Brezec saga

[Alyosha12]

What do you guys think who is right and who is telling the truth?

IMO Brezec is telling the truth.
Judging by the fact that our federation is incompetent and actually thinks that every player should volunteer to play instead of being invited.
They think that inviting a player to join is equal to begging them to come.

I think its obvious whats going on here, Pipan had no interest in Brezec so he didn't return his calls, Brezec was pissed so as every one of us would be and said he wont play, and now that we need him he is long gone.

I really hope we get some competent people to take over our federation but i don't think that will happen.

I really get annoyed when people judge these players who are treated like crap by our federation and coaching staff and then they just think they will turn the other cheek and still play for our NT.

IMO you need to respect every player you invite to join your NT not just send them a piece of paper to fill in and then come running when the coach says he needs them.

Ofcourse a player like Drobnjak will jump at the opportunity to play for the Slo NT because if he makes it he will have a bigger price on the market just for getting into such a NT.

Players like Smodis, Udrih Brezec really don't need the NT for that, if they come they always come because they want to not because they need to like Drobnjak or the younger players.

So if our organization will keep treating our players like crap they wont want to come its as easy as that.

We will never ever have a full roster just because IMO our organization sees that 3 or 4 players already say they will come, and then they think we don't really need the other players so they don't make an effort at all to invite them.

And man do i hate the we don't need them argument.
I mean how the fawk do we not need them, as if we won the gold with the team we had a year ago.
If we had won the gold then we obviously wouldn't need them but as long as we are not the best team we need them.
The 7th or 6th place is not an achievement how do people not get that.
As long as we don't win a medal we need every single player who is not with us.
And if they can't play together then we need a coach who will be able to convince them, non of that if they want to play they will come crap, who thinks like that FFS?

We need all of our best players to bring our best team, our 3rd best team just wont cut it.

[cheezdoodle]

what is the saga?

[Alyosha12]

Well the saga goes like this:

In the middle of the season Brezec said he would play for our NT, he was selected into the 24 candidates or what ever those were.

Then Pipan didn't choose him and said Brezec didn't want to play.

Then Brezec responded that he did want to play and called Pipan a few times but he didn't call him back.

Then Pipan responded and said that Brezec tolled our NT GM that he didn't want to come, so he didn't invite him.

Then Pipan said that Brezec did indeed call him 3 times on skype but Pipan missed him and when he tried to call hom back Brezec already said he didn't want to play to our NT GM.

Then Brezec said that those are lies that He called him on his Polish number, he called him on his slovenian number he called him on skype and nothing.
So latter he got an application form of some sort from our NT he needed to fill out, so he called our NT GM and said he is not signing anything until he talks to the coach and that he tried to call him, he sais he never said he doesn't want to play for our NT.

Oh and Pipan tried to call him a week ago when Smodis and Vidmar got injured but Brezec was on vacation and didn't have his phone with him the whole day, when he came back and garbed his phone he saw a few calls from Pipan, he sent him an SMS and told him he wont offer himself and that if he needs him he should call him.

Pipan never called back.

So that is the saga until now, i got my popcorn and am eagerly waiting what will happen next

[elaj]

what is the saga?

NT coach Pipan and Brezec had some misunderstandings.

Some quotes from coach Pipan: "Brezec said that he doesn't want to play for national team and he asked our GM of NT that he doesn't want any invites. For me the story ends here. I won't beg anyone, force... only players who want to play will play."

"We didn't talk. Two or three times I saw at Skype that Brezec called me, but soon after that I read on the news that he is cancelling his participation with NT and he'll decline the invitations."

Some quotes from Brezec: "I truly don't want to expose myself or put myself in position to blame someone in the media, but it hurts me when I am hearing all these lies. I won't allow this."

"In October I spoke with my doctor and then I wanted to talk about my role and medical condition also with Pipan. His mobile phone in Poland, Slovenian phone, mobile, Skype... he didn't anwser me and also he didn't call me back. Then Avanzo sent me somekind of application in which I would write all kinds of informations, I told him that I tried calling Pipan but he didn't anwser and I also added "I won't play for NT untill I talk with the coach about it". I never said that I won't play for NT. It hurts me when I am hearing all these lies."

After Smodiš and Vidmar got injured, Pipan again called Brezec, but this time he didn't anwser and he said about this: "Because I am on vacations I don't carry my cell phone all the time in my hand. I saw in the evening a lot of unreplied calls and I also saw that Pipan called me. I heard also the news about Vidmar and Smodiš, so I sent him a sms saying: "I won't be offering myself to play, if you need me, call me." I was truly prepared to cancel my vacations and go to practise camp with the guys, but Pipan didn't call me."

At the end Brezec added: "I will return to the national team [someday when Pipan won't be our NT coach anymore]. I wish the guys the best of luck at the pre-Olympic tournament and I really hope they can qualify for the Olympic Games."

[Srle]

How many games he played last sesaon anyway. Your are better without him.

[Alyosha12]

How many games he played last sesaon anyway. Your are better without him.

Having only Rašo or even before Vidmars injury is no where near better.

Sure Brezec wouldn't have been as effective as a few years back but he would still be a hell of a sub in for Rašo, with both of them getting 20mins we would be fierce at C.

[Joško Poljak Fan]

Brezec is a defensive hole under the rim even for european standards, but if a guy as Papadopoulos can become a force in the paint on this level, Brezec can do just as well while mosthonestly I think he can do much better...

the whole issue doesn't surprise me at all... it's more like it angers me... it's like two children in the sandbox crying out loud about their wet pants.
The fact that Slovenia HAD an amazing generation that won't play together one single time truly annoys me...

imagine:
C: Rašo, Brezec
PF: Smodiš, E.Lorbek, Slokar
SF: Nachbar, Jagodnik
SG: Bečirovič, Vujačič
PG: Udrih, Lakovič, Dragič

and yet that'll never happen eventhough Repeša's words about this being potentialy the strongest NT in europe aren't all that far from the truth (if there wasn't for Spain)

...all i am waiting for is to get to see those sskeleton's falling out of Vujačič's closet.

Krump and the rest in charge should be gone a long time ago...

[Alyosha12]

imagine:
C: Rašo, Brezec
PF: Smodiš, E.Lorbek, Slokar
SF: Nachbar, Jagodnik
SG: Bečirovič, Vujačič
PG: Udrih, Lakovič, Dragič

Its so sad to think of the possibilities.

[zwbgr]

Guys, we still have chance to bring all this guys together but apparently without Rasho, wo is retiring. Probably Lakovic and smodis will retire in 3 years too. But 4 years from now we can still have this team:

PG: Beno Udrih, Goran Dragic, Nebojsa Joksimovic
SG: Saša Vujacic, Sani Becirovic, Jaka Klobucar
SF: Bostjan Nachbar, Emir Preldzic, Domen Lorbek
PF: Erazem Lorbek, Uros Slokar
C: Primoz Brezec, Gasper Vidmar

I think that would be one of the best team in Europe with very experienced guys and some young guys coming to the peak of their careers. And i don't think this guys have burden of conflicts on them. Yet.

But firstly, those in charge should chage. Krump already redigned, new step is to find a coach, who will be able to bring all this guys together on all actions in next 4, 5 years.

[Alyosha12]

Guys, we still have chance to bring all this guys together but apparently without Rasho, wo is retiring. Probably Lakovic and smodis will retire in 3 years too. But 4 years from now we can still have this team:

PG: Beno Udrih, Goran Dragic, Nebojsa Joksimovic
SG: Saša Vujacic, Sani Becirovic, Jaka Klobucar
SF: Bostjan Nachbar, Emir Preldzic, Domen Lorbek
PF: Erazem Lorbek, Uros Slokar
C: Primoz Brezec, Gasper Vidmar

I think that would be one of the best team in Europe with very experienced guys and some young guys coming to the peak of their careers. And i don't think this guys have burden of conflicts on them. Yet.

But firstly, those in charge should chage. Krump already redigned, new step is to find a coach, who will be able to bring all this guys together on all actions in next 4, 5 years.

With the guys running the show at the moment i just don't see that happening.

what really pi$$es me off is the media reporting on our NT, who never ever say anything bad about our NT, may be from time to time, and even that they say between the lines, they never atack our federation head on.

[Joško Poljak Fan]

It's either because majority of reporters are dead-football fans that couldn't feel happier for competition (basketball/handball/hockey) going bad, or because the bball reporters either aren't loud enough or feel they've already said it all...

[zwbgr]

It's because there's only few basketball reporters in Slovenia and they don't want to have conflicts with players and coaches.

[Alyosha12]

It's because there's only few basketball reporters in Slovenia and they don't want to have conflicts with players and coaches.

Yeah its that, and a reporter being scared to tell the truth because he doesn't want to get in to a fight with a coach or a player is the saddest thing ever.

[Killerbee]

Only Tanjevic as head coach of our NT can bring all of our players together. Slovenian coaches are to exposed to lobbies and the media and they can not hava any authority over players. Except if they throw out half of the team like Pipan did

Looking at foreign coaches only Tanjevic has the knowledge of SLO bball (look at Vidmar and Preldžić in Fener) and also he has authority on basis of respect from players.

But our federation is bunch of "old school managers" that think they have the right to lifetime job in organization even if they sit on their asses all day long and do nothing So I highly doubt Tanjevic is realistic possibility.

[Alyosha12]

Only Tanjevic as head coach of our NT can bring all of our players together. Slovenian coaches are to exposed to lobbies and the media and they can not hava any authority over players. Except if they throw out half of the team like Pipan did

Looking at foreign coaches only Tanjevic has the knowledge of SLO bball (look at Vidmar and Preldžić in Fener) and also he has authority on basis of respect from players.

But our federation is bunch of "old school managers" that think they have the right to lifetime job in organization even if they sit on their asses all day long and do nothing So I highly doubt Tanjevic is realistic possibility.

What really makes me sick is when they declare a 7th or 6th place a complete success.

But what really took the cake was when we placed 12th in Japan and they said we are a small country and should be happy we qualified, i was dumbfounded at that moment i couldn't believe what i was hearing.