Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Euroleague 2008-2009

The basketball competition at the most important clubs in Europe has begun, 24 European clubs grouped into 4 groups will be measured between them to reach the Final Four in Berlin. The league that brings the Spanish teams with five, followed by Italy with 4 and the Adriatic and Greek leagues with 3 each.

This year the competition changed format and the regular league going to have 8 teams in three groups of 6 teams divided into four groups and four for the top16 teams instead of six.

The top 16 remains as previous years, 4 teams per group will qualify for the play off the two best. The play off also unchanged and move to dispute the best of five matches instead of best of three matches.

Barcelona, Madrid, Siena, Tau Vitoria, Panathinaikos, Olympiakos, Maccabi and CSKA are the most favorite to go to Berlin, a step below to find Unicaja, DKV Joventut, Efes Pilsen and Zalguiris. The other teams will try to demonstrate that they too are deserving of at least one place in the play off.

The highest expectation at the beginning of the competition has led the Olympiacos, thanks to its star from the Atlanta Hawks, Josh Childress, also a sign of Theodoros Papaloukas of CSKA Moscow and Nicola Vujcic of Maccabi Tel-Aviv, demonstrating the economic power of that club. Other interesting signings have been a priori by Nikola Pekovic Panathinaikos cards, tipping player last year in the ranks of Partizan Belgrade, the signings of Anderson and Navarro from Memphis CSKA Moscow and Barcelona respectively, of Massey filed to Aris from Madrid, leaving Carlos Arroyo to Orlando to play with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Planica changing city of Vitoria by Moscow.

Besides those already mentioned, Josh Childress, Carlos Arroyo and Navarro have also decided to change of scenery and go to the NBA to Euroleague, the following players: Andre Barrett procendente Los Angeles Clippers at Barcelona, Casey Jacobsen of the Berlin and Primoz Membhis Brezec from Toronto to Rome. As a curies Brandom Jennings has decided to go to Rome to play instead of playing his college stage.

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