Achille Polonara explains why he didn't join Virtus and Crvena Zvezda / News - Basketnews.com

Achille Polonara said that it wasn't the right situation to join Virtus at the moment, while the player registration ban was the main reason that stopped him from penning a deal with Crvena Zvezda.

Credit: zalgiris.lt Credit zalgiris.lt

After a difficult start of the season with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Achille Polonara transferred to Zalgiris Kaunas two weeks ago, marking a new beginning in the Italian's career.

Achille Polonara

Team:Zalgiris KaunasPosition:PF, CAge:31Height:203 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:ItalyProfileNewsStatistics

His first match as a member of the Lithuanian squad came in the double week against Virtus Segafredo Bologna, a team that was also pursuing the player in recent months. When Polonara was being presented, the local fans booed him.

The Zalgiris newcomer joined the 'Backdoor One to One' podcast, where he explained how the situation unfolded.

"I was close to Virtus Bologna this summer, and I was close to joining them in January, too, but the conditions to make the move happen weren't there," Polonara explained. "It's nobody's fault. The right situation has to be there for something like this to happen, and unfortunately, it wasn't there."

"Some people believe I don't want to go to Virtus Bologna, but that's not true. We'll see what's going to happen in the future. Crvena Zvezda? I have a great relationship with coach [Dusko] Ivanovic, I spoke with the club, but the timing for a move wasn't right due to their transfer ban," the Italian said.

After becoming a well-known name in European basketball two years ago, Polonara struggled to find his place both during the last season and the first half of this basketball year as well.

Projected to be the starting Anadolu Efes power forward in the summer, the Italian was overtaken by Amath M'Baye in the rotation.

Full podcast w/ Achille Poloanara (in Italian):

What went wrong? Polonara isn't exactly sure, either.

"I don't know, it's difficult to explain. So far, the team hasn't achieved the results many people expected before the season. There were many changes in the roster and several players that have been there for 3-4 years left, so these changes complicated the situation a little bit," the player tried to explain.

Many now-prominent EuroLeague players started their European ascent playing for Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. Stars like Mike James and Shane Larkin became well-known playing there. Vitoria was also the place where Polonara shined the brightest at a relatively late stage in his career. This year, it's Markus Howard who's making a name for himself in the top European competition.

"The team has a great eye for talent, every season they're able to find players who haven't played in EuroLeague yet or guys straight from the college, and they turn them into important pieces of the roster,' the Zalgiris forward said about his former team. "The environment is great, very familiar, there's a lot of passion, but at the same time, you don't feel pressure. For me, it was an amazing experience."

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