Ask the Czar: Foreign Policy Digest Interview with Coach Mike Fratello

Mike Fratello, aka “The Czar,” was a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 16 years, and is widely considered a leading expert in the game of basketball today. Currently Coach Fratello is a commentator and blogger for TNT and the YES network, covering New Jersey Nets games and studying players and teams from around the league.

On December 27th, Coach Fratello participated in an exclusive interview with Foreign Policy Digest to answer some questions about the international aspects of basketball, drawing on his extensive knowledge and experience with the sport at all levels. Foreign Policy Digest is pleased to bring you the transcript of this unique look at the intersection of basketball and foreign affairs.

FPD: I recently read that there are approximately 80 international basketball players from over 30 countries in the NBA. I’d guess there are many hundreds more on the radar screen of NBA scouts. Many are all-star caliber players: Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, Yao Ming of China, and of course Steve Nash from Canada, via South Africa. Do you believe this trend of bringing in foreign talent will continue to grow?

Yes, I think this trend will continue to grow, because the pool of talent is beginning to diminish here in the United States, which in turn has watered down our product somewhat. Nowadays, many players are turning pro after one year in college, before they are close to maturing to the point that they will eventually get to. So scouts will continue to look at international players who have perhaps been playing as pros since they were 15 or 16 years old, and have therefore matured at an earlier age. A player who has four, five, six years of pro experience under his belt and enters the NBA as a 23- or 24-year-old rookie can help contribute more quickly than one who leaves college after one year and has only 35 collegiate games under his belt and isn’t physically ready to handle the demands of the NBA. So yes, NBA teams will continue to look outside the United States for talent.

FPD: There is the oft-repeated stereotype that European players have better fundamentals, such as long-range shooting and passing, though they’re not always as “well-fed” or flashy at dunking, due to differences in training mentality. Is this true?

Yes, I would agree that European players generally have better fundamentals than American players. One reason for that is that their game has always been more of a perimeter shooting game than the drive-it-and-dunk-it type game that we have here due to the speed, quickness, athleticism, and ball-handling abilities that we have in so many players in the United States. In other countries, their ball-handling skills have developed more recently and have gotten to a different level over the last 5-10 years.

Another factor is that they play only two games a week in Europe, as opposed to three or four games a week in the NBA, which affords them more practice time. It’s not unusual for European teams to have three practices in a day. One practice will be used to work on the skill areas: dribbling, passing, and shooting. Another will be for strength and conditioning. And the last will focus on playing the game itself. And when they have skills training, they do it with all the positions. That’s why so many of their big guys are good shooters. You haven’t had as many great low-post scoring players in international competition, which has something to do with the trapezoidal lane, which they are working to change. They are trying to make it the same as the NBA’s rectangular lane, so it’s consistent in international play.

FPD: Which country or region of the world may represent the next hotbed of undiscovered basketball talent, in your opinion?

It could be China, based on its population size and the growing interest in the sport. They have over 1.3 billion people, including a wealth of young men close to or over seven feet tall in the country. And they also have a great passion for the game now. Yao Ming certainly did a lot to promote the sport of basketball and upgrade the NBA’s image in that country. Now that the Chinese have had more exposure to basketball and understand what it’s all about, the sport has caught on. The Latin countries, such as Brazil and Argentina, also have a great passion for basketball now. And countries that have historically been very good are those that were part of the former Yugoslavia and former USSR. They have always had excellent teams.

FPD: It seems like national teams from other nations, such as Spain, Argentina, or Lithuania, are catching up with the US. What will the United States national team have to do better to continue to win at the highest levels of international competition, such as the Olympics or the FIBA world championships, and avoid disappointing upsets?

The United States national team will have to continue to get commitments from the best American players to go and compete, just as they did in the 2008 Olympics and in the 2010 FIBA World Championships. For the Olympics, they got top NBA players, such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Dwyane Wade to play for Team USA. And the young guys who had been their understudies when training and preparing for the Olympics, such as Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose and Kevin Love all made a commitment to compete in the FIBA World Championships in Istanbul, and we wound up winning the title. So that’s what it will take: the continued commitment from our best players to still be a part of our national team.

FPD: Why do you think that basketball is the American-exported team sport that has a more global reach than, say American football, baseball, or ice hockey?

I think basketball has such broad appeal, because it is a game that people can adapt to play by themselves or with various numbers of people. A person can just go out on the court with a basketball and shoot around and create his or her own competition. You can play games like Horse and Knockout, or you can play one-on-one, two-on-two, three-on-three, four-on-four or five-on-five. There are guys who are 75 years old, who can still go outside and shoot baskets. They may not be able to run up and down the court, but they can play around with the ball and have fun at any age.

FPD: The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) has hired Stephon Marbury, and other high-profile players from the United States have gone to play in other countries too—especially Europe—as it’s become harder for players to survive in the NBA with stiff global competition. Many countries now have pro leagues. Do you think it’s possible that one day in the near future, a foreign-owned pro league may be able to compete directly for the world’s best players and best caliber of competition?

Never say never, but it won’t happen anytime soon. To put together a team of NBA-caliber players is one thing, but when you’re talking about a league consisting of a number of teams that could compete directly with the NBA, it would be a very long way down the road before something like that could happen.

FPD: I’ve noticed that some NBA games are being played overseas. Are the NBA’s operations and partnerships in foreign countries resulting in success in terms of selling jerseys, getting fans to watch games on TV, or ticket sales?

Yes. NBA revenue is increasing overseas as marketing efforts increase, and that is why regular season games are now being played in other countries, not only exhibition games. For example, the Nets will play two regular season games in London, England this year. And that’s what is driving the rumors about the NBA someday expanding and having a division overseas.

Also, as the number of foreign players in the NBA increases, the global market will continue to expand. Basketball fans in other countries are interested in buying the jerseys of their local products who play on NBA teams. And television revenue increases as well, because the local TV stations want to pick up the NBA broadcasts of their games.

FPD: Who is the best foreign player that you’ve ever coached? I remember, for example, that you coached Zydrunas Ilgauskas in his early years with the Cleveland Cavaliers when I lived there.

I’ve coached a number of talented players from abroad, including Sasha Volkov and Vitaly Potapenko. But Z is probably the best foreign player that I coached in terms of what he has achieved during his career, and the number of years that he has lasted in the NBA.

FPD: We live in a complex world with many conflicts, which is why FPD is in publication. Getting lightly into politics here, do you think there is a chance for basketball players, coaches, and teams to help promote peace, respect, and cooperation between nations as representatives of the sport, and of the United States?

Yes, without question, that’s happening now and will be ongoing. Nigerian-born Hakeem Olajuwon has always been a great role model. Look what Manute Bol tried to do for Sudan before he passed away. Samuel Dalembert has been active in the Haitian relief effort. And so many other young players in the league have donated money to build hospitals and schools in their respective countries. Other players, such as Bill Bradley, Chris Dudley, and Kevin Johnson have taken it a step further and moved on to careers in politics outright. As the sport becomes more global, the political reach will become greater. Why couldn’t a player like Pau Gasol, who is so revered in Spain for what he’s achieved both for his national team and for winning an NBA championship with the Lakers, help facilitate relations between the U.S. and Spain, if hypothetically we were trying to strengthen our ties with them?

FPD: A few personal questions now. How did you first get interested in the sport of basketball?

By playing it. My love for the game developed when I was a kid. Like everyone else growing up, I played in the playgrounds and parks and in the school systems starting in elementary school, and eventually went on to compete at more serious levels in high school and college.

FPD: Why did you choose to pursue coaching as a career?

I knew when I was very young that I always wanted to be a teacher and a coach when I grew up, because aside from my parents, my coaches probably had the biggest influence on my life when I was a youngster.

FPD: Would you like to get out from under the headset and back on the bench one day soon?

If the opportunity presents itself, I would certainly enjoy another shot at coaching.