Monaco GM Yefimov: Olympiacos lesson, new budget projection ...

As the clock ticked down, hundreds of Olympiacos Piraeus fans flooded into the Peace and Friendship Stadium, eager to celebrate their team's victory and secure a spot in the Final Four. The gym was overflowed in a sea of red as dozens of flares blazed through the air, marking the end of a hard-fought battle in the playoff series.

The scene was straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster, and even Emma Stone should have been impressed by the intensity and passion on display.

Kevin Durant himself called it "The apocalypse" in a tweet, bearing witness to one of the most thrilling and dramatic EuroLeague playoff series in recent memory.

Oleksiy Yefimov, the general manager of AS Monaco, had a feeling that something was about to happen. With just a few minutes left in the game, the Olympiacos owners and front office members warned Monaco's guests to hurry to the locker room in case things got out of hand.

So when the Olympiacos fans stormed the court, Monaco was already safely on their way to the locker room.

As Yefimov made his way through the tunnels of the arena, he couldn't help but think to himself, "Wow, if we made this legendary organization and those fans so happy just by losing to them in Game 5, then we must have done something serious."

As he tried to collect his thoughts, Yefimov had mixed feelings about the outcome of the game. Although Monaco had come so close to reaching the Final Four, there was no overwhelming disappointment because the club had still had a great season.

The following morning, Yefimov discussed the key adjustments they needed to make going forward in the EuroLeague with the club's president Aleksej Fedoricsev. Over the two weeks between the end of Game 5 and the Final Four, Monaco made their first priority agreements for the next season.

"We realized that it was the moment to take action," Yefimov recalled in an extended interview with BasketNews in Monaco.

Proven EuroLeague players like Jordan Loyd, Elie Okobo, and John Brown III committed to joining an ambitious project at the French Riviera.

"I remember myself in Piraeus in Game 1 and Game 5. And this is when I realized how playoff experience is important. Post-season is entirely different from the regular season," he added.

Monaco is back in the EuroLeague playoffs after just a year, making it their second appearance in as many seasons. This time around, they have a home-court advantage, having secured the 4th seed in the regular season.

Despite facing a tough opponent in Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, the future looks intriguing for this young EuroLeague organization. And not just on the basketball court.

BasketNews had an insightful chat about their journey with Monaco's GM, Yefimov. The road to the playoffs wasn't without its challenges, including Mike James' suspension.

However, Yefimov also revealed some exciting plans that extend beyond the court, which EuroLeague should be looking forward to.

As a GM, what did your first playoff experience against Olympiacos teach you?
Last year, due to circumstances, we couldn't start the market on time because our home arena wasn't approved... Last summer, people didn't consider us as a destination for solid players. Last year we were maybe forced and didn't have any chance rather than to gamble and take a big number of rookies.

We thought we needed someone who would become the franchise player. That's why Mike James was there. But we realized our hands were tight a little bit in bringing experience.

Alpha Diallo, Dwayne Bacon, Donta Hall, Paris Lee, Danilo Andjusic, Rob Gray, Jerry Boutsiele, and Yakuba Ouattara were all rookies.

After that season, I realized that if you want to establish a real EuroLeague organization, you can't gamble. First of all, you need continuity with the roster. And secondly, you need to reduce the risks of relying too much on rookies or guys who don't have experience.

The price of failure in the EuroLeague, especially for us without a permanent license, is so high that we need to build the team trying to minimize the risks.

Monaco may be only a second-year EuroLeague club, but seeing your team clinch the historical home-court advantage for French market teams before the playoffs felt like it was meant to be.

Does this feeling speak to the solid foundation you've built for the team in Monaco, or do you think people are taking your successful two-year run for granted?
Every year since we established the project, we have taken some steps forward. Last year, it was a huge step, but still, people thought they needed to do a little bit better next season. The community around was expecting that we would keep improving our growth.

We, as the management, never declare big goals. But we say that fans expect us to do a little bit more. I was glad that in the opening press conference of the season, Jordan [Loyd] said the guys feel like they can do something.

If you're asking me, people probably didn't take it for granted but expected that. But at the same time, the entire summer, I was waking up with the question in my mind of how not to fail.

Honestly speaking, I have a feeling that if we had failed, you would have probably said that the Cinderella story was over and the reality had hit you, which was expectable.

I remember your podcast before the season when you guys were questioning the three-guards model with Okobo, James, and Loyd might not work. So people were thinking that maybe we were not on the right track.

When it comes to Wade Baldwin and Lorenzo Brown, which backcourt did you, as a GM, have more concerns about?
I was considered only about ourselves, so... (laughs).

We had one of the shortest rosters in the EuroLeague and replaced only one guy during the season.

People say that with this crazy schedule, which for French teams is even more difficult with 14 games in March and 13 in April, we took the risk of having fewer numbers of players but maybe a deeper roster quality-wise.

Did you expect us to be a top 4 team before the season?

We saw you in the mix of the top 5-6 teams. 
I've heard a pretty similar question but with different wording. It said that people have a feeling that it's not real -- that Monaco is only the sophomore in the EuroLeague.

People think Monaco used to be a part of the EuroLeague longer, which is good. It means people think we're solid enough, and there is some added value with AS Monaco and Monte Carlo itself.

When comparing the rosters of Monaco and Maccabi, there seem to be many similarities in how both teams were constructed.

Do you share scouting services with Maccabi or have close relationships with people there? And how do you feel about facing a team that is so similar to your own?
Before the season, we were really concerned and were thinking of analyzing the situation from different angles. We had this idea about three guards, but we were evaluating the risks.

I think for Maccabi, it's kind of easier because they have a permanent spot in the EuroLeague. And for us to make that kind of decision is really risky because, at a certain point, you're gambling with our Euroleague future.

If we had the same scouting service? I don't know (laughs).

Mike James was with us. And we wanted Jordan Loyd very much last year already. But it was impossible to get him. And Okobo was the one whom we saw as our priority.

Given that both Monaco and Maccabi seem to have built their rosters in a similar way, was there any chance to sign Wade Baldwin or Lorenzo Brown?
We never spoke to them. But it's because we had Mike. Loyd was our first signing. We saw Okobo performing against us, and we saw him as a priority due to his French passport.

Who would you see as the EuroLeague GM of the year?
I agree with your Baskonia pick. 

They brought Darius Thompson, who was in Europe for a while but not on the EuroLeague teams' radar. An incredible shooter but a rookie from the United States, Markus Howard. And then guys like Maik Kotsar.

They found somebody overseas. They found somebody who wasn't noticed in the EuroLeague. And they managed to bring prospects that improved through the season.

I remember you made the GM survey before the season, and I was the only one to give a vote for Kotsar for a rookie of the year.

But before the season, I saw it wasn't a gamble. You could feel it was something behind it.

Who would be the best signing this season?
Dzanan Musa.

He came from the bottom ACB team but has a big impact on Real. Nobody saw that coming that fast, especially after the not-so-successful chapter in Efes.

Who was the most significant Monaco player this year?
It was the difference we built up the team last summer. The previous season, we had Mike James and then had rookies. This year, we wanted to build the team with a deep quality roster to not depend only on one guy.

There was a chapter when Mike was leading us. There was a chapter when Loyd's impact was huge. Maybe not that visible, but it was felt when he was injured. Then it was Elie [Okobo].

I can't exclude one. JB (John Brown III) was always giving his all in defense. D-Mo (Donatas Motiejunas) had several great games last month…

Anyway, it's too early to ask this question. Let's see how we'll perform in the playoffs. Then we'll have material to analyze (smiles).

What did it take to suspend one of the biggest EuroLeague stars on the court, who is very vocal off the court?
The fact we did this and the fact it paid off in the short period because the team stepped up and we took some important victories.

The fact that we put all the pieces together and now the entire team is locked in and Mike is there how we and the teammates expect. I think it shows that there is an organization working here.

It's not easy to deal with that kind of issue. Let's be honest, you need to have the courage to do it. But this is great proof there is an institution, and there is a club.

Maybe he's one of the biggest stars, but no one is above the organization.

How did you feel taking this decision as the GM and putting the situation in jeopardy, now knowing how the biggest star will react and the rest of the team survive? How do you deal with players under these circumstances?
A strong vertical should exist with the club and the president at the top. 

You're asking me, but I need to underline that there is a president who's fully involved. In our case, we have a president who, at a certain point, is like a father to the guys. In a way, how we solved the situation, his impact was huge.

What kind of father is he to the players?
He treats players in a certain way, like a father meaning that he cares about them because he wants a good future for all of them. But he's reasonable, and when everything is good, he says, 'Guys, there are rules, and if I see someone goes the wrong way, I won't hide.'

He'll always reward you, hug you and say that it was great, but he keeps you hungry and humble.

You had a great rookie season and a huge budget increase the following year. How much more can you increase the budget for the next season?
The budget will be in similar figures, and the increase can be towards game day revenues and sponsorship.

As our arena is tiny, there is not too much room for a significant increase, but we feel high interest from potential sponsors, and we will try to maximize our sponsorship income.

Anyway, we plan to use all additional revenues for non-sports investments: HR, business operations department, and current facilities improvement. Additional money won't go to players' contracts. 

The vision of the owner and the entire Fedcom group (the media company has been recently created under the umbrella of Fedcom Invest group) is to establish and grow into the entertainment industry. To create a sustainable business project. This is something that is much bigger than just results.

We earned our spot in the EuroLeague through sporting results. But we intend now to invest heavily off the court. Because we believe that if you stay focused on the game and results in itself, it will lead to nowhere.

That's why the arena is something that we're thinking about, working on, and trying to make happen.

Just recently, you had to make a presentation at the EuroLeague headquarters to show Monaco's ambitions for the multi-year license. What added value can Monaco bring to the EuroLeague besides a basketball club?
Access to premium brands.

Take a look at how much people are hyped about Las Vegas as a sports destination. From two new arenas that they recently opened, one generates $620M and the other $900M.

If the NBA wants to have the club in Las Vegas and LeBron James wants to own it, if the league and the main star of it are focused on Las Vegas, I think it's a no-brainer. If you have a chance to have your own EuroLeague Las Vegas, you should go for it.

When people say there is no legacy in Monaco, take a look at the Last Dance and the words of Michael Jordan, who said that the best basketball game ever played was here in 1992 before the Barcelona Olympics.

Also, we're not talking about something which Monaco already delivered. 

Before we joined the EuroLeague, EuroLeague was donating to the French league market. The base of the EuroLeague TV subscribers in France was 3 or 4 times smaller than now. 

There was no TV deal, and no company was ready to pay or promote. You need to buy and elevate the product you want to distribute.

I think even in the short term, we have already shown that we can add value to the entire league. Even though we're at the early beginnings of our development process, the potential of Monaco itself is unlimited.

This is not a small market as you can think. It's a huge market. The market which is attracted by Monaco by its uniqueness and luxury. Which is something you want to have.

There's another potential Las Vegas of the EuroLeague emerging in Dubai. Do you feel there's a competition between you and them? Do you see similarities between these two markets?
Well, we're at the heart of Europe.

We don't consider them as direct competitors. Also, why is there no Dubai in the UEFA Champions League, while there is Middle East ownership in those clubs? Why is there no club, but there is an advertisement for Fly Dubai?

Football is the primary sports industry, a business that's oriented on profit maximization, but still, UEFA doesn't examine non-Europeans teams' involvement. 

I understand Dubai's interest. But how will it affect the EuroLeague market?

When Monaco competed for the EuroCup title two years ago, many did not see them as serious contenders to win it all compared to teams like UNICS or Virtus. At that time, Monaco did not seem like EuroLeague material, either on or off the court.

Are there any teams currently in EuroCup or Basketball Champions League that you would be interested in bringing to the EuroLeague in an expansion? Is there a sleeper team that is not in the EuroLeague yet that catches your attention?
It's hard to say because, for the moment, there are so many clubs currently in the EuroLeague who don't have a permanent license but who add a lot of value.

For instance, Valencia has a new arena and one of the best facilities for the youth academy. You have great projects already inside the EuroLeague but without a permanent license.

How would you describe the difference in your emotions between last year's Olympiacos series and now, as you host Maccabi in Monaco?
Before facing Olympiacos, we felt like winners because we already secured our participation for the next season, which no one could expect from us.

This time the level of pressure is incomparable.

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