Banvit 16
Nolan Smith throws a towel, Ataman says he could be done
Tensions flared early in Galatasaray’s 69-67 loss to Banvit as Nolan Smith threw a towel when being taken out for the Istanbul club. The game between Galatasaray and Banvit was barely finding its feet when Nolan Smith did this. Galatasaray coach Ergin Ataman left no doubt of his views on Smith’s behaviour after the game. […]
Topsy-turvy Turkey as Galatasaray pushes Anadolu Efes down the TBL table
Strange days indeed in Turkey … just three days after Galatasaray and Anadolu Efes were bounced from Euroleague play, the TBL standings have become nearly unrecognizable; for the first time in probably forever, clubs named “Efes” or “Fenerbahçe Ülker” do not appear in the top two on the Turkish league table after Galatasaray’s 74-65 win […]
National Cups: Real Madrid ends 19 years of futility; Beşiktaş, Chalon take first-ever titles; Montepaschi Siena continues dominance
Congratulations go out from BallinEurope today to a quartet of national Cup holders in Real Madrid, Beşiktaş Milangaz, Chalon-sur-Saone and Montepaschi Siena. The former three victories are set to be particularly noted in club annals: Real ended a 19-year drought while Beşiktaş and Chalon both bagged their first-ever championships in their respective national cup tournaments […]
Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Beşiktaş vs. Banvit today in Turkish Cup final
Today sees the culmination of the Turkish Cup with a stunning finals matchup between Beşiktaş Milangaz – who took out Euroleague Top 16 side Galatasaray on Thursday – and the TBL’s fourth-place Banvit. Key to the former’s success in reaching the Cup match was BallinEurope fave Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who contributed an insane double-double in the […]
TBL roundup: Bandirma Kirmizi stuns Fenerbahce Ulker; Morrison, Pops star for Besiktas; Galatasaray holds on to third place
The Turkish Basketball League, rapidly becoming the most competitive European basketball league, saw a number of key games go down this weekend to tighten things up some at the top of the table. While TBL teams gained much international attention for signing big-name NBAers, e.g. Deron Williams, Sasha Vujacic, Ersan Ilyasova, Mehmet Okur, etc., during […]
Juan Dixon comeback begins today with Banvit
Thanks to an injury suffered by Antonio Graves, Turkish side Banvit had been left with a hole in the depth chart at the no. 2 spot plus a free “foreign-born player” spot on the roster – an unfortunate situation for the team, but ultimately a serendipitous chance for Juan Dixon to return to professional basketball […]
Top 100 teams in Europe: Week of upsets edition
While NBA fans were mostly talking about Blake Griffin and Carmelo Anthony last week, the buzzword around Europe last week was “upset.” Seemingly from end to end, Continental leagues saw their respective mighty – if not fall – at least stagger from a blow dealt by a lower seed. Real Madrid lost to new no. […]
Top 100 Teams in Europe: After the cups, then what? Edition
The dust – and in Germany, the glass – has settled on a week of Cup tournament action throughout The Continent, so it’s time for BallinEurope to crunch the numbers in compiling the weekly Top 100 Teams in Europe list. But, ran the first question, what relative weight should be prescribed for these games for […]
Allen Who? Beşiktaş Cola Turka shocks Efes Pilsen in Turkish Cup
Just two games are in the books in the 2011 Türkiye Kupasi, but certainly the shocker of the tourney has already been played: Last night in Kayseri, the scoreboard read “Beşiktaş Cola Turka 57, Efes Pilsen Istanbul 55. In what was not exactly a shooting clinic – Beşiktaş (10-7 in TBL play in 2010-11) collectively […]
It’s Kemp, not Lafayette, to replace Iverson at Beşiktaş
A day after Oliver Lafayette failed a team medical test, Beşiktaş Cola Turka officials have announced the transfer of Marcelus Kemp from Virtus Bologna to occupy the roster spot left vacant by the injured Allen Iverson. Kemp has played professional basketball in Italy since playing four years with the University of Nevada Wolf Pack and […]
The Top 100 Teams in Europe: Calm before the storm edition
All right, another Thursday means another look at BallinEurope’s Top 100 Teams in Europe chart, the last until the big pan-Continental leagues gear up again with sweet 16 action. (BiE was just waiting for the dust to settle in Athens after the PAO-Olympiacos match, but settling may yet be a few days in the making.) […]
The Top 100 Teams in Europe: Now with new formula!
You have commented and BallinEurope has heard. Thanks in large part to the proddings and machinations of a somewhat indignant Y. (BiE’s man in Lithuania), we’ve reworked the formula to determine the official Top 100 Teams in Europe list. Not to go into any boring detail, but Y. was kind enough to install somewhat arbitrary […]