Post by Istanbul on Jan 3, 2017 18:29:32 GMT
New ownership means questions for Istanbul
ISTANBUL -- After missing out on the post-season in the previous three years, Efes managed to break through last year before being dispatched in the 1st round. In the off-season, amidst much controversy, the team fired its GM and was sold to an overseas consortium which have made no secret their desire to relocate the club to Helsinki, Finland. League officials have squelched those rumors as mere speculation, offering there are "no immediate plans" to allow any sort of relocation.
Meanwhile, we have a season to play. Due to the off-season strife, the club did not make any dramatic changes to their roster and as such, will enter the regular season a powerful but flawed team lacking depth. Any team with LeBron James (24.9 PPG) is going to be formidable, but the self-described King needs more help. Guard Bradley Beal offer the team another playmaker averagin 21.1 PPG last year and the hope is he can add to those numbers this season, break through to the next echelon of all-star caliber guard. Joakim Noah (7.3 RPG) and third-year forward Paul Millsap (16.3 PPG/7.3 RPG) offer the club the frontline help they need to crash boards and stay with pretty much any team in the league.
Where Istanbul will need help is determining whether the club wants to be a contender or a pretender to the title throne. An early success out of the gate could lead to the team back to the playoffs, which is the minimum standard for a team with this type of personnel. The problem will be depth. If management wants to excel beyond their 'one round and out' state, they'll have to consider making bold moves as the season winds on. An injury to any of the core starters and this team would have a difficult time recovering.
Last year's first round draft pick, SF Tayshaun Prince offers fresh legs and could be a boon to the team's prospects if he projects as well on the court as he does on paper for this team. New Head Coach Zvi Sherf should lend tactical expertise that serves the ballclub well and if his players respect him, he might be able to get them further than they were able to last year. Look for management to move a draft pick and perhaps a young player -- in exchange for a package deal, maybe a veteran starter and a prospect -- to get the team over the hump.
Make no mistake, the future is now in Istanbul. If the team wants to win an elusive first-ever championship, they'll need to do it while they have the services of LeBron James in tow or their task will become impossibly more difficult.
ISTANBUL ROSTER
Istanbul Anadolu Efes General
Player # Pos Age Ht Wt Exp Status College
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Joakim Noah 55 C 29 6-11 278 10 OK Florida
Clyde Lee 31 C 28 6-10 253 6 OK Vanderbilt
Kevin Duckworth 52 PF 23 7-0 286 1 OK Eastern Illinois University
Paul Millsap 25 PF 24 6-8 248 2 OK Louisiana Tech
Tayshaun Prince 24 SF 22 6-9 223 0 OK Kentucky
LeBron James 26 SF 24 6-8 247 5 OK N/A
Kareem Rush 20 SG 21 6-6 215 0 OK Missouri
Bradley Beal 22 SG 27 6-5 213 7 OK Florida
K.C. Jones 16 PG 31 6-1 208 8 OK San Francisco
Nino Buscató 11 PG 21 5-10 159 3 OK N/A
