Raznatovic talks about everything!

The game Panathinaikos - Barcelona hid a surprise. A presence with… historical importance! The agent of Vasilis Spanoulis returned to OAKA, for the first time after 3,5 years!.. Notorious Misko Raznatovic, a person with important influence in European basketball, was in Greece and after enough time he decided to talk again to greek media. Knowing, of course, beforehand that the discussion would develop to... "Spanouliada"!

However, Raznatovic is not only the manager of Spanoulis. In his… list in the past few years exist various famous names: The last one added to the list is Nenad Krstic. Following Hines, Pekovic, Preldzic, Antic, Teletovits, Keselj, Maric, Tepic and other… 150!

He plays an important role in transfers worth millions of Euros and he is also the agent of Ivkovic! Where will go Duda next year? How did Antic move to NBA? There are many subjects on which Raznatovic comments. He surprises with the opinion he expresses about Olympiakos, especially if you have in mind who he represents, he does not hesitate to seperate his opinion from the… optimism that Olympiacos and Panathinaikos have about Euroleague and does not have a problem to make fun of himself, telling an amazing story with which Pero Antic jokes.

The meeting was at “Pentelikon". By coincidence, at the luxurious hotel where Barcelona stayed the day of "the fight" with Panathinaikos and where the football team of Panathinaikos almost always stays.

Misko was punctual, took his place in the lobby, ordered a coca cola and after a few minutes' discussion, we passed to the... main course.

The interview could have lasted three hours because Raznatovic did not come to the appointment only to... come, but he came in order to speak and answer to every question. Surely his answers will be discussed... Either concerning Spanoulis, or Ivkovic and Obradovic…

In the first part you will read everything not concerning Spanoulis! Because the captain of Olympiacos is an interview... by itself and his agent's words about the transfer to Olympiacos and the way he renewed his contract last summer, have special interest...

How was your first appearance in OAKA after 3,5 years?

It was strange for the first 30 seconds, but afterwards everything was as usual. I like this stadium and its atmosphere. I had very good seats (court seats), so I felt very comfortable.

Greek teams have won the Euroleague five of the last seven years. What is the reason?

“The basic reason is the big economic investment and some outstanding coaches, like Ivkobic in Olympiakos and Obradovic in Panathinaikos. Two coaches with big experience in Euroleague and with a lot of knowledge about how to win the trophy. It was the important point of the success. Of course Olympiacos won Euroleague with Bartzokas, but this was the continuation of the previous year”.

The natural development?

“Many players were the same, as Spanoulis, Printezis, Papanikolaou, the base of team. And their previous trophy gave them self-confidence. They began the season with a new prospect, compared to the previous season”.

Your opinion about the new season, without Ivkovic and Obradovic, without the continuation of teams?

“I do not believe that the Greek teams will win the title this year. However, I think that one team will go to the Final Four, maybe both teams. I think that Olympiacos is weaker than last year, even if the team management disagrees with me. There are many who underestimate Pero Antic, but he is in NBA. And Olympiacos got Petway, that is not in the same level. Lotzeski for sure does not have the same quality as Papanikolaou, Collins is not like Law, there is a difference. I think that Kyle Hines was perfectly replaced by Dunston, for this team the difference is not big. I do not believe that it has a problem in this position, but in the others the three players are not of the same level. Also, Olympiacos is no longer the underdog. All play against them with a particular motive, to win the back to back champions, something that did not happen in the previous two seasons. No one expected that they would succeed in the two previous seasons and now it is much more difficult. Wherever they go it is like the match of season, everybody fights and it is something very difficult. Panathinaikos has a good team, a very good team and will fight but other teams, like the Spanish ones and CSKA are better. Especially Real, not because of the streak, it is 90% the same team as last year, with the same coach. They are one year together, a little better and practically last year were 10-15 minutes away from the title”.

Between the two Greek teams do you see any difference? Which is better?

“It is not a diplomatic the answer, honestly it is very difficult to say”.

The Panathinaikos has won five from the last six matches…

“I am not counting last season, because Olympiacos was not “hot” for the Greek finals. It is not an excuse, I just felt that. And the previous year was difficult but Duda managed to keep the team hungry for the title. This year we have a victory of Panathinaikos and a victory of Olympiacos and if you ask me who is better, I will ask you where will they play. Because the home advantage in Greece is the biggest advantage in all Europe. Without your fans and with incredible pressure. In Serbia we have the crvena zvezda - Partizan, but 300-500 fans of other team are present, therefore there empty seats around them and the stadium is not completely full as here. Everybody knows that the fans here are aggressive, they throw objects and the players do not feel comfortable when they play. Therefore this is big advantage. The teams complain that the referees are afraid of the

crowd”.

Your biggest client in Europe, Vasilis Spanoulis, spoke after the match against Panathinaikos and said that the referees do not respect him and the team.

“It is not only his own opinion. A lot of people have the same opinion, but in general they are close to Olympiacos. However I cannot say this. I am not the only person that believes that I have often seen strange arbitrations, without saying if it was in favor of one or the other team. In general they do not do a very good job here. It is better to wait for two months in order to have the answer about who is best. Now they will play two times in Euroleague for first time after many years and I do not count the Final Fours. We will see how it will go with the European referees, not who will win but how they will behave towards certain players. Surely Spanoulis feels it better in the court”.

Your players are like your children, but who is your favorite?

“Spanoulis for sure. And second comes Pekovic, these two. Not because they are best”.

Not because they have the better contracts?

“No it is not that. With both of them I worked when they first began. I did not discover Vasilis now, but from Marousi. I was in the beginning, he was in the beginning and it was surprise that I represented a Greek player and a Greek player decided to chose a Serbian manager. Nevertheless, no one was interested much then, because he was a young talented player and they probably did not expect that he would become the best player in Europe”.

How did it happen?

“In this team there were two of my players, Popovic and Smilianic, which became his friends. He had a Greek agent that did not do anything and they told me that he was thinking about finding a foreign one. They asked me if I was interested and of course I was, because it was something new for my agency. I had just one foreign player and it was Adam Voicik of Peristeri. We met and spoke to Vasilis and his mother. From the first meeting there was a chemistry, I liked the guy and he also liked me. We began to work together and you know there are certain times in work when no matter what you do you find closed doors, you cannot do nothing. And there are other times when everything you imagine comes true. We began to work together and three months later we had the draft, that was a big surprise. After this we had his transfer, his first one. When everybody expected that he will go to Olympiacos, because it was not logical to go somewhere with Diamantidis and Lakovic. However, I spoke to Zeliko, he explained me everything and I trust him. And I told Vasilis that I believed his (Obradovic) words, that he would play with two guards all the time, that he is an amazing coach and he will make you better. Billy trusted me and went to Panathinaikos. No one expected he would go to NBA, so the buy out was sensible. There he deserved a better attitude, but he did not take it. Afterwards he signed a new agreement with Panathinaikos for very good money at the time and the story goes on”.

Vasilis signed two contracts without you. The last one with Olympiakos and the first when he returned from Houston.

“No, I negotiated the first after Rockets. My opinion is that the managers should help the players to decide. We should help them in whatever they need. When they do not need us, you should not be like “I have to do it". For the last contract we were together at dinner in Barcelona with people of Olympiacos and we spoke a lot. They flew to Athens in order to meet him and they invited me to this appointment. I did not consider that it was important to go. When you work for somebody three years, your better player and everything goes well, then you have a personal relationship. They agreed to continue and I was not present in this meeting. Of course I spoke on the phone. At 90% of my agreements I do not speak face to face. I speak via telephone, via mail”.

How many times did you speak to Spanoulis during the negotiations that day?

“Not many. The negotiations are important for the money. However in this negotiation the money was not important. It is a lifetime decision, what you would do in your life. Remain here, comfortable, with three children, where everybody loves you, where you belong or go somewhere for a new challenge”.

However, didn't Vasilis feel the same way in his last year in Panathinaikos?

“Honestly I do not remember, it was before four years. In any case, we spoke a lot last year. Remain here where he felt really comfortable, where he is "king", in his country or change this and go somewhere else for a new challenge, a new motive? This was the dilemma. If he decided to go abroad it would happen for this reason, not because he would get much more money. In his case no decision was motivated by the money. In no case”.

It is truth that there was a team that offered 3 million per year?

“Let me put it this way: If he decided to leave for abroad I would not accept this money. I would get more. However we did not reach this point”.

Financially it was not a good decision for you.

“When you represent Spanoulis everything is good financially. With this contract with Olympiacos, the percentage of the agency is really good. If he went somewhere else it would be better, but what would this change? Nothing. We are here in order to serve the players. Whatever is better for them is better for us. I will give you another example. From the first contract of Pekovic at Timberwolves the agency got 2%, while in Panathinaikos we got 10%. Three times less. But could you tell him not to go to NBA?”.

However you knew that Nicola would get a ten times better contract in the future.

“If he plays well. If he didn't get time like Spanoulis? NBA is lottery ticket. You never know. We expected much from Jan Vesely, from Antic we didn't expect

anything and he is in rookie All Star. The manager that thinks mainly about the percentage he will take, will not last long. I do what is better and what the player wishes".

Do you believe that Spanoulis will end his career in Olympiacos?

“It is difficult to answer. However when this contract ends he will be 33 years old. With his body and his way of thought, the way that deals with his diet, his body, at 33 he will be ready to play two-three more years in a very good level. I cannot say what will happen then”

Where does he belong game wise? In NBA or Europe?

“For Europe we don't need to say anything. He is the best the two last years. I am 100% sure that he would be successful in NBA if he was given time to play…"

Doesn't he want to prove he can play in NBA?

“He proved it in China, in the World championship, destroying Chris Paul. Surely he has thought about it, but why ruin everything in order to prove something? Probably it will not happen. The motive is to win the title with Olympiacos once more and is something really is big. If it happens again, it will be something that has not happened in the past. The motive is always there”.

Here the discussion becomes a little lighter… Talking about Antic, Misko Raznatovic does not hesitate to reveal an extremely funny history about the NBAer and Spanoulis.

“Antic is a funny guy. He always complains that I give all my attention to Spanoulis and not to him. He explained to me what I do before I sleep. He says I brush my teeth, I sit on the bed and there is a small table with the photograph of Spanoulis on it. I take the photograph, kiss it and say “be healthy, be well Billy”, I put the photograph back and then I sleep. This is Pero Antic. It is a nice joke".

Let's talk about the subject you do not like to talk about. Why did Billy (Spanoulis) leave from Panathinaikos? Were the reasons financial or he just didn't want to be in the shadow of Diamantidis?

“None of the two. They are very good friends. Simply he considered that it was better for his career to go to Olympiacos”.

He preferred to be the leader of a team? It is not clear. Why did he prefer Olympiacos and not CSKA or Barcelona?

“I do not remember what happened then with CSKA and Barcelona. But this offer covered him in all aspects. The club, the coach, the economic situation of team. First he decided that he wanted to leave Panathinaikos. After from the all options the offer of Olympiacos was the best. Not only financially. The status of the team, the coach, the money, all together and he decided to go there”.

If you were the manager of Diamantidis how would you evaluate him. Let's say a couple of years ago.

“It is difficult answer. I do not know for how much money he has signed”.

Would you say more money than Spanoulis?

“It is impossible to answer this”.

Do you think that Spanoulis made the right decision?

“Whoever saw Euroleague the last two years, understands now that he was right”.

If he didn't win anything would your answer be different?

“After the first year the situation was not perfect. However the first year is always a year adaptation. And now, after three years, during which he won two times Euroleague two times with the team that hadn't won it for 15 years, that was two times Final Four MVP and especially last year after one exceptional performance, what can you say? Concerning his career, it is the best he could dream of. Thus, the answer is very simple”.

You did not say what precisely happened four years ago.

“I do not want to talk about this. It happened four years ago. Then let's speak about Galis and Giannakis. I can not imagine that people want to discuss after four years why he left. Perperoglou did the same thing".

If Galis and Giannakis still played and decided to go to the biggest opponent, I would ask you. Spanoulis is a player that changed history…

“The coach, the leadership, the money, everything. There was only one reason for not doing it. Because it was Olympiacos. Because people do not go from Panathinaikos to Olympiacos and the opposite. Only for this reason. This reason shows that you do not have balls. And this guy has big balls”.

Why does Obradovic avoid contacts with you and Spanoulis?

“This question should asked to him. I did not change my opinion about him and I did not change my relationship with him. I still believe that he is one of greatest and perhaps the greatest coach in European history, that you enjoy watching tactically and technically. And what we did in the restaurants, the conversations and the jokes were amazing. I can not say a bad word. If somebody does not want to talk to me, this does not change automatically the opinion that I have for him. He has his own reasons, from my my point of view are completely irrational. It is not a true story, however he considers that I was not fair”.

He said recently that Spanoulis did not keep his word.

“I disagree. This is not true".

If I know the story, Spanoulis told Obradovic that he will stay and afterwards you spoke to Zeliko and told him to wait for two days. Is that true?

“No. I tell you that whenever the players speak to the coach about negotiations there is some misunderstanding. I do not remember all the details, it was before four years and since then I had more than 400 negotiations. Personally I expected that something like this could happen and I tried to avoid it. I informed both sides about all my actions. I spoke to Panathinaikos and told Olympiakos the situation and the opposite. Nothing was hidden, nothing was a secret. However I felt that what they didn't understand in Panathinaikos, what they did not like was that we considered the possibility of Olympiacos. They were frustrated because a player of Panathinaikos, a star of team, considers the offer of the other team. In their opinion he should say “never”. I disagree with this. This prevented them from giving their best effort in order to make him remain in the team. I heard them one or two times say “he can go anywhere apart from there”. It was not important that they were losing him, the important thing was not to go opposite them”.

You know that it happens in your country with Crvena Zvezda - Partizan, therefore you knew that the same thing happens here.

“I do not want to speak much about this. I told you, he decided he should leave, he thought about all the offers, this offer seemed really good and although the way wasn't pleasant he said that it was best for his career and did it. Knowing that there would be big reactions. Even if what Zeliko says is true, in negotiations things change all the time. How many times has a player agreed with a team in the morning and afterwards certain things change in his mind?”.

But you never answered directly to him as you had promised, according to Obradovic.

“Should the players tell the coach where they will go? Or should the coach call them and say “what have you decided? “. Ten times worse things have happened. Players agree, shake hands and then do not sign. This is really bad. But this is not the case. We were in the middle of the negotiations, everything was mixed up. For me, if you answer or not is not something so bad. Not to speak to the player or his agent for this reason...”.

I believe that shaking hands and saying "yes" on the phone is the same.

“Your questions are based on a specific idea of things. He said "yes" on the phone? Do you know that? I do not know it. In the end he decided to go there”.

Who is the new Spanoulis in European basketball?

"There is no next Spanoulis".

Bogdanovic?

“He is different type of player”.

Can you see something in him?

“It is difficult to say. If somebody asked you about Spanoulis when he was 21 you could not predict what he would become. The best players come from our region, from the Former-Yugoslavia. Saric shines and shows us things that we had a long time to see. He is 19 years old, leader in the team. In a season that everything is destroyed, he is the engine of the team, for the spirit, for the older guys, they began to win, the fans returned. The players of the Adriatic League are strong, but he is 19 years old and he is the MVP of the League, he will become a big star”.

Will Duda be the new coach of Efes?

“It is strong possibillity”.

The rumors say that he is already the new coach.

“No he is not. Their coach is Aggelou. The only thing I can say is that there have been discussions, it is very likely. He has not signed. Efes is surely one of the few teams where Duda could work. With all the problems that they had in the past few years, they need somebody like Ivkovic. He likes Istanbul. It is an organised club. They had also spoken in the past, but there some pieces of the puzzle, perhaps now is the moment. He is in a very good shape, physically and mentally, we often talk about basketball and everything. He believes that he can give his best now. With his experience, his knowledge and his energy”.

Which Greek player would you like to have in your agency?

“I have Spanoulis and Glyniadakis. I would like Printezis”.

Chapter Pekovic. Began from low, went to Panathinaikos, NBA, signed a big contract. Which is the next step for his career? Go to a team that will win the championship?

“I am not sure. His next step should be the All Star Game. He is not in the list this year, however if he continues like this one of the next years he can expect the invitation”.

Now he has everything in the USA, but has not won anything.

“It plays for a team that has not won anything. If they manage to reach the play offs it will be something great. They like him so much, that I do not be believe that they will exchange him. He likes it there. He feels that they love him, he loves the people, he had adapted in the city. It would be good to win the ring, but…”.

The next step for Antic? A golden contract?

“He has still one year and if he continues this way he will be 32 years old. It would be nice to do something good and to take the pension of NBA, you do not know...”.

How were you connected with Pekovic professionally?

“What you do not know is that in 2004 I played in the same team as Pekovic. I was a point guard and he was a center. In 2005 I was a point guard and Kešelj a small forward. It is something that Kapikioni, Raskovic do not have in their CV. Playing one season with your best player, Pekovic. In the third category of Serbia. I was 18 and he was 38”.

He reaches his mobile and he shows a very recent photograph where he executes with the left hand. “I was a big machine-gun”, he says laughing…

Why has the career of Tepic gone down? What was missing?

“Bad luck".

I cannot accept this answer from you. You have big experience in order to you say this...

“He went to Panathinaikos. The idea was that we needed a guard that would play pick n' roll, because you want all three to play pick n' roll. But there is a problem, that Spanoulis, Lakovic and Diamantidis are quite short. We need one tall guard, that would play pick n' roll. Tepic signed the contract but after this he did not get the ball. He played as a regular small forward, as Perperoglou. Post up and shot from the corner. I do not say that it was a mistake by the coach, but could not assure that he will create with the ball. This is not his game, he lost his game. He lost his self-confidence and appearred as a bad player. Afterwards he signed for Cajasol, big expectations. As a player coming from the Panathinaikos, they paid him a lot. The coach was Plaza and he played bad. He did not recover. Afterwards the coach was Aito, they practiced one hour per day, but Milenko cannot perform if does not practice for five hours. Thus he had four bad seasons”.

Now he is making a new beginning?

“A new beginning in Partizan, deliberately we signed for 1.5 year, in order for him to come back. I hope he can make a comeback, it is not easy. Because he did not play well for a long period of time. Four seasons. In basketball 80% is self-confidence. Self-confidence is zero. I believe that through Partizan and practice he will return and prove that he is good player. It is obvious that he will not achieve what we expected, but because he is 27 years old he can still make one European contract and be a good player. Unfortunately it happens to many players”.

I know that you will not say anything bad about somebody, but since you make agreements with them, what is your opinion about Aggelopoulos and Giannakopoulos.

“I cannot say anything bad, because nothing is bad. They pay well, even if others in Europe pay better. I mean they don't dominate in payments. They spend money managing two very successful teams and giving nice salaries to the coaches, the players and their managers. Both sides have passion, that is important. Naturally you can comment on some of their movements, however in general terms their image is more than positive. Also I can tell you that these two teams give Euroleague a special color. Not only because of their success, but sometimes the league needs some crazy things, crazy reactions. As they have Cuban in NBA. It grows the interest for the sport. Real Madrid and Barcelona are great teams, however everything is predictable and nice. Here we have battles, war, passion. And without passion basketball is nothing. Without Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, Euroleague would be damaged. Whoever says something bad about these two clubs, the two administrations, the chairmen, should think for one moment what would happen if they were not here. With everybody. With coaches, players, managers, with you the journalists, with the fans, with everybody. They have done so much for us, that we should also accept certain things that we do not approve”.

Have you given an interview without bring asked about Spanoulis the last four years?

“No. Not in Greece, neither in the rest of Europe. They always talk about him and it is normal. You speak to the agent, therefore you will ask about his players. I do not want to hide it, I am very happy that I have him”.