SRB - Kapicic fumes over latest withdrawals from Serbia squad

BELGRADE (EuroBasket 2007) - Serbian basketball supremo Dragan Kapicic has launched a stinging rebuke of Kosta Perovic and Zoran Erceg after the duo's withdrawal from the national squad.

Perovic wants to focus on his rookie campaign with the Golden State Warriors while Erceg says he needs to have his tonsils removed next week and isn't able to fully commit to the preparation period.

"This is not a catastrophe," Kapicic said. "But this is a shame.

"It's some kind of obstruction of our association, of our national team, but also a message to our state.

Some of those individuals have publicly said to their people: 'We don't care about you, or your needs'.

The 2.17m center Perovic, who is only 22 but has already won five domestic titles with Partizan Belgrade, is close to finalising a multi-year deal with the Warriors, the team that chose him in the second round of last year's draft.

"If I want to play basketball at the highest level, I have to make some important decisions for my career," Perovic said.

"I've informed coach Slavnic about everything."

FMP guard Erceg, meanwhile, who averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in the Serbian championship, said: "I'd planned that surgery last year, but simply never found a time for it.

"It seems like Slavnic was the only person that wasn't aware of that. I've played all season while using antibiotics all the time.

"If I don't do this now, my condition will get worse. I have to take a break of one month, but Slavnic was going to allow me to be absent for just two weeks."

Injury problems have knocked out NBA foursome Peja Stojakovic, Vladimir Radmanovic, Nenad Krstic and Mile Ilic, as well as European-based Dejan Milojevic, Vule Avdalovic, Igor Rakocevic and Milos Vujanic.

Kapicic was seething in his assessment of Perovic and Erceg.

"Of course, I'm not talking about the players who are truly injured," he said.

"But, at this moment, I'm not important, nor is our association.

"It is a shameful attitude to our nation. We are in a situation that, almost, players could easily say, 'Well... if I don't go with my girlfriend to the movie, I think I'll be available for the national team'.

"That's a huge impact on our state, on our sport, on a single thing that was holy for us all these years.

"I can't understand how someone who didn't even play for the national team (Erceg) - refuses to play for it," Kapicic said."

Yugoslavia has always been among the most powerful nations in European basketball, though they have captured no awards since winning the 2002 FIBA World Championship.

Slavnic was calm when discussing Perovic.

"Perovic called me by phone and said he won't be there," Slavnic said.

"I was surprised by that, as he could have said that to me earlier, before I shortened the list from 32 to just 18 players.

"In that case, I wouldn't have put him on the shortened list.

"But, he's a nice guy. His delicacy disarmed me."

Asked if he had a replacement in mind for Perovic, a reserve in last year's FIBA World Championship squad in Japan, Serbia's coach said: "Yes, I have a 'joker'.

He bristled when asked about Erceg, however.

"Erceg? He won't be there, either. The guy just decided to have his tonsils removed. Well, I will take him to an ice cream shop in Granada (where Serbia will play in Group A)."

Darko Nikolic
FIBA