It seemed unlikely that Marc Gasol would participate in the Rio Olympics this summer after breaking his foot back in February, and the decision for the Grizzlies center to sit out as he continues his recovery process has now been made official. Via SI.com:
Spanish newspaper ABC first reported the news. Gasol injured his right foot playing with the Memphis Grizzlies in February and has been sidelined since. Spain included Gasol in its preliminary Olympic roster, but he was considered a long shot to be ready for the games. He will continue the rehab process to prepare for the start of the NBA season in October.
Gasol has been a staple of the Spanish national team his entire career and helped them to two consecutive silver medal finishes in 2008 and 2012. Although Spain is still stacked with NBA talent, including Marc’s brother Pau, Ricky Rubio, Nikola Mirotic, Jose Calderon, and others, Team USA’s path to gold just got a little clearer without the younger Gasol shoring up the front line for Spain.
It’s a wise move for Gasol to rest up for next season. The Grizzlies were able to retain Mike Conley and add some much-need scoring punch with Chandler Parsons in free agency, so they’ll need a fully-healthy Gasol if they hope to make a deep playoff run next season.
(SI.com)
