For Milan, it's time to save what's left of the season / News - Basketnews.com

Olimpia Milan experience what is probably the worst season since Ettore Messina took over three years ago. While the situation looks already compromised in EuroLeague, everything is still up for grabs in the domestic league. For them, it has now arrived time to save what's left.

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix Credit ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix

Right before the beginning of the season, the judgment was pretty much in. Most EuroLeague executives believed that EA7 Emporio Armani Milan had the best offseason among the EuroLeague clubs.

Points this season

42%69,8Points made:69,8Accuracy:42,2%Place in standings:18Record max:90Record min:51Best scorer:Billy BaronTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

It was almost given they have headed to the Final Four again after reaching them already two years ago in Cologne.

The signings of Kevin Pangos, Brandon Davies, Johannes Voigtmann, Deshaun Thomas, and Billy Baron convinced pretty much everyone that the Italian team would be one of the best teams in the competition.

Well, so far, those projections proved themselves to be way out of line. The team coached by Ettore Messina currently sits at the bottom of the EuroLeague standings, alongside ALBA Berlin, with a 6-14 record.

Out of 14 suffered defeats, 10 have been inside their home arena, the Mediolanum Forum, where so far, Olimpia Milan has only won two games.

They began the season with a 3-1 record, but after the win on the road against Bayern Munich, in which Shavon Shields went down with an injury, they went on a negative streak, losing 9 games in a row and waiting for a EuroLeague win for almost two months.

Something that would have been almost unthinkable just a couple of months before. During December, Olimpia Milan went on a 3-game winning streak, securing a victory on the road against Crvena Zvezda and then grabbing the first two wins at home against Monaco and Valencia.

Those three victories in a row gave a little spark of hope, especially to the fans still hoping the EuroLeague season could be saved somehow.

Unfortunately, that positive momentum didn't last for long, and since the beginning of the new year, Milan has yet to win a EuroLeague game, having lost four matches in a row.

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan / Schedule

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne73-79 AS Monaco EA7 Emporio Armani MilanThu20:00 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-GasteizTue18:00

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After their last loss at home against ASVEL, Ettore Messina was asked if there was still a chance to save this EuroLeague season and, in some ways, reach a playoff spot.

The Italian specialist had a pretty honest answer to the question: "I think we're done. It's really hard now trying to imagine turning this situation around. We have to be honest and admit it."

It's not the first time this season that Messina has seemed almost resigned to the idea that the season at the European level is all but done.

Back in November, after the heavy home loss against Anadolu Efes, the Italian head coach hinted at the possibility of resigning amid the crisis, the team was already experiencing.

"If we keep playing like this, I'll draw my own conclusions, and I'll go to Mr. Armani to tell him that it'll be necessary to find another guide for this team," he said back then.

However, the ownership has always supported Messina, and the situation hasn't changed. The Italian head coach is under contract until 2024.

If the two sides decide to part ways at the end of the season, it will be more because of Messina's desire to step aside than the club's wish not to continue with the coach, a source told BasketNews.

Giorgio Armani, the owner of Olimpia Milan, believes that Messina is the perfect leader for the club, and he hasn't changed his belief despite the difficulties encountered this season.

From the beginning, this season has taken on the connotations of one of those movies where everything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Olimpia Milan immediately had injury problems right from the first days of training camp. Nazareth Mitrou-Long, Baron, and Baldasso missed the first weeks of the regular season.

Shields, who had already had physical problems during preparation, was seriously injured in the fourth EuroLeague game, leaving a huge void in Milan's roster.

Pangos, the main acquisition of the offseason, had arrived in Italy well behind in terms of condition after a season in which he had played very little in the NBA. Moreover, his move to CSKA Moscow had fallen through, leaving him inactive for several months.

With the initial injuries to Mitrou-Long and Baldasso, Pangos became the only option available at the point guard position, forcing him to play more minutes than he probably should have while ramping up his conditioning.

The Canadian point guard was injured shortly after Shields, leaving another huge void within Messina's roster. It is true that Pangos was not exactly playing the best basketball of his career before the injury, but it is equally true that this team had been built around his presence.

Before the beginning of the season, I had a conversation with one of my best sources in this environment. A person for whom I have the most profound respect, both on a personal level and in terms of basketball knowledge.

When I asked him what his view was about the potential of Olimpia Milan, he told me:

"They have built a good roster, and they have a lot of experience, but I do see a major issue: if Pangos doesn't play at a certain level, let's say he's not the same version of himself that we saw with Zenit, they will have many problems. They don't have enough depth in that position, it's a risk."

His prediction turned out to be correct. Pangos struggled and did not particularly shine even before the injury, and with Shields' injury on top of that, Milan's offense completely collapsed, and the numbers show it.

Messina's side has the worst offensive rating in the competition (101.4), it's dead last in 3-point shooting percentage (32%), and has the second-worst field goal percentage in EuroLeague (42%).

The Italian club is also last in terms of true shooting percentage, with 53%. Their defense, instead, remains among the best in Europe, with the team currently having the third-best defensive rating (110.4).

In hindsight, Milan would have added another backcourt player during the offseason phase rather than opting for more depth in the wing role.

Having a real alternative to Pangos, perhaps a player with some EuroLeague experience already, could certainly have helped.

Mitrou-Long is a rookie at this level and suffered a lot from the lack of a guide next to him. At the same time, Tommaso Baldasso is a player who can definitely lend a hand as far as the Italian league is concerned, but his level is not suitable for the EuroLeague.

The decision not to extend Jerian Grant was probably one of the mistakes made during the summer.

After the rumors linking the team to Facundo Campazzo and Kemba Walker in the last few days, it looks like Milan remains active on the market to add a point guard.

As it was confirmed on our website by multiple sources, the Italian side is getting closer to a deal with Shabazz Napier, who was also a target for Panathinaikos.

Napier joined EuroLeague side Zenit St.Petersburg last season, but we weren't able to see him on the court due to an ankle injury right before the beginning of the season.

The American/Puerto Rican guard began the season in G League and looked in good shape. His arrival could help boost a little bit Olimpia Milan's offense since Pangos won't be able to return, at least until the end of February.

Meanwhile, Messina will keep working on getting the best out of the current situation, helping some of the players struggling the most to regain confidence after so many difficulties.

In the Italian league, everything is still up for grabs. Olimpia finished the first half of the season at the top of the table and will be the top seed during the Final Eight of the Italian Cup, which will take place in Turin from February 15 to 19.

Even in Italy, Messina's side has recently lost a little focus. Milan suffered two defeats in the last three games played in Serie A, and both came against teams trying to avoid relegation from the top division (Napoli and Reggio Emilia).

In a season in which the team is struggling mightily in EuroLeague, Emporio Armani Milan cannot afford to lose ground also in the domestic division.

The ultimate goal remains to win the Italian league title again and to conquer the Italian Cup. To do so, Milan needs to find new motivation and energy, a new spirit that can help the team at least until the end of the season.

Disappointment and frustration are very present in Milan's environment. Still, such an experienced team has to find the right mentality to overcome these struggles and try to turn this season into a positive one, even if they won't reach the Euroleague playoffs.

There's no other way. One game at a time, they need to shake off all the negativity and find a way to move forward. Everything that could have gone wrong has already gone wrong, now it's time to try to save what's left.

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