What happened to him Simone Fontecchio? All signs of the strongest Italian player disappeared after the injury to his left foot that prevented him from participating in the pre-Olympic in Puerto Rico (and that actually prevented Italy, also given the conditions of Lithuania, from participating in the Olympics. ) and signing a two-year, $16 million contract with the Detroit Pistons. Some messages on social networks we have all read, of course, but also a certain underlying bitterness. After two seasons in the NBA, Fontecchio found a good contract, but at almost 29 years old he probably thought he would find a bigger market than what the worst of the 30 teams in the league. He is not yet in Gallinari mode, now without a contract after 16 years in the NBA but calm (he did some training with Treviglio), and knows that for a European to remain involved in a loss in context and without a single good situation (this is the Pistons’ ninth salary) it’s not a good deal at all. Of course, if Detroit doesn’t sell him, Pozzecco will rest him well for Euro 2025.
From the modest tournament played in Puerto Rico by the national team, it can be said that Italian basketball has almost disappeared from the media, and almost two months ago. Not that the journalists made a conspiracy against this game, but the little news of the transfer, this festival of the unknown with three or four teams a year, only interested on a local basis. Among Petrucci’s various obsessions, the strongest basis is that the national team is decisive for a team sport to gain space, unless it is football where not even the terrible that European Championship in the Spalletti team caused interest to decline. The most obvious comparison is volleyball, because today anyone can name a player from Velasco’s team while in Italy basketball remains a sport for enthusiasts and provincial fans, even though it is obvious (not for everyone, the little parishioner is jealous of what he knows. ) the dream is that Matilde Villa will be Caitlin Clark in our house. Then in a strict technical sense the Olympics are overrated, and in any case no one will celebrate in the streets a tournament like the one held in Puerto Rico, but being there is always better than not being there .
On August 28, 2004, exactly 20 years ago, the Italian national team won the heaviest medal in its history, the Olympic silver in Athens, losing in the final against an Argentina team five days earlier it was defeated by the group and where in The semi-final achieved success, defeating the NBA version of the USA in an Olympics, while the Azzurri by Recalcati overcame the still very strong Lithuania. However, it is not a case of lost gold because that is the Argentina of Ginobili and Scola, of Nocioni and Pepe Sanchez, who have the decisive wingman of Wolkowyski and super-luxury benchers of Sconochini and Delfino. In the background of apparently transitional Italy, with individual values not so different from today’s Italy, Bargnani, Belinelli, Gallinari grew up … In short, it seems the beginning of a golden age in every sense, but the consequences. speak for themselves alone: in the last twenty years Italy has not qualified for 4 out of 5 Olympics and has not reached the top four in any event, in a period where almost all the big and medium-sized basketball countries. succeeded. It is not difficult to understand why the celebration of this silver received very little from the federation and professionals.
stefano@indiscreto.net