Dimitris Itoudis blasts EuroLeague and FIBA: 'What do they want?' / News - Basketnews.com

Dimitris Itoudis called the international basketball system unfair and noted that NBA players not coming should be talked about in the same way as the discourse currently is with the EuroLeague players.

Credit: dpa/picture-alliance - Scanpix Credit dpa/picture-alliance - Scanpix

Dimitris Itoudis is coaching both Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and the Greek national team this season. However, not all Greek players will be available for the specialist in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers window this weekend.

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Talking after the game, the coach concentrated his attention on the complicated international schedule that doesn't allow all the best competitors to participate in the national teams.

"Tomorrow, the national team will play a very important game but Panathinaikos are also playing an important EuroLeague game at the same time. They cannot give the players," Itoudis started off. "Olympiacos also have a game tonight. I don't know how it will go but still, it's a team that wants to keep their players fresh, and I understand them."

"The discussion should be about what FIBA and the EuroLeague want. What do they want? Do they want the best players to perform? Then they need to find a way to communicate better and to have the best players possible in the national teams," he explained.

Greece will compete against Latvia in a sold-out arena in Heraklion on Friday. On Monday, the team will travel to Mons to face Belgium.

"This year, we have four coaches if I'm not mistaken that are coaching both EuroLeague and national teams," Itoudis continued. "It's not easy. It's great that the Turkish league postponed some games, allowing players to go to the national team, we couldn't do that here in the Greek national team."

Itoudis, Kazys Maksvytis (Zalgiris Kaunas), Ergin Ataman (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), and Sergio Scariolo (Virtus Segafredo Bologna) are the four coaches that coach both in the EuroLeague and in FIBA windows. It is worth noting, though, that Maksvytis will be replaced by Kestutis Kemzura in the Lithuanian national team.

The Greek coach praised the work of his assistants in Greece but continued to talk about the difficulties in getting all the best players to come.

"I understand the coaching side of the Greek national team but national teams need players. I know FIBA also says that. Is this competition fair? That's not fair. It's not equal that we don't have the same standards," he explained.

"We have to discuss one thing - the whole pressure is on the EuroLeague teams, the whole pressure is on EuroLeague players, the whole pressure is on EuroLeague coaches. NBA? Talking about the NBA, it's granted that they cannot come, and they cannot come, but it's granted as being ok. What ok?"

Full Dimitris Itoudis press conference:

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