Friday, 14.07.2006	posted by Stefano Valenti 2:45 pm
Category: FIBA World Championship

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CIAO ANDREA, SEE YOU NEXT!

The official press release from Italian Federation is timed at 11.24 a.m.

«We're proud for the great beginning in the NBA for our athlete Andrea Bargnani. After several contacts with his new club, Toronto Raptors, and his managers, trying to have Andrea in our team for coming World Championships, we accept the fact that his training schedule for next season can't match our needs... Bargnani is a property of all Italian Basketball, and we wish him all the best for his adventure in the NBA. At the same time we believe that the NBA will be the best place to fortify him, an helpful experience for the National Team also, looking to next Eurobasket 2007 when Bargnani will be one of the key players of Italy on the road to Olympics Games 2008 in Bejing».

It was a kind of gentlemen's agreement, take your time now, give us your time tomorrow. Many new plays already prepared by coach Recalcati and his staff, to use Bargnani as a power or small forward, are now in the basket. Unfortunately not the one for ball, but the one for paper, like all of us, basktball fans and more, are doing everyday at the office...

It's a hard blow to the stomach, in perfect Zidane-style (ok, this could be not so appreciated from my good French friends like P.O. and all the other guys...), but preparing for a long trip toward the Land of the Rising Sun, the Italian Sun already started towards an advanced sunset...

But we know that our regret is not shared by coach Recalcati: days before he told to Bargnani "we wait for you until July 26th, not one day more: you have never been with us, like Basile, if I've not enough time to put you in the system of play, we'll do without you». No favours, not even for a first pick of NBA draft 2006: could seem a kind of Japanese Harakiri, but the truth is that this is the Recalcati-system.

Thanks Andrea, see you next, probably better as player, also. Your teammates are ready to do their best by sharing your role in the team. At the same, to replace a player that never was part of the National Team. We survived until yesterday, we'll do the same in Japan.