Zeljko Obradovic reveals how Punter stayed, why EuroLeague needs Partizan / News - Basketnews.com

Zeljko Obradovic revealed that Kevin Punter stayed in Partizan because of the club's board members and disagreed with Svetislav Pesic that the EuroLeague needs to change its format.

Credit: Partizan Mozzart Bet/Dragana Stjepanovic Credit Partizan Mozzart Bet/Dragana Stjepanovic

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade head coach Zeljko Obradovic believes the Serbian powerhouse must remain in the EuroLeague.

Points this season

51%84,5Points made:84,5Accuracy:50,7%Place in standings:3Record max:94Record min:72Best scorer:Kevin PunterTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Obradovic used Kevin Punter's case as an example, on top of the incredible fan support Partizan receive.

"This summer, we came to the point that a lot of teams wanted to sign him [Punter]," Obradovic said in an interview with S Sport. "Club recognized it. People from the club's board recognized they were ready to help the team by keeping him. It showed to me how much Partizan board members like Partizan."

"We don't talk about normal budget. It was a special case, and they really wanted to help, and this money [to keep Punter in Partizan] didn't come from the budget. It's something that made me very happy," he added.

Obradovic thinks it should be a sign for the rest of the EuroLeague how committed Partizan is.

"In this case, I've seen that people love Partizan as much as I do. Because of that, Partizan is a special club. Add the ticket season holders [number], and we come to that we have [a solid] budget."

I hope – don't hope – I'm sure that we'll continue [like that]. I believe this Partizan needs to always be in the EuroLeague. This is our biggest issue. We'll try to convince all other EuroLeague clubs that they need Partizan," Obradovic said.

Partizan head coach was also asked about Svetislav Pesic's opinion that the EuroLeague should reduce the number of games but increase the number of teams.

However, Obradovic clearly showed that he likes the current format.

"In the past, we talked that we want to play everyone against everyone. Why do we have so many people in almost every gym? I'll talk about my club. Why do we have close to 14 thousand season ticket holders? Because people are satisfied with this competition in which we play against every team," Obradovic noted.

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