Jankovic: “Panathinaikos and Olympiacos are… a speed on their own in this year’s Euroleague”

THE Vlado Jankovic was a guest on EOK WebRadio’s “Live Replay” and talked about the “eternal” rivals and Euroleague.



As the 34-year-old ace pointed out, both Panathinaikos AKTORas well as Olympic they differ by far from the third best roster of the tournament!

Vlado Jankovic’s statements in detail:



For the Euroleague: “I believe that the Euroleague is three-speed, but this is not yet visible on the field. With how Panathinaikos and Olympiacos are set up on paper, they are far different from the third based on roster, ability, potential, everything. These two will finish in the top two I believe. Beyond that, there are plenty of teams that will fight for home advantage or to enter the play-offs. Then we also have some teams like Alba and Villerban who are in the bottom gear, because what Zalgiris and Paris are doing has nothing to do with them.”

For Panathinaikos: “First let’s say that when Slukas had to play Panathinaikos won two cups. Whenever Kostas has to play and get in shape, he will. The three transfers he made (Brown, Yurceven, Osman) are very good players, who do some things very well on the field. It’s a nice piece of the puzzle. They are ultra-luxury rollers. They need time to “snap” these pieces and “bond” completely. They now travel to the match against Fenerbahce without two players and with Grigonis doubtful. This will give some room for all three to adjust. In December to January we will know what the image of Panathinaikos is.”

For Olympiakos: “I can say that they are a newer team than Panathinaikos. The roles are reshuffled, they change a lot. When the year started, Fournier played at “3”, now coach Bartzokas puts him at “2”, we have seen formations with Peters-Vezenkof together on the floor. All this helps to have a different approach and tactic in each match. Olympiacos is now finding its footing. They are a very good team. He is the most complete Olympiacos of recent years, perhaps of all time. I believe very much in the players coach Bartzokas has taken, they are excellent players. I could say that it is the most complete team of this year’s Euroleague and this will be seen when the same team finds its roles. This will happen when they are all together for a while.”

For Zalgiris’ 4-1 in the tournament: “When you see a team losing 27 points in Milan, which has been in the Euroleague for so many years, with big names and a big coach, and they manage to win a match like that away from home, it shows that there is winning metal in the team. They have a good coach, they are well prepared, they will hardly lose at home. I believe we will see more.”



For the teams that impress him positively and negatively: “I like Zalgiris a lot, I like Paris. I want to see what happens with Boloboi’s injury at Red Star. As far as I think, the Final-4 will also take place in Belgrade, so I think he can fight until the end to enter. These three are the teams that have excited me. I can’t understand why Milan gives such an image. Coach Messina is a consummate professional, very knowledgeable, with a huge coaching staff. I can’t understand why there is this picture in the group. Perhaps it is the lack of a leader, a native player who will “pull” the rest. Maybe they want an Italian leader, that’s why they are going to move for Mannion. I don’t have a clear picture on this. It’s a shame, because it’s a very well-established club, which has everything.”

For the three Spanish teams: “Real are in danger, because whoever gets injured will miss a very large percentage of the team. For the difficulty of the Euroleague, he must get players, I think. Yabusele left and they did not move. Something else is needed. Barcelona is more complete, I like their signings this year like Metu, Fal. Laprovitola’s injury is pivotal, he will be a big miss. As for Baskonia, I still don’t have a clear picture. The new foreigners he got have not yet entered the atmosphere of the team. There are teams in general that are not ready yet.”

For his future: “Sometimes you think you’re close, sometimes you’re far. I have been close to several situations so far, some I avoided because of the war. The truth is that I have missed the team, the training, the matches and all that. At some point it will be found, when the situation is right I will also sign. The closer you are, the farther you are until you sign. I have a lot to give, I feel very good, in general I am very well. I continue individual training to be in the right condition to go with a team.”