Basketball Bundesliga: What could save the Skyliners Frankfurt from relegation hessenschau.de
In terms of sport, the Skyliners Frankfurt are as good as relegated. Only a special constellation could help them stay up now – or a wildcard after the end of the season.
The defeat in Hamburg last Wednesday sealed the relegation of the Skyliners Frankfurt. The sporting opportunities? Only of a theoretical nature. However, Frankfurt could do it like the Giessen 46ers did a year ago.
“Staying in the class is now really a calculation example. Calculation examples are for mathematicians, we are athletes,” said Yannick Binas, second managing director of the Skyliners, to hr-sport. But: “We want to show the best possible performance until the end. That means we want to win four games.”
“Keep standing by our beliefs”
Even if the Skyliners won all visible games, they would still be dependent on outside help. If there were a three-way comparison with Gießen and Braunschweig, the Frankfurter could win it – as could a four-way constellation with Gießen, Braunschweig and the MBC.
Hardly anyone in Frankfurt believes in the sporting miracle anymore. “For us it is very important that we continue to stand by our convictions and accept a sporting relegation with dignity and accept that at least 16 clubs were better than us,” said Binas.
However, there could be another way to stay in the BBL: a wild card. The Giessen 46ers received one of these last year and were able to remain first class despite the sporting descent.
Wildcard would be lucrative, but also expensive
The prerequisite for such a wildcard is that either a sporting promoted player from the second division cannot meet the economic conditions of the BBL or that another Bundesliga club does not receive a license for the coming season. “If there WILL be a wild card, we will decide if we can take advantage of it. It’s also a financial decision,” said Binas. Accordingly, the costs for such a wildcard currently amount to 700,000 euros, which would then be missing from the budget.
The Skyliners have filed the licensing paperwork for both leagues, according to Binas. “We would be prepared for both cases.” Before that, however, the last sporting chance should be maintained: On Easter Monday (3 p.m.) the Skyliners Frankfurt will meet Oldenburg.