The next group in BallinEurope’s continuing analysis is Group C, as A and B have already been discussed. While A will be called the Childress Group, in C we’ll have the Jennings Group then. But let’s see what the teams have done so far in terms of transfers.
TAU Ceramica
The Spanish Euroleague Final Four team has changed its coach and will be trained by former FC Barcelona head coach Dusko Ivanovic from this summer. For the moment, the team is not quite set, and only Stanko Barac and Fernando San Emeterio have been officially added. A lot depends on the Goran Dragic case.
If the Slovenian guard can join the team, Ivanovic has a very interesting guard rotation with Prigioni and Dragic. But the story is not set and done. This explains why the name of Marko Popovic is still alive in the thoughts of Vitoria management. On the other hand, in guarding the main players from last year’s rotation and adding some youngsters, TAU once again looks like one of the strongest teams in Euroleague.
The BallinEurope grade:   |
Fenerbahce Ülker
The young Fenerbahce squad is currently absolutely undefined for next season. Only the guard combo of Avellino Marques Green and Devin Smith have joined Istanbul. On the rumor side, it’s also pretty quiet for the moment, but a lot depends on whether Will “King” Solomon will stay in Fenerbahce. The coaching staff will probably build the team around the return or departure of one of the best guards in the entire Euroleague.
Aside from Solomon, the most important moves to know about are whether Tarence Kinsey and/or James White will stay, which is apparently not that likely to happen. On the Turkish side, though, the young inside sector around Oguz Savas, Omer Asik and Semih Erden will probably remain together, as none of these guys seems close to joining the NBA this summer.
| The BallinEurope grade: |
Virtus Roma
Virtus Roma management is making a lot of efforts to sign big names these days. And the least one could say is that they went for the really big ones: Sani Becirovic, Primoz Brezec and Brandon Jennings. While the first two are common names in European basketball, the last is considered by US fans as “the” signing of the year. We will see how the young point guard adapts to the European lifestyle.
The main thing, however, will be how all these “stars” play together. Roma did play some interesting basketball last season as time went on, but big changes to the roster, especially Lorbek and Ukic leaving, will probably force Virtus fans to again remain calm for a few weeks before their team is playing at the highest possible level.
| The BallinEurope grade: |
Union Olimpija
For the Slovenes, it seems like the same story every year: The best players leave and some young players come in. This year, the addition of Damjan Rudez and Jaka Klobucar brings two that are hungry and want to show that they have the Euroleague level. Team officials are currently still hunting for an impact big man, particularly because the Mirza Begic case was not the success that they had awaited.
The other perpetual question for Olimpija is the US roster spots. When other teams are signing NBA veterans or high school stars, the Slovenes are more or less looking to find the best value for little money. So it should not be too difficult to find players on the market that can have more impact than Ronnie Taylor or Chris Booker. And when nothing goes, there is of course fan favorite Marko Milic.
| The BallinEurope grade: |
DKV Joventut
Big changes have come to last year’s ULEB Cup winner from Badalona, as Rudy has left the building for Portland and Aito has given the reigns to his former assistant Sito Alonso. So it looks like this is going to be Ricky’s team completely from next season on. So far, the management has added a lot of outside firepower in sharpshooters Luka Bogdanovic and Simas Jasaitis. Good additions in my opinion, as somebody has to take the responsibility of shooting that was on Rudy’s shoulders.
The loss of Lubos Barton and particularly of Jerome Moiso will hurt the team a lot, as both are a bit underrated and their impact on the team was immense. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who will probably take over the role from Moiso, might fill that hole by the way.
| The BallinEurope grade: |
ALBA Berlin
The German team, having finally reached the Euroleague again, is currently building a proper team due to their financial opportunities. As they move into a new arena, ALBA needs to set up a strong and spectacular squad in order to fill the ranks and give something of a glimpse of a chance to reach the Final Four to be played at the team’s home.
The key player could be Bobby Brown, who seems 99% certain not return to Berlin. The US guard that played an outstanding season will be replaced by the German national team point guard Steffen Hamann, who knows the Euroleague business from his time in Bamberg. Hamann will get some support from Rashad Wright, who joined the team recently. The addition of Adam Chubb in the paint is a big improvement to last season in which Patrick Femerling did the dirty work a little bit alone. All that remains is to fill a shooting forward spot and this team is set.
| The BallinEurope grade: |
