By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Oded Kattash revealed that the team is scanning the market to add “one or two” players amid multiple injury problems.
“Hopefully, the injured players will come back,” Kattash said after Maccabi‘s away loss of Maccabi to Zalgiris Kaunas. “Hopefully, we’ll find a way to sign one or two players to help us through this difficult situation.”
Maccabi will be without guard Tamir Blatt (hamstring tear) for the next three weeks while guard Rokas Jokubaitis (thumb fracture) is expected to be back in early November. Forward Wenyen Gabriel has yet to debut with the Israeli side after suffering a knee injury during preseason.
While Maccabi, now 2-3 in the EuroLeague, will explore all available options, Kattash agrees with fellow coaches Andrea Trinchieri and Joan Penarroya that it’s far from easy to find the ideal players to sign at this moment in the season.
“The market is really tough,” Kattash said. “We’re struggling with that. But, as we keep fighting on the court, we’re trying to do our best off the court.”
Maccabi did sign a new player earlier in October by bringing guard Saben Lee on board. So far the 25-year-old former NBAer isn’t traveling with the team in Israel for domestic games because he has safety worries following the invasion of Lebanon.
“The circumstances are really tough,” Kattash commented. “It’s not about Saben. We knew when we signed him that he and his family had decided to not go back to Israel for now. We respect that. We love him as a person. He’s really professional and we’re really happy he’s with us. I think for us and also for him, it’ll be better to be together. Hopefully, things will change.”