Bayern GM talks EuroLeague teams' spending: 'Feeling that there is no pandemic and war' / News - Basketnews.com

Marko Pesic is astonished by the sums EuroLeague teams are spending in a difficult period of time.

Credit: Patrick Albertini/EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImages Credit Patrick Albertini/EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImages

FC Bayern Munich are ready to kick off the new season on Saturday when the EuroLeague quarterfinal participants will meet Ratiopharm Ulm at the Audi Dome.

For general manager Marko Pesic, it will be his twelfth season at the German powerhouse. This one comes after the "most complicated campaign he has ever experienced" when the global pandemic was combined with the war in Ukraine.

Before the new start, Pesic gave an interview to the official Bayern website on what has happened in the summer and what Munich fans can expect from Saturday.

"We have had a difficult preparation and not only because we were missing four players from EuroBasket, who are also key players in our backcourt line. Isaac Bonga hasn't even been able to train with the team yet, and it's not clear exactly when he'll be back," Pesic commented about his team's issues.

"So, we haven't been able to train with the full squad yet, which means that this team will certainly need some time to settle in. And that's why it's even more important that we've managed to keep ten players from last season's squad," the 45-year-old executive continued.

Bayern maintained the core of Corey Walden, Nick Weiler-Babb, Zan Mark Sisko, Ognjen Jaramaz, Andreas Obst, Vladimir Lucic, Paul Zipser, Augustine Rubit, and Othello Hunter.

"That was the main idea this summer; not only because they are good players and they fit into a concept but because we knew that the EuroBasket would be lengthy and that most of our players would stay in the tournament for a long time.

The fact that we were able to keep a strong core of ten players enabled us to bring in two fresh, young players -- Cassius Winston and Freddie Gillespie -- who will be playing in Europe for the first time. Moreover, Isaac Bonga is also still very young at 22," Pesic pointed out.

Bayern's GM also expanded where Munich made a step forward, assembling this year's team.

"We have improved in our athleticism and in the area of speed. On top of that, the depth of the squad has increased. I think we are in a position to play faster. The trio of team newbies, involving Winston, Bonga, and Gillespie, is all about speed, athleticism, and playmaking."

Like Bayern Munich, other EuroLeague teams made changes as well. Many of them have upgraded their roster significantly with the stars' arrivals, so how strong is the EuroLeague in 2022-23?

"It's the same every year: great players are constantly being brought into every club. It's often the familiar faces, with a few exceptions. But overall, an incredible amount of money is spent and you get the feeling as if there has been no pandemic and as if the war doesn't exist either. That can't be helped, though.

But we are confident enough to be able to use our experience of the last two years. Are the EuroLeague playoffs possible? They are possible, but we don't want to talk about that at all.

We've made it to the Top 8 two years in a row, and it wouldn't be a drama if we didn't make it once. But our goal is clearly to get the chance to fight for the playoffs again," Marko Pesic concluded the topic about Bayern's goal in the EuroLeague.

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