Jiřà Welsch
Jiří Welsch ( born January 27, 1980 in Pardubice, Bohemia) is a Czech professional basketball player. Welsch played, among other things four seasons in the NBA 's richest professional league in the United States and five seasons in the ACB league in Spain, which was considered at that time as the best national league in Europe. Since 2012 he plays in his home country for the local series champion CEZ Nymburk.
Career
Beginning in the home and Slovenia (until 2002)
Welsch changed in 1998 with 18 years of basketball club from his birthplace, for whom he played since 1994 in the capital Prague Sparta, with which he, however, in the following two years celebrating any special achievements. Sparta Prague retired twice in the play- offs at the Czech Championship in each of the first round of the last eight teams. In 2000, he got a contract with the local top club Union Olimpija in Ljubljana in Slovenia. In this club, who took in the highest European club competition ULEB Euro League, he could make a lasting attention. With Union Olimpija he twice won the domestic double and was honored in 2002 as " MVP " of the Slovenian league. At the European level was reached in the ULEB Euro League 2000 /01 the quarterfinals and failed there only extremely scarce in the later overall winner children Bologna. The following year, in preventing in the first round of the ULEB Euro League 2001 /02 the feeding of the German representative Opel Skyliners in the round of 16 of the best teams in which one but himself remained in the " Greek " intermediate round group with three Greek teams without a chance and only another victory in six games fetched. For this you won the inaugural championship played the Adriatic Basketball Association at its premiere. Welsch, who is counted at a size of about 2 meters because of his ball skills and game overview as a Point Forward, was at that time one of the greatest European talents and was, although he had never played in the U.S. college league NCAA, already selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in 2002 to 16th position.
NBA in the United States (2002 to 2006)
The Philadelphia 76ers, who had the rights to Welsch secured in the " Entry Draft, " 2002, Welsch gave off for two future " draft picks " to the Golden State Warriors. This put him in the NBA 2002/ 03 only in about half of the season games for average six minutes operating time per game and kicked him after a year in an extensive multi-player exchange, among others, Antawn Jamison to the Dallas Mavericks from which it passed on to the Boston Celtics before the season starts. The Celtics Welsch was used regularly and belonged in the NBA 2003/ 04 in the vast number of games for the " Starting Five ". In just 27 minutes operating time per game, he came to an average of just over nine points and just four rebounds. The Celtics managed, even though they won only 36 of 82 games this season, still a place in the play-offs, where they remained winless against the Indiana Pacers in the first round. The following season, NBA 2004/ 05 fell Welsch play with the Celtics already again and this kicked him in February 2005 to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a future draft pick from. Despite a positive season record of 42 wins, the Cavaliers narrowly missed a place in the play-offs. After the season Welsch was submitted again for a future draft pick to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks reached in the NBA 2005/ 06 with 40 wins this season, the play-offs, where in the first round against the Detroit Pistons but managed just one victory. Welsch was used in 58 games this season just under 15 minutes per game. In the play-offs its operating time dropped to under four minutes per game and he was dismissed after the season of his contract.
ACB league in Spain (2006 to 2011)
For the season 2006/ 07 Welsh returned to Europe and got a contract in the ACB league the Spanish champions Unicaja Málaga, in which reversed the Final MVP Jorge Garbajosa was changed in the NBA. In the ULEB Euro Cup 2006/ 07 was beaten in the quarter-final play-off national competitors FC Barcelona and after a semi-final defeat against PBK CSKA Moscow they stayed in the match for third place victory against TAU Ceramica from the Basque Country. Otherwise you disappointed, however, in the ACB league against the national competitors and managed to defend his title with a balanced record this season barely a place in the play-offs, where they remained winless against runner- TAU Ceramica in the first round. In the 2007 /08 season again succeeded with balanced record this season almost is making the play -offs, in which one but this time triumphed over the main round First Real Madrid. In the national semifinals, however, you failed again at the later master TAU Ceramica. Conversely, it was 2007/ 08 already failed in the round of 16 best teams when you next CSKA Moscow also just one point difference in direct comparison to the FC Barcelona had to defer in the ULEB Euro League. In the Spanish Cup Copa del Rey in 2009, they lost the final with just two points difference against champions TAU Ceramica. In the ULEB Euro Cup 2008/ 09 had been convinced in the preliminary round group with only two defeats and left as group winners, among others Olympiacos and Maccabi Tel Aviv behind him. In the round of 16 of the best European teams but came again a premature end. In the National League were abolished as the main round of third parties a favorable starting position for the play- offs, but in the semifinal series against the eventual champions FC Barcelona also followed here leaving to name it. In the ULEB Euro League 2009/10 again followed the resignation in the round of 16 best teams than you, among other things, somewhat surprisingly lost twice against Asseco Prokom Gdynia Polish champion. In the national championship could be defeated as the main round the fifth time "freshly baked" ULEB Eurocup winner Power Electronics Valencia in the first play-off round, but in the semifinal series would retire again defending champions FC Barcelona. While Valencia played as the title winner in the Euro League, Welsch came with his new club Asefa Estudiantes of Madrid in the season 2010 /11 for the first time in the second European club competition Eurocup. Here you drew in the Eurocup 2010/11 in the quarter-finals, but in which they lost twice against the Croatian representative KK Cedevita. In the national championship ranged 16 wins in 34 games for Estudiantes only for twelfth place in the table in the ACB league.
Return to Belgium in the home ( since 2011 )
After five years in the ACB league Welsch joined the 2011/12 season in the Belgian Ethias League to the local series champion Spirou Charleroi from BC. The competition to qualify for the Euro League start of the season they beat on home soil, among others, the German representative ALBA Berlin and in the finale the Czech champions CEZ Nymburk, thus securing a spot in the highest European club competition ULEB Euro Cup 2011 /12. In the preliminary round, it was enough there but only two wins in ten games. Even in the national championship ended the season ultimately disappointing. For the first time in four years, they lost the title in the final series in the decisive fifth game against the rival Flemish Telenet Oostende. After just one season left Welsch again the Belgian club and went back to his home to the local series champion CEZ Basketball Nymburk from. In the first round of Euro League qualification Nymburk defeated this time Belgian champions Ostend and Welsch could take revenge personally, but in the next qualifying round followed by the From Mapooro against Cantu. Then Nymburk started again in the Eurocup, but in the Eurocup 2012/13 was achieved in the second group stage of the 16 best teams among other things, against the two subsequent Spanish semi-finalists Valencia Basket Club and Gescrap Bilbao only one win. In the national championship team in 2013 could enter the seventh domestic double in a row.
National (since 1998)
With the Czech national Welsch was a 19 -year-old for the first time represented at the European Basketball Championship in 1999 in a final of the men. To kick off the team ever defeated in their first finals appearance after the separation from Slovakia equal surprisingly, the renowned national teams of Lithuania and Greece. Despite the defeat against Germany following one was first in the group, but in the second round followed only three losses and they finished at the end of the eleventh.
As a result, they failed regularly to qualifying for the finals and only at the European Championship finals in 2007 it was represented in the participant field again. In our own opening match in the Welsh team with 22 points internal " scorer " was, you just lost after extra time against European runner-up Germany and Lithuania was also this time just as Turkey beat not. After three defeats the tournament ended on the 13th or 15th place in the cross-comparison.
Again, it took six years and the increase of the field in the championship finals to 24 teams before the Czechs again qualified with their new NBA star Jan Vesely for a final round. In the preliminary round is defeated at the European Championship finals in 2013 among others Poland and Georgia, but the final preliminary round defeat against Croatia sealed the renewed Vorrundenaus.