By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Beko Zeljko Obradovic addressed the condition of injured forward/center Joffrey Lauvergne and the timeframe of his return to action, following the Turkish team’s loss to Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade.
“If you follow Fenerbahce, you will see that Joffrey Lauvergne has not been playing since 19 February. It’s been almost eight months. I am not a doctor, I don’t know how the player feels. I know that he has a big wish to come back. We try everything. Until which day? I have no answer to this,” Obradovic said in the post-game press conference.
While Lauvergne is still sidelined indefinitely, Obradovic saw reigning EuroLeague MVP Jan Vesely making his comeback. “As for Vesely, he tried everything to come back too. I am really happy that he came here today, he wanted to help the team. It was seen that this was his first game in six months. He needs more practice and games to reach the level of Vesely that we know, that is the best center in Europe. And I am sure that he will, because I know his character, I know Jan. His performance was the least of our concerns today.
Obradovic also talked about the injury problems his team has been coping with during 2019. “I don’t know how many times I repeated this, but I am gonna say again: Last season was the best year of my coaching career until the last two months when the injuries started coming in. First Vesely, Lauvergne, then Gigi, Kalinic, Erick Green… We had to play without our five players. I always listen to players. If they have problems, pain, I don’t force them to play because their health is more important than anything else. And they always prioritize the team. So I am not the one to answer the question till when Mr. Lauvergne will be out, medical staff can answer this.”