Players and coaches have the power to shape FIBA-EuroLeague dispute / News - Basketnews.com

Players and coaches keep protesting about the ongoing FIBA-EuroLeague feud that often prevents them from joining their national teams. Are they just pawns in the hands of others, or do they have their own share of responsibility?

Credit: FIBA; Giuseppe Cottini/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit FIBA; Giuseppe Cottini/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Some days ago, Gianmarco Pozzecco pointed out the obvious. "I want to see Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo at the World Cup. With these rules, it is not certain that we'll have the stars there," the Italian NT coach said.

The FIBA Qualifying windows have become a thing in 2017 and haven't created more space in an already hectic calendar; they've just squeezed the existing one to an unprecedented degree.

With the exception of the summer period, where the FIBA qualifiers take place during the season break, EuroLeague and national team fixtures coincide several times. FIBA confirmed its new calendar without counting on the EuroLeague expanded schedule that now includes 18 teams and a minimum total of 34 games for each participant.

In April 2014, the late FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumanncalled the World Cup"the culmination of a two-year qualification process that promises to be a winning combination for players, supporters, and hosts."

Unfortunately, the combination is anything but winning. The list can go on and on:

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