While Spanish basketball reaches milestones on the NBA benches –Jordi Fernandez will become the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets -, on the courts the news is not so good.
And, more than 20 years later, there will not be any Spanish player playing in the playoffs with the elimination of the Golden State Warriors against the Sacramento Kings.
Usman Garuba It remained the only hope for national basketball representatives in the title phase after its two-way contract had been converted to standard, but this will not be the year in which the team debuts in the playoffs either.
Usman Garuba, in a G-League match
getty images
The total absence of Spaniards in the NBA title phase was something that had not occurred since 2003, when Pau Gasol did not qualify with the Memphis Grizzlies in a 02-03 season that Raul Lopez He was lost to the Utah Jazz due to injury.
Although the prominence of the Spanish in the playoffs has been considerably reduced -especially since the departure and retirement of the Gasols-, there has always been a minimum of representation, being Santi Aldama the one from last year with Memphis. Some Grizzlies that, weighed down by their plague of injuries with Ja Morant at the helm, have not been able to fight to get into the postseason.
If the Kings beat the Pelicans on Thursday and qualify for the playoffs, Jordi Fernandez He will be the reference for Spanish basketball as Sacramento’s second coach before he takes the reins on the Nets bench.
Aldama continued to improve this year
ADAM DAVIS / EFE
The elimination of the Warriors and Garuba puts an end to an unfortunate season for Spanish players in the NBA. The marches of Juancho y Willy Hernangomez and Serge Ibaka in the summer they reduced the roster to three with Santi Aldama, Ricky Rubio and Usman Garuba.
With Ricky’s return to Europe mid-season and Garuba with few opportunities in Golden State, Aldama has been for most of the course the only representative of a Spanish basketball team that hopes to at least add to Be Almansa to the payroll next year via draft.
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2024-04-17 05:21:34
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