Italian basketball dreams of the NBA, but first it must find who invests- Corriere.it

We can start with those who have already taken that step. Better: he repeated it, once the championship started, a few years after previous experiences. «A relegation was expected – he explains Massimo Righi, general manager of the volleyball Super League -, but we stopped it: it seemed to us the best answer to the problems of the epidemic. In the past, however, the choice saved the volleyball system. There were no contraindications yesterday, there are none today: it is forbidden to dismantle the staff, under penalty of harsh fines, and post-season hysteria is avoided ». Volleyball, introducing the bonus / malus (if you always finish last and the balance is negative, you lose your license), has also discovered that selection is possible even in a guaranteed regime.

Basketball should then think about this scenario, struggling (not since yesterday) with the same dilemma: cancel or not the only relegation left after the disappearance of Rome? Romeo Sacchetti, Italian coach, believes that a gamble was made last summer: “Too much optimism, I would have foreseen special rules, with guaranteed minimum wages, for a year that looked to be particular”. Carlo Recalcati, Sacchetti’s predecessor and Scudetto like him, in relaunching the idea of ​​a ranking based on the percentage of wins and not on points, he is more decisive: “This season has nothing normal, I am in favor of blocking relegation by reviewing the structure of the our basketball ».

There have already been some postponed meetings, recoveries are in progress; there are those who have played to decimated ranks and those who have had advantages in facing opponents weakened by absences. But there is still no square, even on the idea of ​​restructuring. However Umberto Gandini, underlining “that there is no litigation in the A League”, he admits: “Everyone is asking me for a more professional system: a project will be ready by April”. The other voice of the institution is that of Federbasket: Gianni Petrucci is a president who for personal culture “is reluctant to cancel relegations”. However, given the times, it could derogate. “If the League is unanimous, I will not declare war on it. I don’t want to “kill” anyone, but I promised a revolution and I will do it. The Lega should move before the FIP takes action: I am waiting for proposals to find an agreement ». The question is more complex: the change of skin of our basketball is involved, even if Valerio Bianchini, another historical name, points out that when «Serie A thinks of a qualitative leap, it forgets that the Federation remains amateurish». However, Gandini, more than franchises, thinks of licenses that certify the right to belong to the professional world: “The intervention must then be contextualized in a scenario of actions in support of the system and mutuality”. And the relegation block? “A badly posed problem, if extrapolated from those concepts.” It is then easy to say America and NBA. Dan Peterson | he speaks of a “necessary revolution”, but warns: “If Rome disappears, then something is wrong: perhaps Italy is not ready. Abolish relegation? I understand the situation linked to Covid, but with which meter do you decide the deductibles? To be professional you need professionalism ».

Bianchini agrees (“Our professionalism, linked to administrative acts and that’s it, generates only debts”) and absolutely does not say no to the stop of relegation. However, it invites “to change carefully”. Maurizio Gherardini, for some time now «Italian abroad» but always tied to the roots, is for a clear turning point: «If I think of the farewell to Rome, I say that the championship is distorted. Not only that, this episode should make us think: the whole sport is turning towards the concept of franchise. We need to create assets that give value and sustainability to what you produce “. Thoughts and words of a former vice president of the NBA and of a manager who won the Euroleague in Istanbul.