This story was featured in the EuroLeague official website and has been re-published and updated here.

AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan is one of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague’s pleasant surprises this season. Veteran forward Vladimir Micov in his eighth EuroLeague season, having previously played for Baskonia, Cantu, CSKA and Galatasaray, at age 33, is playing some of the best basketball of his career

Milan is having its best EuroLeague start ever. How did the veterans help the newcomers adjust so quickly?

“I am the most experienced guy in the team and, like you said, we changed a lot of players this season. I think it is normal; whoever comes as a newcomer, the rest of the teams helps them adjust as soon as possible to a new coach, a new system, new teammates and everything. This season, we managed to do that very fast; for instance, we won the Italian Supercup after being together for seven days. Most of our players had been with their national teams, so it was a good start for us, showing everybody that we were kind of ready.”

Let’s talk about Mike James. He won two games for you in the final seconds. How great is it for Milan to have a clutch player like him?

“He is a great player and, first of all, he has great physicality. He is playing a lot, 35-36 minutes per game and taking a lot of shots. He is our main point guard, but sometimes he is playing as a ‘two’. He is a good player who finds space on the court for everybody, taking care of his teammates: You can see he gives a lot of assists per game. In just a few games, he scored some incredible shots in the clutch moments. He is a good player and a good leader. I hope that, as a team, we manage to do something special this season.”

You are shooting very well this season; 47% from downtown in the EuroLeague. Did you work differently this summer, focusing on your shot?

“Well, I have my personal coach who is following me all season, and we manage to do the same stuff, more or less, in summer. He knows what kind of exercises I need to do to improve, but I am old enough and there are not a lot of things I should change. Actually, I didn’t do anything special this summer to improve my shot. I am just shooting with a lot of confidence and, of course, it depends on the teammates and the spacing on the court. This season, we have more possibilities on offense because we are scoring a lot, in the EuroLeague and also in the Italian League, sometimes getting over 100 points. We are a more offensively-oriented team and have better spacing on the court. For example, whenever Mike has the ball, he can beat his defender and when the help comes, he tries to find an open player behind the three-point line.”

You spent four seasons earlier with Buducnost, which is now back in the EuroLeague. Milan opened the season in Podgorica. How great was it to go back there?

“Really, it was a very positive experience. Since I left exactly nine years ago, I had not returned to Montenegro, because I never had the chance to go back. First of all, Podgorica was completely different; it changed a lot after nine years. I was really glad to find out that a lot of the people around the club are still there. I was all day with friends from the club and its management, talking and having fun. Those are people that I like, because I spent four lovely years there. I am really glad that the team made it to the EuroLeague after so long. Now, they finally won a game and broke the EuroLeague’s three-point record, so things are beginning to go well for them.”

Now in your third season under the new EuroLeague format, what is your opinion about it?

“The new EuroLeague is great! I remember when everything started with the new format, some people were scared in the basketball world because they thought the competition wouldn’t look good. But now, if you see the EuroLeague numbers, the competition has improved a lot. More games, more spectators…everything improved. I remember talking with Sinan Guler and Ermal Kuqo (for the EuroLeague documentary Istanbul: Hoops Hub) that for example, Istanbul had four teams in the EuroLeague that season, so fans had the chance to see a player like Luka Doncic four times. When the EuroLeague had groups, maybe you didn’t have the chance to see great teams like CSKA, Madrid or Fenerbahce in your city. Now, you have at least one chance to watch those kinds of players and teams. In the end, it looks great and everybody likes it.”

You have been in the EuroLeague for almost a decade. What other changes have you seen in the competition?

“Obviously, it changed a lot. It is important in life to try to improve, so it is normal. There are a lot of games, especially with this system, so it is logical that teams have deeper rosters. You have 30 guaranteed games, plus playoffs if you make it, plus domestic leagues. You can play 60 or 70 games per season, so you need a deep roster. We managed to start the Euroleague Player Association (ELPA) and work together with the EuroLeague to protect our rights, small details that make us look better and play better. For instance, charter flights. I remember that when I got to the EuroLeague, nobody had charters, only CSKA had it. Now, most teams have charters. Everything is improving, from both sides.”

You are even doing Armani commercials now. How is that experience? Do you get to see Giorgio Armani a lot?

“Well, he is the club’s owner and is attending almost every game, especially EuroLeague games, sitting at courtside. After every game, he comes to us and shakes hands with us. Also, last season, we had dinner with him. We don’t have a lot of contact, we don’t sit down and talk, but Mr. Armanirespects us and, of course, we respect him a lot. It is great for our club to have him as our main sponsor. Every year, we have a photo shoot for Armani, pretty much like the EuroLeague Media Day. We spend a whole day in the gym wearing Armani clothes, watches, sunglasses… I saw my face on the EuroLeague website, it was funny.”

Finally, you haven’t shown your full potential. Nemanja Nedovic was out for a while. How dangerous can Milan be when everything clicks?

“Yes, Nedo was in and out a little bit, but this can be said about all teams; if everybody stays healthy, any team will get better. As for us, we are an offensively-oriented team and have a lot of weapons. It is a long season and we had a good start, but we have a long way to go. As I said, if we continue like this, step by step and game by game, we can do something special. We showed against big teams that we can play really well. We were up by 15 and ended up losing. If we want to become one of the top teams, we cannot play 25-30 minutes of good basketball. We have to play 38-40 minutes of good basketball, but that will come with time if we keep working well. We changed a lot of players and still need some time to show our full potential.”