By George Adamopoulos / info@eurohoops.net
Dominique Wilkins, the Atlanta Hawks legend and currently Vice President of basketball and Special Advisor to the CEO of the club, sat down with Eurohoops for a Q&A during his visit to the NBA Basketball School in Costa Navarino.
Wilkins, who also led Panathinaikos Athens to their first-ever EuroLeague championship in 1996, talked about his experience in Greece, how he joined the team, some special moments with the Greens, and the comparisons to Kendrick Nunn.
He also discussed the goals for the Hawks, tradeable players, and Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Here’s a part of the interview:
Eurohoops: Lucrative deals in Europe are something like the minimum in the NBA. How does this gap translate for the future moves in both leagues?
The NBA money keeps going up. That’s why European players look at it and say, “Hey, that’s a lot of money that’s being paid in the NBA,” That’s why the best players are going to the NBA. Can you blame them? But if the EuroLeague had the same type of situation a lot of players would probably stay.
Dominique Wilkins: Is there a player in this era who is the new Dominique?
No. I know the league. I think there are players like you. I think I’m a mixture of a couple of players.
EH: What’s your vision for the future of the Atlanta Hawks franchise?
D.W.: We’re always trying to do different things to enhance in our franchise. Get the best possible situations and put them together. Hopefully, it works. And that’s what we’re doing now. Our basketball ops people are doing the necessary things to try to ensure THAT we put the best pieces in place and going after the best players for our team. It’s always a work in progress.
EH: Is there any trade for Dejounte Murray or Trae Young?
There are always trades for every team…
EH: Nobody is untouchable?
D.W.: I won’t say “nobody”. But there’s a lot of players who are not.
EH: How does Bogdan Bogdanovic fit in the team’s future?
D.W.: I love Bogdanovic. He’s a wonderful shooter and a wonderful guy. We have developed a really cool friendship. I love Bogi.