Maccabi Elektra Tel-Aviv - next season (10/11)

[goga78]

...and the beat goes on. Khimki are eternal chokers with a highly overrated coach who is not able to pull out the maximum of this talented and deep squad. No identity, too much streetball. Not to mention the high budget. But this team is better than Maccabi, according to our Italian friend.

Maccabi had no focus on the game for big stretches of the first half, especially when the bench players came in, but finally pulled its act together, despite a total no-show from Eidson and the early game-ending injury to Eliyahu. I hope, it's nothing really serious and he doesn't have to sit out for more than a week. Ünini had one of his best games today and was truly an x-factor. Blu was very good on both ends of the floor. Hendrix had a good game, while Burstein was useful, too. Pargo is a good scorer but sometimes he overdribbles the ball, instead of simply swinging it or taking a shot. He is not a shooter, so he tries to get underthe basket. I hope, he is working on his shot. Perkins and Sofo were great once again, although Perkins relaxed on D in the first half.

In the meantime, MTA has reportedly signed Milan Macvan from Hemofarm for 4.5 seasons. A good move, considering he can play center, too. MTA will be still lacking size (in cm) but the fronline of Sofo, Macvan, Eliyahu and Blu is scary.

Lietuvos Rytas has beaten Barcelona at home, being in front for the whole game. Saras had a great second half, directing his team with 11 pts., 10 ast. You watch him and every time he touches the ball, he seems to bind two of the opposing players, always finding the free man for an open shot/layup. Incredible. Rytas played with such a great confidence, when he was pulling his thing... Should Fener beat Cholet at home, while Rytas should have more than a chance to beat Cibona on the road, the team from Vilnius will go to the Top 16. Should it miss the next round, a lot of players could leave this team. So are the rumours.

This year, the FCB much vulnerable. Still, when Pete Mickeal is back and the rest of the injured players are at full strength, you wouldn't want to have them in your group. They will enter the Top 16 from the 3rd group. Right now it looks like Maccabi could get FCB in the third pot along with Olimpija and Roma. Could, not necessarily should. I don't see any other options with Barca. Not with Real or Fener as #2. I guess, Olimpija won't fall below the second place of group D. If it does, replace it with Efes. Whatever should come, I don't think that there is an unsurmountable hurdle for a healthy MTA squad out there.

[maccabeo]

macvan...now things start getting better
hendrix sofo ely and green are not enough to hope to 4final.blatt and owners ,instead of goga, learned it
iguess now hendrix will be cut
one shooter it could be a real step to have an interesting season

[maccabeo]

goga i don't think being a mta fan it means to justify everything and consider all so positive. players like green, tal, hendrix ,arent for this level. sofo has big limits, pargo who played a great regoular season , have to confirm his talent later

[goga78]

Oh, please, stop that crap! All of us said that MTA is too short in guards rotation and has no adequate backup center. But the team is doing good, so there is no reason to talk it bad. If players that can help right away can come, they should be signed. If not, it's not a problem as we are behind this team. Hendrix wasn't getting the deal done at the C position and MTA is all set on PF. So MTA was looking for another player. Macvan is a PF, too, but apparently he can play with his back to the basket.

Burstein, Green, Pnini... cut this idiocy, please. MTA has got to have Israelis in its roster anyway. There are no better Israeli players out there, so MTA has got what it could get. Eliyahu, Blu (same position, can't play at the same time on court), along with Burstein, Pnini and Green. You totally fail to understand that. Pnini already has been the X-factor in two EL games that made his team win the game. Green is more than okay defensively and Burstein has experience and still some game left in him. There are no better guards, SFs and centers that could play within this team's system right now. Halperin is not an option. He is way too expensive. We'll see, if he is ready to go back to Israel and be under daily pressure next season. Casspi plays in the NBA. You'll never get it. You just complain but make no proper suggestions, apart from a couple no-defense me-first swingmen. Strange thing: MTA has so many players that can't play on this level and yet they contribute and this team is among two of the best EL teams right now.

[maccabeo]

goga, your main topic wasnt about a short roster, but about a team that is a top team of euroleague !
about israeli players, one think is writing we need israeli players, and u always wrote because of the rule ,but another think is writing that some of them are players can play el level matches.
there are two different topic: we need israeli players and we need good players. honestly i don't follow israeli league but for me is so so hard imagine there aren't better player than tal or green. in case u are righht, in case there aren't ,doesnt mean we should consider them as el player level ,or , anyway, we 'd need having better foreing players if israeli players u have, are tal and green

[Czarkazem13]

honestly i don't follow israeli league but for me is so so hard imagine there aren't better player than tal or green. in case u are righht, in case there aren't ,doesnt mean we should consider them as el player level ,or , anyway, we 'd need having better foreing players if israeli players u have, are tal and green

1-A. Yaniv Green is the best Israeli big man out there. Ido Kozikaro is old. Robert Rothbart seems to be a bust. Dane DiLiegro (U.S.) is in college and probably won't be ready for Maccabi next year. Who else? All other Israeli (or Jewish) big men aren't that good (Amit Tamir), past their prime (Erez Markovic) or are too young (Anton Shuvton, Frederico Glinburg, Eitan Chermininski, etc...) and inexperienced. So as hard as it is to believe, he is the best Israeli big men out there. Maybe Elishai Kadir, but obviously Maccabi felt Yaniv is better at the moment. Unless you think you can get Tiago Splitter to get an Israeli passport and leave the NBA.

1-B. Here are Israeli/Jewish guards better then Burstein (IMHO): Jordan Farmar, Jon Scheyer and Yotam Halperin. Not sure what is up with Scheyer and what his plans are, but Halperin is too expensive this year to get and Farmar is an NBA player. Other Israeli/Jewish guards/swing men that could be better: Sylven Landesberg, Dan Grunfeld and Raviv Limonad - all of which right now are not as good overall as Burstein. Same goes for Gal Mekel, Afik Nissim, Yuval Neimi and Yogev Ohayon.

2. I'm not sure what you mean by that "doesnt mean we should consider them as el player level." You mean not use Israeli players? Because if Israel doesn't have enough "EL caliber" then Maccabi would have to use Israeli players that aren't "EL caliber" to fill the roster, but again, not sure what you were getting at here.

[goga78]

goga, your main topic wasnt about a short roster, but about a team that is a top team of euroleague !
about israeli players, one think is writing we need israeli players, and u always wrote because of the rule ,but another think is writing that some of them are players can play el level matches.
there are two different topic: we need israeli players and we need good players. honestly i don't follow israeli league but for me is so so hard imagine there aren't better player than tal or green. in case u are righht, in case there aren't ,doesnt mean we should consider them as el player level ,or , anyway, we 'd need having better foreing players if israeli players u have, are tal and green

Right. This team seems like the best team in the EL (along with Siena) for many weeks now. That's the general impression of everybody who is following the league.

Current Israeli MTA players can surely contribute at EL level. They are role players, not leaders. But this team plays in domestic competition, too and two Israelis have to be on court at the same time. MTA cannot pay for two rosters, plus the identification factor with local players is important. You cannot dismiss it.
If you don't follow the league, you have no right to participate in discussion. It's not a matter of imagination. It's a matter of knowledge. Did you ever come up with a better center or a better swingman? If you find any, I'll be all for signing them instead of Tal and Yaniv. BTW, Green's contract will expire by the end of the season anyway.

[maccabeo]

as usual goga, u change my words
i didnt say, there aren t better players in israel than tal or green . i said that IF there arent better players....
if...it means than honestly i consider is possibile. yes ,i'm surprised about it ,but it deosnt mean be sure about it!!
the fact there arent better players thag green should let consider managment betterplayers than "lasmeproject" (considering lasme as an example of a mediocre foreign player)
u have no israeli players who are able to play the el level? well , try bringing good players all over the word
wasnt so hard to undestand
now , perkins is a good player, eidson wothout an individualistic player like anderson, is an important factor. pargo is absolutely a factor actually and a big surprise expecially because many mta fans fro israel dodn't consider him a goo add. about him i guess we all hope he will have same results later
after that we had no much more
blu is just a great shooter, pnini is good for the bench, sofo is a c with lots of limits. hendrix is nothing, green also.
bringing macvan now the puzzle is getting more serious

[goga78]

as usual goga, u change my words
i didnt say, there aren t better players in israel than tal or green . i said that IF there arent better players....
if...it means than honestly i consider is possibile. yes ,i'm surprised about it ,but it deosnt mean be sure about it!!

Oh, really? You know nothing about Israeli players nad th domstic league, yet you keep posting one in a while that ou don't believe, there aren't better Israeli players than Burstein and Green out there. What's your point? You either trust people who write their opinion, explaining the context or you start recherching yourself.

the fact there arent better players thag green should let consider managment betterplayers than "lasmeproject" (considering lasme as an example of a mediocre foreign player)
u have no israeli players who are able to play the el level? well , try bringing good players all over the word
wasnt so hard to undestand

Do you actually read the stuff you write? Do you understand that the market of Israeli players is limited and known and not comparable to the whole world of international players?

now , perkins is a good player, eidson wothout an individualistic player like anderson, is an important factor. pargo is absolutely a factor actually and a big surprise expecially because many mta fans fro israel dodn't consider him a goo add. about him i guess we all hope he will have same results later
after that we had no much more
blu is just a great shooter, pnini is good for the bench, sofo is a c with lots of limits. hendrix is nothing, green also.
bringing macvan now the puzzle is getting more serious[/QUOTE]

Oh, gosh... five players who are suddenly good at sth., the rest is nothing and et this team is the best regular season team?! Did you actually ask yourself ones, why other MTA fans are critical of their team (too positive and negative) but you are just bashing it? Regardless of what this team does, you keep on saying it will fail. If not now, then later. It's hopeless.

[cscarlos]

1-A. Yaniv Green is the best Israeli big man out there. Ido Kozikaro is old. Robert Rothbart seems to be a bust. Dane DiLiegro (U.S.) is in college and probably won't be ready for Maccabi next year. Who else? All other Israeli (or Jewish) big men aren't that good (Amit Tamir), past their prime (Erez Markovic) or are too young (Anton Shuvton, Frederico Glinburg, Eitan Chermininski, etc...) and inexperienced. So as hard as it is to believe, he is the best Israeli big men out there. Maybe Elishai Kadir, but obviously Maccabi felt Yaniv is better at the moment. Unless you think you can get Tiago Splitter to get an Israeli passport and leave the NBA.

1-B. Here are Israeli/Jewish guards better then Burstein (IMHO): Jordan Farmar, Jon Scheyer and Yotam Halperin. Not sure what is up with Scheyer and what his plans are, but Halperin is too expensive this year to get and Farmar is an NBA player. Other Israeli/Jewish guards/swing men that could be better: Sylven Landesberg, Dan Grunfeld and Raviv Limonad - all of which right now are not as good overall as Burstein. Same goes for Gal Mekel, Afik Nissim, Yuval Neimi and Yogev Ohayon.

2. I'm not sure what you mean by that "doesnt mean we should consider them as el player level." You mean not use Israeli players? Because if Israel doesn't have enough "EL caliber" then Maccabi would have to use Israeli players that aren't "EL caliber" to fill the roster, but again, not sure what you were getting at here.

lol explain me how do you know so much about israely players? your knowlege seems like in the same level as mine in this area

[maccabeo]

Oh, really? You know nothing about Israeli players nad th domstic league, yet you keep posting one in a while that ou don't believe, there aren't better Israeli players than Burstein and Green out there. What's your point? You either trust people who write their opinion, explaining the context or you start recherching yourself.



Do you actually read the stuff you write? Do you understand that the market of Israeli players is limited and known and not comparable to the whole world of international players?

now , perkins is a good player, eidson wothout an individualistic player like anderson, is an important factor. pargo is absolutely a factor actually and a big surprise expecially because many mta fans fro israel dodn't consider him a goo add. about him i guess we all hope he will have same results later
after that we had no much more
blu is just a great shooter, pnini is good for the bench, sofo is a c with lots of limits. hendrix is nothing, green also.
bringing macvan now the puzzle is getting more serious

Oh, gosh... five players who are suddenly good at sth., the rest is nothing and et this team is the best regular season team?! Did you actually ask yourself ones, why other MTA fans are critical of their team (too positive and negative) but you are just bashing it? Regardless of what this team does, you keep on saying it will fail. If not now, then later. It's hopeless.[/QUOTE]

no no goga, I SAID ITS HARD TO BELIEVE, i didnt say "i dont believe"! i0 cant be sure about it, and infact i didn't say i dont believe!
if u want to understand what u prefere to undestand do it, but is not what i wrote and is not a correct way to compare our ideas.
i still think the 9-1 record has two main reason: the great blatt job and a weak group we played .as i wrote, even in this group ,i didnt think we can win so easly ,and i wrote it. now, things will be much harder and i don't think we are still ready even after macvan add. for u barca , real, caja, siena, fener are weaker or at same mta level. i hope u are right, but i think those teams are much better than us.
i confirm for me we just have 3-4 good players. others are just 10minutesplayers (pnini sofo blu)or nothing(green tal hendrix)

[goga78]

no no goga, I SAID ITS HARD TO BELIEVE, i didnt say "i dont believe"! i0 cant be sure about it, and infact i didn't say i dont believe!

Just in case you don't know, the meaning is the same. You are putting things in question. But what's the purpose of doing so, if you are saying yourself that you have no clue about Israeli basketball and people around you are telling you how it is? You don't have to believe anything and anybody but then an kind of discussion is obsolete.

i still think the 9-1 record has two main reason: the great blatt job and a weak group we played .as i wrote, even in this group ,i didnt think we can win so easly ,and i wrote it.

1. Blatt - absolutely, yes!
2. Weak group? Nobody on the whole IBN forum will agree with you. The group was very balanced but nowhere close to weak. One better Spanish team than Barcelona, Zalgiris who is aiming really high this season, Khimki full of stars, Partizan that can take any game at home against any opponent. Even Prokom has narrowly lost all of its games except against Maccabi. No weak teams in this group like th one with Barca, Siena, who had three weak opponents in their group. Same goes for the rest. There is a big buzz in Europe about this team, a guy like Macvan wanted to play exactly there because of Blatt and sth. really good in making there... just you alone are trying to talk things bad. Nobody has ever said, there aren't a couple of things MTA has to improve on, whether with new players or without them but you are reall unique in badmouthing your favourite team.

now, things will be much harder and i don't think we are still ready even after macvan add.

Ready for what? The title? Try to go step by step.

for u barca , real, caja, siena, fener are weaker or at same mta level.

For me, those teams have rather well-known names but except for Siena, non of them is showing a better and more effective basketball than MTA right now. Funny, how you mention CLA in the same sentence with MTA here. Come on, Barca has trailed the whole game and lost against Rytas, which barely has players to really compete on this level. Real? If it wasn't for the refs, they would have barely qualified to the Top 16. A highly disorganized unit. I consider Fener to be good, but losing to Siena by 30? Barely winning against a depleted Rytas? Seems like they are somewhat inconsistent.

i hope u are right, but i think those teams are much better than us.

What gives you this kind of thinking? Their EL record? Their domestic record?

i confirm for me we just have 3-4 good players. others are just 10minutesplayers (pnini sofo blu)or nothing(green tal hendrix)

Sofo is a 10-minute player. Please, post this stuff on the EL forum here. I just want to read some reaction and I promise to abstain from participation. Don't be surprised, if he will be named EL MVP for december. Best center of the best EL team in the regular season. His efficiency rating is 16.3 in just 22 mpg, making him Top 3 in that category alone among centers, despite very limited playing time.
Pnini and Blu are perfect role players. In two games where he was needed, Pnini stepped up his game, giving MTA the victory. His shooting is surprisingly flawless and with 7 ppg in 16 mpg he gives his team a good boost off the bench. Blu is important with his defense and shooting, although the latter could be better but I see some shortcomings in Blatt's system here. Both players are far from being perfect but you are saying it like other teams consist of superstars from 1 to 12.

[maccabeo]

Just in case you don't know, the meaning is the same. You are putting things in question. But what's the purpose of doing so, if you are saying yourself that you have no clue about Israeli basketball and people around you are telling you how it is? You don't have to believe anything and anybody but then an kind of discussion is obsolete.



1. Blatt - absolutely, yes!
2. Weak group? Nobody on the whole IBN forum will agree with you. The group was very balanced but nowhere close to weak. One better Spanish team than Barcelona, Zalgiris who is aiming really high this season, Khimki full of stars, Partizan that can take any game at home against any opponent. Even Prokom has narrowly lost all of its games except against Maccabi. No weak teams in this group like th one with Barca, Siena, who had three weak opponents in their group. Same goes for the rest. There is a big buzz in Europe about this team, a guy like Macvan wanted to play exactly there because of Blatt and sth. really good in making there... just you alone are trying to talk things bad. Nobody has ever said, there aren't a couple of things MTA has to improve on, whether with new players or without them but you are reall unique in badmouthing your favourite team.



Ready for what? The title? Try to go step by step.



For me, those teams have rather well-known names but except for Siena, non of them is showing a better and more effective basketball than MTA right now. Funny, how you mention CLA in the same sentence with MTA here. Come on, Barca has trailed the whole game and lost against Rytas, which barely has players to really compete on this level. Real? If it wasn't for the refs, they would have barely qualified to the Top 16. A highly disorganized unit. I consider Fener to be good, but losing to Siena by 30? Barely winning against a depleted Rytas? Seems like they are somewhat inconsistent.



What gives you this kind of thinking? Their EL record? Their domestic record?



Sofo is a 10-minute player. Please, post this stuff on the EL forum here. I just want to read some reaction and I promise to abstain from participation. Don't be surprised, if he will be named EL MVP for december. Best center of the best EL team in the regular season. His efficiency rating is 16.3 in just 22 mpg, making him Top 3 in that category alone among centers, despite very limited playing time.
Pnini and Blu are perfect role players. In two games where he was needed, Pnini stepped up his game, giving MTA the victory. His shooting is surprisingly flawless and with 7 ppg in 16 mpg he gives his team a good boost off the bench. Blu is important with his defense and shooting, although the latter could be better but I see some shortcomings in Blatt's system here. Both players are far from being perfect but you are saying it like other teams consist of superstars from 1 to 12.

last year lasme was considered by u a great player .
eidson, who played an horrible season (because of anderson i think),for u was anyway a star and fischer wasnt the right player for us (but hendrix is!), and so and so.. your point is always positive . i envy for this.
if i see eidson one year ago i have to say he is overvaluated player. if he play the way he is playing ,i have to say he is a star. i still don't know how u can consider green or tal or hendrix, players from el level , but about sofo ,pnini and pargo ,things are a little bit different:we can talk about them . i consder sofo a middle level center for this competition. pnini is good for the bench. he is a good defender player and has a good shoot so ok, for the bench. pargo is actually a huge factor but considering what mta fans tought when we added him, i still have some doubts,and want to see him later. regoular season is something very different comparing with top16 ,thats why actually blatt wanted macvan. he knows this roster uinder the basket wasnt enough to hope to go to 4final altought for u the roster was strong and enough even with hendrix ,blu , ely ,sofo. i still think green and tal are player who wouldnt pplay more than 4 minute average with any team of el. yes they have to stay because israeli but this soesnt change theyr value. u will see, they will play less minute per game later. top 16 is something else and u know it.
about what i meant about israeli league,well goga, to write "i dont belive there aren t better player than green and tal" is much different than saynig "is hard to believe there aren't better player but if so..."
somethimes it seems to me u are blind by your view to well consider others.
do u remember what io wrote before the start of the season? i tought for mta was very hard to wualify fot top 16. mta won the group , i haveto say i was wrong and i think was because blatt's job was amazing. the problem is i never known any coach who won competition alone without a great roster. mta hasnt so i guess we will have many problems. the fact we brought macvan make me stay more optimistic. we'd need one pure shooter and hoping pargo is really this, to have chance. i hope
about barca: instead of u i deeply hope to stay far from them

[maccabeo]

a question for u
why all mta fans didnt consider pargo a so good player as he is ? actual pargo is probably the player who can decide our future. if he is the player we saw in this regular season, we have many chances, if he is what mta fans tought before, it will be hard.
a question to everybody : wich group do u wish for next round?

[maccabeo]

mine is: union, unicaja,rome but i'm so afraid of real fener barca...