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The Euroleague has kicked off with the new format this season, and with all of its pros and cons, there's no denying that the dynamic has been completely different. 1/5 of the regular season is behind us and this is a good time to see where the teams are relative to their preseason expectations (all in my opinion, of course):
Top Dogs: CSKA MOSCOW (6-0)
The defending champions are the only undefeated team so far and they have done so convincingly, defeating Real Madrid, Olympiacos and Panthinaikos and leading the league in scoring. Reigning MVP Nando de Colo is on fire with 21.7 PPG on 52% shooting from the field, while Milos Teodosic leads the league in assists with 8.2. They seem well on their way to another Euroleague final and shot at a back to back title.
Powerfully Representing Spain: REAL MADRID (4-2), BASKONIA VITORIA (4-2), FC BARCELONA (4-2)
All three representatives of Spain are off to a strong start to the season. Baskonia in particular are doing very well, defeating fellow Final Four contenders Real and Fenerbahce (very convincingly), despite slipping up at Zalgiris. Andrea Bargnani started his Euroleague comeback season well before succumbing to injury, but two other former NBA players, Shane Larkin and Toko Shengelia, have helped the team stay near the top of the the table.
Real have lost two hard close matches to Baskonia and CSKA, but seem set on another deep run and title challenge. Rudy Fernandez has shown his age at times, but Real's star studded roster, led by the sublime Sergio Llull, packs arguably the most punch in the league.
Barcelona haven't been as dominant in the accumulation of 4 wins, and have enjoyed a relatively easy schedule, with their loss to Fenerbahce being their only game against a team at .500 or above. Injury problems have plagued several players, with the everlasting Juan Carlos Navarro out since game one. The result is a dependency on superstar Tyrese Rice, who has been dominant in his past 3 games. Barcelona have two very big tests coming up at Olympiacos and vs Real, where they will have to prove they can keep winning against better competition.
Looking Good: PANATHINAIKOS (4-2), DARRUSAFAKA (4-2)
Both these teams can be considered dark horses at making a Final Four run after good starts to the season. Panathinaikos is a shell of the club that won 3 championships in 5 years in 2006-2010, and started the season without retired superstar Dimitris Diamantidis for the first time in over a decade. However, they've started the season as well as they could have hoped, while enjoying an easy schedule. Over the next four games, they visit Spain twice to play Real Madrid and Barcelona and host Olympiacos and Darrusafaka, in a stretch which will surely show whether they can compete with the big guns.
Darrusafaka made a huge splash in the offseason by signing coach David Blatt, fresh off his time with LeBron James in Cleveland, and adding Brad Wanamaker, Will Clyburn, James Anderson and Adrien Moerman to the roster that finished 9-15 last season. They're off to a disappointing start in the Turkish league and have a point difference of just 9 - their games have been decided by an average of just 3.5 points! They have enjoyed possibly the easiest schedule in the league, but they have a very tough challenge next in CSKA before a heated derby against Galatasaray and a visit to Athens against Panathinaikos. Will they continue their winning ways?
Crisis in Istanbul? FENERBAHCE (4-2)
Last season's finalists and arguably the most dominant team in the league last season, Fenerbahce are fresh off two straight losses, including a very painful 86-52 loss to Baskonia. Superstar Bogdan Bogdanovic is battling an injury and has missed half of the team's games, and is surely sorely missed by Zeljko Obradovic. However, the team has enough firepower to stay near the top of the table even in his absence, and need to get back on the winning road against Maccabi Tel Aviv at home tonight, before a derby with Andalou Efes.
Middle of the Pack: OLYMPIACOS (3-3), EA7 EMPORIO ARMANI MILANO (3-3)
The Greeks kicked off their season with a painful 18 point loss to Real Madrid, and have had to deal with a particularly tough schedule so far. Aging local stars Vassilis Spanoulis (34) and Georgios Printezis (31) continue to lead the squad, and they will have to continue to play at their best in order to take advantage of games against Barcelona, Panathinaikos and Darrusafaka to stay close to the top.
Milano has led the league in scoring with 93 points per game so far, but lost 3 games in a row before recovering against Andalou Efes. 5 players have scored an double figure average as part of a very balanced attack, but Milano will have to improve their defense in order to mount a serious challenge to the league's top teams.
Underperfoming: MACCABI TEL AVIV (2-4), ANDALOU EFES ISTANBUL (3-4)
After the worst European campaign in club history ended in early elimination from the Euroleague and promptly from the Eurocup, Maccabi completely retooled their roster and splashed on proven Euroleague stars Sonny Weems and Andrew Goudelock, while also adding several other players including Belgrade's Maik Zirbes and Quincy Miller. However, a serious knee injury has kept Miller out of the competition so far, and the team has struggled to gel, defeating only Zalgiris and Galatasaray, while already firing it's coach.
Efes are fresh off a home win against Unics Kazan and have recovered slightly after losing their first 3 games of the season. The club has routinely underperformed in the Euroleague, and this season seems no different. A hot derby vs Fenerbahce awaits.
Staying Afloat: BROSE BAMBERG (2-4), CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS BELGRADE (2-4)
Belgrade sport the league's stingiest defense but have struggled to find the rim so far, averaging less than 70 points per game. Ognjen Kuzmic has led the team in scoring (10.2) and the entire league in rebounds (8.5) and 2pt scoring percentage (72%). Their surprise win against Barcelona at home has been a bright spot, and very winnable games against Bamberg, Efes, Milano and Zalgiris are next.
Bamberg were very close to away wins at Darrusafaka, Barcelona and Fenerbahce and lost by a point to Panathinaikos at home. A bit more luck and focus could have resulted in a very strong start to the season by the Germans - I wouldn't count them out as playoff contenders throughout the rest of the season. They certainly have the talent to do so, with Nikos Zisis, Daniel Theis, Nicolo Melli, Darius Miller and Janis Strelnieks all on the roster.
Bottom Dwellers: UNICS KAZAN (2-5), ZALGIRIS KAUNA (1-5), GALATASARAY ODEOBANK ISTANBUL (1-5)
Kazan joined the league from the Eurocup this season, and were not expected to mount a playoff run. So far, they've been playing as expected, despite a fantastic season by Keith Langford, who leads the league in scoring with over 24 points per game. A very surprising away win at Fenerbahce has been the team's sole impressive achievment, while they can look forward to an interesting match at home against Maccabi as they attempt to win their third game.
Galtasaray won the Eurocup last season, but lost their leading stars in the offseason before joining the Euroleague. They are off to a horrible start, and former NBA players Austin Daye and Justin Dentmon will hope to lead their team to greener pastures ahead. A home win against Olympiacos after 5 straight losses gives a glimmer of hope.
Zalgiris had a very bad Top 16 last season, finishing with just a 2-12 record despite the appointment of Sarunas Jasikevicius as head coach. The Euroleague legend hasn't found much more success this season and has placed some of the blame on officiating. Zalgiris has had to deal with a very tough schedule so far, but their next match against Galatasaray at home seems like an opportunity to move up the table.
Top Dogs: CSKA MOSCOW (6-0)
The defending champions are the only undefeated team so far and they have done so convincingly, defeating Real Madrid, Olympiacos and Panthinaikos and leading the league in scoring. Reigning MVP Nando de Colo is on fire with 21.7 PPG on 52% shooting from the field, while Milos Teodosic leads the league in assists with 8.2. They seem well on their way to another Euroleague final and shot at a back to back title.
Powerfully Representing Spain: REAL MADRID (4-2), BASKONIA VITORIA (4-2), FC BARCELONA (4-2)
All three representatives of Spain are off to a strong start to the season. Baskonia in particular are doing very well, defeating fellow Final Four contenders Real and Fenerbahce (very convincingly), despite slipping up at Zalgiris. Andrea Bargnani started his Euroleague comeback season well before succumbing to injury, but two other former NBA players, Shane Larkin and Toko Shengelia, have helped the team stay near the top of the the table.
Real have lost two hard close matches to Baskonia and CSKA, but seem set on another deep run and title challenge. Rudy Fernandez has shown his age at times, but Real's star studded roster, led by the sublime Sergio Llull, packs arguably the most punch in the league.
Barcelona haven't been as dominant in the accumulation of 4 wins, and have enjoyed a relatively easy schedule, with their loss to Fenerbahce being their only game against a team at .500 or above. Injury problems have plagued several players, with the everlasting Juan Carlos Navarro out since game one. The result is a dependency on superstar Tyrese Rice, who has been dominant in his past 3 games. Barcelona have two very big tests coming up at Olympiacos and vs Real, where they will have to prove they can keep winning against better competition.
Looking Good: PANATHINAIKOS (4-2), DARRUSAFAKA (4-2)
Both these teams can be considered dark horses at making a Final Four run after good starts to the season. Panathinaikos is a shell of the club that won 3 championships in 5 years in 2006-2010, and started the season without retired superstar Dimitris Diamantidis for the first time in over a decade. However, they've started the season as well as they could have hoped, while enjoying an easy schedule. Over the next four games, they visit Spain twice to play Real Madrid and Barcelona and host Olympiacos and Darrusafaka, in a stretch which will surely show whether they can compete with the big guns.
Darrusafaka made a huge splash in the offseason by signing coach David Blatt, fresh off his time with LeBron James in Cleveland, and adding Brad Wanamaker, Will Clyburn, James Anderson and Adrien Moerman to the roster that finished 9-15 last season. They're off to a disappointing start in the Turkish league and have a point difference of just 9 - their games have been decided by an average of just 3.5 points! They have enjoyed possibly the easiest schedule in the league, but they have a very tough challenge next in CSKA before a heated derby against Galatasaray and a visit to Athens against Panathinaikos. Will they continue their winning ways?
Crisis in Istanbul? FENERBAHCE (4-2)
Last season's finalists and arguably the most dominant team in the league last season, Fenerbahce are fresh off two straight losses, including a very painful 86-52 loss to Baskonia. Superstar Bogdan Bogdanovic is battling an injury and has missed half of the team's games, and is surely sorely missed by Zeljko Obradovic. However, the team has enough firepower to stay near the top of the table even in his absence, and need to get back on the winning road against Maccabi Tel Aviv at home tonight, before a derby with Andalou Efes.
Middle of the Pack: OLYMPIACOS (3-3), EA7 EMPORIO ARMANI MILANO (3-3)
The Greeks kicked off their season with a painful 18 point loss to Real Madrid, and have had to deal with a particularly tough schedule so far. Aging local stars Vassilis Spanoulis (34) and Georgios Printezis (31) continue to lead the squad, and they will have to continue to play at their best in order to take advantage of games against Barcelona, Panathinaikos and Darrusafaka to stay close to the top.
Milano has led the league in scoring with 93 points per game so far, but lost 3 games in a row before recovering against Andalou Efes. 5 players have scored an double figure average as part of a very balanced attack, but Milano will have to improve their defense in order to mount a serious challenge to the league's top teams.
Underperfoming: MACCABI TEL AVIV (2-4), ANDALOU EFES ISTANBUL (3-4)
After the worst European campaign in club history ended in early elimination from the Euroleague and promptly from the Eurocup, Maccabi completely retooled their roster and splashed on proven Euroleague stars Sonny Weems and Andrew Goudelock, while also adding several other players including Belgrade's Maik Zirbes and Quincy Miller. However, a serious knee injury has kept Miller out of the competition so far, and the team has struggled to gel, defeating only Zalgiris and Galatasaray, while already firing it's coach.
Efes are fresh off a home win against Unics Kazan and have recovered slightly after losing their first 3 games of the season. The club has routinely underperformed in the Euroleague, and this season seems no different. A hot derby vs Fenerbahce awaits.
Staying Afloat: BROSE BAMBERG (2-4), CRVENA ZVEZDA MTS BELGRADE (2-4)
Belgrade sport the league's stingiest defense but have struggled to find the rim so far, averaging less than 70 points per game. Ognjen Kuzmic has led the team in scoring (10.2) and the entire league in rebounds (8.5) and 2pt scoring percentage (72%). Their surprise win against Barcelona at home has been a bright spot, and very winnable games against Bamberg, Efes, Milano and Zalgiris are next.
Bamberg were very close to away wins at Darrusafaka, Barcelona and Fenerbahce and lost by a point to Panathinaikos at home. A bit more luck and focus could have resulted in a very strong start to the season by the Germans - I wouldn't count them out as playoff contenders throughout the rest of the season. They certainly have the talent to do so, with Nikos Zisis, Daniel Theis, Nicolo Melli, Darius Miller and Janis Strelnieks all on the roster.
Bottom Dwellers: UNICS KAZAN (2-5), ZALGIRIS KAUNA (1-5), GALATASARAY ODEOBANK ISTANBUL (1-5)
Kazan joined the league from the Eurocup this season, and were not expected to mount a playoff run. So far, they've been playing as expected, despite a fantastic season by Keith Langford, who leads the league in scoring with over 24 points per game. A very surprising away win at Fenerbahce has been the team's sole impressive achievment, while they can look forward to an interesting match at home against Maccabi as they attempt to win their third game.
Galtasaray won the Eurocup last season, but lost their leading stars in the offseason before joining the Euroleague. They are off to a horrible start, and former NBA players Austin Daye and Justin Dentmon will hope to lead their team to greener pastures ahead. A home win against Olympiacos after 5 straight losses gives a glimmer of hope.
Zalgiris had a very bad Top 16 last season, finishing with just a 2-12 record despite the appointment of Sarunas Jasikevicius as head coach. The Euroleague legend hasn't found much more success this season and has placed some of the blame on officiating. Zalgiris has had to deal with a very tough schedule so far, but their next match against Galatasaray at home seems like an opportunity to move up the table.