Ricky Rubio reappeared. He stepped onto a basketball court again 305 days after his last serious injury with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since then his career has changed completely. From being a protagonist in the best league in the world, he returned home to compete again with Barça and the Spanish team.
“I’ve felt a lot of nerves, but in the end it’s basketball. It’s like riding a bicycle again. It’s going to be difficult, but I’m happy,” the point guard acknowledged for the start, explaining that despite all the bad things he has always loved this sport. . “The love of basketball has always been there. It got a little dark. Now we have to dust it off and enjoy this beautiful game again.”
Spain was not able to beat Latvia in the first preparation game for the Eurobasket. “This is sport, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but we fought until the end. We didn’t play a great game, but we were there until the end.”
Regarding his state of form after such a long inactivity, Rubio explained that the way to move forward is to play minutes. “You can do what you want in terms of preparation, but there is nothing like being on the court. Now I want to see how I wake up tomorrow. Grateful to have this opportunity and sorry for the defeat,” he concluded.
“I feel very good, incredible, the truth is that it was missed. The atmosphere is spectacular and young people come with a lot of talent and also want to teach them a little bit of everything,” added Rubio, who thanked the great support received by the basketball world throughout his absence. Now all that remains to be set is the date for his return to the Endesa League and the Euroleague with Barça, which everything indicates will be imminent.
After the defeat against Latvia, coach Sergio Scariolo recognized that the team has a lot of room for improvement and celebrated the return of Ricky Rubio to the court after almost a year of injury.
“I have seen him as he is in training, with will, serenity and desire to do well,” he said to begin with about the El Masnou point guard. “With still a significant lack of rhythm, which in the end is achieved by competing and playing. We appreciate the help you have given us. “It has been a very good first step,” he acknowledged.
Furthermore, he was satisfied because Rubio “has enjoyed himself on the court. Even brilliant moments. The first game after such a long absence has been promising. He has a spark, a very good instinct. He looks good. The ovation has been exciting in an excellent atmosphere.”
Regarding his team’s defeat, the Italian coach said that he had “nothing to reproach our players. They gave the best they had. There was only a difference in physique and confidence,” he highlighted. “Our players, playing very little or not at all with their teams, have shown their faces. But yeah, I’ve seen a lot of rust on a lot of them. I have realized that some have noticed that they are lacking rhythm,” he accepted with resignation.