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NBA ALL-STAR WEEKENDFebruary 24, 2012Tony ParkerORLANDO, FLORIDA Q.  How do you think Ricky Rubio is transitioning from European to American basketball? TONY PARKER: He's doing well. He's playing very well. I'm very happy for him, and he did a great job running that team. I'm pretty impressed with what he did because he was not playing well this summer in the European Championship, but he's been coming in the NBA and performing very well. Q. Do you remember the first time you saw him play, how young he was? TONY PARKER: At first I didn't know that much. He's so young. It's hard to know if you can translate what you did on the junior team with the big boys. And he's doing a great job. You have to give him credit. They're winning. They're playing a lot better, and he's running the team. Q. Just as a point guard what sort of advice would you give him for his game? TONY PARKER: You can always improve. I guess the first thing I'd tell him is to improve his outside shot, because if you want to last in the NBA, you need to have an outside shot when you play point guard position. But he plays good defense. He's got a good anticipation for steals, and he's got great vision obviously. So I think with time he's going to be one of the best. Q. Is there anything about the European game, playing point guard in Europe, that's different than the NBA or that you found different in your transition? TONY PARKER: It's not just the point guard position, it's the game. FIBA is just a totally different game. It's a lot slower. You have to call a lot of plays in the half‑court game. In the NBA everything is quicker, a lot of iso, one‑on‑one. You have to play defense on your man, and there's no help. In Europe everybody can pack it in, no three‑second rule. So it's a totally different game. Q. Do you have a preference? TONY PARKER: I like both. That's why I go back every summer and play with the national team, because I'm very proud and I love playing for my country, and I love playing in the NBA, too. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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