Drew Nicholas: “PAO lacks the budget, a deep roster and an experienced coach”

What is missing from Panathinaikos to return to the successes of the past, of the team in which he was also a member? Drew Nicholas gave an interview in which he mentioned what – in his opinion – needs to change in order for the hits to come again.

“First the team’s budget. Almost every year, the teams, with some exceptions, that enter the Final Four have the best budgets in Europe. Those who can create a solid, deep roster with an experienced coach, have consistency and chemistry, build the team piece by piece, can succeed,” says the American ace in an interview he gave to basketnews.

What he reports in detail on basketnews

On what is missing from Panathinaikos in recent years:

“First the team’s budget. Almost every year, the teams, with some exceptions, that enter the Final Four have the best budgets in Europe. Those who can build a solid, deep roster with an experienced coach, have consistency and chemistry, build the team piece by piece, can succeed. This is something that Panathinaikos is still looking for at the moment. I don’t know how many coaches and front office people have changed over the last few years.”

On which coach would fit and if it could be Mike Baptiste:



“Probably. I’m not going to name anyone. But I know there are some who are very willing to come back and try to help the club regain some of its prestige.”

Which Euroleague players could interest NBA teams:



“Dwayne Bacon is physically gifted enough to play at the NBA level. He has been doing it for two years.”

On his transfer to Armani in 2011:



“Sure, it was the cuts. Antonis Fotsis and I had to leave. Our wages were great at that time. Obradovic and Itoudis saw the situation with my ankle throughout that year and that also played a big role.”

About Jasikevicius and their green past:



“When you play for a club like Panathinaikos, it’s stressful. At certain times, like after a big win, you may want to go outside to relieve that stress. A Panathinaikos player cannot go unnoticed almost anywhere in Athens.”

For Obradovic:



“My first season was very difficult, I was adapting to Panathinaikos and coach Obradovic. We had so many different tall players. It was a lot of moving parts that all had to fit together as one. At one point, I thought they were going to end up deciding to terminate my contract and that I was going somewhere else.

I remember after one game, I played really bad and then I decided to go outside to manage my stress. Obradovic found out that I went out and the next day in training was very difficult. The way he treated me in the video analysis was such that I wanted to react. But I had one of my best workouts that day. And that was the button that turned the season around. After that, I started playing much better.

Obradovic is a basketball fan. When he’s not training, he stays up until 3-4 in the morning, especially when the NBA playoffs start. Every training was always a fight, since the guards included Spanoulis, Saras Diamantidis. You can just imagine what it’s like to play with them every day.”

For coaches Jasikevicius and Spanoulis:



“I expected it more from Saras, not necessarily from Vassilis. I was not surprised by Vassilis because I know how competitive he is. Saras was much more regular. He was crazy as a player, but Billy wanted at that moment to be the best he could be. Whatever he sets his mind to in life, he achieves it. Spanoulis and I haven’t kept in touch that much since he left Panathinaikos and went to Olympiacos. This created a kind of division.”