New coach, same results

Ergin Ataman, the new coach of Besiktas Istanbul, didn’t help his team to victory in a Turkish league game, as Efes Pilsen Istanbul beat Besiktas 85-83 in overtime. It was the third loss in a row for Besiktas.

Allen Iverson had 17 points (6-for-11 from the field), 8 assists and commited 4 turnovers in 40 minutes. Iverson currently averages 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

Greece, Spain and Lithuanian champions to face in Top 16

The sixteen teams that made it to the Top 16 were divided in to four groups during the draw of Euroleague Top 16 in Barcelona. Regular season group winners Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Montepaschi Siena and Panathinaikos Athens headline the four Top 16 groups of four teams each.

Group E will feature Panathinaikos Athens, Caja Laboral, Unicaja and Lietuvos Rytas. Group F, headlined by Maccabi, also includes Union Olimpija, Regal Barcelona and Lottomatica Roma. Montepaschi Siena is joined in Group G by Real Madrid, Efes Pilsen and Partizan Belgrade. Group H includes Olympiacos Piraeus, Fenerbahce Ulker, Zalgiris Kaunas and Valencia.

Every group will feature six games per team in a round-robin setup between January 19th and March 3rd. The teams with the best two records in each Top 16 group advance to the Playoffs, best-of-five series held between March 22 and April 6.

Johnson and Jasikevicius moved to Turkey, Jasaitis has joined Lietuvos Rytas

Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius club decided to part ways with two playmakers, Jerry Johnson and Sarunas Jasikevicius. Both players have moved to Turkey, where Jasikevicius will play for Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul and Johnson will join other Istanbul team, Galatasaray.

The Lithuanian club also has signed 28-year-old forward Simas Jasaitis, who didn’t sign a contract during the first half of the season. Jasaitais, 2010 FIBA Worlds bronze medalist, has already played for Lietuvos Rytas from 2001 until 2006.

Giddens has signed with Valencia

J.R.Giddens, who left Asseco Prokom Gdynia recently, has reached an agreement with Power Electronics Valencia. The Spanish club won five games in Euroleague regular season and has made it to the Top 16 as the fourth team of the group D.

The former first round pick of the Boston Celtics averaged 9 points and 5.2 rebounds in 24 minutes in the Euroleague tournament.

Batista replaces Haislip in Caja Laboral

Spain champions Caja Laboral Vitoria has parted ways with 30-year-old big man Marcus Haislip, who appeared in only five Euroleague games due to injury, and averaged 4.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 10 minutes per game.

Caja Laboral made a quick move by signing 27-year-old center Esteban Batista as a replacement for Haislip. Batista, the former meber of Atlanta Hawks, has came to Vitoria from other Spain team, Fuenlabrada, where he averaged 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Tough time for Zalgiris

7-foot-2 center Mirza Begic’s agents decided to break a contract with Zalgiris Kaunas after a successfull first half of the season. Begic didn’t come back to Zalgiris after spending few days in Slovenia. Lithuanian and Spanish media reports that Real Madrid, Caja Laboral and Maccabi Tel Aviv, all are interested in signing Begic, who averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 22 minutes in the Euroleague.

Other bad news for Zalgiris is that Dainius Salenga tested positive for a stimulant and has been suspended. The positive test came from an "A" sample and the banned substance was Methylhexanamine.

Taurasi has parted ways with Fenerbahce

Diana Taurasi has left Fenerbahce Istanbul club following an announcement by the Turkish Basketball Federation about Taurasi’s positive doping test, FIBA reports. Mercury star Taurasi tested positive for a mild stimulant while playing in Turkey for Fenerbahce. According to Turkish media, the banned substance was modafinil.

Taurasi was the best EuroLeague Women scorer this season, averaging 24.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Taurasi also led Fenerbahce to an 8-0 record in the EuroLeague Women regular season.

Greer could leave Turkey

The former member of Milwaukee Bucks, Lynn Greer, is struggling to receive playing time and following an arrival of Sarunas Jasikevicius he could leave Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul soon. Greer has averaged 5 points and 1.8 assists in only 11 minutes per game in the Euroleague.

Will Conroy has joined Oyak Renault

Will Conroy has decided to sign a contract with a Turkish league team, Oyak Renault, which won only two games out of 14. Conroy played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and averaged 16.4 points, 10 assists in 38 minutes per game in the D-League.

Shammond Williams, a former Los Angeles Laker, was also among the candidates to join Oyak Renault.

Sundiata Gaines to play in Europe?

According to Italian media, Virtus Bologna has offered a contract to a 24-year-old point guard, Sundiata Gaines, who was waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves recently. Gaines averaged 2.6 points in eight NBA games this season.