“I am happy to be here, it is a place that has attracted me for years. For me it is a great opportunity to live in a different country, which I like, in a big city, to play for a big club and experience a different league”, Sergio Rodriguez said in his first public appearance as Olimpia Milan’s point-guard. Here is a summary of his statements.
The negotiation – “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 short-term project, it is long-term, but at this time in my career and my life this what I felt I needed. Of course, stability is important, but both Ettore and the general manager Stavropoulos are working for this. I was coached by Messina in Madrid: I was just returning from the NBA and he was in his second year at Real. Being coached by him is a great opportunity. He knows how to find solutions and how to build the right chemistry”.
The EuroLeague – “Every year the level goes up, it’s true, but that there are so many great players and so many competitive teams around the Europe is positive for the whole competition. We want to be one of these teams, and if we work hard there’s no reason not to be. It’s a different tournament from the NBA, because the games matter from October to April just to get into the playoffs. If you are not prepared right away and you lose early you can pay the price at the end of the season.”
The Italian league – “Pedro Llompart is my brother-in-law so in the last year and a half I have followed the league better. I know it is a very competitive league, that winning on the road is difficult. Once it was considered the most important league after the NBA. Now I see that the level is rising. Winning is not to be taken for granted, the last few seasons say so. There have been important newcomers: all this must push us to work harder than the others to prevail.”
Goals – “Every time I go on the court I want to win. This must be the approach. But the true value of a team is measured in times of difficulty: in the way you respond when things are not going well. This is important. It happens to every team. We will understand everything at that time. But it is important to prepare to win today.”
His game – “I will play as I have always done, to help the team win. If you win you are happy, no matter how many points you score or who defended the most. I have always played this way, starting or coming off the bench is not important. In Milan, I always felt good on the court, the atmosphere was great, the arena was almost full every time. Of course, here I also lost a EuroLeague final against Maccabi. But it’s a place I felt comfortable to play in.”
The wins – “I’m a lucky guy, I’ve won a lot and lived great moments. Those lived with the national team are special. But I will never forget what I did starting from Estudiantes to go to the NBA and then I won the EuroLeague in Madrid, I came back in the NBA as an experienced player and finally in CSKA I lived in a foreign country and still won the EuroLeague. I consider myself lucky. To compete at the highest level with Milan is the new big challenge of my career “.
My idols – “All guards, from Michael Jordan to Allen Iverson, Jason Williams or, in Spain, Raul Lopez and also Sasha Djordjevic. I have always admired tough, team players who are also winners.”
Here you can watch the entire press conference
