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The upcoming ACB season will be the most unusual of its short history. Just 17 teams will participate, instead of the usual 18. The economical and financial world crisis has affected Spanish basketball and has almost caused the disappearance of CB Girona (the team will compete in LEB Bronce, Spanish 4th division), the former team of new Grizzly Marc Gasol, and some other teams like CB Murcia, MMT Estudiantes and Ricoh Manresa have struggled to stay alive, being forced to cut their budgets.

Aside from the money issues, the top Spanish teams have made several movements in the transfer market in order to put together winning rosters. And, of course, the teams not opting to any title will play and fight to avoid the relegation spots and will even try to look up and reach the top 8 to play the Spanish King’s Cup and the playoffs.

Starting from the top, let’s look at the reigning champions Tau Cerámica. The team from Vitoria has surprisingly changed its coach and has lost Croatian guard Zoran Planinic to CSKA Moscow. However, Pablo Prigioni and Tiago Splitter will be kind of Stockton and Malone and will keep Tau at the top positions of the standings. Their most direct rivals for the title will be Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Unicaja Málaga.

Both Barça and Real Madrid have made great signings and improved the quality of their rosters. Argentinian point guard Pepe Sánchez has changed sides and will be the backup guard of ex Utah Jazz Raúl López in Madrid. Croatian forward Marko Tomas will also join them, returning from a loan to Madrid’s neighbours Fuenlabrada, and Americans Quinton Hosley and Jeremiah Massey will give them points and strength from the forward and power forward positions. This could be not enough compared to the stars that FC Barcelona has brought to the League: Australian center David Andersen has arrived from CSKA Moscow and Juan Carlos Navarro: the true idol of Barça’s fans, has come back from the NBA after a season with the Grizzlies. Last, but not least, Unicaja has hired Spanish NT head coach Aito García Reneses, who had led DKV Joventut to several titles during the last seasons, together with young rising star Ricky Rubio and new Blazer Rudy Fernández.

Talking about DKV Joventut, we can talk about a group of candidates for the spots 5 to 8 and to take advantage of any failure for the aforementioned four teams to reach the top 4. The departure of Rudy Fernández to the NBA will decrease the team potential to win titles, but the new coach Sito Alonso will follow the path of his master Aito. He will need the best of Ricky Rubio and the newcomers Simas Jasaitis and Pops Mensah Bonsu to take Joventut to the top places. The other teams in that group are Pamesa Valencia, iurbentia Bilbao and Cajasol.

The “oranges” from Valencia have set up a roster with eleven players able to compete at the maximum level and give solutions to every game. Rafa Martínez and the former Warriors center Kosta Perovic are the main reinforcements for a team that should be a tough rival for everybody in the three competitions they will face. Bilbao Basket was the revelation team of the last season in the ACB, mainly thanks to its Brazilian point guard Marcelinho Huertas, who has left to play in Italy. Thus, it will be difficult for them to repeat their role in the League, despite that they have kept the other main players. Finally, the team from Seville should come back to the top 8 after several seasons out of that place. The veteran coach Manel Comas can count on the newcomers Juanjo Triguero, Warren Carter and Andrea Pecile to achieve that goal.

The resting bunch of teams (Kalise Gran Canaria, Cai Zaragoza, Alta Gestión Fuenlabrada, Bruesa GBC, CB Granada, MMT Estudiantes, CB Murcia, Ricoh Manresa and Vive Menorca) will fight to be the revelation for this season and to avoid relegation. Zaragoza and Bruesa have just promoted from LEB Oro (second division), but have made a couple of interesting signings during the summer. Granada will be pending of the health of their franchise player Curtis Borchardt. The American center has been injured the last two seasons, but now seems plenty of energy to help his team win games. Gran Canaria has been surprisingly among the top 8 during the last seasons, but the last one, and wants to return to this place with the acquisition of former Orlando Magic’s player James Augustine. Manresa will feature Sonics draftee Serge Ibaka, a powerful rising star from Congo. Estudiantes will use up to five young players from their development categories to compete in this very tough league with success. Fuenlabrada, Menorca and Murcia seem to be the teams that will have more problems to avoid relegation.

So, let’s enjoy a new season of exciting basketball with the arguably second best league in the World.

Jaime Martínez Lafargue is the BallersNetwork.com blogger for Spain. Jaime is the Editor-in-chief of basketball website Solobasket.com. You can reach him at jaime@solobasket.com.

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