David Blatt, renowned basketball coach, spoke in an interview for Mozzartsport about the FIBA World Cup and compared European and NBA basketball.
Blatt, who served as a general consultant for the Canadian national team over the past three years, praised his collaboration with Canada’s head coach, Jordi Fernandez.
“I’m older than Jordi, so my experience with the national team, especially with Russia where I worked for seven years, can be useful. I am proud to say that our program has been successful so far, and I hope it will become sustainable so that Canada will always be among the world’s best,” said the 64-year-old expert.
He also added: “I sincerely hope that we will soon see Jordi successfully leading an NBA team on his own. He has done a lot while working in Denver and Sacramento. His time as an NBA head coach will come.”
Canada has emerged as one of the favorites for the top spot in this World Cup.
“Some of our team members have European experience. We have also undergone a long process of adaptation to FIBA rules because many players in this lineup are not accustomed to them. Tournaments like these are very good for team growth and gaining experience in a different sphere of basketball,” Blatt noted.
NBA basketball is quite different from European basketball and the type of basketball played in Manila and on international stages.
“European basketball is a different brand. I can’t say it’s better, but it’s different, cleaner, and more recognizable. The NBA world is beautiful and unique, a special league with so many top players and coaches, which makes it different from the rest of the world,” Blatt stated.
He continued: “NBA basketball is truly different, which is why this is a competition between two worlds: European or FIBA basketball on one side and the NBA on the other. Both worlds have special qualities. I can’t be objective. I worked in Europe for 30 years and only a few in the NBA, so you can guess which way my heart leans. We are very fortunate to have Jordi as the head coach because he comes from the European world, where he brings extensive experience. This way, he can blend styles.”
During his coaching career and as a player, David Blatt encountered Serbian basketball many times.
“Everyone knows that I am a big fan of Serbian basketball. You always had great coaches and players who came to the NBA and enriched it. I’m old enough to have experienced multiple levels of basketball, not just Serbian, but the entire region of former Yugoslavia, with a rich basketball history. Serbia has done a lot to advance basketball,” concluded the legendary coach.