2023-09-30 13:00:16
BarcelonaPierre Oriola (Tàrrega, 1992) is 31 years old and has experience top in basketball, but will start the season without a team. After doing the pre-season with MoraBanc Andorra, he has held talks with clubs such as Zunder Palència and Baxi Manresa and proposals to go to Belgium, but at the moment he has not finalized anything. The player attends the ARA to explain a very different moment in his life than a few months ago and not to hide the other side of elite athletes.
How are you?
— I feel very well physically, I am in a very good moment. I have stopped the preparation on the track for two weeks, time that I have invested to work in the gym. During the pre-season with MoraBanc Andorra I was doing very well, but now I wanted to see where I am at. I needed to put things back in place and get over some minor discomfort. The forecast is to start next week to track again and see how everything develops.
What is your ideal scenario?
— I would like to play in the Endesa League. Last year I got married, my wife has her job, and the closer I can be to my family, the better. Although there may be good connections, having to move to another country is more complicated. I would like to return to the ACB because I think I can contribute things there. I am here to play and help any club that is willing to sign me.
When he has been able to play, his performance has been good. Maybe he lacks more physical regularity?
— During the summer I had offers. Some I couldn’t study long enough and they faded away. Others I rejected. Some others, such as Baxi Manresa, have not yet moved forward. We held talks, but we didn’t finalize anything. Some doubt how I’m doing physically with my back, but I’ve had three weeks to prove that I’m fine. I’ve played four games and haven’t had any problems, but I understand it’s not enough. Trusting a player coming off an injury like mine is complicated, but whoever doesn’t take risks doesn’t blink. I also want to bet on a project that I might not have considered at another time. The stage is very big. I contributed three weeks at a very good level to MoraBanc Andorra, but perhaps I lacked rhythm and continuity.
How do you face this moment so different from other stages of your career?
— It hasn’t been easy, but I’m fine now. I’ve been getting to know myself little by little and evaluating everything I’ve done so far. When hard and complicated moments come, like an injury or like leaving Barça, where I would never have left, you see things with a different vision. When you don’t have offers or you don’t have the possibility to play where you want, you have to go down a step or two and it’s not easy. I had been climbing positions or staying in a high position for many years. Going down, not having a team or the offers that I would like not arriving is complicated. I try to manage it day by day. I have one person, Adrià Carmona, one coach sportsman who was a football player, who helps me manage the situation. I try not to think beyond what happens today.
How did you find being a commentator at Movistar?
– I’ve had a great time. It’s a world I’ve always been curious about. I did the Endesa Super Cup and the first day of the League and I had a great time. I enjoyed it a lot. I think it could be a future outlet, but I still have the desire and excitement to play professionally. I will not continue to be a commentator on Movistar because I don’t want people to think that I am retired. Some people asked me about it and I don’t want people to think about it. I’m still active. My intention is to continue playing in an exciting project that trusts me.
This Sunday there is a classic. How do you see the game?
— Madrid comes out with an advantage because they maintain the squad, the coach and the playing system. It has many established automatisms. On the other hand, Barça has made more changes. The new coach is betting on a way of playing that is very different from that of the last three years. The Barcelona project needs time, although at a club like this time is always short. The ACB and the Euroleague are very demanding, but I like the proposal at the moment. The team wants to attack in a few seconds and run the court and it’s a style I like a lot, but right now Madrid are one step ahead.
The project has once again put the emphasis on Spanish players.
— It is important to gather the Spanish players of the moment. Willy Hernangómez has returned from the NBA and Joel Parra is an important bet. In addition, Darío Brizuela has arrived. They are players who know the competition well and when you put them together with the likes of Satoransky, Vesely, Kalinic and Laprovittola, you make a very good group. The idea is very good, but it needs time to play by heart, as Madrid or Unicaja do.
How did you see the departure of Nikola Mirotic?
— Everyone has their point of view or their truth and must look out for their interests. In my case, I have always been very clear: I would have liked to stay at Barça for the rest of my life. It couldn’t be and that’s it. I don’t know if they proposed cuts to Mirotic or what he responded with. I was not offered to lower my salary or anything like that.
How should a captain handle situations like this?
— It is difficult because each player knows his personal situation. If I had been the captain, we would have tried to reach an agreement that would benefit both parties. I always tried to help the club. If Barça had asked me to cut the fee and extend the duration of the contract, I would certainly have agreed. Barça is the club of my life. It was a dream and a privilege to be its captain. Changing rooms like Barça’s, where there are many egos and players with a high profile, are not easy to manage.
The classic puts Barça to the test
After the agonizing extra-time victory at Zunder Palència, Barça visit Real Madrid this Sunday (6:30 p.m., Movistar Plus+) in the third matchday of the Endesa League. The white team, which lost Edy Tavares (respiratory infection), Gaby Deck and Rudy Fernández in Manresa, already took the direct duel a few days ago in the semifinals of the Endesa Super Cup. The inside game was decisive in a match that came too soon for the new project of Roger Grimau, who needs time to implement his style of play, which is very different from that of Sarunas Jasikevicius.
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