By Toprak Kagnici/ info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos beat Anadolu Efes, which lost two key players, Ercan Osmani and Giorgos Papagiannis, to injuries.
However, in the post-game press conference, Anadolu Efes coach Igor Kokoskov was also asked to comment on the NBA Europe project.
Kokoskov, one of the few Europeans who has head coaching experience in the NBA and also a long-time assistant on the other side of the Atlantic, stated the obvious: “After a game like this, I don’t even think about Euro-NBA”.
Still, Kokoskov offered his two cents on the discussion: “I think that it’s the landscape of the world, basketball is gonna change. And the epicenter of world basketball is the NBA. Financially, they control the market, they will explore options to expand their business in Europe”.
Speaking about Efes, Kokoskov added: “Us as a team, Efes as a club, I know the management, the general manager, the president, they’re exploring all options. We are happy where we are, but we’ll see what the future brings, and Efes club, with its history, the expectations, and ambitions, deserves to play in the top league in the world. Right now, we’re in the 2nd-best league in the world, that’s EuroLeague, and we’re happy where we are”.