Stay tuned in the coming days as we present the NBA draft prospects competing in this year's Euroleague.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Euroleague.net Team Clubhouse
Jonathan Givony
Probably the most successful club in European basketball over the past five years, Maccabi Tel Aviv is paying for its extraordinary scouting and has now entered a definitive rebuilding period. Whether or not their fans and management will agree with that statement is anyones guess, but on paper its impossible not to get the feeling that the team is significantly weaker than the one that reached the Final Four three years straight and won the whole thing twice.
Gone are beloved fan favorites Sarunas Jasikevicius (Indiana Pacers), Anthony Parker (Toronto Raptors) and Maceo Baston (Indiana Pacers), the backbone of a team that will go down as one of the best in European history. Pini Gershon, the coach and architect of the Maccabis eye-pleasing high-powered offense, left for Olympiacos in Greece and was replaced by Croatian Neven Spahija, but not before exchanging some pretty words with the teams management in the local and international media. The war in Lebanon contributed to Maccabi swinging and whiffing on signing nearly every major candidate they attempted to put their hands on throughout the summer, and team ended up settling for some players who are not really considered Maccabi players in the truest sense.
The new American guards brought in to replace the often criticized Will Solomon and superstar Anthony Parker were Will Bynum and Rodney Buford. Both terrific athletes and potential 20 point scorers on any given night, they lack the same feel for the game that their predecessors possessed. The sub 6-foot combo guard Bynum is a highlight reel waiting to happen, a shot-creating machine who will go up and challenge any big paint in the paint, but he lacks true point guard skills, a steady perimeter jumper and particularly high level experience in such a pressure filled environment.
Buford is a former NBA 2nd round pick who preferred his stash of weed over securing a long term NBA contract, and therefore became a journeyman. He can score and create offense with the best of them, but is a streaky perimeter shooter and decision maker that does not contribute enough in other facets of the game when things arent going well for him on the court. Hes drawn much of the ire from the fans and media for Maccabis horrific showings in the preseason against multiple NBA teams, and will likely be on the hot seat all season long unless he can achieve the impossible task of producing similarly to the player he was brought into to replace, Anthony Parker. Back on the team is 6-4 local combo guard Yotam Halperin, a talented ball-handler, shooter and distributor who was drafted following the terrific season he had with Olimpija Ljubljana last year. Halperin lacks the athleticism to create his own shot and effectively guard his position, and is often criticized by fans for being too passive on the court.
Completing what appears to be a pretty shallow backcourt is veteran American turned Israeli guard Derrick Sharp, mostly known as a defensive specialist who can hit the 3-pointer at a solid clip. Swingman Tal Burstein tore his Achilles tendon and will be out of commission for at least another six weeks. When he returns he will be counted on to play an even bigger role than he did in the past, taking advantage of his outstanding perimeter defensive skills, ball-handling, passing and hopefully scoring more than he usually does in the Euroleague. Lithuanian Small Forward Simas Jasitias came along with Coach Spahija from Rytas; and will be counted on as the designated shooting specialist off the bench. Another option is Sharon Shasson, a fairly limited SF/PF who plays solid defense and will hit your occasional 3-pointer if left open.
In the post we once again find veteran Croatian center Nikola Vujcic, one of the top passing big men in the entire world and a talented offensive player in his own right. Complimenting him for his defensive and rebounding shortcomings will be recent signee Noel Felix, brought in to be an scrappy athletic shotblocker in the Maceo Baston mold. American turned Israeli Jamie Arnold brings Maccabi some offense with his back to the basket off the bench, and youngster Lior Eliyahu (drafted by the Houston Rockets) will be counted on for his athleticism and scoring prowess at the 4-spot off the bench.
All in all this is a brand new team who has the potential to gel mid-way through the season and potentially make a run to the Final Four. Their home court, Nokia Arena, is one of the toughest places to play in the world thanks to Maccabis passionate fanbase, and the Israelis have deep enough pockets to sign a big time player mid-way through the season if they feel that a change is in order. Early on things dont look too promising for the Israelis, but there is some legit talent here to take advantage of if Coach Spahija can get them to play as a unit.