By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Milan found the 31-point win against Valencia after four consecutive defeats despite not having Kevin Pangos on board for the second straight game, being sidelined by Ettore Messina for a technical decision.
Interviewed by Il Foglio and Corriere della Sera, the Italian head coach explained his decision regarding the Canadian point guard. “At the base of this beginning of the season, there’s an original sin: we haven’t had the right driver for our car. [Kevin] Pangos isn’t the right man to lead this team and I still haven’t found the right adjustments to simplify our style of play”, Milan’s leader said.
He took responsibility for giving him the playmaking spot. “I admit to having made the mistake, probably I had to realize it when he went from being the 2nd playmaker in Cleveland to being out of the team”, he said on the former FC Barcelona and Zenit Saint Petersburg point guard.
The four-time EuroLeague champ also revealed what happened during the summer with Shabazz Napier, who joined the Italian team midway through the season last year. “We solved the situation with him by winning the Italian league, but this summer, after confirming he would have stayed, he increased his requests”, the head coach commented.
The American playmaker, who has been averaging 12.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in this year’s EuroLeague with Crvena Zvezda, seemed to have the desire to come back, at least according to what the Italian head coach says. “We couldn’t do more, and he’s now sending private messages to his former teammates saying he wants to come back. He changed the personality of this team”, Ettore Messina added.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague