# what do you think?



## denis (Jul 3, 2003)

I don't know if you guys folow euro basketball, but for those of you that do, let's say that one of the euro's big 3: CSKA moscow,tau ceramica,panatanaikos play in the NBA. What record would they have in the regular season? My opinion : if you consider that many players in those teams actually don't want to play in the nba because they're payed much better here (remember Dejan Bodiroga), much better shooting, their team chemistry(which is really great in all of those teams)... i would say that maybe one of those teams could fight for playoffs. CSKA has a 16-1 record in euroleague, panatanaikos 14-3 (those 3 games were last in the first stage of competition and they were already first in their group after wining first 11 games and tony delk is just a bench warmer!), tau ceramica has a 15-2 record i think. Those teams have no competition in europe. Opinons?


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## Headfake98 (Dec 10, 2006)

Well maybe if I could see a game I would have an opinion. But, shooting is "much better"? I don't know what this is about NBA having crappy shooters and being all about the dunks


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## denis (Jul 3, 2003)

> Well maybe if I could see a game I would have an opinion. But, shooting is "much better"? I don't know what this is about NBA having crappy shooters and being all about the dunks


Maybe "much better shooting" is a little too much but i would definitly say that those teams are above-average shooting teams (if they would play in the NBA. For example Tau-Ceramica's PG Igor Rakocevic (former player of the minnesota t-wolwes) has been shooting 3-pointers like a maniac (he hits about 15 out of 20, really!) and when they need some good defense, steal, assist they just replace him with their 6-7 PG Zoran Planinic (former net's player). CSKA and Pana are also playing even better since i started this thread, i would love to see them crush Celtics or Grizzlies.


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## alex (Jan 7, 2003)

denis said:


> Maybe "much better shooting" is a little too much but i would definitly say that those teams are above-average shooting teams (if they would play in the NBA. For example Tau-Ceramica's PG Igor Rakocevic (former player of the minnesota t-wolwes) has been shooting 3-pointers like a maniac (he hits about 15 out of 20, really!) and when they need some good defense, steal, assist they just replace him with their 6-7 PG Zoran Planinic (former net's player). CSKA and Pana are also playing even better since i started this thread, i would love to see them crush Celtics or Grizzlies.



There's a reason why those very solid European players were once in the NBA--they didn't make it. 

I lived in Rome last year, and got to see a ton of Serie A basketball. The best Italian team last year (Benetton Treviso) would have a very very hard time with any NBA team with a legit center/powerforward. Al Jefferson, for instance, would eat them alive inside, and Paul Pierce would dominate the perimeter/post up the physically weaker European defenders. 

Now granted, last year's Benetton wasn't as good as CSKA, Tau, or Panathinaikos, so this point may be somewhat void.

However, let's compare a mediocre Eastern Conference team, such as the Knicks or Magic, with those European squads. How would Scola/Splitter, Van Der Spiegel/Anderson, or the Pana bigs (I don't remember their names. . .) stop Dwight Howard or Eddy Curry? Both are by faaaaaaar bigger and stronger than the European pivots that DH would dominate on defense and, if his teammates pass him the ball, on offense, and Curry would maul the Euros on offense. A zone may work, but both teams have players that can shoot from the perimeter. I think the physicality of the NBA would wear the weaker Europeans down (there's a TREMENDOUS difference in height and strength. For instance, the average NBA "center" is probably 6'11"-7'0" 260, while the average European center is probably 6'9"-6'10" 240 lbs). 

That said, the top two-three teams in Europe could probably win about 20-30 games in the NBA.


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## rebelsun (Nov 25, 2003)

No current Euroleague team would win more than 18-20 games in an 82 game NBA season. The size, athleticism, and depth of NBA teams would just be overwhelming.


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