David Bluthenthal has over the course of the season sat on the bench for extensive periods of time, and then been called upon to sink emergency three-pointers. A sharp-shooter, any coach will say, feeds off of his confidence and success; that is why instances when he has been played only in the last moments of the fourth quarter have failed.
In the fourth quarter of the State Cup finals against Hapoel Jerusalem, for example, Bluthenthal shot an air ball. Against Barcelona he received more playing time and sunk many three-pointers, but he was outgunned by Barcelona's Gianluka Basile and, again, benched.
In recent weeks, Omri Casspi has taken over the small forward position in Coach Zvika Sherf's lineup, distancing him even more from playing time. Casspi is a fighter; he takes rebounds and guards - aspects Bluthenthal was never much good at. But Maccabi's talented young player is not a terribly good shooter and nails them only when he's stable and alone and facing the basket.
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"This year is disappointing because I've never felt better - physically, mentally, spiritually - than this year," Bluthenthal says. "I was excited about this season because I knew I was going to be good and this really isn't what I was expecting. I am a player with experience in big games. I played in the final four and in a number of European leagues, so you can definitely say I am so far disappointed."
But it wasn't always this way. In the very start of Sherf's tenure, Bluthenthal spent 35 minutes on court as part of Maccabi's first win under the tutelage of the veteran coach who replaced the disappointing Oded Katash. Since then, however, he has been left out of the rotation.
"I have no explanation for why my minutes have gone down," he says. "Maybe it's because I don't take enough rebounds, but when I'm playing with two excellent rebounders like Terrence Morris and Juan Batista, all I need is to box my player and they do the rest of the work."
Two days ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv's series-clinching third game against Barcelona, which will decide which team will advance to the Euroleague's final four, Bluthenthal sat down for a Q & A with Haaretz.
Don't you think Maccabi is missing your scoring input?
"My skills may be missed, but we're not a team based on three-pointers. That's our style of play, so when the team is doing well there are no other options."
Perhaps you should be more assertive and demand to play more? It worked for Casspi and his dad.
"Truth is, I never spoke to Zvika about my minutes. I just work hard and hope they'll come. I don't complain over my minutes or make noise."
How about the fact that there are few set plays for scorers - have you thought to speak to Zvika about it?
"No, but I have spoken to other players. Most of our offense is based on pick-and-roll. That's the situation and we have to live with it. I've never thought about talking to Zvika about it. It doesn't seem to be a player's role."
Casspi's good form is one of the reasons you are benched. What's your take on him?
"He's very active and aggressive, and that's good. He plays well, and the things he needs to improve are what every player always should: Jump shots in motion, dribbling and stuff like that."
What are your plans this summer? Do you want to stay at Maccabi after such a disappointing season?
"My contract ends next year, and I haven't yet given it thought. I'm mostly focusing on this season's ending. One thing's for sure - I want to play, and that will be a central consideration of mine when picking a team next season."
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