By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
EA7 Armani Milano will continue the effort to return to its past glories with the help of its main sponsor Giorgio Armani. The famous Italian fashion designer still loves the game and as it was announced to the team, next season’s budget will be around 15 million euros, excluding taxes.
As Eurohoops have already reported, the coaching search goes on with Simone Pianigiani being the natural choice and Zeljko Obradovic also a – difficult to get – target. On the roster, except Keith Langford and Richard Hendrix (who is loaned to Lokomotiv Kuban) two more non Italian players have contracts for next season, Malik Hairston and Leon Radosevic.
However the really interesting news about the team at this point have to do with the front office. According to our Italian sources president Livio Proli is about to decide if he will stay fully involved with the team, or if he will keep his distance from the basketball affairs. The decision is absolutely his own and has to do also with his other business obligations as an executive in Armani related companies.
So if Proli steps back, there is the scenario of hiring an iconic figure as president who can also be a basketball consultant – like Dino Meneghin or Dan Peterson – or a president/ general manager and the best man for this job is also Italian. Mauricio Gherardini is thinking about leaving Toronto Raptors and returning to Europe with Milano being his possible destination.
After the recent changes in the NBA team, Gherardini is on the verge of coming back in the old continent, he had already contacts with a Spanish club, but two Italians clubs can be his new home. The one is Milano and the other is one club that may be a rising power in the near future, Umana Venezia.