Stefanos Dedas admitted that the expectations are high and promised to be within fighting distance of all three possible titles. He addressed the critics and hoped the team's play would silence them in the end.
Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv brought in a number of big names for the upcoming season in the EuroCup and the Israeli Winner League. The team's head coach, Stefanos Dedas, admitted that all the eyes are on them to win and to win big.
In an interview with Rif Gross from ONE, Dedas addressed the increased expectations after the Israeli club signed Patrick Beverley, Johnathan Motley, and Bruno Caboclo, among others.
"It will be a tough season. We have a lot of haters, a lot of jealous people, a lot of jealous coaches, jealous managers," he said. "They'll try to say, 'Oh, money doesn't play basketball' and things like that at every opportunity they get. There will be very difficult moments. We have to beat the haters, and we will beat them.
"Even when we beat smaller teams by five, they will say, 'How come only by five?'. We won't enjoy a lot of moments, but in the end, we'll be happy. Real Madrid was the best team in Europe and they lost 15 games last year, do you know what will happen if I lose 15 games? We need to be together during difficult moments."
The organization's budget has been significantly increased after the franchise was acquired by businessman Ofer Yannay last summer. Before the season began, the Hapeol players' salaries were published, and quite a few of them matched or even surpassed the likes of what the Israeli EuroLeague counterpart, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, dished out this offseason.
"We are not magicians, and it doesn't matter how much money the players make," Dedas said. "There will be many difficult moments because the expectations are high, but we will show our quality. All the fans, the management, and the team will remain united, so in the end, we will create the final picture."
With the player arrivals, Hapoel supporters and basketball fans alike are expecting the club to have a real shot at winning the Israeli Winner League for the first time since 1969. Additionally, Hapoel are being viewed as the favorites to win the EuroCup and go to the EuroLeague the next season.
"If I say we need to win all three titles, they will say I'm arrogant. If I say, 'Let's try to be competitive, let's fight, let's see,' they'll say I'm a coward. I'm not afraid, and I'm not arrogant," Dedas said. "We'll be in the final four in all competitions, we'll be a real step away from the titles. From there, I don't know how it will go. The goal is to be within the touching distance of the titles.
"And then it really depends on the day, depends on many things, but it's far away. We need to understand that there will be ups and downs during the season, not to doubt our work, and understand that our path is good, to understand that we'll be there in March. Titles will be decided in the spring, and we will be there. No one wins the titles in December."
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