(Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
The final preliminary games have been played and the 2009 EuroBasket Tournament is set to begin next week, September 7th in Poland. We here at Bust a Bucket have been struggling with the lack of basketball and this tourney will be a nice opportunity for some of the NBA's and Europe's best (including a few with Blazer ties) to compete in a tourney that actually means something to the countries involved.
Click here for the EuroBasket 2009 tournament format
Group A
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The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia starts off group A of the prelims on September 7th. With recent victories over Latvia and Great Britain, the team from the former Yugoslavia has won with a balanced attack, youth and experience and complete team effort. The key player for Macedonia will be Vrbica Stefanov who is ending his legendary career playing for his home country. |
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Croatia is another Euro team lacking a big name talent, but this could potentially be for the better. This team plays as a unit and relies on strong coaching and a good system to win basketball games. Strong play at the power forward and center position allow the Croatian team to match-up with all of their opponents in the group A bracket. Despite the lack of a true super star, Raptor Roko-Leni Ukic could be the key to victories for Croatia, his ability to score, rebound and distribute is vital to Croatian success. |
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Israel enters the EuroBasket tourney with confidence and a group of proven European players. Lior Eliyahu has been huge for Israel with his 16 points and 6+ rebounds per game. He and NBA draftee Omri Caspi have the athleticism and motivation to upset some of their group A opponents. Look for Eliyahu and Yotan Halperin to play big roles for Israel. |
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The Greek team, led by big man Yiannis Bouroussis, will have a tough task with expectations high and key player absences. Bouroussis will be asked to control the paint while NBA reserve Kostas Koufas and Florida guard Nick Calethes will be asked contribute, if possible, and bring Greece back to the podium (they won EuroBasket in 2005). |
Group B
| Team | Comment |
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Russia begins their defense of EuroBasket 2007 without two key guys in Andrei Kirilenko and JR Holden. The team will be led by former Blazer Victor Khryapa if he is able to play. The Russians will struggle offensively if they have to be without Khryapa and AK-47, meaning they may have to rely on another former Blazer Sergei Monya. The Russian team will have a tough defense of the title no matter what happens. |
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The French team is peaking at the right time and appears to be ready to take on the best in Europe. The balanced attack of Tony Parker and Ronny Turiaf will be devastating for all opponents. Turiaf has been on beast on the interior while Tony Parker has been his usual crafty self. No one in this tournament can guard Parker. Other NBA players like Boris Diaw and Nicolas Batum will contribute in many other creative ways with Batum showing his complete arsenal at such a young age. I see France competing until the very end. |
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The German national team will try to compete in the EuroBasket 2009 without their superstar Dirk Nowitzki. Unfortunately for Germany, no Dirk will more than likely spell doom for their squad. Even despite their lack of star power, the German still took down Turkey in qualifiers in August which is cause for optimism for Germany and their fans. |
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Latvia enters the EuroBasket tourney with one big shining star, Andris Biedrins. Biedrins has been a monster in the NBA and his ability to score, rebound, defend and adjust to the highest level will make him nearly impossible to guard in the tourney. Kristaps Janicenoks is a guy who Latvia will rely on to provide a scoring punch, Biedrins is good but he can't do it all. Perimeter shooting to complement an inside game will contribute to Latvia's success. |
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