Fournier Out 20 Days, Misses Olympiacos vs Red Star
Olympiacos says the French guard must rest for about 20 days, Tyler Dorsey has been removed from team training, and Jean Montero is in doubt for Friday.
On Friday at 8:15 p.m., Olympiacos host Fenerbahce in Piraeus, and coach Georgios Bartzokas goes into that game without Evan Fournier, while Tyler Dorsey is training apart from the squad at the same time. Two players who carried the scoring load for the hosts drop out of the rotation together, with a game against Red Star still to come.
Olympiacos announced that Fournier, who is 33, must rest for about 20 days. The French guard has a large hematoma on his left shoulder and a sprained medial ligament in his knee. Sources disagree about the knee: B92 reports a mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament in the right knee, while Mozzart Sport does not specify a side and mentions the left only for the shoulder.
Which games will Fournier miss?
The first certain absence is Fenerbahce on Friday, at home. B92 expects Fournier to miss the trip to Besiktas as well, followed by three straight games in Piraeus, against Armani, Red Star and Dubai. That adds up to five games.
The date of the Red and White derby is already known. Mozzart Sport reports that Olympiacos host Red Star on November 6, a little over two weeks away, so a layoff of about 20 days covers that date too. Before that game Olympiacos play three times, against Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Armani, and according to B92 Fournier will not play in any of them.
What does Olympiacos lose without Fournier?
Through the first six EuroLeague rounds, Fournier averaged 11.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals in about 24.5 minutes per game. His three-point shooting has been off: he hit 9 of 36 attempts, or 25 percent. Mozzart Sport still ranks him among Olympiacos’ best players, and B92 calls him and Dorsey two of the team’s top players and scorers.
The number next to his is Dorsey’s. The American guard averages 12.6 points per game, which means Bartzokas will be without two of his best scorers for several weeks, not one.
Why is Dorsey not training with the team?
Dorsey publicly voiced his unhappiness with his status on the team, including social media posts aimed at the club, after which Bartzokas decided he would train individually. Because of a disciplinary measure, he missed Olympiacos’ trip to Barcelona last week. B92 also reports that he has since apologized for some of the posts.
It is not known whether he will be in the squad for Fenerbahce, or when he will return to the team. Sources say the situation could change if the player and the club reconcile, but for now there is no sign that Olympiacos will back down from its decision.
Is Jean Montero playing?
That is not settled either. Mozzart Sport writes that Montero, because of an injury, will not be able to play on Friday against Fenerbahce, along with Fournier. B92 says only that Montero’s participation is in doubt. The one certainty is that Bartzokas’ list for Friday is shorter than it was supposed to be.
What awaits Red Star in the meantime?
Red Star entered the EuroLeague season with two losses and stood at 2-2 after four rounds. Mozzart Sport notes that it then won four in a row. Next comes the Eternal Derby on October 22 away at Partizan, at 8:45 p.m., then home games against Maccabi Tel Aviv on October 27 and Bayern on October 29, both at 8:00 p.m. Only after that does Red Star travel to Piraeus, where Olympiacos without Fournier wait on November 6.
Bartzokas’ first test is Fenerbahce on Friday at 8:15 p.m., and the answer to who plays in place of the two absentees comes only then.
