Sasa Obradovic talked about Monaco, Nikola Mirotic, Partizan and Crvena Zvezda in his recent interview with Telesport.
Former coach of Zvezda pointed out the strength of team from Mali Kalemegdan and connected it with huge expectations from the public:
,,Although they have a pretty large roster, where the coach needs to take care of minutes allocation and team chemistry, it seems that it is a very compact roster and that players complement each other quite well. Of course, the expectations are always high, especially with these new signings, but I think Crvena Zvezda has what it takes to make a step forward.”
,,We know that it takes patience and hard work to make the best possible result, and that is always lacking. It was atypical situation for Monaco to make instant success. There needs to be a large amount of strong will to overcome all the difficulties and eventual dips in form. There is a number of factors that can’t be predicted or influenced.” – Obradovic added.
Serbian coach also referenced his statement about how “at least one Obradovic will be present in Berlin next May“:
“One Obradovic will be in Berlin, because that city is my second home [laughs], but will it be during the Final Four weekend, that’s another question. Partizan went on the market ferociously this summer, but at the same time, they realized that the most important thing was to keep the same core after successful season. They made it happen and they brought in some fresh blood as well.“
“From this standpoint, it will be very difficult to replace Exum and Lessor, it is a tough market this summer. However, there is an example with Zvezda and Campazzo from last season, there is always a possibility of adding a player from NBA in search for good minutes and competitive tournament. Yam Madar was such an important player, Jaramaz is a good addition. Punter and LeDay are the most important pieces and I expect several incomings. There was a great anticipation for Mirotic and it resulted in huge disappointment. But, just like with national teams, the focus should be on players who are there and not on the ones who are missing” – he added.
Obradovic looked back on Mirotic saga in a comical manner, taking into account that the new Olimpia Milano player was linking to almost every basketball club in Europe:
“As I heard from my president, he should have joined us a long time ago [laughs]. I spoke to Nikola, he was very open and grateful with me, but he also added that he has other priorities which exclude Monaco from contention. From my point of view, he was very honest and dire. If we somehow signed him, expectations for us would have skyrocketed, and quite rightly so. My advice to Partizan is to move on, the story is over. I understand their frustration and I would love for us to have more truthfulness and honesty in this business. Negotiations are a different beast, full of unexpected twists and turns, especially with all parties involved: agents, players, general managers, coaches, etc. In the end, everything is a lesson.”