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 Toni Kukoc to Leave Croatian Olympic Basketball Team
‘He is everything for our team, but we don’t have
Skansi acknowledged that Kukoc probably still will be Croatia’s top player in four years, but that doesn’t mean the coach will want the 6-foot-11 forward for the 2000 Games at Sydney, Australia.
"He is everything for our team," Skansi said. "But we don’t have so much contact with him anymore. He is in Croatia 10 or 15 days a year. This fact is important. We will try, during the tournament, to get him adjusted to the other guys."
Despite playing with a broken thumb on his shooting hand, Kukoc has had two fine games for Croatia. He had 33 points Saturday in a triple-overtime loss to Lithuania, and had 12 assists Monday against China. It was for that kind of all-around ability that Kukoc was named the NBA’s top nonstarter after helping the Bulls to a record-setting season in 1995-96.
Even after being coached by Phil Jackson for three years and playing alongside the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, "he is the same player," Skansi said. "He is now stronger because he is playing stronger competition," the coach said. "But he learned everything he knows in Croatia." |
ATLANTA, July 22 (AP) -- Toni Kukoc, probably the best basketball player Croatia ever has produced, won’t suit up for the country again after these Olympics, his coach said. "We lost a lot of time with Toni Kukoc because he was injured and he was with the Chicago Bulls during our preparation time," coach Petar Skansi said Monday after Croatia’s 109-78 victory over China. "This is definitely the last time he will be on the team."
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