KK Partizan
In the summer of 1988, Danilović's two-year ban finally expired and the player was free to suit up for Partizan. Already familiar with the players he practiced with for more than a year, the 18-year-old joined the roster laden with talent at all positions — 21-year-old point guard Saša Đorđević, 22-year-old forward Žarko Paspalj who could play both the three and four positions, 22-year-old small forward Ivo Nakić, 20-year-old versatile center Vlade Divac, and his 21-year-old backup Miroslav Pecarski as well as a pair of experienced 28-year-olds: backup point guard Željko Obradović and backup center Milenko Savović. Starting small forward Goran Grbović who often also played the shooting guard position left the club for CD Oximesa that summer, which opened up space for incoming Danilović. Coming off the season in which they made the Euroleague Final Four (losing to Maccabi in the semifinal) and lost to emerging Jugoplastika in the Yugoslav League playoff final, the young Partizan team was looking to reclaim the domestic league title.
Young Danilović immediately got big minutes at shooting guard, putting in a great debut campaign. Partizan finished the regular season in first place with a 16-6 record, same as Jugoplastika, but with better basket difference, meaning the Belgrade club would have the home court advantage in the playoffs. Winning both cup competitions that season - the FIBA Korać Cup and the Yugoslav Cup - came as a great confidence boost for the young squad. The two trophies came in quick succession as Partizan played the first leg of the Korać Cup final away versus Cantù losing by 13 points, before going to Maribor to play Jugoplastika in the Yugoslav Cup final and winning 87-74 and finally the return leg of the Korac Cup final on home court in Hala sportova and winning by 19 to overturn their first leg deficit and taking the trophy. Back on the domestic league front, in the playoff semifinal, Partizan easily eliminated crosstown rivals Red Star Belgrade, setting up the final rematch with Jugoplastika that won that season's Euroleague in the meantime. The best-of-three final series started in Belgrade, but right away Partizan lost the home court advantage by losing the opening game 73-74. The series shifted to Split where Jugoplastika won 75-70, beating Partizan to the league championship for the second straight season.
A testament to his brilliant debut season, in summer 1989 Danilović received the call up for the Yugoslav national team training camp by head coach Dušan Ivković ahead of EuroBasket 1989 and made the 12-man roster Ivković took to the tournament playing alongside club teammates Divac and Paspalj. Coming back to Partizan later that summer, the team went through major changes as both Divac and Paspalj left after signing NBA contracts, with Lakers and Spurs, respectively, while head coach Vujošević went to Spanish club CD Oximesa from Granada and took veteran center Savović with him. Borislav Ćorković, who previously coached the club during two separate stints in the mid 1970s and early 1980s (winning two domestic league titles, in 1975-76 and 1980-81 seasons), became the new head coach.
Playing with a depleted roster, the season turned out to be a write-off as Partizan was no match for tougher Yugoslav clubs. Their deficiencies were specially evident at center as Pecarski who was forced into playing long minutes was often outplayed by the opposition's center line. Partizan finished the season in 8th place with a 9-13 record, missing the playoffs, the club's worst league finish in nineteen years. Despite another solid season from Danilović who was well on his way to becoming one of the team's leaders, they didn't fare much better in the Yugoslav Cup or the FIBA Cup Winners' Cup, finishing both competitions at the quarterfinal stage.
In late June 1992 Danilovic entered the NBA Draft where he was taken in the second round by Golden State Warriors as the 43rd overall pick. He eventually decided to stay in Europe, signing with sports agent Mira Poljo, an established agent with good connections in Italy through Interperformances sports agency, who soon referred him to her partner Luciano Capicchioni. Danilović eventually signed a lucrative contract with Virtus Bologna paying him approximately $900,000 per season.
Read more about this topic: Predrag Danilović, Club Career
Famous quotes containing the word partizan:
“A Tory..., since the revolution, may be defined in a few words, to be a lover of monarchy, though without abandoning liberty; and a partizan of the family of Stuart. As a Whig may be defined to be a lover of liberty though without renouncing monarchy; and a friend to the settlement in the protestant line.”
—David Hume (1711–1776)