Current Players
Partizan is currently sitting at 6th in the table for the Euroleague and 2nd in the Serbian League. With the current success that they are having, it is no wonder that they have some high-quality players on their current roster. Partizan's biggest strength at the moment is their backcourt, with point guard Dante Exum and shooting guard Kevin Punter leading the team in scoring. Exum's career so far has had a lot of ups and downs. After being highly scouted by the NBA while he was playing in Australia as a teenager, he wound up being drafted 5th overall by the Utah Jazz. With such high expectations for a foreign player being drafted so high, he did not live up to those expectations immediately. After 5 seasons with the Jazz, he was traded to the Cavaliers where he had 2 more disappointing seasons. After his tenure with the Cavs, he decided to move to the Euroleague where he played one season with FC Barcelona before moving to Partizan. Kevin Punter is most known in the United States for his success on the Tennessee Volunteers in college basketball. Since graduating, he has become a journeyman around Europe and now finds himself leading the scoring for Partizan. The starting lineup is rounded out by small forward Iionnas Papapetrou, power forward Zach Leday, and center Mathias Lessort.
Coaches
The current coach of Partizan is Zeljko Obradovic. Obradovic has been coaching in the Euroleague for the last 30 years and is one of the most successful coaches in Euroleague history. Currently having 9 Euroleague Championships with multiple different teams, he is expected to lead his teams to success. He took the job of head coach of Partizan in 2021 and has helped Partizan improve their standards so far. In 2022, he was inducted into the Greek basketball hall of fame for his success with Panathinaikos, winning 5 Euroleague Championships, 11 Greek League Championships, and 5 Greek cups, solidifying his place as one of the greatest Euroleague coaches of all time.
Question: "Is there any scenario in which you can see Zeljko Obradovic getting fired in the future?"
https://basketball.eurobasket.com/team/KK-Partizan-NiS-Beograd/170?Page=3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDeljko_Obradovi%C4%87
It comes to no suprise that Dante Exum would be thriving in the euro league. Given his dominance in college, and high overall draft position, it would make sense that he has found a home with Partizan. What stood out however was the coach Obradovic who is according to the article a legend of somesort in euro basketball league coaching. Given his tenure and success in comparison to other financial powerhouses in Europe, I would say he can decide when he wants to leave. Giving a highly skilled coach lottery picks in the nba draft would be a good path to success, and one Partizan has surely taken advantage of.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about Exum. It is definitely no surprise that he is doing well in the Euroleague given he was a solid NBA player for a few years. I also agree with what you said about signing former NBA players, as that seems to be the best path to success in the Euroleague in recent years.
DeleteI cannot see a future where the coach gets fired given their success they have had lately. Granted the skill of their backcourt, I cannot imagine them regressing as I remember how skilled both players where when they still played in the states. Seeing the Dante Exam still plays is quite the blast from the past as I remember how highly touted he was coming out of Australia and the hype around him coming into the NBA draft. It is nice to hear after struggling for so long in the NBA that he has finally found a place he can find success and lead a team he was always expected to.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about it being good to see Dante Exum do well in the Euroleague. Although he did not live up to the hype that he had in the NBA, I always liked his game and I am glad to see he is doing well.
DeleteI am definitely not surprised that Dante Exum has found success in Europe. I was very shocked when his NBA career did not pan out. I wonder if it had to do with the spotlight being too bright, which is why playing in a less popular league in Serbia has allowed Exum to thrive. On the topic of Obradovic getting fired, I do not see a way he gets fired given the success that they have seen recently.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Obradovic in his current state. The only way that I see him leaving the team is on his own accord due to his prestige as a coach within the Euroleague.
DeleteIt all comes down to performance year in and year out. With his current performance, I don't see a world where he gets fired when he is performance at a high level for the team. It would also be foolish to quickly fire a coach with so many accolades and has proved he is one of the greatest coaches to ever be in the game. If the team struggles for 2 or more consecutive years, then the board may want to have a conversation regarding his future with the club. However, I can not see him getting fired considering his reputation as a coach as well as his high performance in both domestic and euro league play.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts on Obradovic. Although they are not playing to the highest standard right now in the Euroleague, Obradovic is still relatively new as a head coach for this team and should be given the time to improve the team in the next coming years.
DeleteThis article demonstrates how even a top five NBA pick sometimes does not pan out in the league. Beyond that, I do not believe it is likely that the coach gets fired. Firing a coach often disrupts the culture and locker room of the team. Further, it is very hard to find a competent coach to fit in the team. He has a very good reputation and has shown that he can perform in the league!
ReplyDeleteI also find it very interesting how some top NBA draft picks can end up struggling to live up to the hype in the NBA, but can still find successful careers elsewhere. I think Dante Exum is a perfect example of this, and I am excited to see where his game takes him in the remainder of his career.
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