By Aris Barkas / barkas@eurohoops.net
After the win against Gran Canaria, David Blatt took little time to talk about the game, before being asked about Panathinaikos‘ new head coach Rick Pitino. However, the Reds’ coach wanted to focus on the departure of Xavi Pascual, rather than an “unofficial” signing.
“That’s the first time I’ve heard the news. Of course, it’s not my job or place to comment on the decisions of another team. But I do wanna say that as a coach, as a colleague, I have the highest respect for Xavi Pascual. it disturbs me because he’s a great coach, a good person. I don’t like this”, mentioned Blatt.
Five out of sixteen EuroLeague coaches have been fired not even halfway through the season, and Blatt was asked to share his thoughts on this fact. “I appreciate that you’re asking that. Coaches are undervalued and the people that are responsible for bringing them should be more supportive, patient and professional about it. Not my circus, not my monkey. It’s not my place to tell them what to do, but I can say what I feel about it. I want to see my colleagues being respected and treated fairly. The more I think about it, the more I get upset. In my opinion they deserve better.”