Ibrahim Kutluay sides with Ataman and Efes on Turkish players' practice regime / News - Basketnews.com

Ibrahim Kutluay agrees with Ergin Ataman that players who didn't travel with Efes during the EuroLeague double week should practice with higher intensity.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis; FIBA Credit Vangelis Stolis; FIBA

Some days ago, the EuroLeague fined Anadolu Efes Istanbul€20,000 for not complying with the players' agreement during the double round.

Ibrahim Kutluay

Position:SG, SFAge:48Height:198 cmWeight:89 kgBirth place:TurkeyProfileNewsStatistics

In that case, Efes decided to leave some domestic players in Istanbul for intense workouts after Ataman said they weren't contributing as he expected in Turkish BSL games. The same players didn't follow the rest of the squad in Italy, where the EuroLeague champs recorded two wins over Armani Milan and Virtus Bologna two weeks ago.

That violated Clause 13 of the EuroLeague Framework Agreement between the league and the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA):

The second daily basketball practice is not allowed when the team has two or more official games per week. In case of fewer than two games per week, a second daily basketball practice may only take place once a week.

Head coachErgin Atamancriticized the decision after a Turkish Basketball League (BSL) game.

"Only players who are out of shape need to work harder. This is the rule of the sport. Athletes cannot keep their form without practicing," the Turkish coach said.

"The players that didn't play in the EuroLeague this week were kept in Istanbul and followed an intense training program."

"However, there are those who are disturbed by it. Especially the EuroLeague Players Association was very disturbed. They opened an investigation against us for keeping these players here," Ataman pointed out.

But Ataman's statement wasn't entirely accurate, as the ELPA wasn't the one who opened the investigation on Efes for breaching the EFA.

The process is clear: Players turn to ELPA, which has the right to report the breach to EuroLeague, and they lead the process from that point on.

3-pointers this season

39%10,3Points made:10,3Accuracy:38,8%Place in standings:3Record max:15Record min:5Most made 3FGs:Will ClyburnTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

İbrahim Kutluay, who has often disagreed with Ataman, took the Turkish tactician's side in this case.

The retired player, who participated in a broadcast on the Socrates Magazine Youtube channel, talked about the case and ELPA's reaction.

"There are two aspects here," Kutluay initially said.

"first of all, you can't put the players who are not getting minutes, who are not in the squad, in the same place with the players who are playing or getting minutes. There is a mistake here," he went on to say.

"Why is the players' union doing this?" he asked. "Because the calendar is very tight, with double games in some weeks and local leagues, they are doing something like this to protect the players at the players' request," Kutluay answered the question himself.

"It's understandable that players who play a lot, more than 30 minutes and 3 or 4 games a week, such as [Will] Clyburn, [Vasilije] Micic, or [Scottie] Wilbekin and [Marko] Guduric in Fenerbahce, can have a double-practice once. This rule exists in the NBA as well," Kutluay pointed out.

"But if you're not playing in a game, you're not traveling and staying in Istanbul? I'm trying to understand the logic of objecting to double practice. A player can improve by practicing his skills. Because, in my opinion, a player who's not playing should practice," the 2002 EuroLeague champion argued.

"There is a contradiction there," Kutluay noted. "Why? I don't understand how players who stayed in Istanbul can be treated like Micic or Clyburn, who played 38 minutes, and then complain that they had double practices."

The 48-year-old Turkish former shooting guard said he agrees with Ergin Ataman here.

"I think he's right. Because the players are already complaining that they can't play, they can't get game time. And when they do get playing time, they don't perform well. They also complain about practice. How will you develop and play?" he wondered.

"I think this complaint is unreasonable," Kutluay continued before referring to the Players' Union.

"Plus, I don't understand how the ELPA can penalize such a situation. You can't. If you put a double practice for a player like Micic or Clyburn, who play for around 30 minutes, then the club can be penalized.

But you can't put Bugrahan Tuncer and Micic in the same category. How can you put Clyburn and Dogus Balbay on the same platform?" he asked again.

"Players must want to have practice. They have to say, 'I want to improve, I want to play more.' They should be willing to train themselves. It doesn't make sense for Anadolu Efes to be penalized," Kutluay concluded.

Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.