Euroleague: Now the games start to count, Maccabi

After dismal preseason, Birenboim's squad takes the court tonight in Euroleague opener.

By ALLON SINAI
maccabi arroyo 248.88 asaf kliger (photo credit: Asaf Kliger [file])
maccabi arroyo 248.88 asaf kliger
(photo credit: Asaf Kliger [file])
It seems quite extraordinary that Maccabi Tel Aviv will only actually be getting its season officially under way on Thursday evening. Maccabi has generated more headlines in the past couple of months than most teams do in an entire season, and it hasn't been good news. The team has experienced its worst preseason in recent memory, losing seven straight games before claiming two wins over BSL sides this past weekend, and looks anything but ready for Thursday's Euroleague opener in Croatia against Cibona Zagreb. Nevertheless, the side's new undisputed leader Carlos Arroyo is in a positive mood ahead of his return to European basketball. "I'm feeling confident. Now it's for real, so we'll have a different mentality," the NBA veteran told The Jerusalem Post. "I've heard of Cibona, but I don't know much about their team. I'm sure coach will make sure we see some film and study their plays and system and we should be fine for Thursday night. We treat every Euroleague opponent with a lot of respect. "Preseason is now officially over and there are no more excuses. It's time to play basketball." Despite the team's early struggles, the Puerto Rican is thrilled to be in Israel. "I really like it. So far it's been an amazing experience. It was a good choice," he said. Thursday will also see new signing Marcus Brown make his debut for Maccabi, despite only training with the team a couple of times ahead of the game. Brown's inclusion means Maccabi now has 13 senior players and, with the Euroleague only permitting 12 players to be registered for any given game, out-of-favor forward Rodney White has been dropped from the roster for the game against Cibona, a clear indication that his days at the club could be numbered. The signing of Brown has put smiles on Maccabi faces for the first time in a while, but Arroyo believes that only hard work can transform the team into a Euroleague contender. "We're not where we want to be. We've got to keep practicing hard and playing hard. We need to understand our mistakes and learn from them," Arroyo said. "Marcus already practiced with us and was very good. I believe the combination will be excellent and hopefully we'll connect as soon as possible." The 34-year-old Brown is the Euroleague's all-time leading scorer and his experience could prove crucial down the line, especially when considering Chester Simmons, Jason Williams and D'or Fischer will all be making their Euroleague debuts on Thursday. "I hope Marcus will fit in as fast as possible and learn our plays," said coach Effi Birenboim, who will also be taking part in a Euroleague game for the first time on Thursday. "On offense he can contribute easily. The problem would be to balance the team on defense. We've worked on that a lot especially as we're playing on the road against Cibona, a team that plays very well at its home court with great shooters from long range." Cibona has failed to progress past the regular season group stage of the Euroleague in the past two seasons and didn't make the Croatian League finals for the first time in over a decade last season. Zagreb will, nevertheless, be confident of giving Maccabi a run for its money, with new coach Velimir Perasovic especially dependent on his new backcourt duo of veteran Davor Kus and rookie Earl Calloway. "We're working all the time and I hope the fans will already see it in the upcoming game," Birenboim said. "We hope to start the Euroleague season on the right foot and I promise our supporters we'll give everything to come back with a win."