By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Olimpia Milano president Livio Proli assessed the season that Mike James had with the team in EuroLeague. A run that was completed with the Italian side missing the playoffs for the fifth season in a row.
James finished the EuroLeague regular season with a competition-high 19.8 points, 6.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 20.2 PIR over 33:56. In the last three decisive matches for the qualification to the playoffs, he averaged 4.3 PIR in three consecutive losses for Milano.
“Yes, he’s having an extraordinary season,” Proli answered when asked if he’s satisfied with James, in an interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport. He is in the race for MVP title in the EuroLeague. In the future, we should develop a system and a roster which allows [Milano coach] Simone Pianigiani to use him less. He played superhuman minutes in all the games so the few matches that were below expectations are understandable. He can’t be blamed for anything. If you put him on the court for over 30 minutes and ask him to do what he did, you can’t talk about defense. During my presidency in Milano, I’ve never seen a player as good as Mike James. But he’s not a robot.”
“We want to add a player that will improve the team’s performances and is compatible with Mike James,” Proli added.
Regarding the future of the team, Proli also mentioned that Milano plans to keep Lithuanian center Arturas Gudaitis long term. “We want to extend Gudaitis’ contract for at least one more year and prevent his departure for the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer.” Gudaitis, that is out for the season due to an ACL injury, is already under contract until 2021.