GLASGOW ROCKS forward Marcus Ware claimed his side can’t afford any more slip-ups with their BBL title hopes on the brink of collapse before the new season is two months old.

Sterling Davis’ men face a make or break double-header at the Emirates Arena this weekend against in-form Leicester Riders and London Lions – where two losses could drop them into the bottom two.

And Ware, who could lose his starting spot from Kieron Achara, insists lessons have been learnt from last week’s late collapse in Plymouth.

"The only positive thing we gained from Sunday was a wake up call to ourselves,” the American said. “We as a team have to be mentally prepared for each game and bring our own energy to the table and we'll give ourselves a chance to win every game.

"We learned from the last game against Riders that we have to keep playing smart basketball each possession, taking what the defence gives us and limiting our turnovers going into the next game against at home."

Meanwhile Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, have struck a £250 million deal with sports marketing giants IMG to set up a new-look 16-team Euroleague from next season.

The move, which will see 11 teams granted permanent membership, has dealt a snub to world governing body FIBA who had put a separate offer on the table to bring the competition back under its umbrella.

“The clubs wish to thank FIBA for the work it has done in recent months and the proposal it presented,” said a Euroleague spokesperson. “The clubs announced their firm wish to continue conversations and discussions held over recent months to achieve consistent unity among all basketball stakeholders – namely clubs, domestic leagues and federations – joining forces to develop common strategies and policies that work towards the sole objective of growing the sport of basketball at all levels.”

Their tie-up with IMG could strike a further blow to Great Britain’s hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Olympics with Euroleague clubs insisting they will not release players for mid-season internationals from 2017 onwards.