By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Erick Green is just taking the first steps in order to be part of the Fenerbahce system. And he is loving every single one of them.
“It’s a great place and I was really welcomed”, he said to Eurohoops about Istanbul and his new team while smiling during his recent visit to Athens.
Green is not yet a big part of Fenerbahce’s rotation, but things are expected to change soon. After all, he is expected to cover the void left by injured Tyler Ennis. However, when he was called, at first he had doubts. “I had to decide between Fenerbahce and Maccabi, which was also interested in me”, he explained. “I wasn’t sure that I was a good fit for Fenerbahce, but when coach Obradovic called me and said that he wanted me, I didn’t have to think much about it”.
So how come a player who competed in the EuroLeague Final Four with Olympiacos and was the leader of Valencia last season remained a free agent for so long? The reason is simple. “I wanted to return to the NBA and that was my focus during the summer”, said Green who still has a possible return to the best league of the world on the back of his mind.
“Playing in the NBA is the goal of every player and it’s something that I sill want to do during my career”, he admits, even if his priorities are obvious for this season: “Of course, now that I am part of Fenerbahce I want to win titles. That’s the goal of the team and that’s why I signed with them”.
Nicknamed by Greek television commentators Erick “the Gunner” Green during his stay in Greece, he still remembers fondly his season with Olympiacos. “It was great, I still get messages from Olympiacos fans asking me to return, and you never know what the future may bring”, Green said.
But the present for him is Fenerbahce. “It’s amazing to be part of a big club and work with a legendary coach like Zeljko Obradovic”, explains Green who is just getting to know Zoc. “He is great. He went easy on me during the first few days of my stay in Turkey and now he is turning it on, focusing on me, because he has high expectations from all his players”.
So far Green had very limited minutes on the court and he wasn’t even used in the game against Olympiacos. However, with Fenerbahce hosting Darussafaka Tekfen and then traveling to Tel Aviv in order to face Maccabi, Green is expected to hear his name being called. And when this happens, the “Gunner” will be ready.