CANTU (Lega A/EuroBasket) - It may seem odd that new Pallacanestro Cantu signing Stefano Mancinelli, an experienced and versatile player who is the captain of Italy's national team, was unemployed for the first several months of the 2012-13 season.

But that was indeed the case for the 29-year-old Euroleague veteran.

After walking off the court for the Azzurri on 8 September, their final game in the EuroBasket 2013 Qualifying Round, Mancinelli didn’t return to Olimpia Milano, his club of the previous two seasons.

The 2.03m forward instead fielded offers, weighed up his options and waited.

The right opportunity arrived this week from Cantu, with the northern Italian outfit signing him for the remainder of the campaign.

"There are still four months of the season, and I need to think about basketball every day to fully recover my shape," Mancinelli said.

"I'm not bad, but when there is no game rhythm a player can't at his best."

Mancinelli says he did the right thing by turning down "several offers" from excellent clubs.

He simply wanted the best situation.

"Cantu has it all: a great history, a great coaching staff and is one of the top teams in Italy struggling to get into the Euroleague,” Mancinelli said.

Cantu are fifth in the Lega A with 11 victories and six defeats.

"At the beginning of the year came offers and maybe a normal person would have accepted them all," Mancinelli said.

"But I do not think that money is the only important thing in life.”

Mancinelli’s boss at Cantu is Andrea Trinchieri, who was recently named coach of Greece’s national team.

This summer, when Italy play at the EuroBasket and attempt to qualify for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, Greece will be one of the teams they’ll face in Group D.

"Stefano gives us a threat in the area of the court where this season, and in past years, we haven't explored that much, because Stefano is a strong one-on-one player under the basket,” Trinchieri said.

“Let me be clear: We don't have time. It will be down to the coaches, the players and even Stefano to adapt to our system."

Mancinelli has played for Italy since EuroBasket 2005 in Serbia and Montenegro.

Last summer, he averaged 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists as the Italians claimed eight wins in as many qualifying games for the EuroBasket in Slovenia.

FIBA