By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Coach Simone Pianigiani admitted that his team will have a hard time in the Italian League after the moves made by other teams during that summer, but Milan wants “to stay at the top all year long and be ready when trophies are going to be raised”.
EuroLeague, on the other hand, is a different animal. “It’s gonna be tough now, in the future it’s gonna be tougher”, said Pianigiani. “It’s obviously the best league in the world after the NBA. It takes a lot of physical and mental energy to stay competitive. All the teams are preparing for a long-distance run. Just a few top players left for the NBA while many great players came or returned and the competition is going to be impressive. There are the usual three or four teams aspiring to win it all and all the others trying to make the playoffs and to have some memorable nights”.
And Mike James agreed with his coach: “I believe that I will develop a good chemistry with Nedovic: we get along outside the court and this helps. CSKA and Real Madrid are the same teams but for the rest, they all lost key players or added some. We have the quality to be in the playoffs, then we’ll see. I’ve been playing in EuroLeague for four years. Playing in Panathinaikos I have climbed an important step playing for coach Xavi Pascual. The next step is to help a team of great tradition with a more leading role as a player who creates and involves his teammates”.
Nemanja Nedovic added: “I am a player who can create and involve his teammates starting from the guard position. I think our goal must be to reach the EuroLeague playoffs and then anything can happen: Mike James is more experienced in these games and can confirm it. For me, it was important to grow with coach Joan Plaza because I was coming from a particular season in Valencia and he raised me, gave me green light to create”.
Here’s the full press conference of the two newcomers.
Photo credit: Olimpia Milano