BallinEurope is previewing all 18 Euroleague Basketball teams ahead of the start of the season. Today it’s the turn of Olimpia Milano, a side that can’t help but hinder itself.
There are few teams that carry the bizarrely consistent frustration of Olimpia Milano. The champions of Italy enter another Euroleague Basketball season with mixed expectations.
Last season
Euroleague record: 15-19
Regular season position: 12th
Playoffs: N/A
Serie A record: 22-8
Regular season position: 2nd
Playoffs: Won finals vs Virtus Bologna (3-1)
Other: Lost Coppa Italia final (Napoli)
Who’s gone?
Maodo Lo (Paris Basketball), Denzel Valentine (Trieste), Alex Poythress (Zenit St Petersburg), Devon Hall (Fenerbahce), Niccolo Melli (Fenerbahce), Johannes Voigtmann (FC Bayern), Ismael Kamagate (Tortona, loan), Kyle Hines (retired), Billy Baron (free agent), Shabazz Napier (FC Bayern), Rodney McGruder (free agent).
Who is new?
David McCormack (Galatasaray), Fabien Causeur (Real Madrid), Zach LeDay (Partizan), Ousmane Diop (Sassari), Josh Nebo (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Nenad Dimitrijevic (UNICS Kazan), Armoni Brooks (Ontario Clippers), Leandro Bolmaro (FC Bayern).
Who stayed?
Stefano Tonut, Shavon Shields, Nikola Mirotic, Diego Flaccadori, Giardano Bortolani, Giampaolo Ricci, Guglielmo Caruso.
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Need to know
Ettore Messina remains as both GM and head coach of OIimpia Milano. Holding both roles seems to hinder him in each. The spread of duties, even for a legend like Messina, seems to clearly limit his ability to operate. Despite his total control, it’s effectively unheard of at this level. It is far from the norm for Euroleague Basketball.
What the bookies think
There’s serious range among sportsbooks when it comes to Olimpia Milano. They are as short as 20/1 and as long as 40/1 in Euroleague Basketball betting. The common consensus is 25/1 on most markets.
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What we think
Those odds are not generous. This is an obviously very different Olimpia Milano team. It still appears to have the same issues when it comes to competing at the Euroleague Basketball level. Added to this is the loss of some serious veteran talent. The most notable being Hines through retirement and Melli to Fenerbahce. This is a side that is going to struggle to find consistency for most of the campaign. Compare Milano to their opening night opponents, AS Monaco, and it feels like two wildly different approaches to chemistry.
Fearless prediction
This feels like a wash, rinse, repeat campaign. This team is good enough to get it all together in time for the Serie A playoffs. The damage to their Euroleague campaign however will long be done by then. Olimpia Milano will have some good nights. They just won’t have enough of them for it to matter.
Pick: 12th in the regular season
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