FAN MAIL: Maik Zirbes - "What was the reason I returned to Zvezda? Branko Lazić!"

Crvena zvezda mts center Maik Zirbes has answered on your questions! What made him return to Crvena zvezda mts? Who is the best team he had played against? What is his favorite Serbian food? Find out the answers in the following article.

What is your favorite song?

"My favorite song is Atramis – Bonez MC."

What do you think about Belgrade?

"It is hard to put it in one sentence. I grew up in Germany and therefore I have a strong bond with German tradition, however when I came to Belgrade I felt something special, like I belong here. It is very difficult to describe that feeling."  

What made you decide to return to Crvena zvezda mts?

"Branko Lazić... (laughs). I had several options and one of them was Crvena zvezda mts. For me, it was not a difficult choice and I did not need to think a lot about which offer to accept."

What is your favorite German football team?

"To be quite honest, I am not watching football that much, especially not German football. Still, when I was younger I watched the games of FC Kaiserslautern and FC Trier, the club from my hometown."

Have you ever been to Crvena zvezda football game?

"Yeah, I was at the stadium a few times when I was playing for BC Crvena zvezda last time. However, in this season I still haven't been to the stadium, because the games of FC Crvena zvezda and BC Crvena zvezda had usually been scheduled for the same day. But, I will most certainly watch some game of our football club until the end of the season."

Who is your favorite teammate in Crvena zvezda mts?

"It is really hard to pick just one person. This is entirely new team and we are all getting along really well. Both on and off the court. Still, I will say that Branko Lazić is my favorite teammate. When I was in Crvena zvezda for the first time the two of us were roommates for two seasons. He has always been very supportive and has always been there for me. We have a really special friendship."

Which is your favorite NBA team?

"Frankly, I am not watching NBA. I just don't find that league so interesting." 

Who is the best team you have ever played against?

"Well, that's a good question. I was thinking about that as well and I think that CSKA Moscow is the right answer. When I played for Crvena zvezda mts the first time we were defeated by CSKA Moscow in the EuroLeague Quarterfinals. We were playing just fantastic basketball in that season and you had to be really, really good to beat us back then. That is why my answer is CSKA Moscow."

Do you think that your team has a chance to win the EuroCup trophy? Which team will be the strongest rival?

"The EuroCup season has just started and that is why it is very difficult to give you the answer on this question. Do we have a chance to win it? I think we do, but it is too early to talk about it."

What does Crvena zvezda mts mean to you?

"It means a lot to me! When I came here for the first time I already knew a lot about the club. I spent two years in Belgrade, had a great connection with the fans and now I am back. In my basketball career a lot of things are closely connected with Crvena zvezda."

What do you think about your new team and new head coach? Where do you see Crvena zvezda mts at the end of the season?

"We are still at the beginning and it is hard to tell where we will end up. We have a great team, a great coaching staff, but we still need time to reach our full potential."

What is your favorite Crvena zvezda mts moment so far?

"We had a lot of good moments. I remember the time when we came to the practice after we lost Game 2 against Partizan in the ABA Semi-Finals. The fans came in front of the gym to support us and after that we won the series. I will probably remember that moment forever."  

What is your favorite Serbian food?

"My favorites are beans and traditional Serbian barbeque – ćevapi."

What is your favorite Crvena zvezda mts fan song?

"I like “Dobro znaj” song the most."

What is your favorite Serbian name?

"I would tell Luka, because it sounds good both in German and in Serbian. When I have a child one day, it will be very hard to choose a name, because I want it to sound good in German, but also to have connection with Serbian language. So, Luka sounds really good."  

What was your reaction when you heard that Dejan Radonjić would become Bayern Munich head coach?

"I was really happy. I know that we haven't really spent a lot of time together in Bayern, but we did become the national champions. I think that we did a good job together and that we fulfilled all club's goals."

Which teammate from your first time with Crvena zvezda mts would you love to bring back to the team?

"Stefan Jović! He gives you so many options in the offense. We worked together really well on the court, while we also had a great relationship off the court."

What is a better feeling - To win a game in the EuroLeague or to win the eternal derby against Partizan NIS?

"It is very difficult to compare those two things. It felt great when we defeated Real Madrid for example. When we defeated Bayern Munich and advanced to the EuroLeague TOP16 it was crazy. But, I know how much it means to our fans to win the derby match against Partizan NIS and that feeling is also great."

It is the last possession for your team, and you can choose a playmaker for your game-winning pick 'n' roll play. Is it Stefan Jović, Marcus Williams or Joe Ragland?

"Another difficult question. All 3 of them are fantastic players, but I would choose Jović (laughs)."

How tall are you without your shoes on?

"I think I am 207-208 cm tall."

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Majk Cirbes - "Šta je bilo presudno da se vratim u Zvezdu? Branko Lazić!"

Stameni centar Crvene zvezda mts Majk Cirbes je odgovorio na vaša pitanja!  

Koja ti je omiljena pesma?

"Moja omiljena pesma je Atramis – Bonez MC."

Šta misliš o Beogradu?

"Teško mi je da to odgovorim u jednoj rečenici. Odrastao sam u Nemačkoj i naravno da sam zbog toga veoma povezan sa nemačkom tradicijom, ali kada sam došao u Beograd osetio sam se više svoj i kao da pripadam ovde. Veoma mi je teško da objasnim taj osećaj, ali je tako."

Šta je bilo presudno da odlučiš da se vratiš u Crvenu zvezdu mts?

"Branko (smeh)... Imao sam nekoliko opcija, a jedna od njih bila je Crvena zvezda. Za mene to nije bio težak izbor i nisam morao mnogo da razmišljam."

Za koji fudbalski tim iz Nemačke navijaš?

"Iskreno govoreći ne gledam previše fudbal, posebno ne nemački fudbal. Ipak, kada sam bio mlađi pratio sam utakmice Kajzerslautena i Trira koji je lokalni tim iz mog rodnog mesta."

Da li si nekada gledao utakmice fudbalskog kluba Crvena zvezda?

"Bio sam na tri ili četiri utakmice kada sam prvi put bio u Crvenoj zvezdi. U ovoj sezoni nisam stigao da posetim stadion, jer su se termini naših utakmica i utakmica fudbalskog kluba uglavnom preklapali, ali sigurno ću posetiti neku utakmicu do kraja sezone."

Koji je tvoj omiljeni saigrač iz Zvezde?

"Jako je teško nekog izdvojiti. Potpuno je novi tim i svi sjajno funkcionošemo na terenu, ali i van njega. Ipak, Branko (Lazić) je moj omiljeni saigrač. Kada sam prvi put bio u Crvenoj zvezdi bili smo cimeri dve sezone. Uvek je bio uz mene i veoma smo povezani."

Koji je tvoj omiljeni NBA tim?

"Da budem iskren, ne pratim NBA. Nikada mi nije bio posebno interesantan."

Koji je najbolji tim protiv kojeg si igrao?

"Teško pitanje o kome sam puno razmišljao. Ipak, izdvojio bih CSKA iz Moskve. Kada sam prošli put bio ovde, igrali smo u Top 8 protiv njih. Igrali smo fantastično te sezone i bilo koji tim koji bi nas pobedio te godine morao je da bude mnogo dobar. Zato je moj odgovor CSKA."

Da li misliš da Zvezda može da osvoji Evrokup u ovoj sezoni i ko je po vašem mišljenju Zvezdin najveći konkurent u ovom takmičenju?

"Sezona u Evrokupu je tek počela i zato je veoma teško odgovoriti na to pitanje. Ima još mnogo da se igra. Da li imamo šanse? Mislim da imamo, ali je prerano govoriti o tome u ovom trenutku, jer nas očekuje mnogo toga."

Šta Crvena zvezda znači za tebe?

"Znači mnogo toga. Kada sam došao u Crvenu zvezdu znao sam puno o njoj, proveo sam u klubu dve godine, imao sjajan odnos sa navijačima, sada sam se vratio u Crvenu zvezdu... U mojoj karijeri je mnogo toga vezano za Crvenu zvezdu."

Šta misliš o trenutnoj ekipi Crvene zvezde mts i kakav odnos imaš sa trenerom? Gde vidiš Zvezdu na kraju sezone?

"Mi smo tek na početku i teško je prognozirati gde ćemo završiti. Imamo odličan tim, odličan stručni štab, ali nam treba još vremena da budemo zajedno i da iz utakmice u utakmicu napredujemo."

Koji momenat iz tvog dosadašnjeg boravka u Crvenoj zvezdi bi izdvojio kao najlepši?

"Bilo je mnogo trenutaka. Ipak... Sećam se kada smo došli na trening nakon utakmice koju smo izgubili od Partizana, mislim da je to bilo u polufinalu ABA lige. Navijači su došli da nas podrže pre treninga i na kraju polufinalne serije smo se svi zajedno radovali. Bilo je mnogo sjajnih momenata, ali taj osećaj mi je ostao duboko urezan u sećanju."

Koju srpsku hranu najviše voliš?

"Omiljeni su mi pasulj i ćevapi."

Koja ti je omiljena navijačka pesma?

"Omiljena pesma navijača Crvene zvezde mi je ’Dobro znaj’."

Koje srpsko ime ti se najviše sviđa?

"Rekao bih Luka. Zato što to ime dobro zvuči i na nemačkom i na srpskom. Kada budem jednog dana imao dete, biće veoma teško izabrati ime jer želim da ono dobro zvuči na nemačkom, ali da je opet povezano i sa srpskim jezikom. Luka mi zaista dobro zvuči."

Kakva je bila tvoja reakcija kada si saznao da je Dejan Radonjić postao trener Bajerna?

"Bio sam veoma srećan. Znam da nismo dugo bili zajedno u Bajernu, on je imao samo dva meseca u prošloj sezoni da formira tim kako on želi. Mislim da mu je bilo veoma teško, ali postali smo šampioni Nemačke i čini mi se da smo uradili dobar posao zajedno i uspeli da ostvarimo sve ciljeve koji su zacrtani od trenutka kada je on došao."

Kog bivšeg saigrača iz Crvene zvezde bi vratio sada u tim da možeš?

"Stefana Jovića. On daje toliko opcija u napadu svoje ekipe. Takođe, imali smo odličan odnos i van terena, a na terenu smo zaista dobro funkcionisali."

Koji je bolji osećaj – pobediti utakmicu u Evroligi ili pobediti Partizan NIS u derbiju?

"Veoma mi je teško da to uporedim. Kada smo pobedili Real Madrid to je bio sjajan osećaj, kada smo dobili Bajern Minhen i plasirali se u Top 16 to je bio lud osećaj... Isto tako znam šta znači za navijače kada pobedimo u derbiju i to je jednako sjajan osećaj."

Imate poslednji napad na utakmici i šansu da pobedite, ali morate da izaberete igrača sa kojim ćete igrati pik. Da li će to biti Stefan Jović, Markus Vilijams ili Džo Regland?

"Teško je odgovoriti na to pitanje. Sva trojica su fantastični igrači, ali izabrao bih Stefana Jovića (smeh)."

Koliko si visok bez patika?

"Mislim da sam visok 208 ili 207."