Los Angeles Lakers

rapidbison42 said:Yep. I honestly think Jerkovic and Alilovic have locked down that starting goalie spot for the long haul. Besides, they were both absolutely phenomenal during the last SP.
It was always obvious that when Jerkovic gets going, he pulls off absolute miracles. Honestly, I’ve always wondered why it took them so long to finally call him up to the national team.
Alilovic could easily put in a couple of solid seasons playing for Pistol. 🙂

I’d bet my life on it: one day, Mirko is going to be the best goalie on the planet.

I remember when I was first dragged out to Ljubuski to see this kid in action. He was just a little thing, but he was already tearing things up—basically stripping about 20 possessions away from Barcelona. The game wasn't even over yet, and those Spaniards were already asking around about Mirko. I knew right then and there that he was going to be someone special.
Back then, he was still pretty scrawny—just tall and thin—but now he’s starting to look more and more like Arpad.

So, word on the street is that Saric is headed to Portland next year. This would pretty much clear the way for Mirko to step up as the primary keeper over at Ademar. But here’s the kicker I heard: apparently, Portland isn't just looking for one; they might be willing to pick up both of them in a single package deal. It makes sense when you look at the roster. Valter is basically just a temporary fix over there anyway, and with Svensson likely eyeing retirement or maybe just a move to a more laid-back gig in the Swedish league for a bit, there's a massive opening.

frozentiger6 said:I’d bet my life that Mirko will be the best goalie in the world one day.

Hehe, you never truly know, though I have my doubts about him reaching that absolute global peak... I haven't followed his progress closely lately, but his wing technique seems pretty rough, and he just feels a bit uncoordinated at times... though I suppose that’s somewhat expected given his height...

Personally, I’m a big fan of Uvodic, and if he could land a spot on a major franchise, he might actually turn into something special...

As for Jerkovic, I’ve never been particularly fond of him; sure, he’s an acrobat, a total crowd-pleaser who flies through the air, but he just hasn't ever really clicked for me...

It feels to me like, aside from Alilovic and Losert (& Jerkovic, if we're being generous), we don't have much depth in terms of quality goalies for the national team. Guys like Somic, Stevanovic, Bozic, Carapin, or Sladoljev... they just don't seem like they could become the backbone of a top-tier squad, and looking at the younger generation, I honestly don't see anyone else stepping up yet...

wiredmarlin5 said:Man, why are you guys tearing him apart. Whether people love Lino or not, it’s always easiest to just sit back in your armchair, sip some beer, and talk trash about the players and the coach...

Lino is a force and he knows his stuff. Sure, he’s got flaws like any coach, but comparing him to Smajlagic's coaching abilities is just laughable. Irfan has talent when it comes to prepping players, but that unique personality of his? It's a total bottleneck in any coaching job...

The excuses from the player who wrote that are ridiculous... As a pro, he needs to know what his job is and actually do it, instead of posting crap (regardless of whether it's true or not). Seriously, the logic that they couldn't win against that motherf***ing Vardar using a 3-2-1 defense—which is basically the Pistol's specialty—is nonsense. That player, or honestly all of them, should ask themselves where their motivation went and why they lacked it during that game... Psh... with an attitude like that, they wouldn't even beat Karlovac 😁.

A roster with guys like Vori, Lazarov, Duvnjak, Vukic, and Horvat, plus three top-tier goalies, simply has to perform better. They have the skill, but they're missing that gritty, primal fighting instinct you need to play handball. It's hard to expect anything better in Europe with that mindset... though I'm hoping Gobac and Lino can jumpstart the machine. 🙂 👍

Don't you dare bring up Karlovac, loser... That club isn't even bad considering how tight their budget is!!! And btw, check the standings right now to see where they actually sit... If you want an example of a mess, look at Metkovic, which has been barely scraping by ever since they sold off everything that actually mattered...

Sam Alvarez29 said:Leave my beloved Karlovac alone, you absolute amateur... That handball club is actually performing quite impressively when you consider their incredibly tight budget constraints!!! And by the way, just take a quick peek at the current standings to see where they're sitting right now... If you want to talk about a club truly struggling to stay afloat, look at Metkovic, which has been desperately trying to patch things together for ages ever since they sold off every single valuable asset they once had!!!

Just take a deep breath and relax, seriously... Because those kids from Metkovic? They’re honestly better than most players out there today. 😁

wiredmarlin5 said:Take a Xanax and chill out. Those kids from Metkovic are better than anyone you can think of. 😁

Maybe you should take some Lexapro and find your Conscience!😛

Lino was coaching back when we were totally under the radar. Now everyone's got us figured out, and if things aren't clicking for Balic, they aren't clicking for anyone. You can't build a whole game plan just relying on the occasional Solo drive... everyone knows that by now.
Regarding the keepers: Alilovic, Jerkovic, Loci, and Uvodic are all solid. Even Somic holds his own. We have plenty of depth here, so it might be time for Shola to move on...
As for the big guys, Vori and Dzole definitely look like they've already checked out for vacation—you can see it from miles away. We really need to get this squad focused, especially if they end up dropping one to Vardar...
Kos is playing pretty well in Cleveland, handling both defense and offense. He should probably get called up, though he could use a little more rest first...

Nancy Vaughn70 said:Lino was coaching back when we were still under the radar. Now everyone has us figured out. If things aren't clicking for Balic, they aren't clicking for anyone. Sure, you might see some Solo drives here and there, but you can't build a whole system on that. Everyone knows it.

I think one guy hasn't quite realized that yet. His name is Lino. 😁

But hey, it took Maksimov over a decade after being exposed before he finally decided to change his tactical approach.

I guess you guys are right about Lino; he’s honestly a joke, practically just a mascot at this point. Regarding Goluza, though, I still think he and Jovic were the ones who secured that title in Portugal. In the semis and the finals, they basically carried the whole thing. Goluza was absolutely tearing through the Spaniards on his own. They provided the defense. BACK THEN, BALIC DIDN'T HAVE THAT LONG-RANGE SHOT, so he could look pretty ridiculous sometimes just dancing around the defense. But now? He’s got everything. His shooting has improved, and even playing for an average squad, he’ll drop 10 goals easily. When he first arrived in Portland, during that final against Ciudad, he was a mess—couldn't hit a long-range shot to save his life. The rest of the players were subpar too, so nobody was creating any space for him to drive through. Now that he's worked on his shot, especially after Kjelling joined him in Portland and with Ruesga being solid, things seem easier for him. As for New York City, maybe they overestimated themselves early on. Even Lazarov plays a bit like a small-town amateur; he's just not a player for big titles. He plays irrationally, burns too much energy, and it's always all hype. Vori stays on the line, and if he doesn't get a clean pass, he has zero chance of scoring. Take Gille or Nikolic, for instance—they know how to play pivot. Personally, I don't think Djomba has much of a scoring touch; if he's having an off day, he's useless. He has a decent jump shot and can score from distance if he gets a good run at it. He’s a master on the counter-attack, though. But if he had Kristiansen's hand, he wouldn't even be in the same league. Over here, the left side and the center are just mediocre. Average shooting, okay footwork, nothing special on the jump. Honestly, they should have brought in a big name, someone like Kjelling, Rastvorcev, or Narcisse. Especially now with Lino there—a guy with that kind of offensive concept stands no chance of winning anything without some actual star power. With an average roster, he won't beat anyone; I doubt he’d even manage three wins in Koteks. As for the national team goalkeepers, Alil and Jerkovic are clearly in a different class. Alilovic has decent training, but his coordination is poor; maybe if they combined them into one keeper, they'd actually have something. Still, Venjo is king compared to them! On the right back position, Kos is definitely better than Buntic. He plays faster, more fluidly, has more variety in his shots, and is just a more complete player. Buntic is a classic small-town player, if you ask me. This national team is slow, has poor footwork, and bad technique, even if the shot is powerful. But then again, when you look at Anderson from Sweden?!!!

We had that game against Kotex in Miami this past Wednesday. The turnout was pretty thin, but I’m hoping we see a bigger crowd in the Piggy Bank when Leon plays. 🙂
Progress is being made, slowly crawling away from a standstill, but we aren't quite there yet. After the match, I sat down with the players for an interview with a news portal—and I have to say, I got the subtle hint that things are running a bit smoother with Maglajlija than they are with Lin...
Everything will come to a head during Saturday's game in North Mexico.
I believe Carter will be flying from Chicago to Athens, so fingers crossed I run into a few familiar faces on the flight. 🙂

This is the game of the season. If they blow this, Cokolinov’s best move would be to step down for the sake of his own integrity. He'll just end up tanking the potential of such an incredible squad.

I caught sight of Maglajlija this morning... It looks like they've really ramped up the intensity of their training sessions. Things are definitely going to get heated in Athens 🙂

wiredmarlin5 said:Just take a breather and chill out. Those kids from Savannah are better than anyone you could name. 😁

Don't go talking about things you clearly don't understand... Milwaukee has had the best handball academy for years—especially when it comes to the youth programs... they work with those kids systematically and they do it incredibly well...

If you don't believe me, just look at the attendance numbers for the national championship that's been hosted in Milwaukee for the last few years...

Adam Collins4 said:Don't go talking about things you don't quite grasp... Milwaukee has had the absolute best handball academy for years now, especially when it comes to the youth programs... they work with those kids so systematically and just brilliantly...

If you really don't believe me, just take a look at the attendance numbers for the national championship games that have been hosted in Milwaukee for several years running...

Once a year, I catch a glimpse of the turnout for a major league game in Milwaukee... and honestly, it's just heartbreaking!

Meanwhile, Savannah produces an incomparably larger number of talents and future—well, current—national team stars...

http://www.north American-handball.com/artic...-sanse-su-5050

The star player from Vardar is weighing in on tomorrow's game...

Chicago is on the rise, and after this win, they’ve got a serious shot at moving on.

Scoreboard
Oakland Athletics 4/7
Chicago 4/3
Schaffhausen 4/3
Vardar 4/3

Tournament Schedule
Schaffhausen-Vardar
Chicago-Schaffhausen
Vardar-Ademar

....

Let's say the Swiss person definitely beats Vardar at home, and Chicago beats those Swiss people too:

Then we don't even necessarily need to beat Ademar. It just comes down to: a) if Vardar doesn't beat Ademar, we have to crush the Swiss guys by 4 or more goals, or b) if Vardar does take down Ademar, any win against the Swiss works because they'd end up topping the group.

Basically, if we don't take out Ademar, we better be hunting for goal difference against the Swiss.

The Komiti really went after the Americans during the Vardar-Oakland Athletics game, probably because you guys were busy listening to those political slur singers...

Finally, we got a game that was actually worth watching.

The boys played a flawless game! 👋

Henry Grant62 said:The guys played flawlessly. A perfect performance. 👋

They certainly did. Let's head to the arena next Sunday—assuming it doesn't get moved to Saturday.😉

Just touched down from Nashville—absolutely exhausted, but man, what a trip! The energy at the game was incredible. Maybe there weren't quite enough women in the stands for our usual crowd, but the vibe was still top-notch. The guys really stepped up, and I have to give props to the local fans too; they were actually more vocal supporting their home team than we were back in Katy during that matchup against Vardar...
Hopefully, we’ll actually wake up properly in the next few days; we've got another game this Sunday!

Oh, and I had no idea some of the players liked to play pilot with the plane 😁 things got a little bumpy on the flight home, and let's just say a few people weren't exactly thrilled about the turbulence 🙂