climamio Bologna boasts one of the best young shooters in the world, Marco Belinelli, and a team leader like no other, Tyus Edney. Prokom Trefl Sopot has been to the Top 16 before, and wants to go at least that far again. Dynamo, the ULEB Cup champion, debuts with strong aspirations under legendary coach Dusan Ivkovic. Le Mans brings a youthful team with a rookie's energy to the task of making joyful noise. And RheinEnergie will use its momentum as German champion to the fullest.

Among established new Tau signees like Fred House, Zoran Planinic and Igor Rakocevic, center Kaya Peker will face his long-time club, Efes Pilsen, in November and January. Peker might face heightened early responsibility, too, as Scola might not open the season healthy and Tiago Splitter has missed games in the Spanish League, as well. If its big men continue to sit out, expect Tau to use its guards to speed up the tempo when possible. Olympiacos has its own injury trouble, of course, as major offseason acquisition Arvydas Macijauskas, a 2004-05 All-Euroleague first team selection, will miss extended time with an Achilles' tendon injury. The Reds found old pro Damir Mulaomerovic to replace him, and should be solid in general with newcomers like Scoonie Penn, Henry Domercant and Ryan Stack, to join the likes of Sofoklis Schortsianitis and Panagiotis Vasilopoulos. Injuries are also a theme with Efes, where forward Antonio Granger's status is uncertain. The new high-scoring backcourt of Drew Nicholas and Horace Jenkins might have to carry Efes early. At Climamio, the leadership of veteran guard Tyus Edney will be crucial, as will the shooting accuracy of Belinelli and former Euroleague winner David Bluthenthal.

Prokom is betting on defense once again, with the additions of guard Justin Hamilton and center Huseyin Besok, who playes against two of his former teams in this group, Efes and Le Mans, the latter of which he helped to win both the French League and French Cup titles last season. The key for Prokom, however, might be the shooters added on the perimeter, Donatas Slanina and Jasmin Hukic. Dynamo is no ordinary newcomer, with Ivkovic at the head of a bench that runs deep as any. Establishing enough support inside for big man Lazaros Papadopoulos might be the only question mark for this team headed into the season. With a wealth of talent and togetherness but almost no Euroleague experience on its roster, Le Mans is something of a wild card in its debut season. Young point guards Yannick Bokolo and Pape Philippe Amagou will be bear a lot of responsibility quickly. RheinEnergie faces the primary challenge of attracting fans to a neighboring city, Dusseldorf, but this team will never lack for motivation under spirited head coach Sasa Obradovic. Point guard Demond Mallet will be counted on to make RheinEnergie get out of the gate strong.

If injuries do not affect the favorites too much, the real battles in this group will come in the middle, with as many as five teams likely to contend for three sure places in the Top 16. Travel might influence these teams a little, as the Dynamo, RheinEnergie and Prokom make this one of the northernmost groups in recent memory. If snowstorms are added to the battles already expected in this group, expect the road to the Top 16 to be even longer and more difficult.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Euroleague.net