By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Zeljko Obradovic traveled to Croatia for the Zadar tournament with Fenerbahce. However, the main topic of his interview with the newspaper “Vecernji List” was national teams.
Obradovic, who has been also a national team coach in the past, talked about the current situation with the FIBA windows: “I always tell players that they should play for the national team, that it’s the greatest honor, but only at the right time, and FIBA’s qualifying windows in November and February aren’t. It’s not normal for national teams to play without their best players, and they are in NBA and EuroLeague at that time, but obviously, some people don’t understand that.”
When asked who will take a step back in order to fix the situation, Obradovic pointed to the other side of the Atlantic: “Will NBA give in? Last year, there were 85 players in the NBA who couldn’t play for their national team. If the NBA league doesn’t allow it, why would EuroLeague do it, that is, the players themselves because I never told a player he can’t play for his national team, that is his decision alone.”
Obradovic may have a point, because Slovenia, the latest Eurobasket champion, is in danger of missing the World Cup, playing without their best available player, NBA rookie Luka Doncic. “That really isn’t normal”, said the Serb coach who believes that even having a Eurobasket held every four years it’s not for the best. “Besides, wasn’t it better when European championships were played every second year, and not as it is now, every fourth. All those decisions are weird to me.”
Obradovic admitted that sometimes it’s just frustrating being a national team coach: “You start with the greatest possible motivation, you make the list of players and then five of them tell you they are injured, and other five make up some reason not to play. Then you start working but the injuries also start happening. Some players were coming to the national team in order to be in the “shop window”, but that’s not the case now. Still, none of them can convince me that the national team didn’t give them something good, something they can’t get in their clubs. I never had any problems with the best, the ones you call stars. They are usually good people as well. Nobody in the world can stop you if you want, under the condition that the country’s federation pays the insurance. Your NBA club can’t forbid it, it can only suggest, but you are the one who decides. Player’s motivation is also the key factor. Although you come to the national team willingly, it doesn’t mean you can act along the lines ‘I came and I can do whatever I want’. In that case, you better not come because when you wear the country’s crest, some behavior norms are necessary.”
“You can tolerate it once”
Zeljko Obradovic is a strict coach, but he can be also understanding in some cases, even if a player returns to the team hotel drunk and late: “Those are young people and drunkenness happens. When that happens, the coach should have a conversation with him, and also explain to others that it’s not welcome. If by any chance it happens again, then there is no more convincing, you send him home. If you tolerate those kinds of things more than once, it’s a bad example for others who might think that it’s acceptable to behave that way.”
And after all, the players should be professionals. “I explain at the start of every season that I’m not a policeman and that I won’t follow anyone, but all of them have to watch out how they behave because they represent their club every day. I never punished a player with a money fine, but I did make them pay dinner for the whole team so we use it to hang out and make a better atmosphere. I’m usually the one being late at the start of the season intentionally so I take them to dinner. As an example”, says Obradovic.
The Bogdanovic duo
Obradovic has coached both Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic and Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic in Fenerbahce. “I’m sorry I couldn’t bring them together”, he said. “It would’ve been great having those two at the “2” and “2” position”.
However, they were ready to leave for the NBA: “Both of them went at the right moment, which is confirmed by their status in the NBA clubs. Bojan became a starter, a player the coach makes plays for, while Bogdan is the best player in Sacramento. Bojan has unbelievable hands, his shot doesn’t come from the legs but from the hands, and he shoots three’s from 10-11 meters with ease, plus he reads the screens very well. He can still improve in his plays with the ball.”