Group D co-leader CSKA Moscow will be without a key cog in its frontcourt for more than four months after losing big man Zoran Erceg to a leg injury, the club announced Wednesday. Erceg got injured in practice last Saturday. Researchs confirmed the bad news, as Erceg has an Achilles tendon tear and a right soleus muscle injury. The 27-year-old Erceg joined CSKA over the summer from Besiktas and averaged 10 points on 54.5% three-point shooting, 5.5 rebounds and 2 steals in his first two Turkish Airlines Euroleague fixtures with the Russian champs. Center Sasha Kaun and forward Andrey Vorontsevich appear to be the most likely players to see an uptick in minutes with Erceg out.

"This is a serious loss for us, we have big hopes on Erceg, especially on offense," CSKA president Andrei Vatutin said. "We are not ready to say if we will look for a replacment - we will see if Andrey Vorontsevich can fill Erceg’s shoes. We just can’t decide quickly at this stage of the season."