I guess it the two articles I want write about did not know of each other. Ian Whittell, who covers the NBA for The (London) Times wrote a list of the reasons why to watch the Euroleague. I wish I could provide a link to it but the article is no longer online on ABC.com, but you can find the article here. On the other hand, Matthew Brennan from D-League.com wrote an article why we should be excited about the NBDL league this year.
I will use a few of the reasons and make a short comparison, so you should get the best out of both articles. I do understand though that it might be a little unfair to Europeans to compare the best European league to a NBA development league – but this is what some fans in the United States would do – believe me.
Players On The Cusp (NBDL) vs. The Players (Euroleague)
” There are plenty of players in the D-League this season who are close to reaching their NBA dreams.” as Mathew Brennan tells us about the NBDL. This is what Ian Whittell has to say about the Euroleague: “On any given night, you are watching either NBA stars of old or tomorrow’s NBA stars today. Unless you have been in a sensory deprivation tank for the last decade or so, you will have noted a lot of Euros are now heading to the NBA and Euroleague is often their starting point.”
Dan Reed’s Blog “Reed and Write” vs. Ettore Messina’s Blog
I know – Ettore Messina is not in Ian Whittells article and Ettore Messina is not the president of the Euroleague like Dan Reed is for the NBDL. Well, are we sure Ettore Messina is not the president? Sometimes I get this impression – but anyway, when you read Ettore Messina’s Blog I am sure anybody in the world will be amazed what he has to say. If you don’t get amazed you will definitely learn something new then.
D-League All-Star Game vs. Euroleague Final Four
YES, I had to smile when I wrote this. Europeans probably would want to compare the Final Four to the NBA Finals series or even the NCAA Final Four, but are I am not sure that this would happen in the US: “After the game, Athens riot cops closed down most of the major city squares to avoid celebrating fans from laying waste to their home town.”