Coaching and GM change already?

October 23, 2007

I am sure most of the Euroleague and/or Italian fans have noticed the news: Armani Jeans Milano has made a head coaching change 48 hours before the start of the Euroleague season.

Attilio Caja returns to the team he last coached in 2004 to try and turn things around after Zare Markovski was let go. Milano general manager Gino Natali also resigned his post on Tuesday.

I have seen the game on Italian TV this weekend where Euroleague contestant Montepaschi Siena killed Milano by almost 40 points and I was wondering what was wrong with the team. To me it looked more like it was the teams fault and not the coaches fault at all. But sometimes teams play like that to get rid of the coach as we have seen this in the past.

I don’t know if this was the problem in Milano but I am sure that letting the coach go wasn’t the right decision. I don’t want to get personal now but what do you think about this move? It would be easier if you get mean.. 😉

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This post was published on October 23, 2007
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Comments: 2
  1. 18 years ago

    Milano had 3 ways to try to shake the season (at differente levels):

    1) Make some trades (waive Gadson for Vanterpool; a trade with Fortitudo Gaines-Lamma and sign another 2-3 etc.)
    2) Change coach
    3) Change the gm

    They took the “all inclusive package”…
    Don’t think that it can bring something of good

    The main mistake was to confirm the GM Gino Natali after the last season.
    There wasn’t trust around him.
    Also the coach, Markovski, arrived as 2nd choice after a long and boring flirt with Scariolo…

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  2. 18 years ago

    Long needed and necessary move.
    Markovski, as good as he can be, is a coach who can only play within his system (something like good old Arsenault system of Grinnell memory, no fixed roles, very frequent subs and a lot of gunning from the three point line.)
    The actual roster doesn’t fit Markovski style. And the 1-5 start tells it all.
    For the GM position: Natali has always been one of the worst GM in the Italian basketball system, Never had a scouting eye in signing USA player, always choosing olnly players late in their age and often relying on agent proposals. And you know it’s going to turn very bad if half your roster comes from the same agent pool…
    Again. A clean start; it’s going to be difficult, it’s gonna be a long season, but in the end it will be a move to remember.

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18 years ago 2 Comments EuroLeague, More