French coach Vincent Collet explains why Evan Fournier did not get Olympic call up

French coach Vincent Collet explained why he decided to leave Evan Fournier off the France Olympic basketball roster following their win at the OQT.

France entered the summer not knowing its Olympic fate. The team had to head to Manilla and win the Olympic Qualifying Tournament against Canada and Turkey among other teams. It was clear France was the heavy favorite to advance to the Olympics.

The team at that time knew it would not likely need Evan Fournier very much for that tournament. With his free agency,  it was a fine spot for the team to be in. Fournier could sit out and figure out his contract situation and leave the door open for a return should France qualify for the Olympics.

Everyone seemed to understand why Fournier was sitting out and that he would have the chance to join the team in the Olympics after his contract was resolved.

When Fournier quickly re-signed with the Magic, he said he would love the opportunity to play for France in the Olympics. The team was preparing for the championship game at that time.

But when France released who they would be bringing with them to Rio, Fournier’s name was noticeably absent. France had opted to stick with the guards that successfully helped them win the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and left Fournier off the roster.

It was something that defied some explanation because Fournier was clearly one of the better players in France’s guard pool, and the team would clearly need him to compete with the U.S. especially.

France coach Vincent Collet though said he did not want to disrupt the team’s guard rotation which performed well in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He told the French national team’s Web site (translated by Eurohoops.net):

"About Evan Fournier, if we made a step back, I said that we should worry about the present. I believe that our seven backcourt players have well fulfilled their different roles. Regarding the balance in that sector, I found that it was great.On the contrary, we had difficulties in the paint which could have created more issues further in the Olympic tournament.When people see things from the outside they can ask questions. Even myself, before leaving for Manilla, I believed that I [would] integrate Fournier after the tournament. I say that clearly, because I thought that at least one backcourt player will not be quite convincing on his role, but that was not the case. After that, because of the balance achieved, I did not want to change anything.There was also a commitment that I made to the players who were there, who had been very decisive for our team in the tournament. Without them, we would not be going to Rio. And the commitment I made was that if they were performing good, they would remain in the team. So if I was not honoring my commitment, I would betray them. This is the main reason for this choice."

Certainly that is fair. The duo of Nando de Colo and Tony Parker worked out. Antoine Diot also had a very strong tournament. They earned their place on the Olympic team. Fournier decided not to risk injury during his free agency and skip out on the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

As Collet said, the decision to add Rudy Gobert to the roster was done because he felt he needed the reinforcements there. Especially when considering how much DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan seemed to be dominating the inside early on in U.S. Olympic training. France and the U.S. are in the same group for preliminary round play.

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It does not appear Fournier is too upset over the snub. He has been enjoying his summer, vacationing in the Philippines after the season before returning to Orlando for free agency. He is currently home in France.