Bartzokas addresses it all
Olympiacos will be hosting Baskonia tomorrow (09/11, 18.15 CET), in a game that according to the ‘red & whites’ coach, Giorgos Bartzokas, the key is going to be his team’s ability to match up the intensity of the Spanish team.
“Changing their coach has differentiated the intensity with which they play defense”, the veteran coach pointed out before adding: “The rules they play with in offense are always the same. They go for many possessions, they play the transition a lot, now they are putting too much pressure when defending and they often trap on the screens on the ball. They steal a lot of possessions, they run the transition. They are a team that plays with high intensity and opens up the score. It is obvious that a change in the bench leadership has a psychological impact on a losing team, because Baskonia was losing up to that point. Ever since the win against Partizan, they lost to Gran Canaria for the ACB at home. They are a team that doesn’t have a big rotation, although they recently added Chiozza. They definitely have a peculiar game style and you have to be prepared to face it. If you don’t match up their intensity, you’re going to get into trouble. We must not allow ourselves to believe that it’s going to be an easy game. We have to match up their intensity and not give them the ball because they’re gonna run transition”.
Talking about the … medical report, he said: “Sikma has been running and I think that he will be joining team practices from Monday on. Milutinov is doubtful for tomorrow due a knee tendonitis. As you know, he did not play against PAOK either. It’s not anything serious, but he’s hurting and he needs treatment, strengthening and rest. Unfortunately, our schedule does not include rest. We’ll try to cope with that. Right now, I don’t have an answer on whether he will be play tomorrow”.
Next, the coach of Olympiacos was asked about what is actually going down in terms of acquiring a new player: “McKissic will be back in the following days, he has started with an individual program and has been practicing accordingly. We have an additional guard this season compared to the last one. So, we need two players more compared to last season? We have Brazdeikis, that’s plus one. When McKissic starts playing, we are going to be plus two. How am I supposed to manage and utilize all these players? How is this going to happen? We are always open to the market. We had agreed with the Presidents to make and effort during the summer to sign some players that were asking for exorbitant amounts of money. Olympiacos, during this past summer, offered to certain players, which we will at some point name who, when and what, we offered money beyond any logic. I’m also kind of opposed to such huge amounts, because you have to keep some balance within a team. But, this is done now. For some reason, those signings did not come through. So, we agreed, that when our team starts playing, the outlook is going to show us if it’s ‘hurting’ in some specific area. We had said that, should we have an issue, we are going to sign a player to cover for that. Right now, due to injuries, we unfortunately don’t have a clear picture of what this team is able to give. Our team, together with Brazdeikis, has seven players that had played for the Mundobasket, which means that these players are both physically and mentally tired. Circumstances have forced us to investigate the market. However, this doesn’t mean that Olympiacos is going to sign the first player that will be suggested. This notion that let’s just go and sign a player is unproductive. Who do we sign and what is the level of our team. To bring a player here that can start playing immediately and make the team better, means that this player must be a class act. Thankfully, our team has created expectations and demands. Last season, we were leading the Euroleague the whole season, the year before we were second, we have won any title there is to win in Greece during these past years… All of these mean that we should be bringing in a player that is better than those we already have or one that would at least give us a boost with his quality”.
And he made clear that: “What I want to say is that the Presidents have never denied me something. For as long as I’m here with Olympiacos, I have never asked for something, a renewal, an additional player, a transfer and get a response of ‘you know what, we can’t do that’. What has happened though, is the complete opposite! My stance on things, and no one can change that for me, is this…. Players that have helped the team win any domestic title there is to win, I have faith in them and support them. And when I say I support them, I mean that because McKissic got injured and was sidelined for a month and a half, I’m not going to change him or cut him off the team. I’ll never do that. He has helped us and he has been an important part of Olympiacos these past few years and I’m not going to sell him out. That’s all there is to it, period. If the team needs help with someone for as long as someone is out or can help with the team rotation, the Presidents have given me the green light to go out and do it. All these things that I’ve hearing, about not wanting to spend money and such, I find to unfair and a joke, at least. We have been researching the market due to bad luck and a number of injuries we have had this season. We are trying to find someone to add, but we are only going to do it with a player that we believe is going to help us. I would ask that you analyze for me all these super transfers of megatons as everyone calls them, what is their contribution to their teams. All these NBAers, what is their impact on the game of their European teams. Right now, five or six teams are on the market, who are they going to be getting at this time? They can find no one. So, who is this player that everyone talking believes that will come to Olympiacos and will make the team better? I, because I bear responsibility and have to be straight with my players and most of all with the Presidents and of course with the fans of the team, I’m saying that we have proven that least of all, we have good criteria when choosing for our roster. Injuries and bad luck have had an impact but let’s see the whole team play together and then evaluate it”.