THE Dimitris Itoudisas president of the coaching union talked about her future Euroleagueas he sees, 22 to 24 teams will be involved in some years. That is why he stressed that the teams that will qualify for the playoffs of the event need to be increased.
The coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv, who will compete with Barcelona on the 1st EuroLeague (30/09/25, 19:00) match, Dimitris Itoudis, in an interview on the website of the Union of Coaches, referred to the increase in teams from 18 to 20, and the future increases.
In detail the words of the Greek coach
For the importance of 20 teams for coaches: “It means more obligations, more double weeks, more trips, especially for Hapoel Tel Aviv, since we play our home games in Bulgaria. As president of Euroleague coaches unionI believe we should look more closely at the competitive aspect of the championship.
In the past, when we were 16 teams, eight arrived at the playoffs, so this is 50% of the teams, and they approach the percentage of NBA teams participating in the playoffs. When the championship expanded to 18 teams, nothing changed to the playoffs, and as coaches, we had to put pressure on the integration of the Playoffs.
We are now in the 20 teams, and the playoffs are still a case of eight teams, raising the percentage of teams involved in 40% and only if we add those who compete in the playoffs, we return to 50%. This means that 12 out of 20 teams will lose the playoffs, and their season will be considered bad. I said the same things, after participating in the Final Four.
As coaches we talked about play-in and listened to us. We need to shape and develop the racing fold a little more, either with two or more regions. Either geographically divided or even with a tie. We need at least 12 teams to participate in the playoffs, even with an extensive phase of playoffs.
We now have six teams that have qualified directly to the playoffs and four more involved, with two of them qualifying for the playoffs. To NBA16 out of 30 teams compete in the playoffs, and if we add the playoffs, then it’s 20 in 30, so it’s 67% of the league.
We have to wonder why. Is it just convenient to participate eight groups? I think we can also come up with more teams in the future and full playoffs, so we have to move in this direction at every step. “
Whether these issues should be discussed shortly shorter: “We have to discuss this, as we head to 22 or 24 teams in the near future. It goes without saying that we will end up in the form of two groups and we need to discuss the entry of more teams into the playoffs. The time is right to even discuss how the European club season will end.
If her final Euroleague Or the finals should be the last games of the season, as in football. These teams should not play for the domestic championship after the end of Euroleague. As an event, the Final Four It should be the end of the season. All of this presupposes collaborations and consultations that we do not have. We would all like to sit down, discuss and find solutions. “