MIES (Switzerland) - Four gamedays in, we already have a sample size to line up the top performers of the Basketball Champions League Season 9. We have dubbed it the Ode to Basketball, the Ninth Symphony, and we will be following the progress of the main MVP candidates on a monthly basis.
To figure out who has the best chances to win the award, we have to take a look at the profiles of previous MVPs in the Basketball Champions League.
Jordan Theodore, Manny Harris, Tyrese Rice, Keith Langford, Bonzie Colson, Chima Moneke, TJ Shorts II and Marcelinho Huertas all reached the Final Four, all played crucial roles in their teams getting there, all made clutch shots during the seasons and had the numbers to prove they were the Most Valuable Players.
With that in mind, during the MVP Race, we will have four serious questions to help us figure out who the leader is at each checkpoint:
(1) Does his team have a winning record? (2) Is he the reason why? (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? (4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it?
Since this is a column and not in any way an official ranking, we need the grand separator to figure out the leader. That's why the fifth question will always be random, to give you a hint of who's the guy in the lead.
This week, it's pure and simple:
(5) Is he a hometown hero, playing for the same team he cheered for as a kid?
(See, number five is truly random.)
#10 Jamar Smith (Pallacanestro Reggiana)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? Yep, 3-1. (2) Is he the reason why? Yep, gone crazy with 10 straight points in the fourth quarter to avoid defeat just this week. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 13.3 points, 43 percent shooting, 50 percent from three-point range, 100 percent from the free throw line, efficiency rating 11.5 per game. (3.33) Shooting is great, but 11.5 efficiency rating isn't exactly intimidating, right? Right. But who cares about efficiency when this dude goes out and delivers in those clutch moments day in, day out? (3.66) Okay, but he's not the leader here? Nope. Just deserves a mention for his clutchness, coolness, and general JamarSmithness, constant reminder that he's one of the all-time greats in European basketball, for real.
#9 Christian Bishop (ERA Nymburk)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? Yes, 4-0. And still flying under the radar, somehow, as described in this piece by our columnist Diccon Lloyd-Smeath:
(2) Is he the reason why? Sure, he's got the best - or most consistent - numbers. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 14.5 points, 56 percent shooting, 6.8 rebounds, including 3.3 offensive rebounds per game, 16.8 efficiency rating. (4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it? Not really. It's probably Jaromir Bohacik. Then again, we may never find out, since their closest game of the season was by five points on the road at Pardubice. And he had 20 points in 20 minutes in that one. (4.33) But he's not the leader of the MVP Race? Nope. He's here because he's the most consistent player of the most consistent team. Keep it up until May, and you may get the MVP of the Season award, even if you never led the MVP Race. Like Janne Ahonen in the Four Hills Tournament in 1999, he didn't win any of the four stations, and he still won the Tournament. (4.66) ...I'm sorry, what!? Ski jumping. Janne Ahonen won the Four Hills Tournament in 1999 despite not winning an individual hill per se. It's okay, ski jumping is big in Czechia, they'll understand the reference.
#8 Ismael Kamagate (Bertram Derthona Basket)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? Yep, 4-0. (2) Is he the reason why? Yep, flirting with double-doubles all the time. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 12.5 points, 60 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds, including 4.0 offensive boards per game, 2.0 assists, 3.0 blocks, 20.0 efficiency rating. (4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it? This is also the part where we explain why he's not leading the MVP Race, because even with all his heroics, it's questionable if he's the MVP of his own team, as Christian Vital is at 20.3 efficiency rating per game. (4.33) So... Why isn't Christian Vital on this shortlist? Good question. No legit answer. Both are awesome. And Arturs Strautins, too. And Tommy Kuhse. Actually, it could've been any of these guys on the list. (4.66) But Kamagate is not the leader of the MVP Race? Nope. Could be at the end of the Regular Season. Or it could be Vital. Or Strautins. Or Kuhse.
#7 Derrick Alston Jr (BAXI Manresa)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? Yep, 3-1. (2) Is he the reason why? Yep, their best player. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 18.8 points, 49 percent from the field, 50 from deep, 96 from the charity stripe, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 19.3 efficiency rating per game. (4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it? Probably. (5) Is he a hometown hero, playing for the same team he cheered for as a kid? Oof! So close! Even though his dad played for Manresa in 1997-98, Derrick Jr was born in 1997 in Houston, Texas, and it's kinda unlikely he cheered for TDK Manresa when he was like eight months old as they celebrated winning the Spanish League. So no, he's not the hometown hero in Manresa, playing for the same team he cheered for as a kid. (5.5) So he's not the leader we're searching for here? Nope. Keep scrolling.
#6 Dylan Ennis (UCAM Murcia)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? Always. 3-1. (2) Is he the reason why? Yes, if you don't believe us, just check his mic'd up video.
(3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 14.0 points, 53 percent shooting, 42 percent from 3PTS, 75 percent from the free throw line, 4.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 15.8 efficiency rating. (4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it? Not sure. Because Ludde Hakanson has been great, and because Jonah Radebaugh had his clutch moments in the Spanish League this season. Dylan has the same problem as most of the players on Spanish teams, they are just so deep, it's tough to pick out one guy you need to stop as an opponent. (5) Is he a hometown hero, playing for the same team he cheered for as a kid? No. Because he's a citizen of the world with like ten different hometowns. Just look at the first sentence from his Wikipedia page, "a Canadian-born Jamaican-American naturalized Serbian professional basketball player." So yeah, hard to imagine he cheered for Murcia as a kid. (5.5) Mr Worldwide, huh? Okay, not the leader here? Nope.
#5 Errick McCollum (Karsiyaka)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? Yep, 3-1. (2) Is he the reason why? Yep, three straight games with 20+ points. First time he achieved such a run in the BCL, too. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 20.3 points, 46 percent shooting, 37 percent from deep on seven tries per game, 92 percent from the free throw line, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 19.0 efficiency rating. (4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it? Of course. Probably an off-balance one-legged three-pointer that goes in. (5) Is he a hometown hero, playing for the same team he cheered for as a kid? Nope. He's from Canton, Ohio. That's the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so he probably grew up surrounded by football greats and cheered for the Cleveland Browns, same as CJ. (5.5) Love CJ. Errick's not the leader of the MVP Race though? Nope.
#4 Dylan Osetkowski (Unicaja)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? Dumb question. 4-0 for the defending champs. (2) Is he the reason why? Ehm... No? (2.25) Sorry, what!? He only played in three games, and he's been on the court for just 55 minutes. (2.5) So what's he doing here, at number 4? Unicaja were a +37 team in those 55 minutes, they are one of the favorites to reach the Final Four again, and he's already won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup MVP award in September, so yeah, he could be the one in May. (2.75) Because of the numbers? Yeah. 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 14.7 efficiency rating in just 18.4 minutes per game. But he's not the leader of this race. Yet.
#3 Zac Seljaas (FIT/One Wurzburg Baskets)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? Yep, 3-1. (2) Is he the reason why? Oh yes, go check the next question. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 22.5 points, 57 percent shooting, 43 percent from deep on seven attempts per game, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 25.0 efficiency rating. Actually, leading the BCL in efficiency if we count out Saben Lee (who played just two games). (4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it? It's probably him or Mike Davis Jr, it's one of the toughest one-two punches of the BCL right now. (5) Is he a hometown hero, playing for the same team he cheered for as a kid? Nope, born in Bountiful, Utah. Hard to imagine he cheered for Wurzburg then and there. (5.5) Not the leader of the MVP Race? Nope. He was at checkpoint 1, and he could be at checkpoint 3, easily.
#2 Darius McGhee (Telekom Baskets Bonn)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? Yes, 3-1. (2) Is he the reason why? He scored like 10 buzzer beating shots already, so sure, he's the reason why. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 21.3 points, 47 percent shooting, 44 percent from three-point range on 10 attempts per game (WHAT!?), 4.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 18.0 efficiency rating, all done in 26 minutes per game, coming off the bench. Became only the second player in BCL history with 20+ points and 5+ assists in his first three games in this competition, after TJ Shorts II did it while also wearing #0 for Bonn. (4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it? LOL. (5) Is he a hometown hero, playing for the same team he cheered for as a kid? Darius was born in Roxboro, North Carolina. So no, he was not a fan of Telekom Baskets Bonn as a kid. Quick aside, if he keeps this up, he'll be on the list of notable people from Roxboro by the end of the season.
#1 Gytis Radzevicius (Rytas Vilnius)
(1) Does his team have a winning record? YES! 3-1!!! (2) Don't shout. Is he the reason why? Sorry. Yes, he is. Leading the team in efficiency rating, doing his part every single day. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 15.3 points, 63 percent shooting, 43 percent from beyond the arc, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 20.5 efficiency rating per game. Scored 16 or better in three of the four games, and Rytas were +17 with him on the floor in that fourth game, so even if he's not scoring, he's doing the little things. (4) If his team's season is on the line and they need one shot to save it, is he the one taking it? Well, he already has a BCL game-winning buzzer-beater to his name, last season vs JDA Bourgogne Dijon, so sure, he could be the one sneaking up and winning the game, sure. (5) Is he a hometown hero, playing for the same team he cheered for as a kid? YES!!! Straight out of Vilnius, Gytis grew up a Rytas Vilnius fan, and now he gets to be the role model for other kids in the stands, wearing the black-and-red of his hometown club. Not a lot of stories left like that in the world of modern sports. Love to see it, especially when this team looks like it could go all the way in the BCL after those three straight wins in Group F.
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