Action resumes in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague on Thursday and it is a unique chance to improve your team in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge powered by Ardu Prime. Due to the two postponed games, five trades were allowed in Round 24 as well as in Round 25. Unless more games are postponed, this should be your last chance to have more than three trades until the playoffs, when unlimited trading will be available before each round until a champion is crowned in Kaunas, Lithuania. Keep in mind that starting this season, the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge powered by Ardu Prime runs until the end of the Final Four, which gives managers more chances to win prizes and extends the battle to win the big prize until the very end of the season, just like in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague itself!
My team, Gancedato, had a good week just like every team that had Sasha Vezenkov of Olympiacos Piraeus as team captain. Vezenkov earned 88 fantasy points, Paris Lee of Panathinaikos had a PIR of 26 and all other starters got at least 16.5 points. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv lost, so I got a negative score from Coach Oded Kattash. Even so, I scored 192.94, earned 1.7 extra credits and climbed into 2,358th place in the overall standings. Of course, as the season goes on, it will be harder to rise (or fall) in the overall standings.
As I said, five trades plus the head coach are allowed this week due to the extraordinary circumstances. I am selling Coach Kattash mainly because I found a cheaper boss whose team I think will win and that's Ettore Messina of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. The only reason I took him out in Round 24 was because Milan's game was postponed. I am selling most of my bench players: Laurynas Birutis of Zalgiris Kaunas plays against Real Madrid center Walter Tavares so it may not be a good idea. For similar reasons, I am selling Ignas Brazdeikis. Yves Pons of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and Josep Puerto of Valencia Basket have seen limited playing time lately and Mike James of AS Monaco plays against FC Barcelona at Palau Blaugrana. It is always hard to play well there as a visitor.
I am bringing back Shane Larkin of Anadolu Efes Istanbul. My first choice for Round 25 MVP is Vezenkov, but I own him already, so I am going for the player who I think will get the highest PIR. I am buying Niklas Wimberg of FC Bayern Munich because his teammate Augustine Rubit went down with an injury. I am adding Moustapha Fall of Olympiacos because I think he has an advantage against Valencia's frontcourt. That leaves me with limited credits for a guard and a forward, so I am going for two well-rounded EuroLeague players who can make it rain from downtown: Lukas Lekavicius of Zalgiris and Mario Hezonja of Real.
You can take a look at my team here:
