May 25, 2012
Euroleague 2010-11, Regular Season, Group B analysis and Quotes

Analysis

OLYMPIACOS

OlympiacosOlympiacos comes off the best season of its recent history, one in which it took the Greek Cup and reached the Euroleague title game for the first time since 1997. Back to keep that string of success going in 2010-11 are reigning Euroleague MVP Milos Teodosic, former MVP Theo Papaloukas and scoring champ Linas Kleiza. They will be under the baton of new head coach Dusan Ivkovic, a legend in Olympiacos history for having led the team to its only Euroleague title, as the Reds look to go one step further and try for a new continental crown.


REAL MADRID

Real MadridA European basketball giant by any means, Real Madrid is looking to fight for its first Final Four appearance since 1996. Coach Ettore Messina is back and ready to give a young core of players like Novica Velickovic, Ante Tomic and Sergio Llull bigger roles this season. Its mix of youth, experience, tradition and winning mentality could pay off in the long run, as Madrid still stands second to none in European basketball history.


UNICAJA

UnicajaA perennial Euroleague team, Unicaja hopes to bounce back from a sub par season to go past the Top 16 - and even beyond. A duo of veterans that know how to win big battles like Carlos Jimenez and Berni Rodriguez will be the team's locker room leaders along with newcomer Terrell McIntyre. With Aito Garcia Reneses on the sidelines in Malaga again this season, an incredible fan base and very valuable experience, Unicaja hopes to fight hard and score big wins against the very best Euroleague teams.


VIRTUS ROMA

Virtus RomaAs a modern club that knows what it takes to win the Euroleague, Lottomatica Roma faces the challenge of bouncing back from a sub par 2009-10 season. With Bogdan Tanjevic as its new general manager and Matteo Boniciolli as head coach, Roma will be hungrier than ever and ready to play a big role in the off-season market. Expect Lottomatica to be fully reloaded and focused to beat anyone, anywhere in the 2010-11 Euroleague season.


BROSE BASKETS

Brose BasketsGerman League champion Brose Baskets returns to the Euroleague with the initial goal of surviving the regular season. Bamberg was the first-ever German team to reach the Euroleague Top 16, so it knows what it takes to do well in the competition. Head coach Chris Fleming led the team to its second German League title last season in what could be a new start for Brose Baskets, which has the chance to proudly represent Germany in the 2010-11 Euroleague.


Quotes

Olympiacos general manager, Christos Stravopoulos
"Our target is the same as the last two years, to be again in the Final Four. We will work for that. We have to be ready at the right moment. It will be a pleasure to return to Roma after winning the Euroleague there in 1997. We are talking about the best 24 teams in Europe, so all the teams are good."

Olympiacos head coach Dusko Ivkovic:
"Clubs with big basketball tradition are here and all of them want to succeed. Since all the teams are still under construction, it is too early to make an analysis on the group. Olympiacos participated in the last two Final Fours and keeps its high ambition for the new season."

Real Madrid technical director, Alberto Herreros
"Our group is very, very strong. We need to do a good job and can play to reach the Top 16. Having Unicaja makes it more difficult, but we won’t worry. We have the chance to play against Olympiacos, the team that knocked us off in our last playoff appearance, so it will be special to play against them. Our first goal will be making it to the Top 16 and then we can start dreaming on reaching the playoffs. If we make it to the playoffs, we will see about the Final Four. Truth to be told, it is about time that Madrid makes it to the Final Four."

Unicaja general manager Manuel Rubia:
"Well, you always face difficult teams in the Euroleague. Olympiacos and Real Madrid are difficult teams, but let's be positive and think that the trips to Athens and Madrid are easy ones to make. Lottomatica Roma is also a tough team and we still have to wait and see which other team makes it to this group. We managed to sign Terrell McIntyre, but just with his addition, we won’t be able to reach deep. We need to sign more important players to improve our roster and complement those that are already in our team."

Virtus Roma general manager, Piergiorgio Bottai
"It’s obviously a very hard group. We have a group with two Spanish teams, which is the best league in Europe, but we will try our best. We are happy to meat Olympiacos for the first time in many years in the Euroleague."

Brose Baskets marketing director Bjoern Albrecht:
"It is always very exciting for us to be here, because it means we have won the German League title. We did it for the third time in six years and it is a big honor for us to play the Euroleague. It is a very attractive group, with Olympiacos on top. We need to see the calendar to analyze our possibilities, but overall we are very proud to be here and hope we can play well at this level. We made it to the Top 16 in the past and have to try to get back there. It will not be easy for us because even though our infrastructures are good, our budget is not the same as the best teams in Europe. We have to respect every opponent, try to get better and compete hard in the regular season."
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Euroleague.net
PrintPrint Send to a FriendSend to a Friend ShareShare

Special Features

Interviews
Vassilis Spanoulis , Olympiacos Piraeus
Vassilis Spanoulis - Olympiacos Piraeus
Six months ago, fans outside of Greece would have recognized few of the Olympiacos players who were not named... MORE
Interviews
Kostas Papanikolaou , Olympiacos Piraeus
Kostas Papanikolaou - Olympiacos
Small forward Kostas Papanikolaou is a central piece of the young core of players that has led Olympiacos Piraeus... MORE
Interviews
Dusan Ivkovic , Olympiacos Piraeus
Dusan Ivkovic
Once again this season, Dusan Ivkovic showed why he is a living legend among basketball coaches by guiding... MORE

Submenu