Giorgos Bartzokas expressed his satisfaction with the two signings Olympiacos has made ahead of the new season.

The Red-and-Whites’ coach noted that he really likes both players, McIntyre and Montero, the difficulty of both finding and signing two such players, and he revealed his response when, during the offseason, his team’s fans asked him for a fifth European title.

Here is what Giorgos Bartzokas

said in detail Regarding the sponsorship deal with Superbet:

“It’s up to other members of the team to create the conditions for such partnerships. The partnership with Superbet is amazing, both in terms of the financial aspect and in terms of the overall collaboration and its duration. It’s a partnership that demonstrates Olympiacos’s prestige in the market and how much it matters. Of course, it also shows this company’s ambition to invest, because it saw something in Olympiacos. We’re very happy because, as a club, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve and grow at every level.”

Regarding the fact that the partnership was secured before winning the EuroLeague and the Greek championship: “To be honest,

I didn’t know that—I’m not involved in the sponsorship side of things. I just found out now, and perhaps it shows that what Olympiacos has achieved isn’t just a fluke—winning the EuroLeague or anything like that. It’s a club that has been operating at a high level for so many years. I think it’s an attractive destination for this kind of partnership.”

As for what to expect from Olympiacos in the future, both on the court and in terms of player signings, given Montero’s announcement:

“I had gone to an island, and the Olympiacos fans were telling me, ‘Coach, let’s go for the fifth title.’ I told them, ‘Hold on a minute—it’s only been a few days since the last one; let’s all gather our strength together.’ Let’s enjoy this a little longer. We’ve celebrated, and so have the Olympiacos fans.
Let’s enjoy it a little, because it was a very intense year, where the goal—as you all knew—was a difficult one, and yet we achieved it. The season ended with us winning the championship. What we have to do on a daily basis is make our team better at every level. This is a special year because we’re European champions, and everyone will want to beat us. It’s hard to reach the top, but it’s even harder—as the statistics show—to stay there.
However, we believe that by maintaining the same philosophy, and of course with the right roster—that is, players if possible and if the market allows—but with each of us making an even greater effort to represent the club as best we can.
We won’t change our philosophy; we’ll focus on small goals—namely, the next practice, the next game. It’s going to be a special year because we’ll be away from our home arena for a few months, and everyone needs to understand that—I don’t want to use the word “nomads,” but it does add a greater degree of difficulty to the already challenging task of staying at the top.”

Regarding the two signings announced by Olympiacos:

“Olympiacos acted as quickly as possible and signed two players we really liked, and we believe they fit into the style of play we want to implement. It’s hard to find players who will strengthen a team that finished first in both the regular season and the EuroLeague.
In other words, you’re trying to make a team even better, but the players it already has brought it to the top. That means they’re already good, and you have to bring in players who, if not better, at least fit well with the team. So our focus was on bringing in players who fit the philosophy we want.
What kind of personalities do they have, and how can they fit in with the players who are already good? These signings were also my suggestion. I’m very happy they’re coming, just as I’m very happy with the roster we already had from last year. I want to make that clear.”

On the “clutching” on the perimeter and whether it’s a challenge for him:

“It’s always a challenge, because they’re playing a game and they’re professionals. On the other hand, they play basketball because it’s a game; it’s hard to tell them that this game will be limited and reduced in duration, whether in terms of importance or role. This is inextricably linked to the team’s ambition.
If you want to play for a team that will compete for the EuroLeague title, you have to accept that you’ll be very important even if you play less. That’s what modern basketball demands. From what I’ve read, the EuroLeague will be adding more teams in the coming years. Both players and team management need to understand this. Players get injured more easily and miss games; if you’re sidelined with a sprain, you miss eight games, not just one or two like you used to.
The depth we had on our team—the players who joined us midseason, Joseph and Jones—made a significant contribution to the Final Four. At the same time, Real lost players to injury and had no one else to replace them.
The fact that we expanded our roster and added some players obviously made it difficult for everyone to accept their roles, but in the end, it helped us achieve our goals.”

On whether Joseph himself wants to stay with Olympiacos:

“It’s not easy to say; whatever I say, I have to discuss it with the presidents, Mr. Bafe and Mr. Lepeniotis, and then they have to announce it publicly. Please let them be the ones to make that public.”

Regarding Panagiotis Angelopoulos’s comment about Montero and himself: “I

felt a little uncomfortable, to be honest. The president had told me about it. Obviously, it makes me happy. Look, some players who come here fit this style of basketball, and others don’t. I believe our players shine because of the way we play. I think the players understand that they’re joining a program that will bring them titles, championships, and big games.”

*photo source: AP