“Welcome to Miami”. The refrain of a famous song by Will Smith is the perfect soundtrack of the market bomb that arrived the other night on the other side of the Atlantic and which concerns Simone Fontecchio, the first Abruzzo in history to play in the NBA and the only Italian championship in the last season in the League of Basketball Martians. The champion who will be awarded tomorrow to Ripa Teatina of the Rocky Marciano Prize, in fact, went from Detroit Pistons to the Heat of Florida. The Pistons acquired with a “Sign and Trade” Duncan Robinson (three -year 48 million dollars), turning to Miami the 29 -year -old from Pescara who still had a year of contract at 8.3 million dollars. For Fontecchio the transition to Heat, his third American franchise after the Utah Jazz and the Pistons, represents an upgrade that can be decisive in view of next summer, in which it will be a free agent. In fact, Miami seems to be a much more interesting solution at the moment than JB Bickerstaff ‘Detroit for him, who in these early years in NBA has however shown interesting skills by Grimaldello that can be used by the bench. Find a legend like Pat Riley from which it can learn a lot, but above all it can now concentrate on – without therefore thinking about the market – to the next commitments with the Italbasket (starting from the European Championship that will take place from 27 August to 14 September, with the blues who will play the first phase in Limassol, in Cyprus). The races with the Pozzecco national team will precede the new competitive season in America, fundamental for the future of Fontecchio. His last was however positive, with the Piston who arrived in the playoffs: but the Abruzzo in the post Season did not take the field. His team had been eliminated by the Knicks and the New York and the Los Angeles Lakers were given on the trail of the son and nephew of art, which however now starts from an ambitious team even if less iconic than the two cited. Fontecchio appears perfect for the coach Erik Spoelstra system, reflecting the “Heat Culture”, that is, the ability to adapt to several roles and to give intensity in both half of the field. In his role within Miami’s rotations, the competition is not lacking, since there are Andrew Wiggins, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jovic and Kyle Anderson, all players who can have an important minutage, but Simone is ready for the challenge. Who wants to win. And he already knows that he will have to arrive in great condition at the Training Camp, who will start right after the continental review. Photo Lattanzio G.
