EA7 Emporio Armani Milan head coach Ettore Messina discusses the team's future in the EuroLeague and their prospects for the remainder of the season.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan will finish another disappointing season in the EuroLeague on Thursday at home against Baskonia.
Before the EuroLeague season finale, Milan's head coach Ettore Messina opened up about their team's future in the competition amid NBA Europe rumors. He said that Milan is in sync with the EuroLeague, but the NBA topic is still open.
"Club and ownership are in sync with Euroleague because we're one of the clubs with a multi-year license," Messina said in an interview with La Repubblica.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan / Schedule
Virtus Segafredo Bologna
EA7 Emporio Armani Milan
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz"But, as with other clubs, we haven't signed the extension of the agreement yet. We're interested in the development of the competition, which offers a great show on the court, but it needs to become much more attractive to sponsors and investors by increasing revenues."
Ettore Messina believes three-way partnership between NBA, FIBA and the EuroLeague would be the most beneficial for basketball growth in Europe.
"With the NBA, the topic is still open: we need to understand if it's gonna be a competitor, which I don't think is the case, a potential partner, or a three-way partnership with FIBA included. This last scenario would be the ideal one because it would help to normalize the schedule," he added.
Messina also revealed that they might look for reinforcement to finish the season in the Italian league, since their situation with injuries is unclear.
"We'll sign a player, but in agreement with the club, we're gonna wait first to evaluate the situation of all the injured players. Only when we have a clear picture, we'll decide who's gonna play in the playoffs (of the domestic league)."
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