Burns dry on NBA Europe issue: "Management business"

The landing of the NBA in Europe with the NBA Europe project remains a hot topic in the basketball world, even as the major European leagues are about to reach the cricial phase of the season. The hypothesis of the transfer of the sports title from Cremona or Trieste to Rome is causing fans and insiders to discuss, although Vanoli Basket captain Christian Burns assures that at the moment the environment is focused exclusively on the goals to be achieved on the court.

“Of the NBA Europe issue and the transfer to Rome we are not talking about it,” Burns said while speaking to Radio CRC, “we are thinking about finishing this season, the rest is about the management. As for the project itself, I think it should involve Euroleague teams: I like the idea, but it would be ideal if there was a collaboration between the NBA and Euroleague.”

Burns also confirmed how much, in his view, Italian basketball has a lot to say in the international arena: “Level declining? No, you simply have to adapt to the level of basketball you see around Europe, certainly there is more tactical and defensive focus. Tomorrow’s game? Both teams have the same points in the standings and both are trying to grab the playoffs, we play at home hoping it will be an added value, because of the cheering.”

Aclass of 1985, born in New Jersey but Italian national team in 2017-2018, Christian Burns has been at Vanoli Cremona since last summer, after a two-year experience in Cantù. In the Italian leagues he also wore the undershirts of Sutor Montegranaro, Brescia, Olimpia Milano and Napoli. In the national team, he has collected 27 appearances with 123 total points, playing in Azzurro at the final stage of EuroBasket 2017, a tournament in which Italy reached the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Serbia, then defeated in the finals by Slovenia at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul.