It has been a long two weeks off and my fingers missed typing the weekly Power Rankings. I present to you a "Regular Season Recap" but the early version of it - still two weeks left and who knows what will happen. Before I am bombarded, the order of the teams is based off of the standings, NOT THE POWER RANKINGS, just so that is clear.
Here, we, go:
***Season In Review***
Islamabad - They’ve been rocking all season long, minus the hiccup to Tehran along the road. They’ve won games in so many different ways - taking them from the start, out lasting teams in close games, going on double digit runs to blow it open, blah blah blah. This is a TEAM - Omar Abbassi might be the one getting the MVP consideration, but do not be fooled, for them to achieve what they believe they can, the entire group needs to be there. Islamabad was missing Omar against Tehran (yes, Tehran was also missing guys) but with him, they win that game. Besides Omar, Bilal does not have the eye posing stats this season, but his impact spreading the floor, guarding the perimeter, and making the pass before the assist was missed in their tight game with Jakarta. I cannot see them loosing another game until the semifinals - they are a WD-40 oiled up machine.
Sana’a - Defensively dominant for another season, too much size for perimeter players to handle, too much speed and finesse for big men to handle. Mo and Raied are an extremely tough tandem to guard and no one has figured out how to really stop them. Who’s the X-factor for this group? It has to be Salman - he’s the only one who’s shown he can consistently knock down the deep ball and do so in big moments. They are another team that will not lose before the semis. That might insult them a bit - but there are a handful of great teams and only a pair make it to the final dance. #thingsMBsays will forever live on!
Mombasa - Whole bunch of championships. Reigning MVP. But the drive is there. They remember how close they were two seasons ago. They are sick of hearing all this talk about Dhaka, Islamabad, Sana’a. If I was a betting man, a team with Raza, Weiss, and Sadat gets my bet. Throw in Yousef and man do you have some serious weapons that can attack from every angle. They’ve been in a lot of close games, but these dudes know how to win. They’ve won 7 straight and I am fairly confident that at the end of the season, they’re streak will be 13. Raza might get the MVP, he might not - doesn’t matter. He and the rest of Mombasa want that championship feeling again. I’m sure Weiss and Sadat really want a second championship in the season.
Tehran - They are battle tested, they have beaten the best teams, they have taken care of business when it comes to beating inferior competition. Joe and Joe are the two guys that will dictate where their season ends - they need the supporting guys to contribute, but that feeds off of the work Joe P does driving to the rim and the area Joe Z dominates down low. They are another team that can go quite a few weeks before their season ends - and it may very well end with a W. If you believe that battle scars are what create championship teams, then this is your team. They have played a very very tough schedule and almost escaped without a blemish - they are looking for that playoff date with Mombasa, it’s looming.
Dhaka - Was not a pretty start to their three peat campaign. If it was not for an injury to Mecca’s star, they don’t get that season opening win. Then they struggled in what was Islamabad’s coming out party. But then, eh, they started playing better, but Farzad wasn’t himself. Now, they’ve put up 63+ in their last four games. Offense though, it not their issue - that defense neeeeeeeeds work. There are too many talented teams to think you’ll be winning games by running up and down the court the way they do. BUT the greatest help to defense is an offense that doesn’t just score, but scores with efficiency. 44% from the field, 34% from 3, 67% from the line - all top 2 percentages. Would I be surprised if they three-peat, heck no. And now, as great as Farzad is, this man 14 is a force to be reckoned with. Ameer is not just the most improved player in the league, but he was already a great player - now, this dude is MVP caliber. He can take over the game on both sides of the ball, he can shoot it from deep, rebound, get to the line, and for a front court player to challenge defenses the way he is, the rest of the league needs to be on notice.
Beirut - Most disrespected player - check. Most impressive win - check. Championship mentality - check. Championship history - check. Troubling loss to a bottom team…check? Beirut is in the conversation, but consistency is the problem. At times the offense is unstoppable, but their defense isn’t stopping anyone. At times the defense is terrific, but the offense is lackluster. For his second season in a row, Jon Mingo has worthy sidekicks in John H and Nick, two guys who can carry the load and make plays - that’s very valuable.
Alexandria - The Bern was felt. Then the Bern was not felt. They’ve gone the way Bernie has gone. Again though, that defense has been their achilles heel. 58 points is too much for a championship seeking team to concede, because when it comes down to it, a championship caliber defense will not give up 60+ points to them. What is also somewhat troubling is that they have lost a couple very close games, games that they had. Big games are looming and they will be close - will Alexandria answer the call? They have to opportunities to get better and face championship level competition before the games matter.
Jakarta - Defensive juggernaut, but without Muj, they cannot put up more points than the opposition. To their luck, they have Muj! He’s made them a much better team just through his intelligence and the amount attention paid to him. He’s also straight up, singlehandedly made plays to win them games. They have a championship caliber defense and a 7-time champion as their floor general. Ball movement has been lacking though, they play a slow paced style of game especially when it is tight. That being said, there’s no one I would rather have playing hero ball than Muj. Put next to him one of the best two way players in this league in Jawad, another guy that can get red hot and cold blooded, and you have a pretty legitimate threat to win it all.
Granada - Looking back at their games, this group could be 8-0…they could also be a sub-500 team if a couple runs were stopped. They have four proven guys who can lead this team, but it has taken a while to get them all in sync and rolling at the same time. Islamabad is coming up for them, another opportunity to go head to head with one of the best. It almost looks like they just need to take a breath and play basketball - they look like their thinking too much and playing a bit tight. I could see them making a solid run, but at the same time, if they put forth a bad effort against an average team, anything can happen.
Mecca - What had initially appeared to be a lost season following Anas’ injury, is now a season again. Jaber’s been doing it all for them as of late, if he keeps this up, Mecca will not be an easy out. He’s been loading up the stat sheets all season long, but it never seemed like it was all there - now, boy is it there. He stays flirting with that triple-double week in and week out, brings an alpha-dog attitude on both sides of the ball, and he is straight up skillful with the ball. If he keeps playing like this, Mecca’s season will not end as early as I initially believed.
Amman - At times, they looked like a top 5 team, but recently, they’ve struggled mightily. I will leave some hope for them though, because on paper, their full squad is a load to play against. Mana and Shabazz, Luis and Moayad - that’s a lot to handle from every perspective and facet of the game. They need to come out and give Sana’a a fight, win or lose. Follow that up with a strong showing against Fez, forget about the regular season, and go play ball just like they did at the start of the season.
Suba - Started off with a pair of impressive wins, but it has been mostly downhill for the rest of the season. They have some solid players, but not enough or of high enough caliber to compete with the top of the league.
Damascus - The positive start to the season quickly faded. These dudes play solid defense and rebound the ball, but they just cannot score. Besides Hosam, no one else on the team can be depended on to create and score on his own. It’s very tough to win big games because eventually, someone other than your horse will need to make a play.
Cairo - Created a significant amount of hype over the first four weeks, but that cloud of excitement has quickly faded. Solid effort against Sana’a with only four guys, but they haven’t been able to translate effort into wins. Kareem is a solid point guard who contribute greatly on both sides of the ball, but he’s somewhat inefficient and kind of keeps the ball from moving around. They are a pesky group that will give a good team a run for their money, but I cannot see more than one playoff victory without them finding a way to rebound or score more efficiently.
Sarajevo - A very confusing 8 game start - they’ve gotten just straight up smacked multiple times this season, resulting in a bottom 4 point differential - but this is not a bottom 4 team. They have top talent in Rameez and Leonard and it has shown in their last two games. If they can win out, get a favorable first round matchup, they might challenge some teams. Rameez and Leonard have the talent to win games on their own.
Riyadh - On paper, they’re not a bad team - they’ve challenged four of the best teams in this league, unfortunately for them, they cannot get wins. Another team that could compete in a playoff game, but I cannot see them winning one.
Istanbul - A season that started with championship aspirations resulted in an 8 week wait before winning a game played. They have pieces to be legitimate and we’ve seen it in past seasons - but, man, it’s hard to believe in a team and have any hope in a team that’s won just 1 game.
Kabul - There are a lot of great teams in this league and unfortunately for Kabul, they played a handful of them and came out on the wrong side. I always prided this team on hustle, effort, and grit, but that game against Mecca showed none of that. It’s been a somewhat disappointing season, I’m sure they expected to play better.
Cordoba - Some solid efforts against better competition, but they just aren’t talented enough to take out the top half of this league.
Fez - Adam Froogh is the future. That is all.
Delhi - Never thought I would call a one win team scary, but they would not be my team of choosing to face in the first or second round. Aymen, Ahmad, and Muhanad haven’t been able to fully get along and mesh, but what they did week 5 was impressive. I was hoping to see them continue that growth, but the following games were all a step in the wrong direction. Nevertheless, they have the talent to win some games.
Palermo - In what has been just a terrible season for the team as a whole, this potential 0-11 campaign will go down in history as one of the best individual seasons. Abdul Popal has been historically unstoppable on offense. 30+ points per game is a tremendous feat, but how tremendous is it when your team cannot win a game?
***The I don’t have a say in season awards, but I’m handing some out a little early Awards***
Most Valuable Player: Omar Abbassi - I do not know how you don't give it to him, sorry.
Offensive Player of the Year: Abdul Motaleb Popal - Historic individual offensive performances all year long
General Manager of the Year: Ibrahim Omar - Word is he took out a student loan to finance the acquisition of Mujtaba
Rookie of the Year - 4 guys have been unreal in their rookie seasons and it would be very difficult to leave any of them out:
Leonard Lee, Rameez Khizer, Louis Rodriguez, and Yousef Shahsamand
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