A lot of drama has been brewing in the German national team in recent days, as Dennis Schroder publicly announced he didn’t want Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber on the FIBA World Cup squad because he didn’t play in EuroBasket 2022.
Kleber had been announced as a member of the roster prior to Schroder’s comments. However, the 3-and-D big man issued a lengthy statement where he first addressed why he didn’t represent Germany at the 2022 EuroBasket, citing injury recovery.
“My goals in playing basketball and representing Germany are to be 100% healthy and help the team win and be a good teammate. The (very tough) decision last summer not to play was due to an injury I played with for the last four months of the 21-22 NBA season. I needed full recovery and rest. Had I been healthy, I would have been happy and proud to play for our NT…”
He then dropped a bombshell by saying he will not play in the World Cup because of Schroder’s ‘inappropriate’ comments which let him know that he was not welcome.
“I started this summer with full intention and motivation to join the national team in the World Cup. However, the recent unfortunate and inappropriate public statements about me have made it 100% clear that I am not unreservedly welcome in the NT.”
Schroder led the German team to a Bronze medal at the 2022 EuroBasket, something Kleber missed out on. Next season’s contest between the Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors will be interesting, given Kleber and Schroder get to meet up.
What Did Dennis Schroder Say?
Dennis Schroder went on a pretty explosive rant against Kleber the other day, criticizing the German big man for not committing last season.
“Maxi wasn’t there last year. If you didn’t commit – that was actually the message for all of us – then you won’t be there next year either…”
He mocked Kleber’s playstyle and said that there’s nothing in Kleber’s game that he needs the spend the summer on.
“You throw in the corner, you defend. You’re a pick-and-roll player. You’re not a Carmelo Anthony type of player. You don’t have to work on your game. The older you get, the more you see what your strengths are. And you try to maximize them so blatantly that you can play in the NBA for as long as possible. For me, it’s like, ‘Maxi, working on your game? You can’t play in the NT for that?’ That bothered me a little bit, to be honest.”
Schroder averaged 12.6 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds for the Lakers last season, which was crucial in their run to the Western Conference Finals. Kleber had an injury-ridden season in Dallas, with his injuries primarily contributing to Dallas’ incredible defensive fall-off and eventual missing of the playoffs. He played in just 37 games and averaged 5.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
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