By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Monaco was the center of attention for basketball fans, first because of Kemba Walker signing a deal, then because of all the reports about Mike James leaving the club. Now coach Sasa Obradović in an interview with Mozzart Sport discusses all the subjects.
Mike James was the first topic of conversation.
“People try, as in all other situations, to create a bad atmosphere or provoke a reaction from someone. Looking at him and me, everything can be concluded. People know what I am like, what he is like. However, it should be known that I am someone who managed to find an adequate way to use it, with all its ‘bugs’. In the end, we profited together and that’s the most important thing in everything,” Obradović has no doubts in his interview with Mozzart Sport.
We already talked about what the public’s perception of you was before the end of the season before you won third place at the Final Four and the title in France…
“When sometimes the result is missing, people immediately like to attack, especially the coach. On the other hand, when the result is there and when it has lasted for the past two years, as long as I have been here, one should be realistic and call things by their right name. Without fake modesty, I know how hard all this I do with the team is, not only for the players but also for the people around me, who work with me. That’s why we should give credit to all of them, as well as Mike, Lloyd, Okobo, and even Bacon who are difficult to cooperate with in his phases. All of them made a result and made me a better coach“.
To put an end to the stories – is Mike James staying?
“He stayed, of course,” Obradović said clearly. “He has a contract, that was not the topic at all. If he had tried to leave, he would probably have been asked for a large compensation. I would say that is not an option”.
And, has Monaco finished the transfer window?
“Yes. We have 14 players, so there is no talk of other things at all. We kept the core, we tried to keep last year’s balance, which we are still striving for. We have quality newcomers, who give a certain quality, and with the right role they will give even more.” .
With James staying, we can now say that Monaco has seriously stepped up this summer…
“When you look at it from a certain distance, it can be said that we have strengthened. Last year’s core of the team remained, we took Tarpi, Jaite, and Cornelius, French basketball players who you missed in some part of last season. On paper, we are more competitive with Euroleague clubs, but there are a lot of things that need to be solved daily“.
Which ones?
“For example, last year we needed three balls, now we need even more,”.
You brought in Kemba Walker, who can be ranked among the biggest signings in Europe this summer along with Nikola Mirotic… What to expect from him?
“Walker’s signing gives a certain weight and a new dimension. However, we need to see what kind of condition he is in, and whether he will be able to meet the high expectations. Given that he has had problems with his knee in recent years, that is why he is no longer in the NBA. Of course, he is it’s also a good check, primarily from the state of health. We need to take care of that now, give it attention and see where we are. If we look at everything except the paper, everything is still a big unknown“.
When we look at the paper, we see that Monaco has a respectable four James – Lloyd – Okobo – Walker, which seems even scary…
“Maybe it seems that way to some, but it is not a guarantee of success. We need cohesion in the team, a balance between players who are more or less creative in the team, who do some other things better… It is always the best option to build a team. Here we have four creative people, all of whom need the ball in their hands and need attention, minutes, and shots. As much as you think it looks phenomenal on paper, on the other hand, it’s a headache.”
With these reinforcements, Monaco points out a clear direction towards even better results in the Euroleague, at the very top…
“It all depends on many factors. The signing itself is not a guarantee of success. We know that the season can start well or badly, the expectations themselves are always high and will be even higher the investments. However, you have to be realistic about those expectations.“.
A lot of clubs have strengthened significantly this summer as well, which could further increase competitiveness.
“That’s right, Monaco is not the team that signed and invested the most of them this summer. It is known who did it and how much money was involved in each signing. That is much more compared to what we invested, no matter what it seemed to some. I know how it is from this side and that’s why I can claim this. Even such investments are not a guarantee of success, because if they were, then others would probably be ahead of Monaco. However, that is not the case. We ultimately depend on ourselves, from the chemistry that is created between the players. It is not just that the coach gives the ball to the children to play, because if that were the case, it would probably be easy to be a coach and put together a team that will finish in the Final Four. You need to create chemistry that and it leads to good results, which leads you to good thinking and a project. That is becoming more and more difficult now,” concludes Obradović.