Ergin Ataman provides Vasilije Micic injury update, talks about Greece / News - Basketnews.com

Vasilije Micic won't need surgery to overcome the knee injury he currently deals with. If everything goes well, he will start practicing with the team next week, Ataman said. The coach told that he felt playing the game after the Tempe tragedy was probably not the best thing.

Credit: Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS

Vasilije Micic didn't play against Panathinaikos Athens in the EuroLeague today. Anadolu Efes Istanbul's head coach Ergin Ataman provided an injury update after the game.

Player of the Game EFF 32 Will Clyburn Points 24 Accuracy 9-15 Rebounds 7 Assists 4

"Micic started practicing individually, he's doing therapy. The situation was positive in the last two-three days. I spoke with him before we arrived here. He will join team practices at the beginning of the [next] week, and if he feels comfortable, he will start to play," the specialist said.

"The problem is that the two times he started practicing, he immediately had the problem in his knee again. It was a big problem. Somebody talked about the surgery, but the doctors said that the surgery is not necessary right now," Ataman shared. "I hope that with therapy, he will come back to the team. He is a great player that gave us too much in the last four years."

The game was played during a three-day mourning period in Greece after two trains collided in the Tempe region in Greece, killing dozens of people. All local events were cancelled but the EuroLeague match proceeded.

After the game, Ergin Ataman revealed that Efes would have left Greece even after arriving there if a decision was made to postpone the game.

"For me, it was better maybe to delay the game and play the game in a better situation. It's a political situation. If the Greek government decided not to play, we were ready to leave," he shared.

"When we arrived in Greece, they told us the situation. I talked with the general manager, they checked with the EuroLeague. We came with a private flight, we would immediately leave," Ataman explained. "They told us that we must play. It's very difficult, but life is like this. It's only for the Greek government and the EuroLeague to decide, we were ready to leave."

Like what we are doing? You can express your gratitude here.