The investigation that the FBI is carrying out these days in the United States to elucidate the future of the NBA, has left in the background an increasingly latent sporting reality in the best basketball league in the world. The franchises, all, without exception, have built their squads for some time now based on two fundamental pillars: the big stars and the specialists, that is, players capable of shining on the hardwood in very specific tasks, whether in outside shooting, in defensive ability or even in both functions.
It does not seem that, with a past in the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings, he shines in any of these skills. Nor could he be considered a star in a league in which he averaged eight points and four rebounds in 650 games. However, whoever aimed high at the University of Kentucky alongside Devin Booker or Karl-Anthony Towns does have enough quality to, on the verge of thirty, have landed on his feet in the Euroleague.
It is appreciated, of course, by the Real Madrid squad, which, under the guidance of Sergio Scariolo, feeds balls to the post to the Canadian power forward, too much talent for Vladimir Lucic, Isiaha Mike and any defender of a Bayern that, in the ostentatious SAP Arena in Munich, seemed to dissolve like a sugar at half-time under the visiting power (44-57). The Whites’ game thickened after passing through the locker room, the Bavarians increased their effectiveness on the rebound and, with the help of a great Óscar Da Silva, Gordon Herbert’s men ended up blurring a Madrid that, at a record pace at the Movistar Arena, where they have accumulated 34 consecutive wins, fell in Bavaria (90-84) and still has not won this season away from Calle Goya (one defeat in the Endesa League and four in Euroleague).
“The defense in the second half was very far from being acceptable,” he summarized, forcefully after a second half in which, with 27 points, his team fell far short of the 57 scored before the intermission. “We got nervous, we missed the shot more than necessary and we were not good. We just have to congratulate Bayern and continue, because we have another game in 48 hours [este jueves, en Madrid, ante el Fenerbahce]”.
Barça, Valencia and Baskonia win at home
Barcelona suffered at the Palau against Ettore Messina’s Emporio Armani Milan, but the final scare translated into victory (74-72) and Joan Peñarroya’s team finally managed to adhere to the positive record in the top continental competition, where, with four wins and three losses, they are placed in eighth position in the regular league before traveling to Belgrade to face Zeljko Obradovic’s Partizan this Friday.
The same balance that the culé team has had since this Tuesday was Valencia Basket, which had a feast at the Roig Arena against Fenerbahce, current Euroleague champion (94-79), thanks to a frenetic pace from the initial jump. Led by Kameron Taylor in scoring (17 points), Pedro Martínez’s team will face .
The Emirati team, debuting this year – not without controversy – in the Euroleague, fell precisely against the last Spanish team in the fray, Baskonia, which, after six consecutive defeats, achieved its first victory of the season in Europe this Tuesday (92-85). Paolo Galbiati’s men became strong at the Buesa Arena and, guided by Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot’s 25 points, defeated Dubai before hosting Andolu Efes in Vitoria this Friday.
