Sergio Llull, during a training of the Spanish team. /
The outsider of Real Madrid leaves the concentration of the Spanish team due to a muscular ailment in the hamstrings and leaves Scariolo without an important resource in the direction of the game due to his experience and leadership within the group
Important setback for the Spanish basketball team just a week before the start of the Eurobasket. Sergio Llull, one of the veterans of the national team, misses the great continental tournament due to injury. The outsider of Real Madrid had to leave the concentration of the Spanish team due to a muscular ailment in the hamstrings.
It is the umpteenth setback for Sergio Scariolo, who thus loses the second most experienced player in a generally very young team, after his teammate Rudy Fernández. In this way, the Spanish coach will only have to make a discard and not the two planned within the group of 14 players with which he still had.
The Menorcan player, who had been dragging physical ailments in recent days, arrived at the World Cup qualifying match against Iceland in Pamplona, but he suffered during the match and was only able to play a couple of minutes. His recovery process is far from long, just two weeks, but it would prevent him from reaching Spain’s games in time in the group stage and therefore it has been decided to use another player who can guarantee optimal physical condition from the start of the tournament.
The previous dismissal of Quino Colom and Llull’s injury practically guarantee a place in the Eurobasket for the young Juan Núñez, recently signed by the German Ratiopharm Ulm, since the already ex-Madrid player is the only pure point guard beyond the nationalized Lorenzo Brown. Sergio Rodríguez’s withdrawal as an international, Ricky Rubio’s injury and the physical problems of Carlos Alocén and Alberto Abalde led the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) to look for an alternative for the American in the face of the precarious situation in the management of the game, aggravated now with Llull out.
“The Federation wants to thank Sergio Llull for his commitment and professionalism, and wishes him a speedy recovery and a good start to the season with his club,” the FEB said in an official statement. «Sad because I will not be able to play this Eurobasket with La Familia due to a muscle injury. But happy to have shared these weeks with this sensational group. Good luck guys! », Wrote the player on his official Twitter profile.
