The 92nd edition of the Italian basketball championship, Serie A Beko, giant in the world of household appliances and main sponsor of the tournament, starts today after a three-week break from the epilogue of the European Championships in Slovenia. We had parted ways with the Italian national team which first made us dream and deluded us and then abruptly brought us back to earth, faced with the reality of a movement which without its stars cannot hold a candle to the other continental powers. We parted ways, therefore, with Italy failing to secure a place in next year's World Cup (although one can always hope for a wild card), but above all with the historic first victory of France by Tony Parker. We met in the middle of this week with yet another triumph for Siena in the Super Cup against Varese, the sixteenth Italian trophy out of the last 17 available by Mens Sana in recent years, with the only exception being the 12-month Super Cup ago granted to Cantù.
Success achieved by the ever more launched Hackett, who after a summer in the spotlight for refusing to move to Milan and for his lack of presence in the national team (with related controversies), together with Ortner and the veteran Ress remained the only veteran of last season's team. The number 23 this time more than ever is called to be the essential element of a deeply renewed (and in theory weakened) roster, as has been the case for two years now due to the logic of lowering costs due to the well-known corporate problems related to sponsor (tied to team name for the last year). In the initial analyses, this leads us to speak of downsizing (if not dismantling) the dominating formation of the last decade, but then punctually the Tuscan club has always demonstrated, even with a significantly smaller budget, that it knows how to build a solid group of players and nailed it, continuing to stock up on trophies. In the first round of the season, Hackett started very strong, aware that this must be the year of his consecration and the springboard for his future dreams (overseas), but the Super Cup this time could be, truly and realistically, the only joy in the Siena season. In fact, his throne as champion has never been at risk as this time. lower quality level. If by many this is considered to be the right year, finally, for the return of the Scudetto to Milan (although by now the Milanese fans have been told too many times that it would be the right time), a real starting grid for the championship it's really hard to imagine, with most of the teams that at the end of the year could either occupy a position just below the top or close to the bottom of the table, be either the surprises or the disappointments of the season.
Making an effort in predictions, Milan seems to have the strongest and longest group and, after the two unsuccessful years of Scariolo management and a roster with many first ladies, this time it seems to have focused more on concreteness with less striking names but more useful to the cause, led on the bench by Luca Banchi, the former coach of Siena's rivals, from whom Olimpia has also "stolen" a winner like David Moss, as well as the latest market hit Kangur. The most accredited rival seems to be Dinamo Sassari, in its only fourth Serie A championship, but already a great protagonist in recent years and supported by an entire region. A serious company that further strengthened last season's team, no one dares say it out loud, but the thought of being able to accomplish the historic feat is already in the minds of many island fans. Immediately behind, then, in no precise order, the teams that will almost certainly be in the playoffs are obviously Siena, the winner of the last regular season Varese and the finalist Roma, as well as Cantù (despite the financial problems), Avellino, Venice, Reggio Emilia and the young and interesting Virtus Bologna, ready to break the eggs in the basket of the others that are better equipped on paper. Slightly more detached, but it is really a gamble to say, Caserta, Montegranaro, Cremona and above all Pesaro, Brindisi and the newly promoted Pistoia are starting (however able to beat the battleship CSKA Moscow in a friendly only a few days ago, albeit without many important players in the ranks of the Russians). But the time for chatting is over, we start tomorrow with all the matches at 18,15 pm apart from the postponement of 20,30 pm which will see Campo Sassari on stage in Bologna, a meeting that can already say a lot about the real ambitions of the two teams . Or maybe not.
