Hedo Türkoğlu is wrong! Spanish league is much stronger than Turkish one
In an interview at Skorer TV, Hedo Türkoğlu made the statement that the Turkish league has a better level than the Spanish one, being the best in Europe. Hedo Türkoğlu statement is just nonsense and propaganda. Of course, basketball in Turkey is growing and during the last years, many sponsors have involved in spite of the economic crisis that is visible in the country. Fenerbahce was a constant presence in the last Euroleague Final 4’s, accidentally Darussafaka won the Eurocup. now Anadolu Efes has a real chance to win Euroleague title, but all these achievements are not making Turkey the best league in Europe.
Let’s hear some real arguments about the Spanish dominance in European basketball:
- Spain has teams that are reaching every year the top of every important European competition. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Baskonia finished in the first 6 teams in the Euroleague this season, meanwhile, Darussafaka was on the last place in Euroleague.
- Valencia won the Eurocup, where 3 Spanish teams were qualified in the quarterfinals (Valencia, Unicaja and MoraBanc Andorra) with 2 of them present in the Semifinals. No Turkish team advanced from the groups’ stage in Eurocup this season. But not only this season! Spanish teams have won much more times the Eurocup than Turkish teams and from 2002 til now Spain had 14 presences in the Eurocup finals and Turkey just 2!!!
- In BasketballCL, Turkish squads have reached just one time the Final 4 in 3 years but Spanish teams were there every single time: Iberostar Tenerife won the first title, Ucam Murcia was last year in the Final 4 in Athens and again Tenerife lost the final of the competition in front of Virtus Bologna this month.
- Liga ACB has 18 teams very strong, where every game is a battle. Turkish league has only 15 teams from which 7-8 of them would be smashed by any team from Spain. Fenerbahce destroyed yesterday Sakarya win almost 80 points margin (138-62). When will this happen in Spain? Never!
- The value of the bench players is far better in Spain than in Turkey!
- Until Fenerbahce won the Euroleague title, no Turkish team did this in decades of basketball of the modern era! Anadolu Efes is reaching now their first Final 4 since 2001!!! Spanish teams were a presence in a lot of finals and have won many titles during the years.
- The presence of 2 Turkish teams in the final 4 in Vitoria-Gasteiz this season doesn’t excuse the other 13 mediocre teams from their domestic league. When we compare leagues, we do this on every level, mister Türkoğlu! And to be honest I am not sure the entire level of TBSL is better than VTB United League!
Photo credit: championsleague.basketball
Gratian Cormos, info@brainbasketball.net
