Marco Baldi, the esteemed CEO of Alba Berlin and the man responsible for Blatt's signing, in a special interview: "He fits exactly with our profile, we will add him next season" • And about the rival whose team will host the Euroleague tonight: "Maccabi Tel Aviv always gives one hundred percent"
Tamir Blatt.
"Exactly fits our profile"
Photography:
Liron Moldovan
When people in European basketball are asked about clubs that are role models in terms of management and organizational order, Alba Berlin is one of the first examples to come up.
The German group is managed at the highest level professionally and financially.
Its expenses match the revenues, it develops young people, produces continuity on the lines and in the player roster, and the future looks promising.
Thus, and although it has not recorded an exceptional professional achievement in recent years, the Euroleague management has granted Alba a temporary license for the next two years, and according to all estimates it is expected to enter the bunch of permanent licensed clubs in the future.
"We have the respect of our allies and that is important," he told Israel Today in a special interview ahead of his team's game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. "The Euroleague management knows how we work. We are a club that is a bit like Maccabi. We do not have a major investor or a supportive municipality, we take care of ourselves. Our resources are limited and we rely on our performance on and off the field.
"I will not lie, it makes it difficult for us sometimes, but on the other hand it gives stability and the ability to plan for the long term development of the club. We work hard to get an A license (permanent license; YM) in the Euroleague and we will do everything to achieve it."
Last July, after a long follow-up that lasted for many months, Baldi and Alba's professionals decided to sign Tamir Blatt on a three-year contract and leave him in Jerusalem this season, so that he could be more prepared.
"Tamir is a good player, he fits exactly with our profile," Baldi explains to the Israeli media for the first time why he signed the young coordinator. And get far - and Tamir answers that.
"He has quality, ability and brains, as well as ambition to reach higher levels. We have a whole team to develop players, and I believe that with us he will get the opportunity to make his next move."
What are the characteristics that led you to sign it?
"Tamir is a real point guard, the kind of player who makes the team better. I do not want to imitate others or categorize him, because he needs to develop his career in his own way. We will try to give him the freedom to do so. Also, in a club like ours, which is not always "Can bring stars, we try to build a team with skills and a tough mentality. Tamir can fit into this framework."
Are you going to bring him next season?
"I think so, this is the program. He's a player who fits our model very well. It's not just that he will get minutes here and that's it. He's got a good coach, a suitable work environment and proper physiological treatment, so I think our variables are right for his growth process."
"Impossible situation"
Alba suffers from injuries from key players, but Maccabi Tel Aviv must not be complacent, because the lack of staff did not prevent the Germans from recording two huge victories this week - first over Bayern Munich in the big game of the German league and third over Basconia in the Euroleague.
"We are in a depressing, difficult and impossible situation," said Baldy. "We only have ten healthy players and our opening five are completely missing. I honestly do not know how we beat Bayern (the interview took place before the game against Basconia, YM), probably they We were not valued enough.
They came on the field and saw that our good players were not there, so maybe they accepted it complacently.
"Maccabi will respect us and not change their attitude, because with Maccabi everything is always 100 percent, so we do not build that they will make the amount of mistakes Bayern made. They lost a few close games and therefore must win every game. Sure they will play hard and we will have to be prepared for it."