Sasa Obradovic, former head coach of Monaco, shared his thoughts on Crvena zvezda’s newest signing – Chima Moneke, during an appearance on the show Super indirektno kod Popa i Milana.
Having previously worked with Chima Moneke during their time together in Monaco, the Serbian coach provided insight into what kind of player Moneke is, what suits him, what doesn’t, and what needs to happen for him to thrive in Crvena zvezda.
“I coached Chima Moneke. I know what and who he is. I didn’t have any problems with him, he’s a good guy, an egomaniac (laughs), he loves himself and looks at a lot of things through stats. Maybe a new environment will shape his behavior.”
Both in Monaco and in Baskonia, his behavior was pretty unstable. He’s a good guy and intelligent, but there are no clear rules with him. When he was with me, he was frustrated because he wasn’t shooting. I told him – if you’re the one shooting, then what’s left for Mike James, Elie Okobo, Jordan Loyd? They’re better at that than you.
Claim Now He was a bit offended by that, but he was with us in the locker room when we won the French League last season. We talked and he told me: ‘If you had let me play, we would’ve won everything.’ I told him I don’t think so.
We’ve stayed in touch, and when we later played against Baskonia, he always greeted me respectfully. He’s very intelligent, but in terms of his game, he still needs to click. He needs a certain level of freedom to express his talent.” explained Sasa Obradovic.
The arrival of Chima Moneke in Belgrade has certainly sparked conversation, and with comments like these from someone who knows him well, expectations will be high for how he adjusts and performs in the EuroLeague this season.
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