fred33
08-18-2006, 10:35 AM
Quotes of the Day, August 18 GROUP A
"With this kind of injury you never know what might happen. He could play with his finger plastered but what if he gets hit on it again? If that happens, he will only make it worse and it will be tougher to recover from that injury."
France captain Boris Diaw reacts to the news of Tony's Parker's injury.
"Tony wanted to try and play with the injury but I didn't feel it was worth taking the risk. He will not be playing in the tournament and will return to San Antonio to recover from the injury."
France head coach Claude BERGEAUD explains how he came to make the decision of Parker's withdrawal from the FIBA World Championship.
"I hope this team can keep up with the high hopes and expectations. If we can come out with the same mental toughness and with the will that we played with in the World Championships in Indianapolis and the Olympic Games, we will be fine."
Argentina head coach Sergio Hernandez talks of what he expects from his team.
"I can make no excuses for the way I played. I was well rested. In fact I had the longest break in my life. We need to play the kind of basketball that made us successful in the past."
Argentina guard Manu Ginobili talks about his part in his country's poor run of form in the lead-up to the FIBA World Championship.
"We don't know much about Nigeria as a team. A lot of their players are based in Europe and we have been able to scout them individually. But it will be a completely different thing to see how they play together."
Serbia & Montenegro head coach Dragan Sakota reveals his concerns over figuring out Nigeria's tactics and style.
"Argentina are a great team because they have played together for so long. Some of their players have built a basketball culture of their own when they were in the Euroleague and they manage to bring it to the NBA. When these players come together for the national team, they are able to play in sync. With the French team, we are trying to develop that culture but I think we are two or three years from having what they have."
France coach Claude Bergeaud has high praise for the Olympic champions.
"Argentina are a great team and the most experienced of all in this competition. I know they will be ready for us and we will have to be ready for a very tough game."
France captain Boris Diaw evaluates Les Bleus' mighty opponents.
"This first game is a matter of life or death for us. We feel we have to win this game to get through to the second round."
Venezuela captain Victor Diaz is not taking the game against Lebanon lightly.
Quotes of the Day, August 18 GROUP B
"It's a pity. I always want the best players taking part in the tournament."
Spain coach Pepu Hernandez about Tony Parker missing the FIBA World Championship.
"That's bad news for France and for the tournament. He's one of the best point guards in the world. For sure it will be difficult for them. But sometimes with an injury the other guys pull together even more for him. I'm sorry to hear that because he's a friend I've known for the past six or seven years. I hope his injury is okay for next season."
Spanish point guard Jose Manuel Calderon on Tony Parker's injury forcing him out of the FIBA World Championship.
"That really sucks. It always sucks when somebody gets hurts. He's really important to the team. They're going to miss him. It's one less attraction for the fans, but there are still plenty of players to watch."
Spain center Pau Gasol about Tony Parker's broken finger keeping him out of the tournament.
"This is bad for France. I apologise for the situation because Tony is big, big, really big. If he's not the best then he's one of the best point guards in the world. It's good for Argentina, but it's bad for France. He's a great talent, a great man. He's a very good person. I hope he can come back quickly."
Panama coach Guillermo Vecchio, an Argentina native, about Tony Parker missing the competition.
"These are the Academy Awards and we are invited."
Panama coach Guillermo Vecchio about Panama playing in their first FIBA World Championship since 1986.
"When I first came here four years ago, the national team was very old at that time. So we hadd to start for scratch with a new team. After three years of hard practice I think we're albe to compete against the top teams in the world."
Japan coach Zeljko Pavlicevic about the changes in the Japanese team since he took over.
"Turkey had many stars and it looked like one ball wasn’t enough for all of those stars. Now, they are playing team basketball"
Turkey are without Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur, but the coach of Saturday's opponents Lithuania, Antanas Sireika, says the team looks very strong
Quotes of the day, August 18, GROUP C
"Turkey had many stars and it looked like one ball wasn't enough for all of those stars. Now, they are playing team basketball"
Turkey are without Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur, but the coach of Saturday's opponents Lithuania, Antanas Sireika, says the team looks very strong.
"Last year we didn't play great basketball. We played clever basketball, and this year, I think we can improve"
Greece superstar Theo Papaloukas on his country's EuroBasket gold medal performance.
"The FIBA World Championship is a tough tournament. We can to the semi-finals, or we could go out in qualifying. That's how tough it is"
Brazil forward Guilherme Giovannoni ahead of Saturday's Group C opener against Australia.
"Everytime we're together, we have fun - both on and off the court. This is very important for us"
Brazil guard Marcelo Huertas after Friday's morning practice.
"You lose a player like Tony, you can't just go to your back-up and expect the same result"
Donn Nelson, assistant coach of Lithuania, after hear Tony Parker of France had broken his finger and was lost for the entire FIBA World Championship.
"Bogut's our guy, but he's (Mackinnon) been our surprise package at this level and he's done it on the glass, too"
Australia coach Brian Goorjian on the re-emergence of Sam Mackinnon at powerr forward.
Quotes of the day, August 18 GROUP D
"I am pushing myself very hard to get back to the court. I'm not in the best shape, I feel ok. I only returned to play contact game with the rest of my team-mates a few weeks ago and it's still too early from the fitness standpoint."
China center Yao Ming on his condition following his recovery from a broken foot.
"There are going to be times in games when things will not be going as good as we want them to go. The best thing that happened to us this summer is that we already experienced adversity against Brazil and I think we got a little taste of what to expect. We know it's going to be different in the World Championship."
USA captain LeBron James knows the World Championship will not be a walk in the park for Team USA.
"Italy is on a rollecoaster ride, sometimes we play well othertimes we play badly, and I really think it has to do with the poor international experience of some of our players. I do hope that this ups and downs are due to the trips which the team is not used to and that now the players can concentrate on playing well."
Italian legend and current national team-manager Dino Meneghin believes that things can only get better for his national team.
"It's a good thing for us! Just kidding, I'm sorry for him.
"A player has a long career and sometimes he has to give up playing some games, that is the way it is."
China center Yao Ming on France point guard Tony Parker ruled out of FIBA World Championship.
"I am saddened because he is a player that I adore, as a human being and as a player.
"Tony seems a wave on the court, he does lots of things and yet he never looks tired. He plays for the team and for himself."
Italian legend and current team-manager Dino Meneghin on France point guard Tony Parker ruled out of the World Championship.
"We are not here just to see Japan and for people to see us. We are here to do something big.We want to establish Slovenian basketball in the World."
Slovenia captain Rasho Nesterovic on his team's expectations in their first FIBA World Championship tournament.
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"With this kind of injury you never know what might happen. He could play with his finger plastered but what if he gets hit on it again? If that happens, he will only make it worse and it will be tougher to recover from that injury."
France captain Boris Diaw reacts to the news of Tony's Parker's injury.
"Tony wanted to try and play with the injury but I didn't feel it was worth taking the risk. He will not be playing in the tournament and will return to San Antonio to recover from the injury."
France head coach Claude BERGEAUD explains how he came to make the decision of Parker's withdrawal from the FIBA World Championship.
"I hope this team can keep up with the high hopes and expectations. If we can come out with the same mental toughness and with the will that we played with in the World Championships in Indianapolis and the Olympic Games, we will be fine."
Argentina head coach Sergio Hernandez talks of what he expects from his team.
"I can make no excuses for the way I played. I was well rested. In fact I had the longest break in my life. We need to play the kind of basketball that made us successful in the past."
Argentina guard Manu Ginobili talks about his part in his country's poor run of form in the lead-up to the FIBA World Championship.
"We don't know much about Nigeria as a team. A lot of their players are based in Europe and we have been able to scout them individually. But it will be a completely different thing to see how they play together."
Serbia & Montenegro head coach Dragan Sakota reveals his concerns over figuring out Nigeria's tactics and style.
"Argentina are a great team because they have played together for so long. Some of their players have built a basketball culture of their own when they were in the Euroleague and they manage to bring it to the NBA. When these players come together for the national team, they are able to play in sync. With the French team, we are trying to develop that culture but I think we are two or three years from having what they have."
France coach Claude Bergeaud has high praise for the Olympic champions.
"Argentina are a great team and the most experienced of all in this competition. I know they will be ready for us and we will have to be ready for a very tough game."
France captain Boris Diaw evaluates Les Bleus' mighty opponents.
"This first game is a matter of life or death for us. We feel we have to win this game to get through to the second round."
Venezuela captain Victor Diaz is not taking the game against Lebanon lightly.
Quotes of the Day, August 18 GROUP B
"It's a pity. I always want the best players taking part in the tournament."
Spain coach Pepu Hernandez about Tony Parker missing the FIBA World Championship.
"That's bad news for France and for the tournament. He's one of the best point guards in the world. For sure it will be difficult for them. But sometimes with an injury the other guys pull together even more for him. I'm sorry to hear that because he's a friend I've known for the past six or seven years. I hope his injury is okay for next season."
Spanish point guard Jose Manuel Calderon on Tony Parker's injury forcing him out of the FIBA World Championship.
"That really sucks. It always sucks when somebody gets hurts. He's really important to the team. They're going to miss him. It's one less attraction for the fans, but there are still plenty of players to watch."
Spain center Pau Gasol about Tony Parker's broken finger keeping him out of the tournament.
"This is bad for France. I apologise for the situation because Tony is big, big, really big. If he's not the best then he's one of the best point guards in the world. It's good for Argentina, but it's bad for France. He's a great talent, a great man. He's a very good person. I hope he can come back quickly."
Panama coach Guillermo Vecchio, an Argentina native, about Tony Parker missing the competition.
"These are the Academy Awards and we are invited."
Panama coach Guillermo Vecchio about Panama playing in their first FIBA World Championship since 1986.
"When I first came here four years ago, the national team was very old at that time. So we hadd to start for scratch with a new team. After three years of hard practice I think we're albe to compete against the top teams in the world."
Japan coach Zeljko Pavlicevic about the changes in the Japanese team since he took over.
"Turkey had many stars and it looked like one ball wasn’t enough for all of those stars. Now, they are playing team basketball"
Turkey are without Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur, but the coach of Saturday's opponents Lithuania, Antanas Sireika, says the team looks very strong
Quotes of the day, August 18, GROUP C
"Turkey had many stars and it looked like one ball wasn't enough for all of those stars. Now, they are playing team basketball"
Turkey are without Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur, but the coach of Saturday's opponents Lithuania, Antanas Sireika, says the team looks very strong.
"Last year we didn't play great basketball. We played clever basketball, and this year, I think we can improve"
Greece superstar Theo Papaloukas on his country's EuroBasket gold medal performance.
"The FIBA World Championship is a tough tournament. We can to the semi-finals, or we could go out in qualifying. That's how tough it is"
Brazil forward Guilherme Giovannoni ahead of Saturday's Group C opener against Australia.
"Everytime we're together, we have fun - both on and off the court. This is very important for us"
Brazil guard Marcelo Huertas after Friday's morning practice.
"You lose a player like Tony, you can't just go to your back-up and expect the same result"
Donn Nelson, assistant coach of Lithuania, after hear Tony Parker of France had broken his finger and was lost for the entire FIBA World Championship.
"Bogut's our guy, but he's (Mackinnon) been our surprise package at this level and he's done it on the glass, too"
Australia coach Brian Goorjian on the re-emergence of Sam Mackinnon at powerr forward.
Quotes of the day, August 18 GROUP D
"I am pushing myself very hard to get back to the court. I'm not in the best shape, I feel ok. I only returned to play contact game with the rest of my team-mates a few weeks ago and it's still too early from the fitness standpoint."
China center Yao Ming on his condition following his recovery from a broken foot.
"There are going to be times in games when things will not be going as good as we want them to go. The best thing that happened to us this summer is that we already experienced adversity against Brazil and I think we got a little taste of what to expect. We know it's going to be different in the World Championship."
USA captain LeBron James knows the World Championship will not be a walk in the park for Team USA.
"Italy is on a rollecoaster ride, sometimes we play well othertimes we play badly, and I really think it has to do with the poor international experience of some of our players. I do hope that this ups and downs are due to the trips which the team is not used to and that now the players can concentrate on playing well."
Italian legend and current national team-manager Dino Meneghin believes that things can only get better for his national team.
"It's a good thing for us! Just kidding, I'm sorry for him.
"A player has a long career and sometimes he has to give up playing some games, that is the way it is."
China center Yao Ming on France point guard Tony Parker ruled out of FIBA World Championship.
"I am saddened because he is a player that I adore, as a human being and as a player.
"Tony seems a wave on the court, he does lots of things and yet he never looks tired. He plays for the team and for himself."
Italian legend and current team-manager Dino Meneghin on France point guard Tony Parker ruled out of the World Championship.
"We are not here just to see Japan and for people to see us. We are here to do something big.We want to establish Slovenian basketball in the World."
Slovenia captain Rasho Nesterovic on his team's expectations in their first FIBA World Championship tournament.
Top