"The biggest fear of Hapoel Tel Aviv - that the games will return to Israel"
The members of "Double Dribble" discussed the crowded roster of the Reds and the resentment that might arise. Elad Hoffman raised an interesting theory regarding the team's strategy. Watch the full episode.
In the latest episode of "Double Dribble", the panel members - Dror Hoffman, Roi Zuckerman, and Elad Hoffman - discussed the crowded roster of Hapoel Tel Aviv and the potential resentment from players who will not see much court time. The discussion began with the somewhat surprising addition of Freddy Bourdillon.
"I look at the roster, where does he fit in?" said former player Elad Hoffman. "Where does he play? It's not very clear. Never mind that you have a naturalized player, Toppin, who is also at the 3-4 position. And you have another naturalized player, Kadin... I tell you with certainty, he will not complain about anything, but no, I don't think he will play for Hapoel Tel Aviv."
Roi Zuckerman: "I want to ask you, Elad - listen, you were a player. In the first year, you can justify it to yourself by saying, 'I'm not playing, but the money is amazing. I haven't earned such sums in my career, it doesn't matter.' What do you tell yourself in the second year? Can you hold on to the same excuse?"
Elad Hoffman replied:
"There is a difference between the first and second year. In the first year, even when they tell you 'you won't play, keep that in mind,' you say 'everything is fine, but I will play.' In the second year, you come with the awareness that you already haven't played. The illusion is gone. It's for better and for worse. For the better, it means you are not supposed to make faces; your expectations are not high. For the worse, it means a player with less motivation, who is just passing the time during practices."
"I didn't understand it last year and I don't understand it this year, how it can be managed. I think Itoudis managed it successfully overall. The question is this: will the Israelis be able to bear it this year, or will other issues arise at Hapoel Tel Aviv? Maybe that's why they are disconnecting them? They say, 'Listen, we will travel around Europe and you will be in the country with your families, earn money, everything is fine.'
"The main thing we see from this whole move by Hapoel Tel Aviv - and it's unbelievable - is that their biggest fear is that the games will return to the country. We saw it a little bit with Satoransky, but it's about all of Hapoel. Maybe there is also a financial aspect here, tax issues, or salary structures, where it's cheaper to operate abroad than in the country... all these things add up. It's frustrating."
