By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol and assistant coach Sergio Scariolo participated in a virtual roundtable that was organized by the Spanish Association of Basketball Doctors (AEMEB) to discuss playing basketball during the coronavirus era. Phoenix Suns guard Ricky Rubio was also a part of the talk.
Both Gasol and Rubio see the prospect of resuming the NBA season as something positive that provides them with an extra incentive. The potential resumption of the season, “encourages because it allows you to work with objectives, even if they are not yet definitive,” they said per AS.
Gasol mentioned that he understands the concerns of his colleagues regarding the resumption of the season but once play begins there’s no use holding back anything. “There is no need to be afraid to play again. Yes, I respect it, because it is a virus that has proven to have a very negative impact, but once we start playing we have to do it 100%,” he said.
Scariolo commented on the fact that competitions will be held behind closed doors and how empty arenas may affect how the games are played.
“Everyone has told me that communication is going to be completely different,” Scariolo said regarding discussions he had also with EuroLeague teams. “You hear everything: the good things that your coach or a teammate tells you, the remarks of the opponents, the protests to the referees. And they have also confirmed that it is colder , since there are no fans, the temperature drops and those who are there notice it.”
“Whoever adapts first will have a small competitive advantage and if the season is short it can be decisive,” Scariolo added.