Ibrahim Kutluay blasts Ataman: 'He likes to create polemics when things go wrong' / News - Basketnews.com

Ibrahim Kutluay uttered strong criticism against Turkey NT coach Ergin Ataman for the statements he made during the recent EuroBasket.

Credit: REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze; Vangelis Stolis Credit REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze; Vangelis Stolis

İbrahim Kutluay responded to what Ergin Ataman said during EuroBasket 2022.

The retired player, who participated in a broadcast on the Socrates Magazine Youtube channel, talked about the tension created between him and Ergin Ataman, the head coach of the Turkish National Team.

After Turkey lost to Georgia in the group stage in Tblisi, Kutluay said, "Isn't there a brave player in this team who can beat Georgia?"

Ergin Ataman also made a statement saying, 'I condemn the fact that some famous former basketball players in Turkey watch the games in high-society clubs and accuse these guys of being heartless."

İbrahim Kutluay stated that he preferred not to give any answer because the games were still being played at that time, but he revisited Ataman's comments and replied.

"Of course, Ergin Ataman likes to take different paths and create polemics when things go wrong. There's stuff like this before. Frankly, I didn't mind too much. In this way, he brought the team together," the 2002 EuroLeague champ said.

"After the first game, he said he was ashamed of the big guys' performance. Normally, a commentator can say that, but not the coach. In that case, you're going to lose the player.

It's normal, a coach can do that, but he strayed off the field and used the phrase 'players who have accomplished nothing together'. I have never argued with any player in my 15-20 years of career in the national team," Kutluay continued.

"However, the people that Ergin Ataman mentioned are sitting next to him. One is the federation president, the other is his assistant coach, the other is his best friend. They were always fighting.

For example, we lost the match against Brazil by 13 points in the [2006] World Cup because Hidayet [Turkoglu] and Mirsad [Turkcan] got into a fight in the locker room. When you say something, you have to underline it. Let me show you who I'm fighting with."

İbrahim Kutluay also spoke about various topics, such as players undertaking different roles in their NBA teams and while with Turkey.

"We want 20-25 points in the national team from Cedi Osman and Furkan Korkmaz, we want 7-8 rebounds, we want them to win the game. However, the expectations from them in the NBA are very different. They have a certain role there. It's not happening, it's not easy to score points in Europe."

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