The Dotted Line Up: Milos Moves to Moscow

By: Nick Gibson / @euro_adventures

Apparently, some MVPs schedule entire hour-long specials to announce where their ego is headed next. Then there’s the opposite end of the spectrum, where a Serb sports sweats and scruff to accept his trophy before strolling back to the hotel for some shuteye.

This Buddhist-like calm can occasionally atrophy into apathy, but this constant cool has turned Teodosic into a fan favorite and in 2010, it earned him a Euroleague MVP trophy. On an Olympiacos squad laced with talent—Linas Kleiza, Josh Childress, Ioannis Bourousis, Theo Papaloukas—he flipped the ignition switch.

Now he’ll travel north from Piraeus, Greece all the way to Mother Russia to play for CSKA Moscow.

The Shooting Stoner is only 24 years old but is already a regular inclusion in the Who would you want to take the last shot in crunch time? discussion alongside seasoned greats like Juan Carlos Navarro. Maybe this little number from last Summer in Istanbul has something to do with it:

In Moscow he’ll run up against a familiar face in Nenad Krstic, who recently left Beantown (good call, dude) to avoid the lockout and landed with CSKA. The two hoop together on the Serbian NT and Teodosic had this to say about their reunion: “It is great to play alongside my friend Nenad Krstic, a great player and person.”

The player part I’ll agree with. The person thing, well…his (former) fellow Red Bourousis might choose his words differently.

Teodosic now represents the most marketable face of a new CSKA generation. After picking up two ‘chips in the last five seasons, the Russian powerhouse finally cracked this season due to age and injury, and not even sideline stalwart Dusko Vujosevic could stop their slide as CSKA ended up watching the Euroleague from the Top 16 on.

But Dmitry Shakulin filled Dusko’s shoes and ended the season on a high note, leading CSKA to their ninth consecutive Russian League title behind 25 points from JR Holden in the deciding game four against Khimki. As it turns out, that will be Holden’s swan song. Trajan Langdon? Retired as well. And with two All-Decaders out of the picture, the coast is clear for Milos to saddle up beside the remaining veteran Ramunas Siskauskas and re-establish themselves among the handful of Euroleague elite.

So what is CSKA getting in Milos Teodosic? An artful chucker who’s missing a conscience.