By Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
Zeljko Obradovic’s outburst towards his players against CSKA Moscow in their EuroLeague Round 8 game has caused a lot of reactions in the basketball world.
Ergin Ataman shared his thoughts on the incident, standing up for the Fenerbahce coach while speaking to Hurriyet.
“We should not confuse the game-time adrenaline with what happens outside the court. I’m one of those people that know very well that Obradovic has a father-son relationship with his players”, Ataman mentions.
“Us coaches don’t feel very comfortable with the fact that everything we say during time outs is broadcasted live. It’s not nice when cameras zoom in and show our tactics on the board. What happens between players and coaches in timeouts is special”, he adds.
It has to be noted that Ataman is considered the main “rival” of Obradovic in Turkey and also that Obradovic used more than harsh words against his players.
And while Obradovic’s bond with his players might be strong enough to permit the use of such words, the result was shocking, especially to those not familiar to European basketball, since this choice of words is not unusual and can be considered borderline unprofessional.