By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The two times Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion in Sergio Rodriguez has joined AX Armani Exchange Milan for the next three years and he was presented to the media today.
The goals are always high and Milan has good potential but the 33-year-old guard notes that a team is only as good as they fair with the difficult moments: “Every time I go on the pitch, I want to win. This must be the approach. But the true value of a team is measured in moments of difficulty, in the way you respond when things go wrong. This is important. It happens to every team. Then we will understand everything. But it is also important to prepare to win today”, Rodriguez said at his public presentation.
Rodriguez had an opportunity to work with coach Ettore Messina and he’s one of the reasons the Spaniard came to Milano: “Coach Messina explained the project to me, he explained to me that he wanted to build a culture, help the organization grow. It is not a project that is realized in a short time, it is a long project, but at this moment of my career and my life, it is what I felt I needed. Of course, stability is important but both Ettore and general manager Stavropoulos are working for this. I worked with coach Messina in Madrid. I was back from the NBA and he was in his second year at Real. I consider being trained by him a great opportunity. He knows how to find solutions and the right chemistry.”
He also noted that EuroLeague has been improving every year and so did this one, and everybody will have to play while being fully focused from start to finish: “The level goes up every year, it’s true, but having so many strong players and so many competitive teams is positive for the entire competition. We want to be one of these teams, and if we work hard there’s no reason not to be. It is a different tournament from the NBA because the games count from October until April to reach the playoffs. If you are not prepared the right away and you lose shots, you can pay it at the end of the season.”
Here’s the full press conference