Olimpia Milano post Zalgiris. There is no exit from the labyrinth. After two victories, the softness on the bounce returns, the defensive non-existence, the static attack, the nothingness of some protagonists, the too much of others.
-14 in Kaunas and many greetings, or almost, to a EuroLeague that has never really been honored this season. “Ball don’t lie” say the Americans, and there is little to complain about. Certainties are built in months, the cup is a journey, nothing is improvised.
It is a “non-team” that Ettore Messina has put together this season. There is no mutual trust, there is no help, there is no support. “Ball to Shields and we hug”, “ball to Mirotic and we hug”. What’s this?
Absent quality of play, especially basketball quantity. Can you allow 12 offensive rebounds on a crucial road game? What bodies did Zalgiris have that Milan didn’t have? Let’s remember the absence of Smits, but if Melli never enters the game, Hines is a factor that is immediately abandoned, and Poythress is forgotten on the bench…
The EuroLeague is not totally over, only Efes is ahead in the standings and Zalgiris is following, who however have an unfortunate calendar and are worth something less on the road. But does this team deserve another chance after wasting dozens of them?
Better to think about how to get something out of these months, defending the Scudetto. Then we will need to change direction. Shabazz Napier and Maodo Lo cannot lead a team that wants the playoffs and aspires to the Final Four. And above all, Ettore Messina should not be able to afford to make mistakes again.
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