LAS VEGAS (FIBA Americas Championship) - Brazil coach Lula Ferreira has been blamed for the national team's current woes by forward Marcus De Souza.

The New Orleans Hornets star believes poor management has led to injuries to Nene and Leandro Barbosa.

De Souza told ESPN Brazil: "He (Ferreira) took too long to see what all the world saw much sooner.

"Nene and Leandro came from a strong season in the NBA and Leandro is still recovering from surgery. Lula made some changes that made the group sad.

"He had the chance to field Anderson Varejaeo and Rafael Araujo more often, but didn't. He had all the tools in his hands, but didn't use them."

Da Souza admitted he found being left on the bench for most of the FIBA Americas
Championship extremely frustrating.

He added: "That is true; I didn't play in Las Vegas. I did well during the Pan American Games. I thought I was important for the team. He (Ferreira) said so to everybody in the group.

"But I don't know what happened in his head to leave me on the bench most of the time.

"It was terrible to see the national squad from there and couldn't do anything to help them."

On Friday, Marquinhos left the team after suffering a dislocated finger in his left hand following
Brazil's 97-75 defeat to Puerto Rico in the first game of the quarter-final round of the FIBA tournament.

It was the Selecao's second defeat in two games at the event and Marquinhos, who suffered a similar injury last year during a training camp with NBA side Minnesota Timberwolves, told the
Lance! newspaper: "Everybody is seeing Lula's mistakes. He is lost.

"We tried to understand the reason for the team's poor performances. And we agreed that the players will decide how we play at the time that every man is on the court.

"The training is poor too. The team has no tactics at all, not even an attacking plan in place.
He makes mistakes in the rotation. Everybody could see that."

With the competition now at the semi-final stage and his team having made it through after the earlier setback, Marquinhos believes the players have to unite to decide their destiny.

He added: "Brazil have to beat Argentina, not the coach or any player. We have to be united to take Brazil where we belong."

Gabriel Batalla
FIBA