Tony Parker: Pozzecco gave up. It is a shame he waited to be fired instead of resigning

Tony Parker spoke at length with L’Equipe about the decision to replace Gianmarco Pozzecco as the coach of ASVEL.

“We already knew two or three weeks ago that we couldn’t go on like this. We had to take a coach who wasn’t our first choice because there weren’t many alternatives on the market. When, after two weeks, he told us he wanted a team of maximum eleven or twelve players, with eight or at most nine in rotation, and with Nando De Colo always on the court in every league game, I understood that it wouldn’t work, that it would end like this. No EuroLeague club plays this way three times a week.

“We tried to accommodate him by letting go of Frank Jackson, who, in my opinion, had talent and needed to be developed, but the coach didn’t want him. We tried to go a bit in his direction. But then he asked to cut Boris Dallo. At that point, I said no. If Nando, Charles Kahudi, or someone else got injured, we were already the oldest team in the entire EuroLeague; we couldn’t afford to lose Boris. Later on, his attitude became increasingly negative; he struggled to motivate the players, who gradually stopped believing in him. Additionally, he decided not to play our young players. I don’t want other coaches to do that; it’s not our philosophy.

“I am very, very disappointed with his performance, his management of the team. Above all, I find that he gave up. As a competitive person, I can’t understand how one can give up like this after a month and a half. However, it had started well; he had given a boost to the team, two away victories. But then you always see the true face of people when things get tough.

“We lost some games by a small margin. This is where you should see the character of a coach who inspires the team, convincing the players that he will succeed. A month earlier, he said the team was good. Then he asked to change everything. At some point, this is no longer possible… In such circumstances, it’s a shame to wait to be fired instead of resigning. He did it on purpose. I contacted him; I talked to him. But I understood that he wouldn’t leave on his own. He wouldn’t leave money on the table. It’s business. So, we reached an agreement the day after the victory against Zalgiris Kaunas. We paid him for his entire year of the contract. The other two depended on a clause. We knew we were taking a risk; we would never have signed a coach for three years without an exit clause.

“T.J. (Parker) and Michel (Veyronnet, sports director) tried to build in a certain way. I gave them full powers without interfering. I don’t think the team is reaching its full potential. I hope this will change now. DeShaun Thomas (forward) has arrived in Lyon and will give us a hand. And we are still looking for a playmaker.”