By Mehmet Bahadir Akgun/ info@eurohoops.net
VITORIA-GASTEIZ– Fenerbahce Beko is the most injury-plagued of all Final Four teams. Gigi Datome and Joffrey Lauvergne are ruled out of the tournament while Nikola Kalinic and Jan Vesely have been questionable.
“Injuries are part of the season. For any team,” Fenerbahce GM Maurizio Gherardini told Eurohoops. “The best way to prepare for games like these is to not think about the injuries. I have no doubt that the coach knows what to do. I have no doubt that the players are ready to fight.”
“We know what’s at stake at this moment,” Gherardini said.
Fenerbahce is facing fellow Turkish side Anadolu Efes. A team that completed the regular season with the fourth seed, after finishing 2017-2018 at the bottom of the standings.
“I don’t think anybody expected this turnaround,” Gherardini commented. “But this needs to be a compliment to them for this amazing result. They turned things around in just a few months. Their chemistry on the court was excellent. They played excellent basketball all season. Some of the best in EuroLeague.”
Regarding the EuroLeague expansion of 2019-2020 with two more teams joining the competition, Gherardini mentioned the following:
“I don’t think that four more games are such a dramatic change. EuroLeague is growing. Every number is confirming the fact that the competition is dramatically growing. Getting the product to markets like France and Germany is significantly important.”