After leaving the Euroleague, Bayern come to Ulm. They will have to do without one player for sure and another probably for a long time.
Jaka Lakovic played for FC Barcelona for five years and won the Euroleague with this club. His wife is from Barcelona and his three children were born there. The coach of Ratiopharn Ulm confirms: “This is my second home.” Against this background, one might assume that the quarter-final series in the Euroleague between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich was an emotional rollercoaster ride for Lakovic. But the Slovenian says: “I’ve seen hundreds of basketball games since last fall. Those of my own team and many others. With the others, it’s difficult to develop emotions towards the end of a season.” Of course, Lakovic still watched the games. With the eyes of a professional who is hoping to find out what Bayern will do after the end of the premier class on Friday (game starts at 7 p.m.) in the Ratiopharm Arena.
Of course, Lakovic still does not know in which line-up Bayern will compete. They didn’t take one or the other game too seriously this season in the Bundesliga because of the double burden. The Euroleague may be over for Bayern for this season, but they are third in the Bundesliga and will remain so with almost absolute certainty regardless of the other results. So Lakovic and his team’s supporters simply have to be surprised at how Bayern react to this situation. What the Ulm coach knows, however: “It will be a very difficult game, regardless of Bayern’s line-up.”
Philipp Herkenhoff is out for a long time with a cruciate ligament tear
Which is no longer a surprise, but what Lakovic now definitely knows: Philipp Herkenhoff tore the cruciate ligament in his knee during training and will not be able to play basketball for six to nine months. So the 2.09 meter man will not only be out for the remainder of this season, but also for a considerable part of next. His trainer says: “We will have to take that into account in our personnel planning in the summer.” Not quite as bad, but still bad enough for Karim Jallow, who has injured his shoulder. The international has his arm in a sling and has been examined by several specialists. “They have different opinions. From not so bad to serious,” reports Lakovic. His personal assessment: “I don’t think he’ll come back this season.”
What’s next for Ulm in the play-offs?
Not entirely unimportant in this context is the question of how long the season will last for Ratiopharm Ulm. Many constellations are still possible in the play-offs. The Ulmer could be sixth, then they would probably meet Bayern again immediately and with a certain probability be eliminated in the quarter-finals. A three-way comparison with Ludwigsburg and Chemnitz, in which Ulm would be ahead, is also possible. You will only know exactly after the last main round game between Ludwigsburg and Heidelberg next Wednesday.
Those who ignore all mathematical options and formulate a goal that is easier to grasp will find it easier. Ulm won 23 games in the main round of the previous season, Lakovic would like to repeat that. To do this, the two remaining games against Bayern and on Sunday (3 p.m.) against Gießen must be won.
