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NBA DRAFTJune 26, 2014Dario SaricBROOKLYN, NEW YORK DARIO SARIC: Hi. My name is Dario Saric. My English is not so very well. I am happy because I feel they choose me the right way, and I'm happy because I will play with teammates like Michael Carter‑Williams, he's Rookie of the Year, Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel is a great player, and I have pleasure because I'll play with them. Q. Talk about the fact that you couldn't wait to sign your contract. You had to sign it before the Draft with your team. DARIO SARIC: Yeah, I sign before the Draft because I'm choosing a better option for me to stay two years more in Europe to get more experience, to bring my basketball to another level. I don't know. I'm choosing before the Draft because I don't know if someone in Philadelphia choose me because he know I'm no liar, and one day I'll be back in Philadelphia for sure. Q. Dario, enlighten us on‑‑ like I don't know much about your game, but talk about what are your strengths, and when you get to the NBA, how those strengths will be magnified. DARIO SARIC: I think a player like‑‑ all around player like Lamar Odom, Toni Kukoc. I got good ball handling for 6'10". I see myself in Philadelphia because Philadelphia got two athletic, big guys, got smart playmaker, and I think I can and this team can improve to bring another level to deeper level. Q. Dario, you mentioned that you want to work on your game overseas. Why do you feel working on it overseas as opposed to coming to the NBA now and working on those aspects of your game in the NBA is a better decision for you? DARIO SARIC: I think I was starting to play basketball step by step. When I was 15, 14, I was playing for third league of Croatia. After that, I was playing two league of Croatia, after first league of Croatia, and after that I played like two years in Adriatic League. For me, it's normally next step is one or two years in Europe in Euroleague, and after that, like NBA. Q. Dario, have you, being in Croatia and overseas, have you had any experience watching the Sixers? DARIO SARIC: Yeah, I know everything about the Sixers, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, and I love the team. I know it's like fifth town in the USA, and I know everything about Philadelphia.  Philadelphia, again, they are like most faster team in the NBA right now. I really want to come here in Philadelphia to put my gameon that team after two years. Q. When you were with the teams that you played over there in Croatia, were they championship contenders? DARIO SARIC: We won the Adriatic League. For me, it's better than college basketball. The guys from that league, they have more experience than the college guy. I think Adriatic League is better league than college basketball. Q. You named some of those Philadelphia 76ers players. That's when the Philadelphia 76ers were a very good team. That's not quite the way it is these days. I hope it won't be a disappointment to kind of have to start at the bottom there. DARIO SARIC: We'll see. I don't know. We'll see about that. Q. How does it feel being drafted now? Finally being able to come to the NBA after talking about it for so many years. Last year you almost came in. How does it feel now to be drafted? DARIO SARIC:  I feel very happy, like first time in my life I feel like now I know what it means to my family in Croatia and my friends, everybody is happy for me. This is big part, big time in my basketball career and my life. I really want to be a Philadelphia 76er. Q. Is there any chance you could come into the NBA next year, or will it definitely be two years? DARIO SARIC: I think we can talk about that with Turkey team after the next season. If a chance to be, I will come here to 76ers of Philadelphia. Q. Dario, obviously, you know a lot about the Sixers history. Yesterday you were telling me about how your father introduced you to Magic Johnson. How did you learn so much about the NBA growing up? DARIO SARIC: I think you asked me about how NBA growing up for teams‑‑ Q. Yeah, in Croatia, how did you learn so much about the history of the 76ers? DARIO SARIC: I learned so much like things like we have‑‑ like you have in America newspaper, Google, internet, things like that. We share NBA, my friends and I, we love so much to playing PlayStation 4 and NBA, and we know so much about Philadelphia, Iguodala, and so much guys from Philadelphia. I know everything. Q. You mentioned Toni Kukoc earlier. Was that someone you grew up admiring? Who else did you admire watching on the basketball court? DARIO SARIC: You asked me like‑‑ can you repeat? Q. You mentioned Toni Kukoc before, who's from the same country you are from. Did you grow up idolizing him? And who else did you grow up watching? DARIO SARIC: I don't have any like idols. I can say my favorite player is Magic Johnson. And Drazen Petrovic is from same hometown like me from Sibenik, and this is is my idol for basketball. He got same mentality of practicing and working basketball. I love Magic Johnson, how he played. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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