FANTASY CHALLENGE RUNDOWN
GROUP D
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos:
- Starting forward Kostas Tsartsaris is expected to miss the entire Top 16 with a back injury
- Niksa Prkacin, signed to replace Tsartsaris, debuted already in the last regular season game.
- After missing the last regular season game, Fragiskos Alvertis and Kennedy Winston are recovered and ready to play.
- Dejan Tomasevic will be sidelined for two more months due to a back injury. He will miss the entire Top 16.
Montepaschi Siena
Montepaschi Siena:
- Montepaschi signed swingman Drake Diener, who is due to debut against Partizan Igokea.
- Romain Sato missed the last Euroleague game but returned to action in the Italian TiM Cup. Sato averaged 16.3 points in his last 3 Euroleague games.
- Shooting guard Rimantas Kaukenas will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
Efes Pilsen
Efes Pilsen:
- Mustafa Abi hurt his ankle in domestic play but is expected to be ready when Efes opens the Top 16 hosting Panathinaikos.
- Shooting guard Serkan Erdogan remains sidelined long-term due to a knee injury.
- Combo guard Drew Nicholas was limited to 6 points in the last Euroleague regular season game. Nicholas had scored 13 points or better in all 11 previous games he had played.
- Scoonie Penn averaged 5.1 points in the regular season's first leg, but boosted his numbers up to 15.3 points in the second.
Partizan
Partizan Igokea:
- Partizan Igokea has no significant injuries for its Top 16 opening game against Montepaschi Siena.
- Nikola Pekovic was unstoppable in the regular season, ranking second overall in index ranking (22.1), third in scoring (17.9 ppg.) and fourth in rebounds (8 rpg.). He led the regular season in fouls drawn (6.3 per game).
- Milt Palacio (12 ppg., 3.8 apg.) has had a very solid season so far. Dusan Kecman (11.8 ppg.) and Novica Velickovic (11.3 ppg.) have double-digit scoring averages, too.
GROUP E
Lietuvos Rytas
Lietuvos Rytas:
- Forward Matt Nielsen injured his Achilles tendon and is expected to miss a month of action.
- L. Rytas inked power forward Jackson Vroman, who arrived from Akasvayu Girona.
- Veteran guard Roberts Stelmahers will be sidelined for three more weeks due to a calf injury.
- Joao Paulo Batista was released and replaced by Vroman.
- Andrius Slezas comes off his biggest Euroleague game this season - 11 points in 15 minutes.
Tau Ceramica
Tau Ceramica:
- Pete Mickeal returned to action in the Spanish King's Cup this weekend and will play against Lietuvos Rytas.
- Tau registered power forward James Singleton, who is still injured but will now be eligible to return, if healthy, before the end of the Euroleague season.
- Igor Rakocevic is the team's leading scorer at 16.8 points per game. Tiago Splitter averages 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds despite playing 22 minutes per night.
Fenerbahce Ulker
Fenerbahce Ulker:
- Euroleague rebounds leader Mirsad Turkcan returned to practice this Monday and may play against Aris TT Bank in Thessaloniki.
- Swingman James White recovered from his ankle injury and is ready to face Aris.
- Center Semih Erden is back in action, too, but is not expected to see much playing time this week.
Aris TT Bank
Aris TT Bank:
- Reyshawn Terry did not play in
the Greek League this week and is questionable for the game against Fenerbahce.
- Forwards Hanno Mottola and Jeremiah Massey are recovered and ready to face Fenerbahce, too.
- Terrell Castle left the team to sign with Unicaja.
-Newly-signed point guard Darius Washington had averaged 9 points in 3 games, even when he went scoreless in his Euroleague debut.
- Power forward Vladimer Boisa had 8 points in 21 minutes against Maccabi Elite, his best Euroleague game since he joined the team late in the regular season.
GROUP F
Real Madrid
Real Madrid:
- Real Madrid inked power forward and three-point bomber Iker Iturbe, who is ready to play the Top 16 opener against Zalgiris.
- Real Madrid unregistered big man Venson Hamilton, who was out with a long-term injury.
- Real Madrid registered two players from its second team, Jan Martin and Tomas Bellas, although it's unclear which if either will be on the bench against Zalgiris.
- Louis Bullock is the team's leading scorer (13.2 ppg.) so far, but Felipe Reyes (11.9 ppg., 7.7 rpg.) is first in index ranking at 14.9 per game.
Maccabi
Maccabi Elite:
- Big man Esteban Batista is fully recovered from his ankle injury and ready to face Olympiacos.
- Point guard Will Bynum left behind his physical problems and is set to help Maccabi in the Top 16.
- Terence Morris became the Euroleague's January MVP, averaging 13 points and 11.2 rebounds last month.
- Tal Burstein will miss the entire season with a knee injury.
Zalgiris
Zalgiris:
- Zalgiris inked center Mamadou Ndiaye, who is registered and ready to debut against Madrid.
- Zalgiris also added power forward and three-point specialist Damir Markota, who will also debut against Madrid.
- Zalgiris released big man Michael Bradley.
- DeJuan Collins was the Euroleague regular season assists champion (4.9 apg.).
Olympiacos
Olympiacos:
- Olympiacos registerd Renaldas Seibutas so that he is eligible for the rest of the season, but he is still injured and not expected to play the Top 16 opener against Maccabi.
- The Euroleague's second-ranked player in performance index rating, Arvydas Macijauskas, has been sidelined for three weeks and is not expected to play against Maccabi Elite.
- Forward Kostas Vasiliadis missed four Euroleague games but he is fully recovered and ready to face Maccabi.
- Big man Jake Tsakalidis will miss another game and possible more with a leg injury, joining Reinaldas Seibutis in the injury list.
GROUP G
CSKA Moscow
CSKA Moscow:
- CSKA signed forward Viktor Khryapa, who should make his Euroleague return against Lottomatica Roma this week.
- CSKA brought back center Tomas Van den Spiegel, who had been regular season shot-block leader for another team, Prokom Trefl Sopot. He is eligible to play against Roma.
- Center Aleksey Savrasenko is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
- Matjaz Smodis is out indefinitely with an ankle injury.
Unicaja
Unicaja:
- Unicaja added playmaker Terrell Castle, last with Aris TT Bank. He is eligible to play in the team's Top 16 opener at AXA F.C. Barcelona.
- Carlos Cabezas suffered a thigh muscle tear and is expected to be sidelined for three weeks.
- Marcus Haislip is questionable due to stomach problems but he should play against Barcelona.
AXA FCBarcelona
AXA FC Barcelona:
- Barcelona signed swingman Gary Neal, who was leading the Turkish League in scoring this season.
- Mario Kasun returned to action in the Spanish King's Cup. He had missed several Euroleague games due to a heart problem and is not expected to see extended playing time yet.
- Jordi Trias was the Week 14 MVP with 9 points, 20 rebounds and 6 assists, good for a 36 index.
- Jaka Lakovic has been the team's leading scorer so far at 13.6 points per game, hitting 41% of his three-point shots.
Virtus Roma
Lottomatica Roma:
- Roma added shot-blocker Andrea Crosariol to its lineup in time for the Top 16 opener at CSKA Moscow.
- Roma also signed point guard Ibrahim Jaaber, who is ready to made his Euroleague debut in Moscow.
- Roma released point guard Iannis Gkagkaloudis, who had joined the team last month.
- Allan Ray will not play against CSKA due to a thigh injury.
- After missing four Euroleague games, shooting ace Jon Stefansson returned against Chorale Roanne in the last regular season game.
- Forward Christian Drejer is also expected to miss to miss the game against CSKA Moscow.
- Point guard Jacopo Giachetti will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
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