Lest we forget that last year with Kim Hill in the starting lineup for the Turkish League VAkif won the gold and she MVP'ed something that didn't happen this year with Zhu. They also got to the CL finals but lost to Pomi. Unfortunately the CWC's were delayed by the Olympics and played in the fall when the teams had already drastically changed. Zhu no doubt is a great player but her presence does not guarantee success as we saw losses to FB for the Turkish Cup, mid season and to Gala in the semi's of the Championship.
For both CL and CWC Vakif was playing as a very tight unit and Zhu was the extra sauce that led them to gold. It will be interesting next year when some strong Italian teams make a run to see how they do with Krob instead of Hill. Player chemistry is not a given and Krob has a much bigger personality then Hill.
Sure Vakifbank won Turkish League last season but also lost 3-0 to Pomi that didnt qualify for Champions League the next season while this year beat Conegliano 3-0, the top Italian team. Also beating a stacked team like Ecza 8 out 9 times is no easy task. No player can guarantee success even with a top notch team. Ecza this season is an example. But Vakifbank with Zhu did manage to win Champions League that eluded them for 3 years and also Club Championship so it is a successful season even if they failed in the Turkish League.