By Yiannis Bouranis/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce starts the new season with the ambition to claim all titles. That’s the reason why, this summer, the Turkish club acquired great players who can make the difference. Head coach, Zeljco Obradovic talked to Euroleague’s official channel and referred to Fenerbahce‘s roster, the new players and the most important target for him, which strangely, is not to win the Euroleague.
“We changed many things, we have many new players. We signed players who, we believe, can help us climb even higher. It was a problem for us that eight of our players played in the Eurobasket. We acquired Ekpe Udoh and we should take advantage of him as much as we can. So, we now have to work all together and understand what we have in our hands,” said Obradovic regarding the problem with the international players, which prevented the team from making a better preparation.
Moreover, the Serbian coach made a special reference to Kostas Sloukas and Pero Antic: “They are great players. I talked with them personally, with Pero we had a 10-minute chat in Belgrade. He told me he wanted to leave the NBA and my answer was that Fenerbahce was the best option for him. Kostas is a high quality acquisition. It was important to join the club and make the next step in his great career. It’s of utmost importance to sign players who know how to play and win finals. It’s very helpful for the rest of the team.”
Apart from those two, though, Obradovic’s job will be also to help many great players, like Luigi Datome, to adapt to Fenerbahce’s playing style: “We have been together for less than a month, so they need time time to understand what we are expecting from them, what it means to play for Fenerbahce. It’s a great opportunity for them. They could play in the NBA, where they were acting as the supporting cast, but in Fenerbahce they will have a more significant role.”
The Serbian coach also talked about Fenerbahce’s opponents in Group A as well as the most important target for his team: “We will play against Bayern Munich, Strasburg and Crvena Zvezda, which are clubs that have tough home courts. It will be difficult. I am proud of being part of a team that has many fans on its home court. The most important thing is to play decent basketball, which will be enjoyable for both us and the fans. Until then, though, there are many things that need to be done, so we will see what will happen.”