Maccabi wants Blatt

A couple of news bites this morning on some high-profile coach firings and hirings in European basketball.

In Tel Aviv, Pini Gershon is out as head coach and heavy rumor-mongering has Maccabi picking up current Team Russia/former Aris Thessaloniki head coach David Blatt as a replacement.

After two telephone meetings with club management, Maccabi officials released a statement last night which read, in part:

“Pini Gershon expressed his wish not to continue coaching Maccabi Tel Aviv for the 2010-11 season. Pini will make himself available to the club in a different capacity that will be determined soon. All our talks were held in a positive atmosphere. The club wishes to express its deep gratitude to this accomplished coach for the wonderful achievements to which he led our team, including European Cup titles, Super League championships and State Cups.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv lost in the Ligat HaAl championship to Gilil/Gilboa.

Meanwhile, in a remarkably sober move considering the ownership, Talk Basket and other sources are reporting that Žalgiris Kaunas has promoted demoted moved Sarunas Sakalauskas from club sports director to the head coach position. Sakalauskas was hired by Žalgiris in March and was seen frequently chumming around with Vladimir Romanov during the Lithuanian championship series, an epic in oddity.

Meanwhile, Žalgiris’ main rivals and LKL defending champions Lietuvos Rytas hired former Cibona Zagreb coach Drazen Anzulovic last week.

Maccabi Tel Aviv, Lietuvos Rytas and Zalgiris Kaunas will all be playing in the 2010-11 Euroleague season.

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