{"id":45336,"date":"2021-08-25T06:30:26","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T04:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.demo.olimpia.iquii.info\/nik-melli-happy-to-be-back-but-this-is-not-a-landing-spot-im-here-to-win-2\/"},"modified":"2021-08-25T06:30:26","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T04:30:26","slug":"nik-melli-happy-to-be-back-but-this-is-not-a-landing-spot-im-here-to-win-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olimpiamilano.com\/en\/nik-melli-happy-to-be-back-but-this-is-not-a-landing-spot-im-here-to-win-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Nik Melli: \u201cHappy to be back, but this is not a landing spot, I\u2019m here to win\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThis is one happy day for all of us<\/strong> – Olimpia\u2019s general manager Christos Stavropoulos explains – Finally, we brought Nicol\u00f2 Melli back in Milano while he is at the top of his game and mature as a man\u201d. Nik listens, exhales and points out: \u201cI\u2019m happy to be back after six years, but this not a landing spot, this is just another re-start. I\u2019m here to win as much as possible. I\u2019m here because the role the coach and club thought for me is extremely appealing. I\u2019m back, but a lot of things are new and different and this is a team who came one made shot short of making it to the EuroLeague final,\u201d he says. Later he will stroll before the Duomo. It\u2019s like the return of never forgotten son.<\/p>\n

The free agency –<\/strong> “I signed for Olimpia before the NBA free agency even began, so I made a clear choice. When I spoke to Coach Messina, what he offered me both individually and as a team won me over. That’s why I have no regrets. I am happy with my NBA experience, but I am also happy to be here, very motivated by the challenges that await us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olimpia outlook<\/strong> – \u201cThis is an ambitious club, which has come within a made shot of the EuroLeague championship game. For me, they let go one of the best players on the team, if not the best (Zach LeDay – ed), and this told me a lot about the kind of esteem that Olimpia has for me. What was presented to me won me over.\u201d.<\/p>\n

What Milan represents<\/strong> – \u201cFor me it represents an important segment of history, but when I left, I experienced all the other stages of my journey as opportunity of growth. I don’t know what the next three years will represent here, but I know that I don’t consider them a landing spot, but a re-start. I came here with the goal of winning as much as possible “.<\/p>\n

The Italian League rivalry –<\/strong> “It’s nice that there is a rivalry of this level also in Italy, with Virtus, but I think there are other top-level teams, for example Venice and Sassari who always do well. When I was here there was the rivalry with Siena, now with Bologna. It is important to have clubs that invest and to have high-level players in the league, but I don’t see it as a two-team race, there are other strong teams.”<\/p>\n

The European market –<\/strong> \u201cI am focused on Milan, not on anything else. What was proposed to me by the coach and the club convinced me and now I am here, happy, and with the goal of winning. At Fenerbahce I made the Final Four twice, it was nice, because it’s never to be taken for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

He will be the new Captain? –<\/strong> “I have always said that being the captain of the national team made me proud, but I added that the grades are Gigi Datome’s and I have only kept the band warm for when he returns. I haven’t talked to anyone here yet. For all the players, especially for an Italian, being Captain of Olimpia would be an incredible honor, but it’s not a decision that is up to me. I would be happy if it were, beyond any doubt, a decision shared with the team as well. Counting the five years I spent here, I’m probably the player with the most appearances, but it’s also true that I’ve been away for six years, and I’ve never played in Milan with any of these guys. Sure, at worst, I played with Datome in Istanbul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Personal revenge –<\/strong> \u201cNo, I have no revenge to take. When I went to Bamberg I did it to take a step forward, to change roles within the team. Now I’m going back, but so many things have changed that it doesn\u2019t completely feel like a return, and the only aspiration I have is to help the team win.\u201d<\/p>\n

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MILANO\ud83d\udd25\ud83e\udd0d\u2764\ufe0f#insieme<\/a> #WelcomeBackNik<\/a> @NikMelli<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/SHcdA0JzEf<\/a><\/p>\n

— Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) August 24, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n