Can Valencia reach the Euroleague’s playoffs?
Can Valencia reach the Euroleague’s playoffs?
After one year break, Valencia is back in Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Last season they were crowned as 7Days EuroCup Champions after beating in the final ALBA Berlin 2-1. In the game 3, Valencia won by a big margin 89-63 with Bojan Dublijevic being named Game 3 MVP with 18 points and 8 rebounds. They will complete the four-team set coming from Spain in this year Euroleague, alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona Lassa and Baskonia.
In the national competition, Valencia finished last season in the 4th place, behind teams above mentioned, with a 23-11 record. In the first round of playoffs, they managed to overturn a 1-0 deficit, after losing Game 1 at home, 78-85 against Unicaja. They won the next two games and qualified for Spanish Semifinals were they met Real Madrid. The, now champions of Spain, didn`t give any chance for Valencia, winning by 3-0, without any emotions.
Regarding their signings, Valencia had a peaceful summer until now. They managed to extend the contract of 35-years old Fernando San Emeterio after he helped the team in the EuroCup Finals. He averaged 15 points and 3.3 rebounds. Another player that receives a contract extension was Guillem Vives (26 years-old, 1.92m, Guard). His contract was extended until 2021 and will continue his contribution from the bench, with last season finishing with 4.2 points and 2.4 assists in 19 EuroCup games. Another role player that will spend one more year in the team is Aaron Doornekamp (33 years-old, 2.01m, Forward).
Speaking about new signings there are only three players to be named. First, the big man, Brock Motum (28 years-old, 2.08m, Power Forward). He played last season for Turkish Champions, Anadolu Efes and averaged 6.5 points. He appeared in 114 Euroleague games during his career and he`s averaged 8.2 points and 2.7 rebounds with 41.6% at the 3-point line. After him, Valencia added another Power Forward, Maurice Ndour. He played for Unics Kazan last season and averaged 9.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 18 EuroCup Games. He played before in Spain for Real Madrid in the 2015-2016 season.
At the Point Guard position, they bring experienced Spanish player, Quino Colom (30 years-old, 1.88m). He played last season for Bahcesehir Istanbul and in 27 Turkish League game, he averaged 15.6 points, 6.0 assists and 3.1 rebounds. He played one season in Euroleague with Unics Kazan in the 2016-2017 season. He averaged 11.3 points, 5.7 assists and 3.9 rebounds.
The future doesn’t seem too bright for Valencia`s fans. With this transfers and the current roster, I don`t see them making too much noise in the 2019-2020 Euroleague season. My prediction is that they will finish lower than the top 10, maybe even top 12. Their biggest advantage is the chemistry between their players, but with the current transfers made by the other teams, this advantage will be easily overwhelmed.
Bogdan Vasile Tirc
Can Valencia reach the Euroleague’s playoffs?
