“I just didn’t feel it”
DBB captain strengthens against teammates
07/16/2023 4:57 p.m
Maximilian Kleber missed the European Championships, where Germany sensationally won bronze. Now the basketball player wants to be there at the World Cup – and is in the provisional squad. Dennis Schröder doesn’t like that, the captain takes the liberty of taking a dig.
National basketball team captain Dennis Schröder has publicly criticized his teammate Maximilian Kleber with regard to the nomination for the final World Cup squad. “Not to step on Maxi’s toes, but Maxi wasn’t there last year. If you didn’t commit yourself – that was actually the message for all of us – then you won’t be there next year either,” said the Toronto Raptors playmaker on the Got Next podcast.
Kleber, who is also active in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, missed the European Championship last year. The 31-year-old struggled with a knee injury during the NBA season. He is now in the extended squad of 18 for the World Cup in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines (August 25 to September 10), which will be reduced to 12 players during the preparation for the World Cup starting on July 31 by national coach Gordon Herbert be reduced.
In his criticism, Schröder went into the justification for Kleber’s EM cancellation: “If he says I’ll sign my contract this summer and I want to be with the team so I can get more money, then I understand that. But if you say to Gordon Herbert: I’m Maxi, and I want to practice ball handling and work on my game this summer – Maxi, sorry, but you don’t have a game. You throw in the corner, you defend. You’re a pick and roll “Player. You’re not a Carmelo Anthony. You don’t need to work on your game. The older you get, you see what your strengths are. And you try so hard to maximize that you stay in the NBA for as long as possible can play.”
Schröder also added: “For me it’s like this: So Maxi, work on your game, you can’t play Natio for that? That bothered me a bit, I have to be honest. I just didn’t feel that. I’m always a straight, straight guy.”
Schröder had previously advocated a World Cup nomination for Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann from the Hamburg Towers, who had won bronze with the team in 2022. “I would think it would be cool if the federation said: The guy was there last year, committed himself and is now being rewarded because he was there last year,” said Schröder.