“His attitude became more and more negative”
The French official did not stop at that.
“We tried to split the pear in two by separating ourselves from Frank Jackson, who, for me, was talented, who was sure to improve but who the coach no longer wanted. You try to go a little in his direction. On the other hand, afterward, he wanted to cut Boris Dallo. There, I said no. If Nando, Charles Kahudi, or someone got injured when we were already the oldest team in the EuroLeague, it was not possible.
Then, his attitude became more and more negative, he had difficulty motivating the players, and little by little, they no longer believed in him. In addition, he had decided not to play our prospects. I don’t want any more coaches who do that, it’s not our philosophy. We have the Academy, we must launch those we believe in, like Mbaye Ndiaye, Noam Yaacov, that we signed for the long term. It was all already too much,” the San Antonio Spurs legend explained.
Former captain of French national team was asked whether these terms were discussed with Pozzecco before signing the contract, as such details are often crucial while signing a coach, Parker said Pozzecco agreed to everything back then.
“Of course, we discussed it before. Every time, the coaches say yes, yes, yes. But when reality sets in, they are more selfish and only think about winning games. During our interviews, he never told me he intended to work with reduced rotation. He said he would play the young guys and didn’t do it.”
About injuries
“I was afraid they would get hurt. Nando, Joffrey, I called them every day. We agreed that if we continued like this, we were going straight into the wall. I even think it’s his fault that Nando got injured. We overused him way too early in the season. As for the young people, I discussed it with him. I told him to watch Boris’ matches, explained him that he was a player capable of playing positions one to three, and he had big matches with Cholet. But honestly, when you see how much he didn’t trust Mbaye and Noam, it makes me think that he never saw them play.”
Ultimately, Asvel agreed to pay Pozzecco his full salary for the 2023-24 season. The remaining two years of his deal depended on a clause in June 2024. Hence, the club wasn’t obligated to pay more.
“I am very, very, disappointed with his performance”
Looking back at Pozzecco’s tenure at the club, Parker feels that the coach had given up.
“I am very, very, disappointed with his performance, with his management of the team. Above all, I find that he has given up. As a competitor, it’s something I can’t understand to give up like that after a month and a half. However, it started with a boost, an electric shock, we won away twice. But you always see the true face of people when it gets difficult,” Parker said.
“He wasn’t going to leave money on the table”
“We narrowly lost a few games. This is where you should see the character of a coach, who would inspire the team, convincing the players that it will succeed. A month earlier, he said that the team was good, that we were going to get there. Then, he wanted to change everything. At some point, this is no longer possible. In these circumstances, it’s a shame to wait to get fired instead of resigning. He did it on purpose,” Parker concluded.
“I contacted him, I spoke with him. But I could see that he wasn’t going to leave on his own. He wasn’t going to leave money on the table. It’s business. So we reached an agreement the day after the win against Zalgiris. We gave him his contract year. His two more years depended on a clause. We knew we were taking a risk, we wouldn’t have signed a coach for three years without a way out,” Tony Parker said.
The Italian coach had some shining moments, coming close to defeating Real Madrid, but all of that wasn’t enough to stay longer on Asvel’s bench. The team is second to last in the EuroLeague with a record of 3-16, the same as the last-placed Alba Berlin.