By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Before taking the decision to extend his quite lucrative contract with Khimki Moscow until 2020, Alexey Shved turned down some NBA options that didn’t appeal to him. But, he’ll continue to keep his eyes open for opportunities to return to the league in the future.
“I don’t close the door to the NBA,” Shved said in an interview with Championat. “I waited for offers from the USA. There were several options that didn’t suit me. I like everything in Khimki. My role in the team, the city, being close to my family and friends.”
The 28-year-old Russian guard will continue being the leader of Khimki Moscow during the new season that signal’s the clubs return to EuroLeague. No less than seven new players have been signed by the VTB League finalists, so far, and Shved seems quite pleased with these additions.
“The signings are good. Tyler Honeycutt returned. I’m very happy about it. Stefan Markovic is a very strong point guard. No matter what is said about his injuries, he played at a high level throughout the whole season. I played with Malcolm Thomas in Philadelphia. He’s a great leaper. I think the club did an excellent club.”
There’s also a new head coach in the house since Khimki Moscow hired 2013 EuroLeague champion Giorgos Bartzokas to manage this newly-built outfit.
“I haven’t spoken with him yet. The guys who’ve worked with him answer in a positive manner about him. He’s a coach who knows how to win the EuroLeague and go to the Final Four,” says Shved.
Russia hasn’t won anything in a major tournament since the bronze medal of the 2012 Olympic Games. As Shved says, this doesn’t add any extra pressure ahead of the EuroBasket.
“There isn’t such a thing Not for me. I played for the national team in the EuroBasket 2013, right after the Olympic Games in London. Many guys didn’t come. Some had finished their careers with the team. This strongly affected us. There were also scandals in the federation which were reflected on the players and the results. Now, we are reborn, if one can say so.”