Kalafatakis on bwinSPORT FM 94.6: “The victory of Panathinaikos AKTOR over Olympiakos was good for Greek basketball”

In his air News Bulletin 247 and on his show “FAST AND… CURIOUS” with Michael Tsoho, was hosted by George Kalafatakistalking about the image of Olympiakos and Panathinaikos AKTOR so far this season, but also about the quality of the Stoiximan Basket League.

For championship of Greece, the experienced coach emphasized that this year the level is higher, however, the problem is that there are not many Greek athletes: “I think since 2013 when the Greek championship started to decline, this year’s is clearly better in terms of its competitiveness, apart from Olympiakos and Panathinaikos of course. Let’s not forget that AEK has a very good roster with former NBA players. I see a rise in Mars which now has a full field. Pigeon has been boosted but I don’t see results yet. PAOK is a little worse than last year.”

Regarding him Panathinaikos AKTOR stated that: “Panathinaikos has not yet played what it can play. Let Nan adapt, let Papapetrou and Juancho return and we’ll see. They must manage to become a team and distribute the roles correctly since they are all protagonists and attacking players. This is why Grant stands out, who knew the Greek reality. New teams need time. Very important and pivotal was the victory over Olympiakos that changed their psychology and history. If he lost for the 3rd derby he would have a big problem. The results are visible. The fact that he won against Olympiakos is good for basketball in general and how good this victory did for Greek basketball because it brings this “derby” back to life.”

As far as he is concerned Olympiccommented on the gaps left by Kostas Slukas and Sasha Vezenkov, extolling the quality of Alec Peters: “Peters was already in the team. He is an NBAer and a Euroleague player. When he came he found Vezenkov in front of him. He has played in big teams, he is a big player. He just didn’t have room to stand out last year. He came from Spain with an important role and here he did not have many minutes and struggled. This year, he found space and shows his quality. There the issue was resolved internally at Olympiakos.

Caanan, Walkup and Goss are the ones who took over the creation and scoring part and can fill in the absence of Sluka. If it weren’t for injuries and McKissick’s absence no one would be talking about it. Olympiacos loses a large part of its momentum when Walkap is not on a good night. If Walkap can stay fresh, Olympiacos will have no problem. Mitrou-Log will slowly join and thus the team becomes overcrowded. Brazdeikis hasn’t adjusted yet. As for Papanikolaou, what can one say about this child. He is a regular captain, he plays at 100%. It is for Olympiakos a great asset at all levels. When the team is complete, Olympiacos will find its way.”

Finally, regarding the… threshold of the two Greek teams in the Euroleague said: “I think that the roster of the two teams is for high. But this does not mean that one has a contract with success. Everything can happen. I think they will be 100% in the top eight and from there on, where they will reach will be seen. The luck factor always plays a role.”