By Eurohoops team /info@eurohoops.net
Partizan GM Zoran Savic spoke to Eurohoops’ Stefanos Tatsios during the ANGT in Belgrade last week about the hot topics in European basketball.
Savic discusses Partizan’s performance after the return of Zeljko Obradovic on the bench, the evolution of Vasilije Micic, the impact of Nikola Jokic, as well as the presence of Serbian teams in the EuroLeague.
“We are a country with a fantastic history in basketball,” he said. “Having two teams in the EuroLeague is a great goal for European basketball. I don’t know what will happen because we only have one spot for the winner of the ABA League. I don’t know what will happen but it would be great to happen”.
Speaking of Serbian basketball, it was inevitable not to comment on back-to-back Final Four MVP Vasilije Micic and the rumors linking him to the NBA. “Micic can make a difference in the NBA,” Savic tells Eurohoops. “The best players in EuroLeague can stand out there”.
Besides a Serbian MVP in the EuroLeague, there’s also a Serbian MVP in the NBA that is unlike any other player, according to Savic. “Nikola Jokic is not like any other player. He was born here, but he made his career there [in the NBA] and now he defines the game”.
On to Partizan, the season in EuroCup ended quickly, though Savic hopes the team can clinch a EuroLeague spot for next season through the ABA League.
“We are a completely new team with a new coach. We had a roster of 15 players that haven’t worked with coach Obradovic in the past. Our goal is to play in the EuroLeague but for that to happen we need to win the ABA League,” he said. “[Obradovic’s presence] is really important because we have the best coaching staff in Europe at the moment. It’s great for us”.