Daniel Theis believes the potential NBA Europe League is comparable to the Super League, which tried to lure all the best European clubs to that competition.
Long-time NBA center and current AS Monaco center Daniel Theis definitely knows the best of both worlds when it comes to the NBA and the EuroLeague.
Daniel Theis
Daniel Theis
Position: C
Age: 33
Height: 206 cm
Weight: 110 kg
Birth place: Germany
The NBA Europe League has been a widely discussed topic in European basketball for a long time now, but its success here in Europe is still a big question mark.
On the recent Euro Insiders podcast, Theis opened up about the NBA Europe League, saying the situation is comparable to what happened in European football a couple of years ago.
"I think it’s going to be a couple of years away. Because I think everybody was worried that it was going to be quick," Theis said.
"I think you can compare it a little bit to football when they tried to create the Super League," he noted.
"Some teams said, 'Yeah, we’re in,' because they see the money — it helps the team, helps everybody around. Some teams said, 'No,' because for football, the Champions League is like a religion. That’s the highest — we’ve got to stick there."
"So I think if the EuroLeague and NBA find a way to put basically both worlds together, that would be the best way to do it," Theis stated.
"If the NBA just creates their own league inside Europe and takes a couple of teams away, I don’t think it’s going to be good for European basketball."
"You already see with EuroLeague and FIBA how divided it is, and it’s already trouble with the national team. I think this year was maybe a little better, but the last couple of years."
"EuroLeague players couldn’t go to the national team because EuroLeague didn’t care about their windows."
"So that’s a start. And then I think if EuroLeague and NBA find a way to combine both worlds — take whatever NBA ideas they have, maybe teams they want, whatever, and put the EuroLeague in it — I think that’s the way to do it. If you do two separate leagues," he said.
Why do EuroLeague MVPs struggle in the NBA?
Theis also touched on the topic of EuroLeague MVPs and their struggles in the NBA.
Recent examples like Sasha Vezenkov and Vasilije Micic saw them return quickly to the EuroLeague after failing to find solid roles in the NBA.
"I think a lot of players, when they come to the NBA from Europe, want to have the exact same role," Theis said.
"They expect a lot. It's tough — especially if you see, for example, with Micic or Vezenkov. They're so established in the EuroLeague — MVPs, won the EuroLeague — and then coming to the NBA, all of a sudden, like with Vezenkov, I think they use him as a stand-in-the-corner shooter. Don't even come to the ball."
"It's very hard to adjust," he said. "In the EuroLeague, you're here [gestures high], and all of a sudden, in the next team, you're 11th or 12th [gestures low].
"It's very hard. It's different basketball," he explained. "It might be better if you go when you're younger instead of being already at the top in Europe and then going."
"It depends on the team and the situation, but it's going to be different. For example, Micic — you see it — he never really got the chance to play there."
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