Hapoel Tel Aviv has been going through turbulent times over the past couple of weeks with players coming and going, losses in Europe and tight games in the Israeli league. On top of that, head coach Stefanos Dedas’s status with the team is up in the air and his future in charge is unclear.

Following the Reds slim victory over Kiryat Ata 96-95 at the Drive In Arena, there was an uproar when the Greek tactician walked off the court and out of the Drive In without speaking to the press at the media conference following the game. This was coming after owner Ofer Yannay spoke on TV at halftime about bringing in someone to work with Dedas either above or below him and told his bench boss to not speak to the media after the game and leave which is what he did.

The issues are real for Hapoel Tel Aviv and for Yannay who said that he was putting together a team that are going to be like the Avengers as he took time to discuss some of his thoughts and challenges in what was an enlightening conversation and began by addressing his best case scenario for Dedas going forward.

“It’s not certain that we want to replace him, maybe there will be another coach with him. At the end of the day, everyone has to do their job and if something needs to be improved, then we will improve it. I didn’t say that he should go home, I said that if they insist on asking him about his status, then I don’t want him to be interviewed.

Yannay continued with an idea he had for his bench boss, “Do you remember Maccabi Tel Aviv from the 2003/4 season? David Blatt was there and then they brought in Pini Gershon as they worked with the team together. With the amount of egos we have here and with the amount of players here, you need a senior assistant or a senior coach. Dimtris Itoudis and Sergio Scariolo? All of these top coaches want to come and we want to see what will happen. Officially, everybody wants to come.”

The owner also spoke about the recent Jonathan Motley saga which saw the big man pick up and leave the team after having scored 30 points in a EuroCup victory a couple of weeks ago as he was looking to move teams and get a boost in his salary. There have been a number of teams that would like to obtain his services with Real Madrid being his latest suitor.

“What is happening with Motley is a battle of attrition with the agent. If Real Madrid is interested, I am ready to give him to them in exchange for an A Euroleague license. This entire episode has promoted the club’s name in Europe and once when the team was talked about as a project people are now talking about us as a serious franchise. I think his agent made a mistake because he greatly underestimated Hapoel, it’s a mistake that will cost him dearly.”

The Reds let go Ben Bentil this past month and Joe Ragland, who has not played in the Israeli league is rumored to be leaving the team as well. With that, Hapoel brought in Antonio Blakeney who gives the team a number of options on the court.

“We saw that Blakeney was in good playing shape and he is a player that has some solid one-on-one moves while he can get his shot from anywhere. Everything has to come together and we still have to bring in a replacement for Bentil. Maccabi is also in the same situation as us, however, our players are here and we don’t have to deal with players who are staying in Europe.”

“Joe Ragland is an amazing player, we’ll have to see how he will still be integrated into the team as he hasn’t yet been able to integrate well enough into the team. But think about this team with a replacement for Bentil, when Motley returns and Joe is in, it will be an amazing team. At the end of the season, this will be the direction.”

The unquestionable star of the show for Hapoel Tel Aviv is Patrick Beverley who joined the team fresh from the NBA over the summer. With the addition of such a player, the club has been able to enjoy a higher profile in Europe and around the world.

“Patrick raised us to a place where we are being recognized and everyone is aware of who we are and what we are doing. We have gotten a lot leadership from him and so much more beyond marketing.”

With European games still being played aboard due to the ongoing war, Yannay hopes that the return of international hoops to the Holy Land will be sooner rather than later, “It’s not an easy year and I hope that we are heading towards a return of the international games in Israel. I believe that these games will be back here in Israel by January as this is the direction. I hope it will happen, it belongs to all of us, to the sports community.”

All in all, for Yannay owning Hapoel Tel Aviv is a labor of love and one that he hopes will continue to evolve as he builds a world class franchise.

“The most fun for me is seeing the joy and pride that the team brings to the fans. The Hapoel community has been through a lot over the years as this sport had been corrupted by one team with Hapoel being the team that suffered the most. This year they feel differently and it’s great fun. It is important to me that soldiers who leave Lebanon and Gaza can come to the games as well. By and large, I also think that the success of bringing players of this caliber to Israel inspires a lot of pride as we continue the process of building up this club.”