Fenerbahce almost signed Estonian big as Barthel faces worrisome injury timeline / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Imago-Images.de Credit Imago-Images.de

Fenerbahce Istanbul BEKO signed Jehyve Floyd recently, but another promising big man was on their target. According to BasketNews sources, Fenerbahce wanted to sign Estonian center Maik Kotsar.

Fenerbahce Istanbul / Schedule

Fenerbahce Istanbul Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz75-53 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne Fenerbahce IstanbulThu20:00

Concerning injury situation in their frontcourt forced Fenerbahce to look for reinforcement.

However, Kotsar's one-year contract with Towers doesn't include the EuroLeague out clause. The German club refused to let their second-most efficient EuroCup player go, so Fenerbahce went after Jehyve Floyd.

2.09 m Kotsar, who turned 25 on December 22, successfully started his pro-career in Towers Hamburg.

Last season, former South Carolina standout averaged 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in German Bundesliga. This year he scores 12 points, grabs 4.2 rebounds, and dishes 1 assist in his EuroCup debut.

Skilled, intelligent, and hustle frontcourt player from Estonia had a 14-point performance against Partizan. Kotsar poured in 16 points and grabbed 5 rebounds against MoraBanc Andorra.

Recently, he had his season-high 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists vs. Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar.

Kotsar was also remarkable for the Estonian NT.

He averaged 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in FIBA EuroBasket 2022 qualifiers. He scored 32 points against Italy on a 15-of-22 shooting night from the field.

Fenerbahce hit the market after injuries sidelined three frontcourt players.

Per BasketNews sources, Devin Booker (calf) and Ahmet Duverioglu (sprained ankle) might be out for at least a couple of weeks.

Danilo Barthel's situation is way more concerning. A 30-year-old German injured his knee in practice (the other knee than previously) and had surgery on Tuesday.Credit Imago-Images Scanpix

Points this season

49%75,6Points made:75,6Accuracy:48,6%Place in standings:9Record max:96Record min:43Best scorer:Jan VeselyTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Barthel might miss a few months of action, and there are concerns that his EuroLeague season could be over, sources say BasketNews.

"The date of Danilo's return to the field will be decided according to the process after the surgery," Maurizio Gherardini was quoted on Fenerbahce's official announcement.

Floyd's arrival will help fill frontcourt holes while Fenerbahce face critical weeks in the EuroLeague.

They have ASVEL in Villeurbanne (December 23), Real Madrid (December 29) at home, Crvena Zvezda mts in Belgrade (January 6), both Olympiacos Piraeus (January 11) and ALBA Berlin (January 14) at home in the upcoming weeks.

Also, Floyd will provide much-needed rest for Jan Vesely. Vesely, who's playing a career-high season with 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, average almost 30 minutes in the EuroLeague and is 6th in minutes played.

"We know that we are entering very critical weeks in the EuroLeague and Turkish league. For this reason, we decided to add a player who knows European basketball and will start contributing to us as soon as possible," Maurizio Gherardini said in Fenerbahce's press release.

"Despite his young age, Jehyve Floyd is a player who has proven himself as a defensive specialist in both the Greek and Israeli leagues. Floyd is joining our team today and will start team training straightaway. Then he will travel to France with us and will be in our squad for the ASVEL match."

Fenerbahce are currently on a four-game winning streak in the EuroLeague. They have seven wins in 16 games and share 9-13 places with four more teams.

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