"Partizan deserved the Final Four, then a brawl happened – and since then they haven't been at that level"

Wade Baldwin believes that the situations at Partizan and Milan were somewhat expected, despite the stature and reputation of both coaches.

“I think their cases are somewhat similar, at least from the outside. Partizan had a real chance 3–4 years ago, and I think they deserved to go to the Final Four. Then that brawl happened, and Partizan hasn’t reached that level since. So it’s not unreasonable for a coach to be dismissed or to resign. Of course, it’s difficult because of their history and prestige,” said the Fenerbahçe player.

He also spoke about the Italian giant.

“It’s the same with Ettore Messina. In 2021, he went to the Final Four against my Bayern team during the COVID period. That was the last time they played in the playoffs. Maybe next year. The organizations gave them a lot of respect and many opportunities. But at some point, just like with players, if there are no results, it’s hard to continue. So it wasn’t a big shock to me. What shocks me more are cases when a coach signs in the summer and is fired after seven games.”

Unlike Obradović and Messina, Baldwin considers Igor Kokoškov’s situation to be unique due to a series of injuries and the short time he had at Efes.

“His case is a bit difficult because Efes had a lot of injuries. And, well, I don’t know the real reason; I’m not in those locker rooms. But from the outside, it’s crazy. Like – ‘Wow, they fired him? It’s only been six or seven weeks since the season started.’ That’s insane,” Baldwin emphasized.

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