A basketball summer without a major international tournament is the worst kind of summer for basketball fanatics, so a void needs to be filled.
What do fans of EuroLeague teams do during the offseason? They follow endless transfer rumors – their teams have already “signed” 10 players each and rebuilt the roster three times over…
Ideal lineups are drawn up, last season is dissected, and dreams of next season’s success begin to take shape because everyone starts from scratch and everyone has the right to hope. Humor is also an essential part of the conversation.
So let’s try to guess what’s being said and sneak into the WhatsApp group chats of every fanbase – or at least imagine some of the messages flying around this summer.
We begin with the top ten teams from last season.
Olympiacos
And you wanted Bartzokas out! Didn’t I tell you we’d win it? We’re winning the next one too.
I’m still not sure how Miller-McIntyre is going to fit in.
Has Montero signed yet or not? I’d keep Joseph, he was pretty solid down the stretch.
Valencia
We’ll be good, but now there’s no surprise factor. Everyone expects things from us and knows us much better.
I trust Martinez.
I still don’t get why Montero had to leave. Why didn’t we just give him the money he wanted?!
Real Madrid
I still can’t believe how badly we got robbed in the Final. Can’t wait for next season to start.
Why are we even talking about basketball when the football team is falling apart?!
Tavares is getting older, and now there’s the injury too… Everybody got hurt. Signing a center has to be the absolute priority.
Fenerbahçe
I’ve been telling you all along that Colson should’ve played more. Wherever he goes next, he’s going to ball out. I guarantee it.
We simply missed on too many signings last season. This summer has to be handled much better.
Zalgiris
Damn, remember when we were protesting because of Tubelis? Now we’re all like – just keep him!
I’m okay with Francisco leaving, but we need a replacement with European experience, not another American coming over for the first time.
Thinking about getting season tickets in the lower bowl this year. Life’s too short…
Hapoel Tel Aviv
Our budget is way too small. We need to spend more, hahaha.
For the money we gave Micic, we could’ve signed three good players. Then again, I think he might bounce back next year.
No point expecting miracles overnight. If we get to play in Tel Aviv all season, things will be better.
Panathinaikos
There’s only one thing I wanted to hear this summer – Željko is back!
If we had somehow made it to the Final Four, I’m sure we would’ve won the whole thing.
I still can’t believe we blew a 2-0 lead. And then THEY lifted the trophy in OAKA. What a nightmare of a season.
Monaco
Not enough Monaco fans to form a WhatsApp group.
Barcelona
I don’t even know why we hired Pascual if he was going to leave straight away. There had to be some sh*t going on with management.
At least we have a bigger budget this year. You can see we’re after every player with a pulse.
Crvena zvezda
I really believe in Teo. Already bought my season ticket. We’re making the playoffs!
I’m not getting carried away even if we’re first in the standings in February. Something always goes wrong afterward.
Ibon Navarro?! Champions League coach, is this football?
Part 2 is coming soon!
In the meantime, send us the messages that best capture your favorite team’s fanbase this summer. And most importantly – don’t take any of this too seriously. It’s all in good fun.