Zeljko Obradovic "doesn't know". And that is a rare case. The most decorated European coach either knows, or gives the impression that he knows, how to get out of difficult situations.
But, after the defeat against Panathinaikos, he openly said for the first time that he did not know what was happening and how to get out of the desperate start of the Euroleague in which Partizan they are at the bottom of the table with a score of 4-9.
Partizan, to which Željko Obradović returned in the summer of 2021, was not a club that a coach of such caliber would reach under some objective circumstances. In the years after the departure of Duško Vujošević in 2015, the most trophy-winning Serbian basketball club has been dealing with problems on all fronts, from the playing staff to huge debts.
But when it comes to Partizan and Željko Obradović, things cannot be interpreted only objectively.
After the European title with Partizan in his "rookie" season as a coach, in the eyes of the gravedigger (and not only the gravedigger), he forever secured the status of a legend. And then with other clubs in the next 28 years, he did the same eight more times and practically became a "god" in basketball circles. And when we talk about gods, there is no reason.
"For me, the decision was easy," he said at the first conference of his second term on the Partizan bench. And everything about the then unfortunate Partizan went somewhat "easy" from that moment on.
Partisan revival under Željko
The return of the nine-time European champion was celebrated by the entire Partizan community, from players to fans. The initial enthusiasm proved to be justified. Žoc not only brought new energy and awakened old memories, but Partizan also started to improve in terms of results.
All this coincided with some good management maneuvers and a better financial situation. Partizan returned to the Euroleague, European level players started coming to the club again. The arena was filling up, and the season tickets were on fire. Not only was Partizan reborn, but in the 2022/23 season it played in the top eight and was within reach of the final tournament. Obradović justified the status of a black and white god.
Where it got stuck
Things started to change during the last season. The roster, which almost took the club to the top four, began to shrink, Panther, Lesor, Exum and other backbones of the team left one after the other.
Partizan finished in 12th place with a negative score, which, considering the increased ambitions, was judged as a failure.
Compensation came in the form of a title in the regional ABA league, so Željko Obradović's authority among gravediggers remained intact.
0:25
However, the games of black and white in Europe this season for the first time raised some doubts. Out of the last eight games, Partizan won only one, and the ones they lost, they almost always lost in the same way, which is a sign that something is not right in the organization of the game.
The loss to Panathinaikos was a classic example of that. Partizan entered the game well and won the first quarter with a score of 31 to 27. In the absence of Karlik Jones, whose return the black and whites are waiting for like a cold sun, it seemed as if Sterling Brown would be the main player in this game. However, although he scored 14 points in the first quarter, he only added two more by the end of the game.
In the third quarter, Partizan practically lost all hope. Nan flew around the field and led Panata's 25:0 run, while Željko Obradović sat on the bench and silently watched.
Partizan scored only six points in that part of the game, and less in the entire second half than in the first quarter. In the end, the score was 91:69 for the hosts, and the guests were in 18th place in the Euroleague standings after the game.
Reactions
For some time now, and especially since last night, there have been debates on the networks about what is wrong with Partizan, what it should do and what is the role of Željko Obradović in this.
Former Partizan player, member of the famous generation that became the champion of Europe, Nikola Lončar, says that there are some milder solutions than changing the coach.
"I don't think that one or the other should be forced, but to change the rotation. Some tactical ideas. To change the position of some players, to make the approach better, to do things differently. They have 10 days until the next game, maybe they will get fewer days off," he told Sportal.
"I don't know"
Even the coach himself did not have an explanation for how the black hole happened again in Partizan's game - this time blacker than in the previous matches.
"The same players scored 31 points in the first half, and six in the third. The same people played. How to explain that? It's very difficult," said Željko Obradović at the press conference after the match in Athens.
He added that his team played two different halves.
"We scored in the first quarter, and after that I think we shot 0/17 for three. What is the reason for that? Some were open shots, some were bad. Honestly, I don't know what the reason is. I don't know," said Obradovic.
That "I don't know" is also the best answer to the question of why Partizan fell into the results abyss in the last month.
In the last five games, Partizan allowed the opponent a total of 99:2 series in empty minutes. He managed to survive those black holes only in a magical way against Monaco, where he spilled twenty plus points in five minutes.
"Something is rotten" in the Partizan team, and this is shown not only by nervousness on the field and despondency at conferences, but also by the mood of the fans whom Obradović managed to bring back to the Arena after many years, and who now slowly began to lose faith in the deity whose authority was not to be touched until recently.
BLACK WEEK: Twenty percent discount on all subscriptions until the end of November! Subscribe to digital edition, printed "Vreme", better newsletter Interval plus or support our podcast with any amount
