Crvena Zvezda president talks mid-season signings, Teodosic rumors / News - Basketnews.com

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade president Nebojsa Covic reflected on mid-season signings made by his team and recent rumors circulating about Milos Teodosic's move to an Italian team.

Credit: Marko Metlas/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Marko Metlas/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade was one of the hottest teams in the EuroLeague in terms of signings this year, adding talent like Milos Teodosic, Yago dos Santos, and Rokas Giedraitis before the start of the season while also making mid-season signings like Freddie Gillespie and Javonte Smart.

Javonte Smart

Team:Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradePosition:PGAge:24Height:193 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:Wyoming, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

The president of the organization, Nebojsa Covic, talked about the mid-season signings and new rumors that started circulating about Teodosic and his move to an Italian second-division team to Serbian outlet Studio B.

"First, to bring a player during the season is very difficult. If you bring just to bring, that's not it," started Covic before addressing rumors that circulated before and at the beginning of the season.

"Second, since I have been in Crvena Zvezda, players have been brought by coaches and coaching staff," clarified the president of the club. "When Dusko Ivanovic was making the team this summer, the story was: 'Here Dusko did scouting.' When that team didn't [have good] results, [some people wrote] from their keyboards: 'No, then Covic scouted the team," he explained.

"I mean, let's not deal with that nonsense... [E]ven now and the coach [Ioannis Sfairopoulos] decided to bringGillespie," Covic stated before elaborating on the game of the former FC Bayern Munich center.

"Gillespie is not a player who makes it rain. He is a player who depends on the play of the outside players [editor's note: guards], more precisely on plays. And he, as far as I was aware, figured as a center in Partizan this summer if Mirotic came," Covic noted about Gillespie's potential destinations this summer.

"So Gillespie will do his job. As you saw, he already did a good part of his work at the derby," he concluded positively for Gillespie.

"As for [Javonte] Smart, it is also a decision of the coaching staff after a long, long scouting because you do not have a player on the market," stated Covic. "It's Smart's first time in Europe... And he also played quite decently in some games. It will take time, and it will fall into place," Covic also finished positively about the team's new guard.

Finally, the Serbian executive addressed rumors about Trapani Sharks, an Italian second-division basketball team, acquiring Milos Teodosic for the next season.

"... The headlines are: 'Shock for Zvezda,'" stated Covic about the mood around the rumor in Serbia. "You know, we cannot react in this case to the arrogant statements of even more arrogant, richer Italians who have certain fixations," he said with rather strong wording.

"Teo is at Zvezda; Teo will finish his career at Zvezda," Covic said in no uncertain terms. "We'll see when, probably when he decides [to end his career]," he concluded.

In a season of wavy performances, Crvena Zvezda remain on the hunt for the play-ins with a record of 10 wins and 15 losses.

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