Pedro Martínez calms the noise in Valencia Basket: “I see Montero focused and with a ten-point attitude”

Valencia Basket faces a decisive week in the Endesa League. After beating Casademont Zaragoza after the blow suffered in the Final Four of the Euroleague, the Taronja team receives Dreamland Gran Canaria on the last day of the Endesa League before playing the postponed duel against Barça on Sunday, a match that will finish defining the positions between second and sixth place.

In just five days, Pedro Martínez’s team is risking a good part of its chances of finishing as high as possible before the playoff. The coach summed it up clearly in the preview: “Playing two games in 48 hours that will define the final position. We are there in the fight for second place, without ignoring the difficulties that we are going to have.”

The calendar requirement also comes at a delicate moment for the Taronja team. Pedro Martínez acknowledged that the team has several important physical problems and that he will have to check the real state of some players in the hours before the match: “We are going to see how we are physically, we are having some problems lately,” explained the coach. Among the losses and discomforts, the coach confirmed the absence of Josep Puerto: “Josep Puerto has mononucleosis and is out until he recovers.”

He also referred to the situation of Xabi López-Arostegui, whose problems have lasted longer than expected, and to the cases of Kameron Taylor and Braxton Key. Regarding Taylor, he highlighted that “the other day he played very weak, he had a great game in Zaragoza, but he has not been able to train with a viral process.” As for Key, he pointed out that “he also has problems with his ankle” and that we will have to see “how he gets to the game, or to the games because they are going to be one after the other.”

The market noise and the message of Pedro Martínez

The run-up to the match was also marked by the media noise generated around the future of several Valencia Basket players. Rumors, market information and comments on networks have accompanied the team in a decisive stretch of the season, but Pedro Martínez wanted to reduce the tension and ask for concentration.

“I want to be as focused as I can on the training we just did, on the video session we have tomorrow morning for Gran Canaria, on the game, that is, living in the present,” he stated.

The coach did not want to go into evaluating every piece of information surrounding the team, although he admitted that it is part of the competitive environment. “The future is uncertain and we don’t know what is going to happen,” he explained, before adding: “Everything that is said, well, some things will be true and others won’t, I don’t care.” For Martínez, the objective is for players, coaching staff and even fans to focus on the immediate. “Be very focused on the present and enjoy and suffer the present, because that will give us a good future, on an individual and collective level,” he said.

The case of Jean Montero

One of the names at the appearance was Jean Montero, the protagonist of several recent reports about his future. Pedro Martínez was blunt when evaluating his attitude and his involvement with Valencia Basket. “I see the team well, I see the players well. The players who are being talked about the most, nothing to say, I see them super focused,” he said.

Regarding Montero, the coach was especially complimentary: “Jean Montero, which is the topic that has been talked about lately, the boy is a magnificent professional, a super winner. Impressive. I mean, I have nothing bad to say about him.” Martínez acknowledged that he is unaware of the conversations the player may have with his surroundings, but he made it clear that his perception within the team is positive. “I see him focused on us, I see him competing, standing up for us, with a good mentality on a day-to-day basis,” he explained.

The coach even went further when evaluating his current relationship with the Dominican point guard: “I am not worried about his present, so I am delighted to be the coach of Jean Montero and the other 15 players I have.” The coach insisted that his role is not to address speculation, but to work with the player on a day-to-day basis. “What I have to talk about is training him, demanding of him, helping him, looking for situations for him to develop his talent, his incredible talent that he has,” he explained.

The coach once again highlighted his satisfaction at coaching the player: “I am super happy to coach him, I don’t know what is going to happen in the future, because no one knows. I would like to continue coaching him, because he is a great talent.” The appearance ended with a message of recognition towards Montero and the group. Pedro Martínez highlighted that the player’s attitude has not changed despite the increase in external noise during the week. “His attitude on a day-to-day basis is a 10. Before and now, this week when more has been said about him, I see him wanting to compete,” he stated.

Martínez closed his assessment with an unequivocal defense of the player: “My recognition as a person and as a professional for Montero is a very good opinion and I don’t have any nuances to make.” Even so, the coach also wanted to focus on the size of the club above any proper name. “If one day he and everyone leaves, Valencia Basket will continue to exist,” he recalled.