Subscribe
Follow Us
Spain won't be quite so scary without Marc Gasol.
It looks like that's going to be the case in Rio, as multiple Spanish media reports say Gasol is opting out of the Olympics.
Whenever an NBA player pulls out for a country other than the U.S., it's a big hit for that team. At this point in his career, Gasol is the best Spanish player in the world, surpassing brother Pau in recent years.
Serge Ibaka will also not play for Spain, but the Spanish still feature a lot of NBA talent. Ricky Rubio and Jose Calderon give them two pretty solid point guards, Pau will play, and so will Nikola Mirotic. Pau and Mirotic will likely make up the starting four and five spots now.
A lot of really good former NBA talent makes up Spain's roster as well, with players like Juan Carlos Navarro, Rudy Fernandez, Victor Claver and Sergio Rodriguez in the mix.
Spain is always one of a handful of teams with the potential to challenge Team USA. Without Marc Gasol, those chances certainly take a hit. Team USA is loaded with perimeter talent, and if there's anywhere they could be taken advantage of, it's on the inside. It will be tougher for Spain to do that now.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/lamarcus-aldridge-follows-steph-currys-lead-wont-play-in-2016-olympics-in-rio/”]NEXT: LaMarcus Aldridge follows Steph Curry’s lead, won’t play in 2016 Olympics in Rio[/button]
