Euroleague 2007-2008 - Armani Jeans Milano - The Preview

Author : Federico Del Prete from Basketnet

Overall Record Prediction : 8-6 - 4th in Group B

When the new Armani Jeans will knock at the door of the Euroleague, who will open is gonna face a strange and multicoloured company guided by a magician and an angelface child. The magician is the coach, Zare Markovski, that, after a career most of the time spent in the right side of the standings of the European leagues, decided that he would have never lost the possibility to play what he had reached in Bologna. The
angelface killer is Danilo Gallinari, the goldenboy of European basketball : he is not 20 yet, but he’s been the next big thing for at least two years in Italy and for the first time he will play on the courts of the most important continental competition.

The basketball view of Zare is visionary. Under his guide, Gallinari will play every position on the court and that could be the most interesting experiment, but also hide the most terrible failure. Around them, there is the experience of Bulleri and Vukcevic, the sense of position of Watson, the athleticism of Sesay and Toure and the crazy talent of Reece Gaines, whose persistence is the real bet for Milan.

Its group is hard, but not so much. If Unicaja, Maccabi and Efes look like the best teams, Armani can compete with the others and it’s not difficult to imagine that they will reach the Top16. Our prediction? 8-6 and 4th place in the group. But all goes through the mind of the magician and the angelface of the “killer” child.

Not enough for the Final Four, anyway (and for the quarter-finals, neither unfortunately). The trophy will be the usual private question for Cska, Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and Tau. But 70% of that depends on the Top16 draws where everything can change.