BC Mures had a less than perfect first part of the 2014-2015 basketball season. Srecko Sekulovic's team finished the autumn season with a 5-7 record, the worst in the team's recent history, and after two consecutive medal winning seasons, it stands in 9th place, just outside the playoff positions.
There was plenty discussion about the reasons that brought the team into this situation, and I don't want to get into those. It is the coaches and the management's problem to know what they have to do to get the team out of this slump. They took steps by signing three new players.
Filip Adamovic was the first to arrive in Tirgu Mures, he played from the 6th round, and his arrival meant the departure of Edi Sinadinovic, who couldn't adapt to the team's playing style. Adamovic is a pure classic point guard, with decent shooting capabilities. His arrival slowed the attacking rhythm of the team, he had more turnovers per game than his predecessor (3.25 vs. 2) but his teammates got more assists than before (5.125 vs. 4), which means more points. This was, except for three rounds, a player for player swap, so it didn't influence the team's rotation in a big way.
With two rounds remaining in the autumn season, the management signed Montenegrin forward Goran Gajovic, to improve the team's disastrous rebounding. In the two games he played before the Christmas break, Gajovic managed 13 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Unfortunately he suffered an ankle injury in the final minutes of the last game and is doubtful for the first game against Steaua Bucuresti in the Romanian Cup.
Christmas came early for BC Mures and Santa Claus left Kyndall Dykes under the tree for coach Sekulovic. The 27 years old, 192 cm tall forward is a pure offensive player. He will help where the team had its biggest problem, penetration to the basket. Dykes is a former Romanian National League champion, winning in 2012 while playing for U-Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca. He was then one of the best scorers of the league, and one of the best one-on-one players.
With these signings, coach Srecko Sekulovic has a number of eight foreign players on the roster, with only six of them eligible for any of the National League games. Thus the problem of 8, a problem that has to be solved before every game by the staff.
There are a few constants, that are known, officially or unofficially by everyone:
1. Sammy Emile wasn't used very much in the last games or was even left out entirely when Adamovic and Sinadinovic were both available. He was the one sacrificed when Gajovic arrived.
2. Ivanovic is the team captain and one of the coach's favorites. He played constantly in offense and in defense the whole season. He averaged 31 minutes per game.
3. Ousmane Barro is the starting center, and although Lazar got more minutes lately, he is a solid rock in defense and irreplaceable. He averaged 30 minutes per game.
4. Filip Adamovic is the only pure point guard in the team. Ceskovic can replace him for a few minutes, but his calm and composure are needed for every game. He got 35 minutes per game since his arrival.
5. Vaidotas Peciukas is the absolute crowd favorite. His loyalty to the team is exemplary and he always gives maximum on the court. His form diminished a bit compared to the last two seasons. He played 27 minutes per game.
6. Matija Ceskovic is the player who can singlehandedly destabilize an opponent and win a game, but when his hand is off, he can lose a game for his team as well. His talent is unquestionable but he is hardly a team player. He had 31,5 minutes per game, the second most on the team.
7. Goran Gajovic has proved his value to the team in only two games. It remains to be seen how his injury influences his play in the future.
8. Kyndall Dykes is the new kid on the block. He has a good resume and a lot is expected of him in the short term. It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure. If he brings his form of 2012 or better, he can be a decisive factor in the team's revival.
Taking these facts into consideration we can conclude that the problem of 8 is in reality a problem of 7. Sammy Emile will most probably be sacrificed and sidelined by the coaching staff and he will only get roster time in extreme cases. The problem of the 7th player is a nut much harder to crack though. At the first glance Ivanovic, Barro and Adamovic are hard to be left out. Dykes is expected to be the savior so he is a must at least for the first few games. Gajovic proved his worth in the two games he had played and if his health permitted it he would probably be suiting up.
That leaves a tough choice: Peciukas or Ceskovic. If all others are fit to play the logical choice is one of them. If you asked the fans, the overwhelming answer would be to play Peciukas. If Ceskovic was left out, Adamovic would be the only one capable to play point. But the answer and the responsibility lies with the coach. Only he can and will decide, and only he bears the responsibility for his decision.
If Gajovic's injury hinders his play against Steaua, we will have to wait and see when he returns to the court. Anyway, it will be an interesting spring season to follow, and undoubtedly the fans will see a changed team that will have more options both in offense and defense.
Photo credit goes to Kádár Zoltán.
No comments:
Post a Comment