SRB – Perovic returns home – sort of

VALENCIA (ACB) – Kosta Perovic admits Saturday night felt very strange for him when he showed up at La Fonteta in Valencia wearing a Barcelona shirt.
 
Several months after helping Power Electronics Valencia win the Eurocup, the young Serbian center was back but this time, helping his new club win against the side that helped his career take off two seasons ago
 
Perovic came off the bench and scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in the 78-69 Barcelona victory.
 
“It was difficult and a strange time for me,” Perovic said to FIBA.com.
 
“It’s the first time in my career that I’ve played against my previous team and that’s always difficult.
 
“I had two great years here.
 
“I like the city, I like the fans and like the people from the club but you have to be professional and I’m a member of Barcelona now and need to get it into my head that I’m now with Barcelona.”
 
Perovic has other things on his mind as well.
 
He is just five weeks removed from his participation at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.
 
Perovic and his Serbia teammates played some of the finest basketball in the competition and knocked off defending champions Spain in the Quarter-Finals but then suffered a painful 83-82 Semi-Final defeat to Turkey before falling to Lithuania in the bronze-medal game.
 
“Every time someone asks me about this, I feel bad,” he said.
 
“We could have done a little more and beat Turkey.
 
“But this is sport and that is basketball.”
 
The challenge for Serbia will now be to earn a trip to the Olympics in London.
 
“Everything is possible,” Perovic said.
 
“We have a young team but now we have to wait and see if the coach (Dusan Ivkovic) is going to stay with us.
 
“He’s with Olympiacos now but if he stays with us, that helps us.”
 
By going to Barcelona, Perovic has joined a bigger club and one that has designs on winning every competition they take part in, something they almost did last season before Caja Laboral swept the Catalans 3-0 in the ACB Finals.
 
Minutes don’t come easily at Barca for any player and with the imposing frontline at the club that includes Fran Vazquez, Erazem Lorbek and Boniface Ndong, Perovic knows he has his work cut out for him to get playing time.
 
The 2.17m pivot played exactly 10 minutes and 14 seconds against Valencia but reminded the crowd of what they were missing on one play when he caught a pass in the lane and dunked.
 
“It’s a strong team,” Perovic said of Barcelona.
 
“Right now, there are 11 players in the rotation. We’re missing Gianluca Basile, who is out with an injury, but he’ll come back and give us a 12-player rotation.
 
“I knew before the signing what it was going to look like and how it was going to be.
 
“I just need a little more time to adjust to everything. But I think everything is going to be okay.
 
“From the beginning, I’ve had a lot of support from the team, from the coach and everyone.”
 
Had Perovic stayed in Valencia, he would have helped the club in the Euroleague.
 
As it is, he will still play in the competition but with a different team.
 
Barcelona launch their European title defense on Thursday against Cibona Zagreb.
 
FIBA