# Euroleague Groups Draw Results



## brazys (Jul 17, 2002)

Group A:

1) Barcelona
2) Virtus Roma
3) Union Olimpia
4) Ulker
5) Cibona
6) Pau Orthez
7) Partizan
8) AEK

Group B:

1) CSKA
2) Maccabi
3) Skipper
4) Panathinaikos
5) Unicaja
6) Virtus Bologna
7) Zalgiris
8) Krka

Group C:

1) Benetton
2) Efes Pilsen
3) Olympiakos
4) Tau Ceramica
5) Asvel
6) Pamesa
7) Slask
8) Alba

Being Zalgiris fan I am not happy about results and I think that group B is strongest.:devil: 5 teams from each group and best-6th-place makes to the next round.


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## Crazy Fan From Idaho (Dec 31, 2002)

*Great minds think alike....*

Ha. I also was just starting a new thread about the draw, brazys. I'm glad I decided to see if anyone else had done it before I went ahead and posted mine.  

I'll c/p my questions about it, which you have already started to answer:

You guys are the EL experts on here. I hardly know one team from another. How did the draw work out? Did the groups end up equitable?

In your opinion, which group is the strongest? And why? Which group are other teams saying, "We're sure lucky not to be in group (?) because........" about?

Are there any groups that contain arch-rivals? I'll be interested in keeping track of those competitions.


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## ostend (Jun 8, 2003)

Being a fan of jr holden player of cska i'm not satisfied with the draw, cause he's up against someone i absolutely don't like and that is ed cota of zalgiris (nothing bad about the team, just don't like that player, sorry for the fans of zalgiris). I wanted cska up against a french team, it's always better for me to drive over to france to see a game then to italy, but i might because cska is up against a team wich has a belgian player in it. That's all. I do like it that they are up against malaga, good team! 
So to the fans of zalgiris goodluck but don't mess with cska's guard (or it's war!! )
 anyway hope to see a good euroleague this year. Goodluck for all the teams (most of all to jr  )


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## Zalgirinis (Feb 18, 2003)

*Re:*



> Originally posted by <b>Crazy Fan From Idaho</b>!
> You guys are the EL experts on here. I hardly know one team from another. How did the draw work out? Did the groups end up equitable?
> 
> In your opinion, which group is the strongest? And why? Which group are other teams saying, "We're sure lucky not to be in group (?) because........" about?
> ...


Well, Im gonna reply in short way, cause I feel kinda depressed :no: 

B group is definitely the strongest... Second year in a row we get strongest group, but this time even stronger. Of course everything depends on us and Zalgiris roster isnt known yet, so I cant say its very bad, cause if we collect strong lineup - there wont be any team which we should be afraif of. 

IMHO there are 5 super powers in Europe and 3 of them are in B group - Maccabi, CSKA, Pao (Barca and Benneton the others 2). Unicaja and Skipper always strong. Virtus Bologna... if they will be like this year, thats great, but signing Turkcan means they gonna be stronger than last year and with bigger ambitions. Also you cant put Krka to outsider's list, cause they managed to reach ULEB Cup final... Oh I would be lucky to see Zalgiris in Group A instead of Partizan... 

Arch-rivals... of course Skipper and Virtus Bologna, always a battle. Zalgiris-CSKA is also a rivalry, which was the most important 15 years ago, but now it will be also something more than other games. I think Cibona-Partizan is big rivalry also due to their religion and nationality. Tau Ceramica lost this year to Pamesa in ACB semifinals, so I think they would like to revenge for it.


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

*Re: Great minds think alike....*



> Originally posted by <b>Crazy Fan From Idaho</b>!
> Ha. I also was just starting a new thread about the draw, brazys. I'm glad I decided to see if anyone else had done it before I went ahead and posted mine.
> 
> I'll c/p my questions about it, which you have already started to answer:
> ...


It is really nice to see an American to be so interested in euro basketball. I think the strongest group is the second one. I mean just look at it. (I'm sorry mate, you were unlucky in the draw!!)

CSKA (They have the money, they'll build a good team, even though they lost Songaila and Hatzivrettas)
Maccabi (Always strong and don't forget, they'll organize the F4 so they'll build the strongest team possible)
PAO (I don't have to say much here)
Skipper (They negotiate with all the big names right now, plus they already have Vujanic).
Unicaja (Always strong. How strong this year though, I don't know)
Virtus (The ex-absolute powerhouse. Enigma)
Zalgiris (If they have Sabas, it automatically means they'll be strong)
Krka (Slovenian team means that money are mot necessary to make a dangerous team. See last year's Olimpija and Krka).

Rivalries? Hmmm yeah, there are some:

Panathinaikos-Maccabi (two consecutive EL finals(2000 and 2001, trophies shared, and also an EL semifinal the following year (2002), won by the Greeks.)

Efes - Olympiakos: Greek-Turkish rivalry. The Greeks have never lost in Turkey but they almost everytime lose at home by Efes (except for a couple of times).


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## SEOK (Apr 3, 2003)

Of course the levels decided three groups very omogeneous. 
The first thing we can see is that Barcelona has a relatively simple group: Virtus Roma is a deb, Partizan, Cibona and Pau Orthez normally are not so dangerous (and they have lost important players too). Ulker is the classical Turkish team that collapses at the end, AEK probably won't be able to build a successful team, considering who will leave and who won't arrive. Olimpija is a "NCAA team" in Europe. Gasoline for others. Dangerous, in a way. Barcelona 12-2? I guess that Roma, Ulker, Olimpija and AEK will be the others going to the top-16. 

CSKA Moscow, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Panathinaikos, Skipper Bologna will fight a lot, and will finish at place #1, #2, #3 and #4. For the 5th place it's a battle between Unicaja (they look like the classical Spanish team, "strong but that cannot fight till the end". I don't know Krka, and 8th will be Virtus Bologna. If Virtus Bologna will exist: Montepaschi Siena could replace the White&Blacks, and it means that another strong team will be in this group. 

Benetton is still building the new team, or better, is looking for the shooting guard to put on court. It seems the name is the one of Alphonso Ford (released by Siena). Pamesa Valencia has an enormous budget and probably will create a great team, about Efes Pilsen look at Ulker (group A), Tau will change a lot but won't lose its nature. Olympiakos wants to be back in the "top-class basketball"... I say Pamesa, Benetton, Olympiakos, Efes Pilsen, and Tau at the top-16, doesn't mind the order.


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## Zelena Hracka (Dec 16, 2002)

*Re: Re:*



> Originally posted by <b>Zalgirinis</b>!
> 
> Virtus Bologna... if they will be like this year, thats great, but signing Turkcan means they gonna be stronger than last year and with bigger ambitions.


Have I missed something?


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## Zalgirinis (Feb 18, 2003)

*Re: Re: Re:*



> Originally posted by <b>Zelena Hracka</b>!
> 
> 
> Have I missed something?


Well, sorry, maybe it was a rumour and I thought that it is real deal. Dont know now really where Turkcan gonna play... Anyone know?


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## italianBBlover (Mar 5, 2003)

"During the draw, the Euroleague announced that the 2003-04 season will open with a *special game* in the home of a new Euroleague member, Virtus Roma, against the top-seeded team in Group A, current Euroleague champion FC Barcelona."

Great ... I guess that the Rome's EUR arena (17,000) will be full :grinning: :yes:


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## SEOK (Apr 3, 2003)

*Re: Re: Re: Re:*



> Originally posted by <b>Zalgirinis</b>!
> Well, sorry, maybe it was a rumour and I thought that it is real deal. Dont know now really where Turkcan gonna play... Anyone know?


It was a rumour some weeks ago, Turkcan-Yehovic and Ataman in Bologna. They will go to Ulker with Kutluay. 

The fact about Virtus Bologna is that actually there is nothing coming from Riale, where the president, Madrigali, lives. More than one month without a press-conference. Nothing. 
The situation is absolutely out of control, Virtus was the only team without someone in Tel Aviv today, and this says a lot. Virtus Bologna probably will disappear, Madrigali is closer to the jail than to be a owner of a basketball club: not only, many say he has already left Italy, for the problems he has with his enterprise, the CTO (videogames). The lights of his house, in Riale, have been off for three weeks now. No-one is there. He disappeared. There's not anyone who wants to buy the team (that has enormous debt, players who went to ask for their money at a court). Actually, Virtus Bologna is only a name of a basketball team. The basketball team, and the club, doesn't exist. 
I hope to have the time a day to write here the full history. It's very long, there are many details that I don't know exactly. But it's a sad history: there were a "naked king" like Madrigali, hated by everyone, who didn't sell the team when he could do that, who is actually in red. Who is... where is he now? 
Let's face it. There are big possibilities that Virtus Bologna, after decades, will disappear from the planet of basketball...


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## Crazy Fan From Idaho (Dec 31, 2002)

Oh, my!!!! That sounds very grim, SEOK.

Basketball management can certainly be dramatic in Europe!


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## SEOK (Apr 3, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Crazy Fan From Idaho</b>!
> 
> 
> Oh, my!!!! That sounds very grim, SEOK.
> ...


This is what I was wroting here 7 months ago (1/8/2003):

_The during of the staying of Madrigali in Virtus is measured with cash, and cash is quickly finishing. The team infact costs a lot, around 500.000 euros each month, without considering the costs of 7 (seven) bodyguards with weapons who protect him against the big amount of "fans" he has in Bologna. 
It's clear that Madrigali, when ha can, doesn't pay anything: it's the case of Becirovic, but for example Sekularac armoured by his contract, and Tanjevic still receives his salary. 
Madrigali is trying to reduce the expeditures (in this way too, and I think it's something never seen at these levels: the dinner after the on-the-road games is not at the restaurant, but some sandwitches are offered to the players on the bus who's carrying the team at home (...). Of course, why should Rigaudeau remain in a such "club", while he could easily have a personal Jacuzzi offered by Cuban in the dressing room? 
It's a fact the Madrigali is arrived at the end. How can you save offering sandwitches instead of a real dinner? 25000 euros in one year. 25000 euros compared to the contract signed with Avleev and Sekularac, that worth 500.000 dollars. 
Money has finished, and there's a big doubt here in Bologna: is it possible that Madrigali to save money is now using the accounts of Virtus as "financial lung" to hide other debts, bringing Virtus to the failure, gaining time and in this period hiding some money abroad? 
Personally, I think yes._


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## Matiz (Jun 5, 2003)

Partizan:Cibona:Olimpija... some 1000 police officers will do, or else :starwars: :rocket: :curse: massacre... I think initialy our army will have to protect these kind of games- than again imagine situation in Zagreb or Belgrade ( Hrvoje in the front line)... I gotta headache...


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## SEOK (Apr 3, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>italianBBlover</b>!
> Great ... I guess that the Rome's EUR arena (17,000) will be full :grinning: :yes:


As always you have missed something. The restyled PalaLottomatica will have 11.800 seats. 
Don't inform people with wrong informations.


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## italianBBlover (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>SEOK</b>!
> 
> 
> As always you have missed something. The restyled PalaLottomatica will have 11.800 seats.
> Don't inform people with wrong informations.


Palalottomatica/Palaeur has officially *16,392* seats.


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## SEOK (Apr 3, 2003)

[QUOTEOriginally posted by <b>italianBBlover</b>!
Palalottomatica/Palaeur has officially *16,392* seats. [/QUOTE]

Corrections are always needed with you. 
This could be the capacity of the Palaeur when it has been built (but I don't think so). Anyway, it has been constructed for the OG of Rome (1960). 
I guess you don't know there's something called "European Union" (yes, where :banana: showed to be an idiot), that new laws about safety and security blablabla... do you know that? 

Well, one of these laws concers exactly the indoor and outdoor arenas. Practically, in the EE, you can only have seats, no standing places. Ok, understood? 
It wasn't happening during the '50, or twenty years ago. Actually do you understeand the goal? Yes. Capacity of Palaeur has been reduced many times (infact the sold-out there, for a volleyball World League is about 14.700). 
Now, with the restyling other place has been lost. A telephone calls and you'll discover that there are 11.800 places in this arena. 

SEOK, from the Republic of :banana:


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## italianBBlover (Mar 5, 2003)

I'm still skeptical.

In fact I saw some pictures of the restayling project and the arena's tiers structure is the same of the 15,000 and more people of the '80s ( Rome VS Milan etc ).

Then : not always some sources are well informed about the capacity of some arenas. 

For example in the case of Milan's Filaforum : some says that its capacity is 14,000 , other 11,800 , other 12,500, other 10,000 ...

Gretz


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## SEOK (Apr 3, 2003)

*Crazy Fan From Idaho / Zalgirinis*
I'm absolutely surprised. Today Virtus Bologna signed coach Sergio Scariolo with a three years contract (it's official, you can read that in the site www.virtus.it). 
Confused.


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## italianBBlover (Mar 5, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>SEOK</b>!
> *Crazy Fan From Idaho / Zalgirinis*
> I'm absolutely surprised. Today Virtus Bologna signed coach Sergio Scariolo with a three years contract (it's official, you can read that in the site www.virtus.it).
> Confused.


Yep ... I'm reading right now the news on the Lega's website ! what a news


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## Crazy Fan From Idaho (Dec 31, 2002)

Thanks for the news.

I'm glad they found a coach. It would be a shame for a team to dissolve completely.


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## Hrvoje (Jun 28, 2003)

Matiz wrote:


> I think initialy our army will have to protect these kind of games- than again imagine situation in Zagreb or Belgrade ( Hrvoje in the front line)... I gotta headache...


Matiz, you are one very narowminded and frustrated person. I tried to be friendly and open minded towards you, but I guess that doesn`t work with people like you.


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