DEVOTION FOR ITS OWN SAKE!
Living and working in Italy, I hear a lot of discontent nowadays about how our teams are performing so far in the Euroleague. Yes, it's going to be a pretty much a long season if someone only cares about Italian teams winning, because they are not going to win at a pace comparable with the past. It's just a matter of talent, and there's nothing you can do about that. At the same time, however, it's a little more complex. Life and basketball go in cycles, and it's simply our turn to be a little down. The new millennium started with Italy being represented almost invariably by two teams in the Final Four, and the popularity of basketball in the country was not that much different from today. Plus, if you count Gallinari, Belinelli, Datome among some younger talents alongside Bargnani, you see a paradox, because we have never had so many youngsters with NBA potential. I do not mean the fans should be happy to see their teams losing. But I think they could and should discover a new perspective on the competition, following the best basketball in Europe just for the sake of watching it. It also means that these lows will probably be followed by some highs when the young guns mature a little bit and get seasoned: stay tuned.
"I watched some of the Pau win vs. CSKA. It was moving to see the Pau players and fans celebrating like crazy at the end - and deservedly so. I know Ettore Messina will still be a little steamed about the loss, but I'm sure at the same time he realizes what that celebration means. When people go bananas about a regular season win, it shows that they think they did something special, in this case beating the best. When you are the champion, you always start the next season understanding the concept that you are the hunted now, not the hunter, and that everybody wants to beat the best. But only seeing is believing, and now Messina's players saw and will very possibly believe. If they don't, I'm pretty positive someone will remind them on a regular basis...
In Pau's victory, I think the biggest factor was quickness, in particular on defense. It's funny, but usually when you think about basketball values such as quickness, athleticism, unselfishness, you tend to exclusively think offense. But it's on defense that those things make as much or more difference. I remember talking with Joe Dumars a long time ago at a basketball camp in Italy. Dumars is not one to talk much, so when he does, it's usually for a good reason. He told me: "If you want to judge the unity of a team, don't look at assists or passes, because a lot of players like to pass the ball. Look at what happens on defense, because helping a teammate requires a mental and physical sacrifice." His Pistons played that way, and Pau used the same concept on Wednesday against CSKA, with athletic players moving their feet (whether in zone or man-to-man defense) and putting themselves in postion to help each other and recover in time. That is also another reason why mobile big men come at a premium nowadays. When such a great deal of your defense is predicated on covering a large space in a little time, and when teams get involved in so many pick-and-rolls that draw big men far from the basket, quickness is often much more important than size.
In the mad scientist department, I dream about playing with five players who distinguished themselves in Week 3 at the same time: Alex Acker (almost a triple double with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists), Kenny Gregory, Lior Eliyahu, Britton Johnsen and Antonis Fotsis. They can all shoot the three; they can all play with their backs to the basket; and they could switch literally everything on defense. Open court? They would be there constantly. Rebounds? Yes, they might be at a little disadvantage, but I feel they would enjoy mismatches on offense more than suffering from them on defense. Fun? Guaranteed. You can always bring a "true" center on the bench after all...See you later, Devotion to everybody!
POSTED BY
Flavio Tranquillo - Italy
DATE:
Friday, November 10, 2006