By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
“FIBA is showing respect to the players and proving they don’t look on them as robots,” said Greek point guard Kostas Sloukas who is member of EuroLeague champs Fenerbahce Dogus. “This is a very smart decision. Apart from days off, it gives players the chance to develop skills and work on the weak points of their game. Players know they need to progress and they don’t have the time to do it during the season.”
Kostas Papanikolaou of Olympiacos also agrees: “Rest is important as we are not machines. If you have a day off during the season, you use it to rest. But a free summer gives us not only the chance to take a breath but to get better as individuals through personal work on skills which can’t be developed during the season. I think this recognizes the devotion of all the players to their national teams and it is beautiful because it will help players have more years as top-quality athletes.”
However both players are not expected to play in the upcoming qualification games, due to their obligations in the EuroLeague.