TalkBasket.net Basketball Forums

Quote:Spain know they’ll have one Toronto Raptor in their line-up this summer when they go for gold at the Beijing Games with playmaker Jose Calderon set to start for the national team again.



However, Pepu Hernandez is almost certain to be without Jorge Garbajosa following his season of inactivity with the Raptors after an operation on his leg at the start of the campaign.



“I think it’s a safe assumption to say that Garbajosa will not be playing in the Olympics as long as he’s under contract with us,” said Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo.



“I know I’m not making many people in Spain happy but, that’s a safe assumption.



“I think he is accepting of his current state, which is one of uncertainty, and he knows now more than ever that this is a situation he needs to handle with great care.”



Toronto have a team option on Garbajosa’s contract. The club is currently in litigation with the Spanish Basketball Federation over an insurance issue that arose after last year’s EuroBasket when Garbajosa helped Spain capture a silver medal.



For Calderon, there is great uncertainty over his future in Toronto despite his all-star level of play.



Calderon is extremely happy in the city and insists his only concern is to play for a winner, but he has had to surrender his starting place in the line-up to TJ Ford once the latter returned from injury.



The Spanish ace has spent three years with the Raptors, and other clubs can now bid for his services.



“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Calderon said. “When the time arrives, they’ll say what they can offer me and then I’ll decide.



“I’d love to come back. It was a great three years. When I arrived here, I didn’t know anyone. Right now, I feel like I need to do something for the team.



“I want to win. I don’t want to be a star or no star. I want to win, win a championship. It’s a team sport.”



The main concern for the Raptors has been whether Calderon and Ford can co-exist.



Ford said he wanted to start, which is why the Raptors asked Calderon to sacrifice his place in the line-up despite his terrific play.



Calderon says he has no problems at all with Ford.



“I respect his (Ford’s) opinion,” Calderon said.



“We were great partners. I feel like I am Jose, I know my job and every minute I’m on the court, I’ll work hard. I want to be on a winning team.



“And to have a winning team, you have to fight for minutes.”



Does he want to return to Toronto?



“Why not?” Calderon said. “We’re going to be a better team. You are always going to have competition for your place. Everything will be alright. I don’t know if the Raptors will match the offer I will receive, but I’m happy here.”

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/24407/arti.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/l"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/l[/url] ... /arti.html</a><!-- m -->

NT coach Pepu Hernández announced he'll step down after the Olympics. Fuenlabrada's Luis Casimiro could then become coach.

Quote:ESP – Spain players disappointed over Pepu’s decision to quit



MADRID (Olympics) - Spain’s Jorge Garbajosa and Felipe Reyes have expressed their sadness over Pepu Hernandez’s decision to step down as national team coach after the Olympics.



Hernandez, who led Spain to gold at the 2006 FIBA World Championship – his first tournament in charge – led them to silver last year at the EuroBasket in Spain.



"As the rest of my team-mates, I have been surprised that Pepu Hernandez has announced that he will not remain in charge after the Olympics,” Garbajosa said.



“It's a pity because he has been two years in a team that has been one of the most successful in the history of Spanish basketball and probably in any other sport.



"But his decision has to be respected and especially considering his value as coach. I hope that in Beijing he will be able to say farewell to the national team with the success he deserves.”



Reyes has thrived under Hernandez and like Garbajosa was a key member of the last two Spain national teams.



"I am surprised but he must have his reasons for doing this,” Reyes said.



"It has been a pleasure to have been coached by him.



"We will try to achieve the maximum at the Olympics and be able to give him the best possible present on his departure.



"He is a great coach and a great person."

[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/24501/arti.html"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/late...24501/arti.html[/url]

Quote:ESP – Gasol on a high in LA, looks forward to Olympics



LOS ANGELES (Olympics) – Spain international Pau Gasol is having the time of his life with the Los Angeles Lakers.



Having moved from no-hopers Memphis to title-chasing LA, Gasol is an integral part of a Lakers team that is in a tough fight with Utah in a Western Conference semi-final.



The series is knotted at 2-2, with Game Five set to be played back at the Lakers’ Staples Center.



"I am in a good moment in my career, a sweet one in which I feel privileged and fortunate for what I am experiencing,” Gasol admitted.



“The cherry on the cake would be to win the NBA ring and the Olympics would be a dream for any player."



Gasol has tried to focus on the NBA but he admits the Olympics is never far from his thoughts. The MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Championship, he will lead Spain this summer at the Beijing Games.



"We are going to the Olympics determined to fight to do something great, even though the level is very high,” Gasol said.



“We have chances to succeed but we must go slowly. My aim as a player is to win an Olympic medal and if it can be a gold one, all the better.



“My only aim is to continue to work day-by-day and to achieve my objectives.”



Gasol, who was answering questions by fans in the Marca sports paper, was asked about the possibility of good friend and injured Toronto Raptor Jorge Garbajosa playing in China.



Garbajosa missed almost the entire season with Toronto and the club clearly does not want him to risk further injury in Beijing.



He will be fortunate to run back onto the basketball court any time soon.



"I don't think there is a team that can prohibit a player from going to the Olympics, so when I heard the story about Garbajosa, I was surprised,” Gasol said.



"It's true that Jorge's situation is and remains special, but I am convinced that this will be sorted and that Jorge will be with us in Beijing because for the national team, he is a fundamental player."

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/24734/arti.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/l"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/l[/url] ... /arti.html</a><!-- m -->

[quote name='"rikhardur":g1221434']NT coach Pepu Hernández announced he'll step down after the Olympics. Fuenlabrada's Luis Casimiro could then become coach.[/quote]

Rumours also put Joventut's Aíto García Reneses on the list.

According to latest reports, Pepu could be fired tomorrow <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[quote name='rikhardur']According to latest reports, Pepu could be fired tomorrow <img src='http://www.talkbasket.net/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/quote]

Well he was fired after all http://www.talkbasket.net/content/view/185/1/



Will the team manage to adjust to the new coach before the Olympics?

[quote name='Vilius']Well he was fired after all http://www.talkbasket.net/content/view/185/1/



Will the team manage to adjust to the new coach before the Olympics?[/quote]

It's surreal. It almost seems like that the Federation wants to destroy the NT by force. What a stupid move, unbelievable!

Navarro stated that Reneses would be a "good coach" for the NT. He's already there if you ask me.

Quote:ESP - Gasol, Navarro would relish Aito at Spain helm



BOSTON (Olympics) - Spain superstar Pau Gasol is hoping the country’s basketball federation acts quickly to replace Pepu Hernandez following his sacking as national team boss.



Gasol, who on Thursday was to play in his first NBA Finals game with the Los Angeles Lakers at the Boston Celtics, admits he would love to have the chance to play for his former Barcelona coach, Aito Garcia Reneses.



Aito stepped down last week as DKV Joventut boss after leading them to Copa del Rey and ULEB Cup glory this season.



Gasol, the MVP of Hernandez’s 2006 FIBA World Championship team after leading the Spanish to the title, said: “I hope whoever takes over has the enthusiasm and willingness to get a good result at the Olympics. I know Aito Garcia Reneses. I’ve known him for a while and I would be delighted, but if it's someone else, equally.”



The seven-foot Gasol believed Hernandez had done a great job on the court in his more than two years with the national team.



"I think this situation was a little unfortunate although I don't know exactly the reasons why it has come to this point to sack the coach,” Gasol said.



“On the court the team worked but outside of it, I don't know what has happened but it's an unfortunate situation.



"I just hope that the federation (FE appoints a new coach as soon as possible to start planning for the Olympics."



Juan Carlos Navarro, Gasol’s best friend and also a Spain player, would also like Aito to take over.



Navarro, who is coming off his rookie campaign in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies, said of Aito: “He’s a great coach and has proved that for many years.



“I know him because he was my coach in my first seasons at Barcelona. He has achieved many titles and would be good for the national team.”



The Olympics tip off in August.

[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/25484/arti.html"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/late...25484/arti.html[/url]

Quote:ESP – Garba comments on Pepu firing



MADRID (Olympics) - Spain power forward Jorge Garbajosa has described the sacking of popular national team coach Pepu Hernandez as “something uncomfortable for everyone”.



Garbajosa’s heroics two years ago in the final of the FIBA World Championship – he buried six three-pointers and had 20 points - lifted Hernandez’s Spain to a gold medal triumph over Greece and last year he made a dramatic return from injury to help his country capture a silver medal.



In explaining why Hernandez had been sacked, the Spanish Basketball Federation (FE said the coach had shown “a lack of respect to the FEB and to its executive members” in public.



“The federation is above players, coaches – no one is indispensable.”



Garbajosa added on the federation’s website, [url="http://www.feb.es:"]http://www.feb.es:[/url] “My relationship with the federation has been fantastic for a long time and my relationship with Pepu was excellent as we speak often.”



“It's something uncomfortable for everyone and also, indirectly for the players."



Garbajosa has all but been ruled out of this year’s Olympics after missing virtually the entire NBA season with injury.

[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/25475/arti.html"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/late...25475/arti.html[/url]

As expected, Aíto García Reneses is the new NT coach, it couldn't be anyone else. Apart from Pepu of course, no other available coach would please the players as much as Aíto.

Aíto's choices:



PG:

José Calderón (Toronto Raptors)

Raül López (Real Madrid)

Ricky Rubio (Joventut)



SG:

Juan Carlos Navarro (Memphis Grizzlies)

Rudy Fernández (Joventut)



SF:

Carlos Jiménez (Unicaja)

Alex Mumbrú (Real Madrid)



C:

Felipe Reyes (Real Madrid)

Marc Gasol (Girona)

Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers)





Doubtful:

Jorge Garbajosa (Toronto Raptors)



Invited players:

Víctor Sada (Girona)

Berni Rodríguez (Unicaja)

Víctor Claver (Pamesa Valencia)

Juan José Triguero (Murcia)

Joaquín Costa and former player Juan Antonio Orenga will assist Reneses in the NT.



Sergio Rodríguez expressed dismay for not being called to the NT. It was predictable imo, he should leave Portland asap.

One thing that occurred to me, will Garbajosa be in shape to play in the Olympics? I mean, could his selection just have been based on his name rather than on his shape? He hasn't played for a great while.

Quote:ESP – Pau Gasol takes a breather, looks ahead to Beijing



BARCELONA (Olympics) – Pau Gasol’s NBA campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t end in the way he had hoped but he can still win a title with Spain when they travel to China for the Beijing Games.



The Spanish are hoping to follow up their gold medal victory at the 2006 FIBA World Championship with an Olympic crown but Gasol, who is resting after the Lakers’ 4-2 defeat to Boston in the NBA Finals, knows they will have a tremendous fight on their hands.



"Team USA are clear favorites but that is something they have to prove on the court,” he said.



"They are a very strong team with almost all the best players in the NBA.



“A different matter is whether things will go their way and whether the team finds synergy, something that is not easy when you have so many stars."



Among those Team USA stars is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this season, Kobe Bryant, Gasol’s Laker teammate.



"I already told Kobe that we would make life difficult for them,” Gasol said.



“At least now we will face the USA in our group stages which guarantees us that we will not meet them in the quarter-final as we did in Athens."



Indeed, Gasol and Spain cut down the opposition in Athens in the preliminary round, winning all five games, but then ran into a hot Stephon Marbury and lost to the United States 102-94 in the last eight.



Marbury drilled several shots from long range and finished with 31 points – the most ever by a Team USA player at an Olympics – in that win over Spain.



The Americans are not the only threat to Spain, however.



"But there are other teams, like Greece (if they qualify), Argentina and Russia - the European Champions - that are also strong," Gasol said.



There will be one big difference in the team that won the world title in Japan and silver at last year’s EuroBasket, however.



Aito Garcia Reneses will coach the Spain side after the basketball federation sacked Pepu Hernandez.



Gasol played for Aito when he was a youngster at Barcelona, but also achieved his great moment as a player – MVP of the FIBA World Championship – under Hernandez.



"I was very happy with Pepu and now Aito has taken over the national team and I welcome him," Gasol said.



How much time will Gasol need before he’s ready to return to the court following a hard season in the NBA?



"I am recovering slowly from the season because I still feel the tiredness,” he said.



“I have asked the national team to join them later."

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/26192/arti.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/l"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/l[/url] ... /arti.html</a><!-- m -->

Mike Krzyzewski considered Spain as USA's main rival.

Quote:ESP – Spain rookie Rubio cautious but still has high expectations



MADRID (Olympics) - Emerging star Ricky Rubio is hoping he and his Spain teammates can keep the country in a celebratory mood after the football team’s Euro 2008 title triumph in Vienna.



Luis Aragones’ team won their second major title and first in 44 years with a 1-0 victory over Germany.



Rubio and Spain will arrive at the Beijing Games as the defending world champions.



“I want to congratulate the football team, not only for winning the Euro 2008 but for how they have moved the nation,” Rubio said.



“Their triumph is a further example of the sweet moment that our national sport is experiencing and all I can say to the fans is that we will try to do the same in Beijing so that people can enjoy it as they have done in recent days.”



Rubio, 17, named to the ACB’s `Ideal Quintet’ after his first season as a starter at DKV Joventut, knows Spain will have a very hard road to the podium in China.



Spain cruised into the Olympic quarter-finals four years ago in Athens after five straight triumphs in the preliminary round, only to fall to the United States 102-94.



Spain left that disappointment behind when Pau Gasol and Jorge Garbajosa led the country to a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship two years later.



“We need to be ambitious,” Rubio said. “A medal should be an aim but it will be difficult to achieve.



“We have never had such a talented team as this one, with so many NBA players. We must take advantage of this generation.”



Spain are being cautious ahead of the Games. The federation made the controversial decision to sack coach Pepu Hernandez, the man who steered the team to the world title, and replaced him with Rubio’s former DKV coach Aito Garcia Reneses.



“There are high expectations regarding this team,” Rubio said.



“I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing because we may get a bronze medal and that for us would be a good achievement in a difficult competition where we have not achieved many medals.



“Team USA has a lot of quality and they have taken it very seriously. This is evident when looking at the team. They are coming to win the Olympic Games. They have 12 of the best players of their league and probably of their country.”



Spain are in the preliminary round group with the Americans, who have not won gold at an Olympics or FIBA World Championship since Sydney 2000.



“Team USA will want to bounce back from their previous setbacks and will be eager to prove they are still the best but they will have to do it on the court because a tournament like this one will surely make life difficult for them.”

[url="http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/26303/arti.html"]http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/late...26303/arti.html[/url]

Final squad:



Ricky Rubio (DKV Joventut)

Berni Rodriguezas (Unicaja Malaga)

Raulis Lopezas (Real Madrid)

Jose Manuel Calderon (Toronto Raptors)

Juan Carlos Navarro (Barcelona)

Carlosas Jimenezas (Unicaja Malaga)

Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trail Blazers)

Alex Mumbru (Real Madrid)

Jorge Garbajosa (free agent)

Felipe Reyes (Real Madrid)

Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies)

Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers)