Basketball, Virtus Bologna: Belinelli bad mood, Scariolo goes straight

At Virtus, the Belinelli case is growing strongly. After 4 full months of ne (not entered, 10 times) in the Euroleague, the captain’s bad mood has reached saturation point. The counterpart is coach Scariolo who at the beginning of the season made a choice on the use and playing time of the players who make up the rich roster of the Bologna team. A choice that affects Beli, who returned to Virtus after 13 years in the NBA to win the 2021 championship and the 2022 Eurocup which reopened the doors of the Euroleague to president Zanetti’s club. The big tournament, which the former San Antonio player hadn’t attended since 2007 and which he dreams of winning to fill the only title missing from his prestigious palmares, has become a nightmare. To date he has only played 8 games with 13′ average and a record 18 decisive points in the victory over Fenerbahce.

Help

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So far the former blue, close to 37, has not made any public utterances even if his discontent is known. The straw that broke the camel’s back came after the photo-finish victory over Venice. Scariolo, explaining the difficulties in setting up the team for the championship, with 6 Italians to be entered on the scoresheet, reiterated the concept of having plenty among the point guards “with Beli giving us a hand”. A phrase slipped away and perhaps not expressed correctly in the technical context painted by the Spain coach that the 2014 NBA champion did not like, so much so that the next day he tweeted a post with 12 facepalm emojis (hand on face) without text, however expressing a sense of exasperation.

Furthermore, Beli, without making a statement, requested and obtained an interview with the Virtussino CEO, Luca Baraldi. The question is delicate because it also affects the future (Beli expires in June but has already knocked for renewal; Don Sergio expires in 2024). Baraldi prefers to mediate it at home to keep it under control, avoiding official comments. For his part, the coach declassifies Beli’s bad mood within normal locker room dynamics and team logic. “I have no preclusions with any of my players – argues Scariolo -. As a coach I am called to make choices, aware that I can make mistakes, for the good of the team. I have explained for some time that the composition of our staff is very unbalanced in the wing sector , while we have few big men. There are two competitions, my goal is to put all the players in the conditions to take the field on both fronts but it is not always possible. So I have identified the most suitable ones for the Euroleague and those for the championship The parameters are physical stress, more accentuated in the Euroleague than in Serie A, the technical value of the opponents and eligibility with regard to passports. In the playoffs, the choices could be different”.

No gossip

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Everyone in the city thinks that the split is now inevitable because the two no longer speak to each other: “Everything is regular with Beli – denies the 4-times European champion coach -, I can’t go behind the drafts of the Bologna arcades, the gossip doesn’t it concerns me. Marco and I have not had clashes and on the rumors that there would no longer be communication between us I reply that my dialogue with all the players takes place on the pitch, I don’t have to invite them one at a time to dinner. It is normal that those who play little are disgruntled. But I feel I have the experience, the maturity and the total vision of the group to handle this situation as I have handled a hundred like it in the past.” Meanwhile, tonight we return to the Segafredo Arena for the 20th round of the Euroleague against Panathinaikos (8.30pm; Sky Uno). All eyes will be on Scariolo and Beli. Every bet on how their relationship will continue is legitimate.