“Thank you,” Ibon Navarro said with a smile and a hint of irony when he finally got a question about the game against Dubai before Crvena Zvezda’s trip to the United Arab Emirates.
Navarro probably should not have been surprised, considering how many other topics have surrounded Zvezda lately: Jonathan Motley’s injury and the shortage at center, followed by a stunning ABA League loss to FMP Železnik.
“The same as before – we keep going with the process,” Navarro said when asked how Zvezda had used the days following the FMP defeat.
When it was put to him that his team’s approach had been particularly poor in that game, Navarro replied:
“The approach wasn’t the best, but there are other things we have to do much better. OK, five of the 12 players weren’t in rhythm. That can happen. But the other players have to maintain the basics and the standards, and we didn’t do that.”
After losing two of their first three EuroLeague games at home, Zvezda should be hungry for wins. Any wins.
Instead, against FMP, their energy was closer to that of a hard practice for most of the game, culminating in the final seconds. Jordan Nwora hit a three to cut the deficit to one with seven seconds remaining – and Zvezda did not even manage to foul before time expired.
One Center Left
Zvezda’s biggest problems right now are at center, and Motley’s injury has only made them worse. He is expected to miss at least another three to four weeks.
Vojin Medarević is not a realistic option for significant EuroLeague minutes, leaving Zvezda with only one traditional center – Ebuka Izundu, who has also struggled at the start of the season.
“Izundu started last season as the third big man,” Navarro said. “Then, thanks to some excellent performances, he became the second one. But now the situation is completely different. Now he is the main center, and that’s not easy to handle.”
Navarro confirmed that Zvezda are looking at their options.
“The club is on the market. I think every EuroLeague club is always on the market.”
Small Ball Is No Longer Just an Option
Last season, Saša Obradović was criticized for using small-ball lineups with Semi Ojeleye and Chima Moneke.
Navarro has already turned to the same idea during the first three EuroLeague rounds, even using Jordan Nwora at the four for stretches.
“I’m not going to tell you that now,” the Zvezda coach said when asked exactly what his team gains by going small.
If nothing else, he now has more options for that kind of basketball.
“It’s not just those two [Ojeleye and Moneke]. We also have Deki [Davidovac] and [Patrick] Baldwin. We have to find a way to play without our main big man. We’re definitely going to have certain disadvantages, but I think we’ll also have advantages that we have to know how to use.”
Dubai have one of the deepest frontcourts in the EuroLeague, with Tornike Shengelia, Filip Petrušev, Mfiondu Kabengele and Mamadi Diakite.
“They have everything they need to be among the top four, even the top two teams in the EuroLeague,” Navarro said.
Rebounding as a Way to Run
Against that kind of size, rebounding will inevitably be one of the keys.
“Rebounding will be very important. Not because they score a lot of second-chance points – actually, they shoot at very good percentages, so they don’t even need that. But for us, rebounding will be a way to keep playing at the fastest pace in the EuroLeague – and to control the game.”
Dubai opened the season with wins over Real Madrid and Barcelona before losing a physical game to Fenerbahçe in Istanbul.
Zvezda enter this one as clear underdogs, something that does not happen to them particularly often in the EuroLeague.
But if the EuroLeague has taught us anything over the years, it is that nothing should really surprise us anymore.
First, Navarro’s team need to show the right energy, desire and effort. Then, they need to show progress in their basketball.
If they can do both, then perhaps they can start thinking about a win.
