More than a month has passed since the expulsion of the Israeli national team from the European Championship already in the early stage, and in the professional team (and also among the players), there was complete silence regarding what happened in the Czech Republic. Up to now. Finney Gershon, the union’s professional advisor and who never kept things in his stomach, spoke his side for the first time In the podcast “Finny and Tzenzi” from the podcast house of All inand no one remains immune.
Did the team fail?
“It’s not a failure. I said success is a quarter-final. We’ve been in the European Championship for 60 consecutive years. When we weren’t in the European Championship it’s a failure. If you ask me, we won one game too many. We beat Finland because a month before they beat us and they came quite smug And they thought they were giving us the upper hand. They lost more than we won. Most of our players didn’t play in the European Championship. They are players who two years ago were indeed reserve European champions, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Those who were in the European Championship are at the end of their careers. Most of this team is young. The European Championship is a different world. Five games in six days and you have to know how to conduct yourself. The young players also came in an atmosphere as if they had won two consecutive European Championships… so who are Spain and Serbia ?’.
“Tamir Blatt plays in the Euroleague… He is not a star in Alba. Both those who play for Maccabi Tel Aviv and outside Maccabi Tel Aviv, are not stars in their team. In Poland, the players are stars in their team. We got confused. To say that we are close to taking the European Championship with the players who were In the European Championship… there was no chance of that happening. Janis, Doncic and Jokic did not reach the final. If Janis says that basketball in Europe is more sophisticated, who am I to talk about it.”
“What happened? The Czech Republic finished sixth in the World Championship and participated in the Olympics. Nano Ginzburg doesn’t want to coach the Israeli national team. After the game he told me in my ear, ‘Finny, leave your nonsense, I’ve made 20 thousand euros now’. I don’t know if Goodes You get 20,000 euros. You want to beat the Czech Republic in front of their crowd. You lost a game that your chance of winning is 20 percent. Goodes is one of the 2-3 best coaches in Israel.”
About Danny Avdia
“He talked about winning the European Championship. This is nonsense that shouldn’t be talked about, assuming you know the other teams. It is not wise to say that we can win the European Championship. That puts an unreasonable level of expectation. This is arrogance. It is not related to any ability that even a better team than her can do. Serbia coach Pesic didn’t speak like that. NBA players and the top of the Euroleague were there.’
“Guy realized very quickly that there was a problem with Danny. You can’t change the whole game because he thinks he doesn’t touch the ball enough. In Washington he stands in the corner and waits for someone to deliver the ball. Caspi was in the NBA for 10 years and was waiting in the corner for the ball. Did you hear him say a word? That’s how he became world champion. Do what you’re told, do it well and move on to the next game. In the end, we don’t have much Danny. We only have one Dany.’
The naturalization issue
“A large part of the teams came with naturalized citizens. We came without a citizen. John DiBartholomew was not good at training. He came late, did not connect to the business. When you bring in a player like that, he has to be much better than the Israeli players. The coach decided not to take him. Those who want to make faces, this is not the place for them. There are also Israelis who make faces. This is not the place for them.”
“Lorenzo Brown changed the Spanish team. There is almost no team in Europe, especially teams at our level, that is not constantly looking for citizens. Turkey has two citizens and can choose. There you don’t have to ask the Minister of the Interior for a favor to get citizenship. You have to bring someone who is connected to the place. who has been here for 5 years. Jacob Brown is not a bad option. His name came up. He is a player who has been injured two or three times in the last 4 years.”
Guy Goodes
“He is a very good coach. He did his best and managed the business in the most professional way possible. When I didn’t believe it could happen, he believed and broadcast… everything he told me in the rooms… he broadcast 100 percent confidence. Who else could we beat? We failed, perhaps, in how we spoke and what we achieved relative to what we spoke, or who spoke. Genetically we are less good than other teams. They have better taller players. Suppose you want to replace Goodes, how many coaches can replace him? There aren’t ten coaches here at Goodes’ level.’
the mistakes made
“I hope that in the next six months something will be built going forward, both in terms of players and in terms of the coaching staff. One of the things we didn’t do and should have done was to bring in a mental coach who would be close to the team. In five days there are ups and downs, both when you win and when you lose. Someone who will manage the event mentally. It changes the whole atmosphere.’
The tensions in the dressing room
“In the dressing room there was nothing close to confrontations between players. There were events that are wrong. After the loss to Sweden, we sat in the dressing room and the players opened up about everything. There are things I didn’t even know. In Sweden the rush started. It was a game we should have won. If we had won, maybe the atmosphere would have been different. There was a conversation after the game. Everyone had their say.”
“Whoever said that Mekel is transferred or not transferred… I can say one thing about Gal Mekel, his addition as a man to the team… You can’t find many players like that, to join the team. Mekel and Panini are not traveling because they can score 10 points and deliver 10 assists. They have experience, they have been in these places. The young players were not in this event. We took Mackel, Panini and Jake regardless of ability. We left the meeting feeling better.”
Zoper Avdia’s interview
“His father was interviewed in Serbia and let them hear what they wanted and the day after that, it’s here. And where are we? The day before the most important game. He said he wanted Danny to be in Serbia and not in Israel. I conducted the negotiations with his father, I tell you that if Danny had not played for the Israeli national team, he would not have been in the NBA. The Serbs were relegated this year. Who would even look at a team that was relegated? Everyone looked and talked about Danny after he took European Championship. I told him that through Israel, he will reach the NBA.”
“Brad Leaf’s son, who came to the Israeli national team… this is what brought him to the NBA. I only promised him that instead of playing in the youth, he would play in the reserve. There their chances of reaching the NBA were higher. That was their consideration. He Can come as a teenager and tell the Serbs that he wants to play in the reserves? Who is he anyway. I agreed and that’s why he stayed here. Zufi’s interview was an attack before the most important game.”
“If Danny comes to Maccabi Tel Aviv, do they build the game on him? In which team do they build the game on him? What is this interview anyway? His father, the genius, says ‘you were wrong.’ If he doesn’t play his way, he might not succeed. If you ask me, he didn’t believe in it (putting the ball in Avdia’s hands). In the end, we all live off the media.”
“It doesn’t mean that he can go down to the bench and behave the way he did and it doesn’t mean that he can talk to Mackel, who was already in the NBA and already won several European championships… that you can talk to him the way he talked to him. Does anyone think that Mackel is not handing over to Danny on purpose? The question at the end She is how many Danes we have. Shamlock said ‘Bring me a son of a bitch who will bring me a championship and don’t bring me a good guy who will bring me second place.’
The nerves in the team
“After Zalmansson’s and Danny’s reactions on the floor during the game, I at least kick them to the locker room. One kicked the bottle, one kicked the bench. You can’t act like that. It’s stepping on the coach’s foot. In the third incident with Roman, I went behind the bench, and I don’t want to say what I did, but immediately Roman said he apologized and then apologized to the team. He also kicked something. He saw that two did something and didn’t respond to them, so anyone can leave… If my player leaves the field and looks at the clock, he doesn’t return to the field. Both Zalmanson, Danny and Roman apologized to the group.”
On Madar’s criticism during the championship
“Both Danny and Yam played in the reserve team, an exercise or years that Beit Lahemi never showed in training. They played ‘Neighborhood’ and made baskets out of it and won the European Championship. To say about Guy Goodes that the game is not organized or not planned, is the most incorrect thing that can be. If you ask me, Guy’s game is too planned and too organized and whoever doesn’t understand him, doesn’t have much basketball sense. With Guy, everything is planned.’
“Beit Halami called Lim a brat. A few days ago he entered a Partizan Belgrade game, lost a ball and went down to the bench. I don’t know if a minute has passed. Now go tell Zeliko, ‘Why did you kick me out after a minute?’ Next to what Oberdovich gives you. You need balls to follow your truth to the end. Goodes had a confrontation with a player in Holon and he kicked him out. He is someone who doesn’t calculate.”
The preparation for the European Championship
“The level of performance depends on the number of training sessions… One of the things we didn’t do and we had no choice was that we had ‘neighborhood’ training games. We had a tournament canceled in Greece and a tournament was canceled in Montenegro and we stayed with the Romanians who thought it would be a 15-20 difference, ended up being 50. If you do 5 on 5 training it’s more difficult. It hurt us. Not everyone is willing to come here. There were tournaments where teams replaced us. We were invited. Everything is kept for me and I will keep it for you. We stayed out and it cost us dearly.”
The descent to the bench
“My baby is the junior teams. I can’t leave them. After we made it to the last 8, I drove home. Not all of Guy’s basketball is my perception. I don’t know how to be an assistant coach. The union thought that I could say one way or another in the management of the game. There were things he received. I think at least in one game I helped a little. I can say that I don’t want to sit on the bench and then I would stop working. They would take away my love of working with the young.”
“Four years ago I was offered the team and I told them I didn’t want it and if I didn’t want it then, then why now? From now on I’m not even involved in calling up the players. I’m not interested in it. There was a summary meeting of the professional team and I said that I finished my journey in the senior team. Guy On good terms with me, can ring me whenever I want. I felt like crap on the bench. I have no influence, I can say what I think and you can not put a chop. My influence to begin with was low. Someone was hoping that I would shine in some game. It doesn’t happen for five games “.
