By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Hapoel Tel Aviv is one win away from the EuroLeague, and team owner Ofer Yannay wants to not only play in the competition but also create a superteam immediately.
Speaking to Italian media outlet “Backdoor Podcast”, Yannay said that he shares the “same vision” with Panathinaikos owner Dimitris Giannakopoulos, praised his head coach Dimitris Itoudis, and admitted that he wants to create an admirable roster, spearheaded by former EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic.
“I think we’re getting to a point where both sides have to make a decision”, explained Yannay, speaking about open negotiations with the Serbian guard and insisting that Micic can leave the NBA and finish the season in the Israeli league.
“If the decision is made now, it would be great to have him on the team, but if it’s not right away, the next period we can bring Micic to our team will be in July due to NBA restrictions. I hope we can bring him now, but negotiations are always complicated. “
However, Micic is only the tip of the iceberg. Yannay mentioned Jean Montero of Valencia, Sixers‘ Guershon Yabusele, Baskonia‘s Chima Moneke, and Venezia’s Mfiondu Kabengele as potential targets: “I really like Montero from Valencia. I like that he’s very young and talented and, frankly, he caught my attention. There’s another guy who’s not playing in the EuroLeague right now, but he’s extremely talented, and I really like him; that’s Guershon Yabusele. He’s having a fantastic season in the NBA so far, but if he decided to come back to the EuroLeague, we’d definitely try to get him. I like Kevin Panter, but he’s off the market now. There are a lot of other names that we like, like Chima Moneke, who is an outstanding player. Also, Kabengele could attract our attention for the next season. All these names interest me a lot .”
And Hapoel’s owner is also thinking about the future, already making plans for the future addition of Milan’s star Nikola Mirotic: “He is a top-level player. He often visits Jerusalem because he is a religious person. Every time he comes to Israel, people make a big fuss, wondering if his arrival is for religious reasons or if he is coming to see me in person… He is a phenomenal player and currently has a high salary, but he could certainly be a serious candidate to join our team next year .”