By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
When the post-game press conference started after Milan’s road win over Zalgiris, Ettore Messina was in great form, asking for challenging questions.
He enjoyed some, scoffed at others that were not game-related, and also admitted that in the EuroLeague, things change easily.
As he said when he was asked to advise the new Zalgiris head coach, Tomas Maciulis, Messina said: “If we win a game, we are very smart, if we lose a game, we are very idiots. So, 48 hours ago, I was an idiot. Now, maybe, for 36 hours, I just get the benefit of the doubt.”
However, when the questions moved to the future of European basketball and NBA Europe, the in-form Messina was ready to repeat things he described one year ago to Eurohoops.
As the legendary Italian coach explained: “Our on-court product is fantastic; it’s second only to the NBA playoffs. On the other side, there’s a huge business problem, because everybody loses money, and we depend on the big multi-sport clubs like Madrid, Barcelona, Fener, and also on the goodwill of a lot of owners who put incredible resources into this sport. So I think it would be ideal if we plan something, and if the question is related to the NBA, I think it would be in our great interest to find some common ground and make sure we can develop a league that has the quality of the EuroLeague, and let’s say the attractiveness of a well-run business that a sports organization can provide”.
Of course, Messina doesn’t think that this can be easy: “It’s a long way to go; there were two meetings, and I was in one of them. There’s goodwill; the NBA seems to be very serious in its plan. I personally hope that we can find some common ground. I disagree with my colleagues that they will come here to destroy European basketball. I honestly don’t think so”.
The reference has to do with the recent comments of Zeljko Obradovic on the subject, with Messina also touching on the core of the issue.
At this point, not all EuroLeague teams with an A license are guaranteed a spot in the NBA Europe project and Messina explained: “As you know, EuroLeague wants all 13 shareholders to be part of this new project, so that’s a very important part of this situation, and from what I read, there’s also the desire of the NBA to have other cities involved. So we’re all thinking about the league, but the plan goes beyond that to organizing the whole ecosystem. Now we have three competitions, and it’s probably too many because we have to coordinate the most important things, which is the schedule”.
Messina also enjoyed questions on Quin Ellis, Bryant Dunston, and, of course, the great late owner Giorgio Armani, whose recent death brings an extra motivation to the team this season.