Inevitable change awaits: how will Real replace its veterans? News

Image: AFP, Zuma Press – Scanpix, Crvena Zvezda, Saski Baskonia / BasketNews.lt illustration

This week’s Kaunas Žalgiris rival, Real Madrid, started the Euroleague season in an unusual way for him: a win in five matches and only the final round match against Bayern Munich reminded him of the champion mentality of the team.

Yes, Real has won all 9 victories in the Spanish Championship, and nothing has been lost in the Euroleague, but the body language of the veterans in the square, at least for now, does not convince and points out that this is the last year that the Madrid team trusts in the same nucleus.

Real, along with CSKA Moscow, have been the dominant force in European basketball for the past decade, with 7 Final Four titles and 2 Euroleague titles, but little has changed over time.

This era of the Real Club is associated with Pablo Lasas, who began coaching the club in 2011, and together with the team’s helmsman, the victories were now enjoyed by veterans Rudy Fernández, Felipe Reyes, Sergio Llull and Jaycee Carroll.

We have become accustomed to the fact that Real changes its line-up slightly in the offseason and the annual core has become a guarantee of success, but it is clear that the most important changes in Madrid are inevitable: nine out of 15 rotating basketball players have reached at least 30.

The BasketNews.lt website reviews what is being criticized by the Real government this year, speculates on what the upgrade solutions could be and considers whether Lasso is suitable for the new stage in Madrid.

Criticism of managers

Photo Press Zuma – Scanpix

At the start of the season, the Real Madrid players seem tired of basketball, and the uninspiring game and lack of Euroleague victories have given the Spanish a chance to criticize the Juan Carlos Sánchez and Alberto Herreros line-ups.

First, doubts were raised about the position of the midfielder and the impossibility of signing a contract with a substitute center-back close to Walter Tavares.

In summer, it was decided to fire Jordan Mickey, Salah Mejri also left, and Ante Žižičius was expected to arrive in Madrid for a long time, but the latter chose Telcivo’s Maccabi and Real had no spare.

In this situation, the Spaniards see the only positive: the great playing time of the promising Usman Garuba. However, the tall man is promised a great call-up in the next NBA rookie trade and will represent Real this season at best, so a new midfielder is a must.

Another object of criticism is the extended contracts with the club’s veterans.

During the offseason, he extended his contract with Reyes, 40, who promised to end his career at Carroll, 37, and Fernandez, 35. The long-term contracts, valid until 2022, with Fabien Causeur, 33, and Jeffery Taylor, 31, were also signed even earlier.

Another object of criticism is Nicolás Laprovittola. For a long time in the summer there has been speculation that a player who does not fit into Lhasa’s schemes will leave the team and seek a replacement, but in the end, the Argentine stayed.

At the moment, Real’s defense line is very expensive, but ineffective: Llullas and Fernández, who no longer meet the value for money alone, earn 3.7 million together during the season. euros. We add Laprovittol and Causeur next to it and it becomes clear that changes to the perimeter line are inevitable.

What would the transformation be like in Madrid?

Photo Press Zuma – Scanpix

In summer, Real de Valencia for 1.5 million. Alberto Abalde, who automatically prepared an amendment for Fernández, whose contract with the club expires in 2022, and the Real Club recovered Carlos Alocen, 19, from Zaragoza, Casademont, who has twice been named the most promising player in the championship from Spain. improving Garuba.

However, the Madrid club’s basketball office is undergoing much bigger changes, which could take place even before next summer; There is no doubt that Facundo Campazzo, who has a contract with Real until 2024, will leave the team in November or December, but he wants to put his strength to the test in the NBA, for which the Spanish team would receive 6 million. compensation, most of which would be borne by the player himself.

Currently, the most realistic stop in Argentina’s career is the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Real should quickly find solutions with the bailout received, and the most realistic thing is to target the NBA market, where it would hope to get a trump card like 2017 with Tavares.

If Campazzo really leaves, Real will need two attacking organizers: a contract with Laprovittola after the season, whose presence in the squad is still in doubt, and Alocen is still too young to take second place on a stable basis in Madrid.

Already this season, the Royal Club has focused on the main Euroleague attacking organizers Costa Slouk and Scottie Wilbekin, but the latter have signed long-term contracts with Piraeus Olympiakos and Tel Aviv’s Maccabi, and this only shows that demanding the standards of the Royal match the player will be very difficult.

Causeur will be the only contract with Real on the offensive line after the season, but Llull has already expressed the desire to remain with the team and this Spanish wish is likely to be fulfilled. At that point, Carroll is likely to end his career.

Obviously, both Causeur and Llull can no longer be the five best players in Real, and if you are looking for renewal in Europe, the first name that comes to mind is Jordan Loyd.

The Crvena Zvezda leader in Belgrade, who started his second Euroleague season in impressive fashion, will increase his value so much this year that he should also attract the attention of Real. He is 27 years old and a year earlier he looked solid in Spain when he represented Valencia.

Forward Real seems the most stable: Trey Thompkins, 30, plays the best basketball of his career, Abalde with Gabriel Decku at just 25, and the biggest problem at the beginning of the season is that of Anthony Randolph. There are rumors in Spain that the basketball player suffers from depression, but it is still expected that the 31-year-old athlete can play at the highest level.

It is true, let us not rule out the possibility that in the third position the Real seeks a supplement in summer, especially if Deck goes to the NBA, where he draws attention: last season the Madrid team was interested in the services of Rock Giedraitis and the Euroleague. It looks like Vladimir Lučičius, 31 years old.

Instead of the main midfielder, Real has a 28-year-old Tavares with a contract valid until 2024 with $ 2 million annually. However, Garuba is a short-term project linking his career to the NBA.

It is difficult to say which of the centers of Europe could go to Real, but in the last season we have heard not only Žižičiai among the candidates to join the Madrid team, but also Arūra Gudaitis. However, next to Tavares, one would like to see a more mobile midfielder who can swap defenses: Zach LeDay or a Hassan Martin-style center.

Will the contract with Lhasa be extended?

ITAR-TASS Photo – Scanpix

Starting in 2011, Real’s Lasso’s contract will expire next summer and it is still unclear if it will be extended.

Although Sánchez, Real’s director of basketball operations, said in the summer of 2019 that Laso will work for the team as long as he wants, the coach has not been offered a new contract and fans are outraged by the lack of respect for the player. 53 years old.

During his training period, the former basketball player with his club in the Spanish capital has won the Euroleague twice, five local championships and six Spanish Cups, and the last decade of the Real is even called the Lasso era.

Leaving a clear mark on Real’s history, Lasso has great respect from executives, players and fans alike, but why hasn’t a new contract been proposed yet?

The helmsman of the 53rd Royal Club has been loyal to its system for many years and the biggest question is whether what worked for current Royal veterans would work for newcomers as well.

Lasso has never been known as the best tactic and has achieved success with other positive qualities. The Spaniard is a great psychologist, giving players unlimited freedom in attack, and confident in their mutual understanding that has emerged through a long-term partnership.

If not with Lhasa, with whom else could a new era begin in Madrid? The only logical option, if it were decided to fire the coach who achieved everything at Real, would be Željko Obradovičius.

The 60-year-old, now without a club, is a great well-known architect, well versed in crafting new teams, and the project in Madrid, where he already worked from 1994-1997, could certainly interest a Serb and be seriously considered. by a legendary specialist.

However, Lasso has earned the utmost respect over the last 10 years, and Real executives must rely on the Spaniards, who have shown their class, to form a new team if the coach himself wishes, and only look to another. helmsman.