Shane Larkin names main difference between Ergin Ataman and Erdem Can / News - Basketnews.com

Larkin said that Ataman does things his own way and doesn't like to change while Can listens to what the players have to say and is willing to implement modifications.

Credit: REUTERS/Sergio Perez - Scanpix Credit REUTERS/Sergio Perez - Scanpix

Anadolu Efes Istanbul's star guard Shane Larkin spent the last five seasons playing for coach Ergin Ataman. With the Turkish specialist moving to Panathinaikos Athens, he will now play under Erdem Can.

Shane Larkin

Position:PGAge:30Height:182 cmWeight:80 kgBirth place:Cincinati, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Larkin won two EuroLeague titles with Ataman, he was one of the longest-tenured players on the roster. With Can coming in to replace Ataman, Larking compared the two coaches and named the main difference between them.

"Ataman is a very old-school coach in terms of 'This is what we're gonna do and this is how we're gonna do it'. There's going to be some disagreements but at the end of the day, I'm going to stick to what I know. The guy's had success so you can't really blame him," he told during the last URBONUS episode with Donatas Urbonas and Errick McCollum.

"I think the difference with Erdem Can is that he's trying to figure out exactly who he is as the head coach," Larkin said. "I think he has his ideas and his principles as to what he wants to implement but I think he's more open to talking to us players, communicating to us players, and seeing how they feel on the court, what's working for them, and just having more of a partnership."

The idea of him being equal with the players is very important in Can's philosophy, Larkin says. Contrary to Ataman's way of thinking, Can prefers to listen to the players' input.

"He always talks about having a partnership - 'I'm on the team with you guys, I'm not standing at the top pointing down and telling you guys what you have to do'. He says he's in a locker room with us, he's a teammate, and he wants you to feel that way, he wants you to feel like everyone can have open conversations with him," the player said.

"That will be the biggest difference between the Ataman and him. I think Coach Ataman is more set in his ways in what he likes and what he likes to do and what he believes in," Larkin explained. "I think Erdem Can is more open to different ideas and trying to see how it's going to fit with this team and how he wants to make it work being able to adapt and make changes along the way."

Larkin had his own disagreements with Ergin Ataman last season. After a crucial game in the EuroLeague, the star guard even lashed out on Twitter to express his frustration with being benched in the last minutes of the match.

He didn't get much of an explanation from Ataman himself either, Larkin reveals.

"Coach doesn't explain much to you about what he does. He does what he does and what he believes in is what he's going to do. For whatever reason during that game, he felt that not having me on the floor was what would give us the best chance to win," Larkin recalled.

"Like I said, Ataman is not the kind of guy that's going to come to you and explain to you why he did this. Often, he may do it very randomly, a one-off," the guard shared. "He's not the kind of coach that you're going to have an open dialogue with on a day-to-day basis as to what you're thinking, how you're feeling, or what your body is like.

It will be a maximum 45 [second to] one-minute conversations with him about 'How do you feel, how's your body, can you play?' And that will be it, or 'How do you feel? Do you want to come off the bench or do you want to start?' It's not a 10-15-minute conversation about what you're thinking, how we're going to approach this. It's not that, and he has his style, and he's had success with it."

Full URBONUS podcast with Shane Larkin:

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