Pablo Laso reflects on power of money and Sloukas move, breaks down Ibaka case / News - Basketnews.com

Pablo Laso explains how he built Bayern's roster and how Serge Ibaka joined the project. He analyzes the roles of Leandro Bolmaro and Carsen Edwards, reflects on Kostas Sloukas' transfer, and mentions the pros and cons of the new EuroLeague season.

Credit: P.Moschandreou, A.Martinez, P.Albertini - Getty Images/BasketNews illustration Credit P.Moschandreou, A.Martinez, P.Albertini - Getty Images/BasketNews illustration

Last June, when Pablo Laso was announced as the new FC Bayern Munich head coach, he became the latest addition to the long list of Spanish basketball coaches in Germany.

Points this season

48%80,0Points made:80,0Accuracy:47,8%Place in standings:9Record max:80Record min:80Best scorer:Sylvain FranciscoTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

"There's four of us over there right now," he observed whenBasketNewsbrought the matter to his attention.

The Spanish contribution to the BBL comes mainly from ALBA Berlin. Aito Garcia Reneses took the reins in 2017, and Israel Gonzalez succeeded him four years later. Pedro Calles is currently coaching EWE Baskets Oldenburg, his third team in the BBL, while Jesus Ramírez is guiding Lowen Braunschweig.

And now, Laso arrives in a league populated by Iberian tacticians. Some might think it's just acoincidence that Germany has been so receptive to Spanish coaches. But Laso is certain that there are specific reasons for it.

"The German league has grown a lot in recent years, in many aspects - organization, arenas, quality," he points out.

"And it shows. Probably, the Spanish coach has an advantage, not only in basketball. He is very skilled, and it is normal that he gets noticed. But not only in basketball but also in football and handball, Spaniards are renowned for being well-prepared.

I am glad they have been able to work outside of Spain because that shows that they're capable and that we value the German league as well-organized and structured," he adds.

The 57-year-old specialist stresses that the German BBL has always had a very good reputation in Spain regarding its seriousness and organization.

"This is important, although every case is totally different. That speaks very well about how we see the German league from the outside," he notes.

In thefirst part of his discussion with BasketNews, Pablo Laso touched on the offers he received during his one-year hiatus and recalled how he tried to persuade Luka Doncic to control his emotions better during their common Real Madrid stint.

In the second part, the two-time EuroLeague winner explains how he built Bayern's roster, with special reference to Serge Ibaka's case. He breaks down the roles of Leandro Bolmaro and Carsen Edwards and reflects on Kostas Sloukas' transfer to Panathinaikos, which Bayern will face this Thursday at OAKA (20:15 CEST).

Laso also mentions one positive and one negative element of the new EuroLeague season.

How did Bayern convince Serge Ibaka that his future is in Europe?When we talked - because I have had a good relationship with him since I coached him in Madrid - I immediately noticed that he needed

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