By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
During a panel discussion on Israeli channel Sports 5, Maccabi Tel Aviv legendary coach Pini Gershon highly criticized the decision of the club to fire Erez Edelstein while throwing shots at Sonny Weems. Among other things, Gershon more or less implied that the American forward was the one responsible for… creating an environment against his now former coach.
“Who the hell is Sonny Weems anyway?“, said Gershon who had led Maccabi to back to back Euroleague titles in 2004 and 2005. “His mouth was too open in CSKA Moscow and they shut him up when he spoke against Ettore Messina. Before signing him, no one asked how he behaved in CSKA.”
But the Israeli coach didn’t stop there. He continued by claiming that Weems was the…. leader of a mutiny within the team: “He led a rebellion. They had to shut him up. There was no one in the club that would silence him and they won’t do it because he receives 1.3 million for his contract. He doesn’t understand the plays. He doesn’t know the first option on offense, not only the second and third option. And he has an opinion about the system?”
Gershon’s choice of words was far from coincidental. After the defeat by Real Madrid, the American player commented on a lack of an offensive system that includes multiple options for him and his teammates.
Regarding Edelstein getting sacked, Gershon added: “Why was Edelstein dismissed? This decision stemmed from hysteria. Shimon (Mizrahi – Maccabi Tel Aviv president) said that there were many reasons not to dismiss him: Injuries, role in players’ selection etc. Maccabi lost to Olimpia Milano which defeated Darussafaka Dogus. The Italians are a force to be reckoned with. Maccabi then lost to Real Madrid which is a powerhouse in Europe. The truly ‘must win’ games are the ones against Galatasaray and Zalgiris Kaunas.”