Season is starting

A basketball focused post from me:

Basketball is about to start and I want to do an Israeli league fantasy team, will anybody join me?

Maccabi Tel Aviv, (the best team and a perennial European powerhouse) also Doron's home team for many years, is now doing a tour of North America and has games against The Cavs and the Raptors. They recently lost to the 76ers in a European tournament and often play other NBA teams during the preseason. They beat the Raptors last year in Toronto during a preseason game, beating the Raptors last year was hardly impressive, but nevertheless, I'm impressed. My pick up team could beat the Knicks.

Maccabi's big name player from last year, Anthony Parker is now on the Raptors (a good late round pick in Fantasy Drafts ... you heard it hear first) and the Americans on Maccabi current the team (each team is allowed 3 non-nationals) are: former NJ Net Rodney Buford, GA Tech point guard Will Bynum (who played very well in a trip to NCAA finals a few years ago where the Jackets lost to UCONN) and a guy I've never heard of of, but who I guess had a cup of coffee with the Supersonics last year Noel Felix.

The stars of Maccabi may be two kids named Tal Burnstein and Yaniv Green, both of whom may sniff the NBA someday and probably the best Israeli young talent playing today.

The season is a little weird, it's a lot like European soccer where the best teams, (Think Arsenal or Barcelona) play in both the country's league as well as the European League. More than one season plays at the same time, so Maccabi will play against a team from Haifa and one from Rome in the same week.

More to come on Maccabi Basketball --