Bruno Fernando explained why he skipped Juancho Hernangomez's advice to join Panathinaikos and mentioned the basic differences between NBA and Europe that he's come to notice.
Bruno Fernando joined Real Madrid on 24 January after leaving the Toronto Raptors and a six-year NBA stint with another three teams (Atlanta, Boston, Houston).
Bruno Fernando
| Team: |
Real Madrid |
| Position: | PF, C |
| Age: | 26 |
| Height: | 208 cm |
| Weight: | 106 kg |
| Birth place: | Luanda, Angola |
And now he's in Europe, having played five games for Real Madrid in the Spanish league and the EuroLeague, in addition to the Copa del Rey outings that will be held in Gran Canaria this week.
In contrast to NBA franchise players, Fernando, 27, has grown accustomed to being away from friends and family.
"The United States is not my home and I see it as normal to come to Europe, although the situation had to make sense for it to happen. That's why I analyzed things a lot, I wanted to choose the best possible place and that was Real Madrid," the Angolan big man told Ricardo Gonzalez from AS.
Fernando said that not only did he speak with former teammates, like Usman Garuba and Juancho Hernangomez before joining Los Blancos, but he also revealed that the Spanish forward advised him to sign with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, who were also on the lookout for a center.
"I knew Real Madrid before, and also Edy Tavares. Obviously, Madrid is Madrid. There were some things I didn't know about the club and I asked them. I also spoke to my agent. I wanted to find out as much as possible.
The adjustment here is easier because of the people and the language. I also have family nearby, brothers in Lisbon. This is a club with a great history, I see it as the perfect place," Fernando noted.
So far, the biggest change he's noticed compared to the NBA is in how teams space the floor.
"In the NBA, everyone plays outside, open, there are few people in the paint," he observed.
"But here there are always players. And even more so if Edy is there, it seems like there is no space left. In Europe, they play very tactically, with complete plays. In the NBA, it is usually simpler, a screen gets everyone open and then you play one-on-one.
Here, it is more collective, the team might draw up from one to five screens in the same play," Fernando argued.
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