Marko Guduric shares thoughts on Radonjic's work, Campazzo's situation / News - Basketnews.com

Marko Guduric talks to BasketNews about Fenerbahce's big win over Panathinaikos, his experience with Dejan Radonjic, a change in the EuroLeague format, and Facundo Campazzo's situation.

Credit: Roberto Finizio/Getty Images Credit Roberto Finizio/Getty Images

If Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul somehow managed to avoid losing the game to Panathinaikos in Athens on Tuesday night, Marko Guduric should probably take the most credit for it.

With the hosts leading 78-75 and 31 seconds left on the game clock, the Turkish champs had two options: they would either have to rely on their defense to prevent PAO from scoring and then have a chance at a 3-point shot, or they'd force a turnover.

When Paris Lee got the inbound pass, he found out there was nowhere to go. The American guard was stuck in the corner, while Nick Calathes and Nigel Hayes-Davis were blocking the view and his chances of dribbling.

Lee tried a pass full of risk that was intercepted by Marko Guduric. The Serbian forward had plenty of time and no opponent player to disturb him. So, he dribbled all the way to the 3-point line and unleashed the dagger that tied the game at 78.

Panathinaikos had two more chances to win the game in regulation, but Dwayne Bacon and Mateusz Ponitka misfired from close range. In overtime, Fenerbahce saw Nigel Hayes-Davis score another 10 points and got the win that snapped a five-game losing streak.

"It's a big win because we lost five games in a row," Marko Guduric confirmed to BasketNews almost half an hour after the final buzzer.

"It's huge! Especially in the way it came against a good team like Panathinaikos. I don't know if I ever won a game at OAKA. They almost broke the EuroLeague record for most offensive rebounds (26). They showed amazing energy and character, but we were a bit luckier in the end," the Serbian swingman admitted.

Guduric can't get off his head the way last year's showdown between the two sides had turned out. Fenerbahce were leading for the better part, but that wasn't enough.

With only 2.9 seconds remaining, Nemanja Nedovic earned an unsportsmanlike foul by Devin Booker as the American big man stopped the Serbian guard before he could reach Daryl Macon's inbound pass.

A few moments earlier, it was Guduric who tried to unlawfully contain Daryl Macon, thus conceding PAO two free throws and the possession that led to Booker's foul.

Now, the tables were turned, and Guduric couldn't be happier that he was the one to restore his team's hopes in what looked like a lost cause.

"Of course, I remember!" he exclaimed. "They called an unsportsmanlike foul on me. It was the same. We were up, and then they called two unsportsmanlike fouls. Maybe it's karma, I don't know if anyone believes in that."

"The game could have gone both ways, and I have to give credit to Panathinaikos. They really fought."

Guduric's return to OAKA gave him a chance to redeem himself for a bad decision late in last year's game, but it also evoked some comparisons - even by players who didn't witness certain feats first-hand.

"Fortunately, basketball gods were on our side, and the game went overtime, thanks to a huge play by Marko. Very Reggie Miller-esque. Great team win," Nigel Hayes-Davis said in the flash interview.

The American forward had a particular game in mind.

With the Indiana Pacers trailing 105-99 vs. the hosts New York Knicks with less than 20 seconds remaining in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Reggie Miller gave his team the lead by scoring eight points in nine seconds.

The prolific scorer, with the help of a steal, tied the game in just 5.5 seconds by hitting two quick three-pointers. Then, after the Knicks missed a pair of free throws, he completed his incredible run by knocking down two of his own.

But the calendar read May 7, 1995. Hayes-Davis was only five months old at the time, while Guduric had been born just 60 days before Miller's heroics.

Guduric was well-informed of his teammate's praise and comparison but admitted the obvious.

"I don't even know the year. I wasn't born," he said. "But I've seen those highlights. He scored one 3-pointer, then got the steal and hit another one. I remember that play."

However, even if Guduric had been born 10 or 15 years earlier, it's still highly unlikely that he would have watched the game live.

"When I was in Serbia, I couldn't watch NBA games," he admitted.

Things changed a bit once he moved to Memphis for the 2019-20 season, but not drastically. Like Luka Doncic, who recently said he's watching more EuroLeague than NBA games, Guduric couldn't steer away from European basketball while he was overseas.

"Of course, I watched more EuroLeague than NBA myself. Mostly Fenerbahce and Crvena Zvezda - and then, all the other games," he pointed out.

"But I also watched some NBA games because I was in the same time zone."

Being a EuroLeague fan and a player makes Guduric understand what coaches like Ettore Messina and Dimitris Itoudis have proposed - that the EuroLeague should consider hosting a play-in tournament to allow more teams to compete for the playoffs.

"That's what they're trying to do in the NBA. This season, EuroLeague is very competitive, and you can see there are at least 10 teams that are even. Eight is a small number. I would like to see more teams fighting for the playoffs," he concurred.

Guduric, 27, didn't stay in the States for long and returned to Fenerbahce on a multi-year deal in December 2020.

He averaged 3.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11 minutes of play over 44 games. Even for a rookie, not being on the court for a full quarter is something not to be taken lightly.

Guduric thinks that the influx of former EuroLeague players to the Old Continent, which culminated this season with the likes of Kevin Pangos, Pierria Henry, Luca Vildoza, Facundo Campazzo, and many others, doesn't point in a certain direction.

"It's on the individual," he said. "It's all about the situation, the system you're in. For instance, I think Vildoza can play in the NBA."

Guduric, a versatile guard-forward that can bring the ball up the court, shoot and create shots for others, concedes, "it's more difficult for guards to survive there. You don't have too many guys at 2.15 m. For me, the problem wasn't physicality or the speed of the game. It was some other things."

The Serbian international maintains that EuroLeague games are more physical than the NBA.

"There's more contact, and spacing's crowded,' he explained. "Of course, you have guys like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. But it's not physicality. It's up to the team and the coach to find a role for you."

Carving out a role at Fenerbahce hasn't been too hard for him. Guduric spent two full seasons in Turkey (2017-19). Now, in his fifth campaign with Fenerbahce, he's more productive than ever (13.1 points, 3.3 assists per game on 51.6% 3-point shooting, and a compelling 96.4% from the charity stripe).

It looks like under coach Dimitris Itoudis, he's playing his best basketball. The Greek coach served as Zeljko Obradovic's interpreter and assistant for 13 years (1999-2012) when both shared Panathinaikos' bench.

"I never had a coach who doesn't speak Serbian," he reflected.

"Talking in Serbian with Itoudis is good for me. It makes things easier for me to adjust, and he's also pretty close to Zeljko's philosophy. This is my fifth year in Fenerbahce and Itoudis is my fourth coach.

Basically, we change coaches every season. I hope I stay with coach Itoudis for as long as possible because I think we can build something special."

As a matter of fact, after Obradovic left Istanbul in 2020, Igor Kokoskov and Sasa Djordjevic stepped in but didn't last longer than one year.

"We have a huge fanbase and a lot of pressure. But if we stay together for the next couple of years, good things can happen," Guduric pointed out.

The former NBA player attributes Fenerbahce's losing streak that ended in Athens to injuries. Several players, including Johnathan Motley, Scottie Wilbekin, and himself, had to miss some games. Nemanja Bjelica is still to make his season debut.

Credit Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

But Itoudis isn't the only newcomer on the bench of a EuroLeague team. The same goes for Dejan Radonjic, the man who took PAO's reigns last summer.

The Greens underwent a drastic transformation that left some of their Greek players still standing. A team that has changed almost 80% of its main core can't get results overnight.

Radonjic's work has been in question for quite some time in Athens, as the Greeks keep losing games and - excluding their game vs. Fenerbahce - their performances are anything but encouraging for their fans.

Even though some argued that Panathinaikos took a step forward with the way they played against the Turkish side (and Guduric is definitely one of them), the payoff is very little compared to the painful losses suffered thus far.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

Guduric worked with Radonjic at Crvena Zvezda between 2015 and 2017, winning two ABA League trophies together. But now, Radonjic is testing himself away from Serbia, in a basketball culture that lacks patience. Moreover, his creation isn't showing any progress.

"I will tell you one thing, and I know this is a hot topic in Athens," Guduric responds.

"It was exactly the same thing when he came to Red Star. You can check this. It was in 2013, and many people didn't believe in him, but he ended up breaking so many records and became the most successful coach in Zvezda's history."

Guduric believes that all Radonjic needs is time.

"His system requires time and players who can perform the way he wants. I know they'll bounce back. They have a new team and a new coach, like us. I know it's not easy.

PAO are a big club. They got six EuroLeague titles and a lot of pressure from fans. Milan has two and three times the budget that Panathinaikos have, and they lost nine games in a row. This year's EuroLeague is crazy, it's super competitive. I just think the coach needs time,' he repeated.

Guduric thinks that right now, there isn't a team that doesn't have a chance to make the playoffs.

"You saw what happened in Red Star," he argued. "They were last, and now they're fighting for the playoffs. They brought good players also, but three games can make the difference between first and last place."

That's true, but Zvezda brought in Vildoza and Campazzo, plus coach Dusko Ivanovic who has proven to be the right man for the job.

"I talk to [Nemanja] Nedovic, [Ognjen] Dobric, [Luka] Mitrovic. They're enjoying it, they love the system. Everyone's happy and having fun. They all told me they're really surprised with coach Ivanovic," Guduric revealed.

The issue with Zvezda not being allowed to use Campazzo at least until March 1 has been one of the most talked-about around Europe lately.

"This situation is disturbing the entire club a little bit. They want him to play, he wants to play, and Vildoza's out right now."

Has Guduric joined the #FreeFacu movement that has taken over the Aleksandar Nikolic Hall and social media alike?

"We would all like to see him play. He's a great player, and EuroLeague deserves to have players like him. I hope that he'll be back soon. But I don't even know what has happened, and he can't play," Guduric concluded.

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