ESP – Calderon talks Olympics, golden generation and lockout

MADRID (Olympics) - The NBA lockout is giving Spain point guard Jose Calderon plenty of time to think.

At the front of his thoughts are the London Games, which are less than a year away.

Calderon, instrumental for his national team in their successful EuroBasket title defense this year in Lithuania, is to play at a third straight Olympics.

He has celebrated gold-medal triumphs at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and at this year’s EuroBasket in Lithuania.

"The gold medal at the Olympics is what is missing for our generation," he said.

"It is another challenge.

"But there are 12 teams that compete and eight or nine are very good."

Painful Memory

In Calderon's first Olympics at Athens 2004, Spain went undefeated in the Preliminary Round but wound up playing the United States in the Quarter-Finals and were beaten 102-94.

Stephon Marbury exploded for a USA Olympic record 31 points, including a six-of-nine effort from long range.

Before that game, he had not scored more than eight points.

"Our gold was in Athens, but it went out of our hands and perhaps we'll find it in London," Calderon said.

"That game against Team USA in Athens is the only game where they played well in that tournament and it was against us.

"In the next game, Argentina sent them home.”

Argentina beat the Americans, 89-81, but the USA did rebound to defeat Lithuania, 104-96, in the bronze-medal game.

"It should have been our tournament because the final was Argentina v Italy, teams that we had beaten," Calderon said.

Beijing Games

Calderon got hurt in Spain's Quarter-Final triumph over Croatia at the Beijing Games and wasn't able to play in the Semi-Final win over Lithuania or against the United States in the title showdown.

The Americans won that gold-medal clash, 118-107, though the contest was closer than the final score indicated.

Calderon, because of injuries, then had to sit and watch as Spain won their first EuroBasket gold medal in 2009 in Poland.

He also suffered an injury late in Spain’s preparations for the 2010 FIBA World Championship and missed that tournament.

In Lithuania, he was vital.

He will be the starting playmaker in London, too.

"London will be a different experience to that of Beijing," Calderon said.

"We go to London as Olympic silver medalists. People think we will reach the podium, but it will not be easy."

The golden generation

Calderon and the rest of Spain's golden generation have a lot of experience, but the players are also older, now.

Could London be the last time Calderon runs onto the floor with Juan Carlos Navarro and Pau Gasol?

There will be plenty to play for after next year.

In 2014, Spain will host the FIBA World Championship.

"Nobody has said they will leave the national team," Calderon said.

"We all take it one year at a time and the feeling is that we still have a lot to play for.

"We are not walking to the end of this group, honestly."

Calderon says even he wonders how so many good players came along at the same time for Spain.

"What is exceptional is the number of great players that were born in a short space of time," he said.

"The normal thing is to have one or two per generation but six or seven is very difficult."

A dream team to coach

When Spain looked like world beaters in 2004 but lost to the USA in the Quarter-Finals, the team was coached by Mario Pesquera.

In 2006, Pepu Hernandez led the team to the top of the podium while Sergio Scariolo has been at the helm of the national side the past three summers and collected the two European golds.

"A coach has a role in this team but yes, this is an easy team to manage," Calderon said.

"Each coach brings new things."

Olympics are to treasure

One thing is for certain and that is that the Olympic experience never gets old.

The Games capture the imagination of every athlete in every sport.

"What I experienced in the Athens Olympics, I will never forget," Calderon said.

"The Games are the maximum, nothing can be compared to it.

"I cannot forget that I met athletes of other sports that spend four years of their lives sacrificing themselves to perform only for seconds.

"That is the case of Gervasio Deferr (Spanish gymnast - two golds and a silver at Olympic Games) that really impacted me.

"A run and a jump - how many seconds is that? And then gold and eternal glory."

The lockout

Calderon and the Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc, are the only players in the national team who compete in the NBA to have not signed for overseas clubs during the lockout.

Rudy Fernandez (Dallas) and Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma City) are playing for Real Madrid.

Negotiations to end the labor dispute are ongoing in New York but the time is approaching for all three to consider other options as they try to remain sharp ahead of London.

"I thought it would be best to wait," Calderon said.

"I didn't think it would be appropriate to join a team and then have to leave it after a month.

"If lockout continues into January, then I would find a team."

FIBA