ElNono
10-17-2011, 12:19 AM
Uff... this one was a long one... enjoy :toast
1. How much were you traumatized as a kid of not being tall enough?
A lot. I dreamed of living from basketball and I knew that being 5'9 I had no chance. My brothers were tall and I was not, and I was crazy impatient. I used to measure myself once a week. My dad would pull out a small knife, put it over my head and marked the tile on the wall. I was desperate.
2. Is it true that you use to hang from the handrail, you went to see a doctor, took yeast, and that you even jump to touch the number plaques on the houses?
The handrail stuff is a myth (laughs). The rest isn't. And the jumping to touch the number plaques on the houses was normal. Everybody that ever played basketball have done it.
3. Did the knockout happened when you were cut from the Bahia junior team, because you were petite?
That killed me. The tournament was going to be in Mar del Plata, where my brothers were already playing, so I was very excited. As a matter of fact, my parents already had planned that weekend. When they said the names of the players that were going to go, and I was not there, it was tough. Honestly, I wasn't that good then.
4. Why did you used to compare yourself so much with your brothers?
Because they were what I had close. I always looked for parameters. I did it in Bahia, Italy and the NBA. I compared myself with those that were superior, because that's who I am: competitive. When I was a kid, my brothers were the reference. And I wanted to be better even in the school's grades.
5. Being so competitive, how did you take the arrival of Pepe Sánchez to Bahiense?
It was complicated. When he got there, he was 13 years old. Pepe was the best player from Bahia at that time. Playing against him was one thing, but when he came to our club and started leading, there were some small 'litigations' (laughs). It ended when we both started playing for the national team.
6. What did it mean to lose the category with Bahiense?
I had five or six circumstances in my career that, at their time, were the worst that happened to me. I get the same feeling when I have to remember the good things. Now that the time has went on, for example, I put the Euroleague title with Kinder in a not so important level. Nevertheless, at that instant, it was the best that happened to me. So, it's relative. Losing the category was tough, but getting cut from the Bahia junior team or losing the semis of the U22 Worlds, at their time, were difficult too.
7. Some people say that after losing the category, you wouldn't stop crying
Well, yes. I look at it now, 18 years later, and say: "Well, it's not that bad, next year you go back up, and that's it". But at that time, it killed me. Bahiense was my house. My dad put a lot of work and time on the club, my brothers achieved things there. And me, in my first season in 1st division, ended up losing the category. I cried like a kid. Well, I was a kid.
8. Why do you think you have jerseys of all the teams you played on, except Bahiense?
I don't think, I'm sure (laughs)
9. How could it be that the stadium carries your name and you don't have a jersey?
Because I was never a champion. In Bahiense you only get the shirt when you win a title. The year that Bahiense won, I just left to La Rioja, so I couldn't be there.
10. Did it bother you much not to be a champion?
A lot. Not even with the provincial Bahia team I could win. And don't forget that in those provincial tournaments Bahia always won easily or, at least, always started as the favorite. Well, not even then. That batch of players was weak. With Bahiense we ended 2nd or 3rd, but we could never finish 1st. I was desperate. Until I went to Italy I didn't win absolutely anything.
11. Not true, you won a handball tournament...
Oh, yeah, that was a school competition and I was 13 years old. But not in basketball. Ascending from 2nd division with Reggio Calabria, for example, was a great achievement. However, it wasn't a title. My first true championship win came in the Copa Italia, with Kinder.
12. Pepe says you lived on the floor, but you never backed down
I lived on the floor because I was physically dismal. I played in 1st division being less than 6 feet tall, and 130 pounds. But I still penetrated. I always had the nerve and the courage. It happened to me a lot in the NBA. I remember a series with Seattle in 2005. It looked like hitting me was a strategy from them. I penetrated, and bam, they would hit me. Like that, over and over again. And I never stopped going to the rim.
13. Hard-headed, maybe?
To me, having balls isn't to get up and start a fight, but to get up and keep playing.
14. Andino de La Rioja…
My first contact with professionalism. I felt in heaven. Money didn't matter one bit.
15. In your debut in the league, Huevo Sánchez, your coach, made a mistake, confused you with your brother and yelled "Sepo, get in there". True or not?
I've heard that anecdote, but I don't remember. I was in a cloud and I recall he looked at me, and I went in. I didn't hear Huevo all game long, poor guy. I was in another dimension. I was playing against guys like Richotti, Campana...
16. Huevo says that during that season, with your friend Jasen, you used to visit him with certain interests...
We used to go read his newspaper, ate a barbaque and then we would leave (laughs). We didn't have a cent back then. We had a good time, we were kids...
17. Did it bother you not to play too much when you were traded to Estudiantes?
It was frustrating, yes, but I knew I would have a chance. Around that time I had everything more clear.
18. Was it then, in Bahia, when your career took off?
Even more so the second season. In 97, after the U22 Worlds, I did a click. I started to produce different things on the court. I felt more mature, and wanted to dunk everything. Psychologically and physically I had a jump in quality.
19. Your brother Leandro says that in that season, he couldn't catch you anymore
When I consolidated in my spot and started to score a ton of points, I started to have much more confidence.
20. Did you almost literally lose your head in Bahiense on a friendly playing for Estudiantes?
Yeah, I was a kamikaze. I didn't care about anything. I was going for a dunk every time. I didn't care if Oberto was in front of me. And Oberto has been in front of me, and he has stamped me to the floor (laughs). That time I dunked it, and the guy defending me hit my leg. I fell on my head. So I ended up in the hospital, and then with a neck brace. It was a disaster. It was one of the few games my mom went to see me.
21. And how did she take it?
She gets so nervous she doesn't even want to watch the games. She asks me to shot from outside, and stay away from the big guys.
22. How did Italy change you?
My first season was more of studying. I wanted to know where I was standing. When the league started, the A2, I realized I could play, and a month later I started comparing against the A1 players. I looked how this or that player played, how they penetrated or shot… To get there I need to ascend with Reggio. And it wasn't easy.
23. As a matter of fact, there were some threats
Yeah, although it wasn't that bad. They put together a lot of money and the only objective was to get to the 1st division. The team that finished first would ascend directly, but we couldn't do it, so we had to go to some Playoffs, and at some point there were some threats, the owner of the team came to talk to us to the locker room, people complained a bit, but it wasn't anything major.
24. Was the Danilovic retirement when you arrived to Kinder a stroke of luck?
I was going there in another role. I was going to be a sixth man and the idea was to gain experience with Danilovic, that around that time was among the best in Europe. And the day the team was introduced I started hearing some voices telling me: "How lucky are you, just now he's retiring!". I didn't know a thing. Until I read the announcement he was retiring. Crazy. I already had my mind set for something different, and I wanted to learn from him. At least the first year.
25. But it was pivotal
I already played some friendly tournaments before he would come along. And I was doing well. But it was clear that when Danilovic came back, my role would change. It ended up working out great for me and everyone else, because we won everything and I ended up in a star role. Nevertheless, some think I went out celebrating when he announced his retirement, and it's nothing like that. I had three years of contract, and as a matter of fact I had to take on ridiculous responsibilities for a 23 year old kid. It worked out well, but it could've just as easily worked out real bad.
26. What were you doing the night you were drafted by the NBA?
Sleeping (laughs). I was with the national team in Macapá, some place in Brazil that is well worth checking out in the Internet. I was telling my Spurs brazilian teammate Tiago that I've been there and he couldn't believe me. A very weird place, with no major roads. I didn't know the draft was that night. I finished eating and went to sleep. The next morning I wake up, a guy comes along and tells me San Antonio picked me.
27. What did you tell him?
"You're crazy, get out of here". I didn't believe him. It took me a while to really comprehend.
28. When did you realize that you were going to beat the Dream Team in Indianapolis?
Luis (Scola) says he always believed that we could beat them. I never read those interviews. In my case, I was more skeptic, I knew we would play our hearts out, but that's it. I didn't want to be too naive. That said, when at some point we took a 14 point lead, and I could see they were playing bad and us better and better, I said to myself: "We got them".
29. What did you feel?
I always remember an image when there was three minutes left. We look at each other with Pepe, both with goosebumps. The celebration was a great relief.
30. Did you enjoy the 2nd place?
Remembering is painful: I couldn't enjoy the World's final. Even later on, after the medal ceremony, I sat down at the side, really sad. The day before, the doctor kept saying: "You're going to make it". And I kept looking at the ankle and I had an eggplant. I was in a dichotomy: I didn't want to look scared and miss the game, but on the other hand I couldn't move. So I forced the situation and asked to play a few minutes. I wanted to play hero and help from the psychological aspect, but that roster didn't need it. I ended up playing 15 mins.
31. What did you tell your dad after being introduced in San Antonio?
"If I don't play well here, I'm going to get a kick in the ass and shipped back to Bahia". I was confident in myself, but there were some doubts too. It's not like I got there thinking "I'm going to play an AllStar Game". I went to see how was everything there, and I knew other great players have gone there before and didn't make it. Being a perimeter player and 200 pounds, I really wasn't a monster physically. The first four months were complicated: I had a hard time recovering from the injury and I couldn't tune with the rest of the team. I had doubts.
32. What kind of doubts?
That I was not going to get a chance. I felt, sometimes, that they didn't believe in me, and that I wouldn't have a chance to show them. And I had doubts of earning Popovich's trust.
33. Not long ago you said you were irascible in 2003. Did all the popularity shake you up?
Yeah, after my first ring in the NBA I started to experience things I wasn't used to and I got a little sensible. I attracted attention and I wasn't ready. All I wanted to do was play basketball and have some peaceful time with Marianela and my family. And everything around me was chaos.
34. That bad?
To top it off, the preparation with the national team was a disaster. We had to go to Mexico, long trips, everything was a mess. I was annoyed, with a very bad mood. Actually, I couldn't enjoy that Olympic qualifier. When we came back, I dug deep and had a long and hard look at myself, because I couldn't keep playing like that.
35. If you had to pick a PG for your team, Pepe or your brother Sebastián?
(Thinks) With Sepo I had a full season together and we found each other very well. With Pepe it was different. We never enjoyed the daily chemistry. But in short tournaments, he always knew how to get me going. I would add Pablo (Prigioni) because, even though I played only two tournaments with him, he's the kind of PG that tells you with a gesture or a look "Get over there" and the ball finds you there.
36. Craziest thing a fan has done?
One guy named his kid Ginobili. That's nuts. If he would have called him Manu or Emanuel, but he named him after my last name. Then I remember another two that had a tattoo. One had Ginobili in his arm, and the other copied an autograph. I also remember a guy in Japan that ran after me. In Japan and China I had bizarre things happen to me: people that looked like they knew me from 20 years ago. Very generous: they wanted to give me gifts, very weird.
37. How was your 'non encounter' with Jordan?
Very sad. I was a major Jordan fan. My room was fully covered with pictures of him. So I waited for that moment for a long time. In 2002/2003 everybody knew he was playing his last season with the Wizards. It was that year or never. We faced them twice: the first time I didn't play because I was injured, so I made up my mind and I didn't suffer it. The second time, though, I was desperate to go in. And I only played 7 seconds, that happened to be when he was already on the bench. I kept watching the quarters go by, and I was indignant. I never forgave Popovich for that one.
38. Is it true you had a similar situation with Huevo Sánchez?
It was terrible (laughs). We were playing against Andino in Bahia. I made the whole family go to the Estudiantes stadium, even my grandfather, who had a really hard time moving. All my high school mates, friends… I was playing around that time, it wasn't like I never played. So I made everybody go. And well, at the end of the 1st quarter, Huevo puts me in there to defend Martín Ipucha. It was the last possession of the quarter. I defended him, the quarter ended, and I never went back in. I didn't touch the ball. I was on the court a grand total of 17 seconds. Complete embarrassment.
39. Did you fear dying crushed after the winning shot against Serbia in the 2004 Olympics?
Yesssssss, they almost suffocate me. At some point it was painful. I couldn't breathe. And I'm not exaggerating.
40. So your reaction wasn't happiness, it was pain?
It was pain, totally. First being tired and ecstasy, but afterwards desperation. It wasn't a joke, those are heavy guys. As soon as they started jumping on me, I pushed my elbows down to grasp some air. It was crazy (laughs).
41. Which win over the Dream Team do you value more?
Because of the importance, Athens. The Indianapolis game was valuable because of how it happened, because of that moment when you exchange stares with a teammate and say: "Holy shit, we're going to beat these guys". In 2004, on the other hand, it was a more concrete objective. We were in semifinals and we wanted the medal. And to be honest, it was another basketball clinic, we played great that game.
42. Gold medal or the NBA rings?
The 2005 ring was spectacular, the way we won it, the pressure I felt in that last game against Detroit. But an olympic gold is different to anything. Besides, the context of the tournament makes it more valuable for me. If you ask Kobe Bryant about his gold in Beijing, he will tell you he's happy and that's it. He had to win that title, the US had no alternative. What we did in Athens though, it's very different. Nobody in Argentina dreamed of a first place like that, ever.
43. It's a shame that the celebration was overshadowed when they left you in the stadium
I cannot begin to explain how pissed off I was that day. We won the gold, everybody happy, singing, jerseys flying, medal ceremony, emotion… and at some point, while I was talking with the media, they passed by. It was so noisy. I couldn't hear anything. I must've stepped away 30 feet, no more. When I turn around, they were all gone.
44. What was your initial reaction?
I was mad. Alone, outside the Oaka stadium, knocking on doors, desperate. Afterwards, somebody from the organization drove me and I caught up with them entering the Villa. Truth is that yes, they left me. And on top of that they lost the game ball.
45. What do you mean they lost it?
At the beginning I thought my roommate Hugo (Sconochini) lost it. I've been looking for answers to this for three years, and one day, thinking I was over it, they told me what really happened. I exchanged my jersey for the ball as soon as the Final ended, and when we arrived at the Villa, before going out to celebrate, I left it with my shoes on a bag next to my bed. When we returned, it was gone. I was so pissed off… It looks like Chapu (Nocioni) returned a little bit over-excited, to put it mildly, he got into my room with some other accomplices and threw it out of a window. We had the archery field right across, so it must've been left there somewhere.
46. What did you say Scola is more important than you for the National Team?
I think the national team without me is a better team than the national team without Luis. I have Carlitos (Delfino) playing in my position, who is a heck of a shooting guard. Instead, there's no other player like Luis. Not in Argentina or the world. You're not going to find in FIBA players that guarantee you 20 points and so many rebounds. There's Pau Gasol and him. He's essential. More than me.
47. Did Magnano go overboard with the discipline?
That's his style. Strict. In 2004 we were already mature compared when he started with us in 2001. That's why I disagreed with some things. But it's not like he only appeared to be tough. He has always been like that. You can't really reproach much. He was ideal when that group started. Today, I don't know.
48. Name your top three coaches
First Zeta Rodríguez, from Estudiantes. After that, Ettore Messina, in Kinder and Gregg Popovich.
49. Zeta? He says he had nothing to do with your growth.
He wasn't a great teacher for me, but he gave me total freedom when that was exactly what I needed. And he gave me his confidence.
50. How is Popovich outside the court?
You have to know him to understand. He's phenomenal in every sense. I never thought there could be such a strict and even sometimes irascible on the court that shows up the next day and asks me about my parents. He's generous, understanding, honest. I have a super-relationship with him, I hold him in high esteem, even if he trades me tomorrow. I won't stop praising him. And this is even though I've been in disagreement with a lot of his decisions.
51. Was it difficult to earn his trust?
Quite a bit. He had a strict style of play, that he slowly made more flexible because of me. He has helped me a lot many times.
52. Do you understand the hate from Argentina fans towards Tony Parker?
I could rationalize it in that I've always been the spoiled kid of argentina fans in the NBA and they pretend that I take every shot in every possession. But it's really stupid. Imagine if right now the kid from Latvia that San Antonio picked in the draft comes over, starts playing well, and the Latvia people hate me because I don't give him the ball. That thing with Parker grew too far. To unsuspected levels.
53. Sometimes he can be a little selfish…
There's people, like my brother, that think the PG has to start the offense, then pass the ball. That's old news. Today's basketball is different. The best PG in the NBA is Derrick Rose, who has a completely offensive style. All that said, everybody has an opinion, and you have to respect it.
54. Did it hurt to get bashed for not playing with the national team?
It did hurt, because nobody likes to be criticized. What always set my mind at ease is that the people I appreciate understood my decisions. Not everybody knows what I had to go through to be in Beijing. My body can't take that much abuse anymore. That's why, considering that I was much more interested in playing the qualifier tournament and the London Olympics, I decided to skip the Worlds. I explained it a lot of times.
55. Looks like it's never enough
(Laughs, resigned) Whoever doesn't want to believe me, don't have to believe me. And they can keep thinking I'm all about the money.
56. Rate your interest in soccer, from 1 to 10
In national team games, 6; In local tournaments, 1. With the national team I still get excited. For example, I suffered a lot with the Copa America. It really hit me how much the players were criticized. I put myself in the head of guys like Messi, above all, and I get mad. I just want the players to do well, that's all.
57. Can you watch a whole game?
Nooo, I get really bored. The only thing that attracts me is the national team, because I feel it, but the game itself I don't care too much about. I prefer to watch tennis.
58. Can we say tennis is your second sport?
To watch, yes. When I'm on vacations, sometimes I try to play too.
59. How would you define your tennis game?
From mediocre, all the way down. I have an acceptable drive, bad serve, bad backhand, good legs and some advantages to get to the ball due to my height. I suck.
60. Juan Pablo Varsky says your story is not the one from a chosen one. Do you agree?
I read it and I agree completely. A chosen one is LeBron James or Kobe, that when they were 18 years old they knew they were going to be amongst the best in the world. Try to find anybody, even in Bahia, that will tell you that me at 17 years old was going to end up playing in the NBA. Not even in the family…
61. And how did you turn around destiny?
My thing was more gradual, each step I took worked well for me. I never got stuck, every season I did a little jump in quality. That worked great for me to live what I'm living with more composure and to be able to enjoy it.
62. What do you like about the United States society?
That they're very respectful. In general, the Argentine is more disrespectful and impatient, and has less allegiance to rules.
63. What you don't like?
Political things, not social.
64. When you come back to Argentina and see people close to you being stuck, do you feel some guilt?
I experienced everything: in 2002 and 2003 were the worst years because I started to live like a king, in a cloud all the time, and over here the country was falling to pieces. That was the worst moment. I felt guilty up to a point. Afterwards, slowly, the situation was getting better, I was growing and the scenario changed. Nowadays, the optimism you see is different. People think other things.
65. Was that initial scenario that made you start your foundation?
A bit, yes. Later on, over there, it's like they incite the famous athletes to do it. So I started to learn and one day I made the decision to put it together.
66. How do you decide who to help?
It's hard. There's a big filter. You can't help all the world. I get all sorts of requests: from a lab to a basketball court in Formosa, to an oven in Tierra del Fuego. We decide by what causes an impact on us, moves us. We try to make a difference and be fair. Nothing else.
67. Do you see yourself as a politician when you retire?
Sometimes I think I can be one and some other times, not even close. When I hear and see how they operate I say to myself "There's no way I'm getting into this". And some other times the idealist in me comes out and I tell myself that I can do it, that I'm transparent, that I'm not going to screw anybody over and that I want to help. But the no wins most of the time.
68. The fact that there has been so many delays with the stadium that you want to build in Bahia contributes to that detachment?
It's more what I hear on the street every day. The more contact I have with people in high places, the further away I think about a future in those places. The stadium is just one more thing. It hits close to me because I spent a lot of hours, meetings, photos, plans, effort… and nothing. Five years later we're still spinning wheels.
69. Are you disappointed with the politicians?
I'm disappointed with the environment. It's a long story. People that should've help and didn't. I presented everything: plans, projects, documents, and there's always something missing. This topic has me a little sad.
70. Can you tell us why Wolkowyski showed up naked running in the corridors of a Japanese hotel?
(Grabs his head). It was regrettable. Right in the middle of the 2006 Worlds. I was in my room with my notebook and suddenly we started to feel movement. I never experienced a quake before. So when the vibration started I thought it was a train. And when the intensity went up, I finally realized what was going on. It only lasted three seconds, and all of us left the rooms to see what was going on. And that's when I saw el Colorado, with foam in his head, all soaped up and semi-naked. A shocking image.
71. The semifinal lost to Spain in the 2006 Worlds was your worst loss with the national team?
As I said before, at the time, the final against Yugoslavia in 2002 also killed me. They were the two worse. They meant two gold medals. I think if we beat Spain that game, we're champions. With Yugoslavia it hurt a little more because it didn't have to do with us: the referee had an influence. Against Spain at least we had the final shot.
72. Do you regret not taking that last shot?
When you play one on one, you don't look just to shoot. But I was going towards the rim in that play. Nowadays maybe I would've tried something different, like a step back or some other weapon I didn't have five years ago. That said, I don't regret my decision.
73. How does it feel to carry the country's flag in the Olympic Games?
Digesting it was a slow process. At the moment they told me, I said: "Mmm, I think I prefer to be with the other guys in the back laughing, taking pictures and jumping". I talked about it with friends because I wasn't sure. But afterwards it was an unforgettable moment: I received the affection from the entire delegation that was coming behind me and that's when I realized I was the face of the country in an event seen by millions of people. I remember that before walking in, we were all singing, euphoric: A very intense moment. And when we finally walked out into that stadium, huge, imposing, it definitely left a mark in me.
74. The bronze game was the game you most wanted to play from the ones you couldn't play in?
Could be. But because of how it played out, today I would tell you I would've preferred to have been healthy in the Indianapolis' final. In that game for the bronze, as soon as I noticed the attitude of the team, everything that they were transmitting, I didn't mind not being able to play. I have that game recorded in my mind as something phenomenal.
75. Oveja Hernandez said that seeing you crying before the game was better than any motivational words he could say. Does he exaggerate?
I don't know how anybody else felt it. Up until the technical talk, I was dealing with it pretty well. I had my mind set. But when Oveja started to talk and they started to cheer each other up and my teammates started to scream, I broke down. I could't hide the crying. I broke down like a kid.
76. What makes you keep playing in the national team?
That I have a great time. You feel a responsibility with the guy next to you that you don't feel in another team. There's affection, wish that the guy next to you does well, commitment. It's a very special group even though it has mutated over the years. I was a champion in Europe and the NBA, but with the national team I feel different. I don't know what moves me so much, but well, it does move me.
77. And on the competitive side?
The challenge of being in another Olympic Game, which is the maximum I experienced as an athlete.
78. Are you tired of being asked about rebuilding in the national team and the change of guard?
It's just another question. I don't know how it's going to be, but it can't be that difficult. You're not a winner because you won the gold medal. In my opinion, the winner is the one that within it's possibilities, manages to exceed expectations. Who didn't value the fifth place in Turkey? To pass along a way to conduct yourself, values, effort and solidarity is going to be more important than any medal.
79. Does it bother you that people talk about the money you make?
In 2004 I attempted that my contract details would not be made public. In the Unites States it's normal to talk about money, but not here. Argentina was in a delicate moment. Actually, a year prior there was an attempt to kidnap my brother Sebastian. But it's inevitable and the numbers end up making the front cover of the newspapers. Now I'm used to it, my salary is out there in the Internet sites.
80. Which one of the two All Star you enjoyed more?
The first one I just couldn't believe what I was living when it comes to the environment. I didn't want to feel like a star, but I was at the All Star, everybody asking me about it, and it's inevitable you're going to feel a tickling. It took me a while to assimilate the label. From that angle, the first one in Denver was more special. In Los Angeles I was more calm, and I enjoyed the game more.
81. But we get the sensation that it doesn't really fill you up...
It doesn't drive me crazy. So many pictures, presentation, people, red carpet. That circus isn't really my style.
82. Which was the praise that really got to you the most?
The praise from coaches are the ones that I value the most, because they're the ones that watch hours and hours of video. I remember one from Jerry Sloan, the former coach of Utah, that spoke well of me even without being asked about me. That kind of comments, when they aren't forced, really flatter me.
83. Like the ones from Charles Barkley? He looks like your agent
Now I'm more used to it. He has like created a character defending me. But when he started and I was in my first season, it really helped me.
84. Do you see yourself playing until 39 years old like your brother Sebastian?
No. I had a little more wear and tear than him during my career. Physically it's already tough now, imagine at 39. More things hurt now and take longer to heal. I don't know if my passion for the game can surpass the pain and frustration. I don't see it.
85. Are you still set to move to Bahia once you retire?
I have it relatively clear. I always wanted to come back. When the time comes I'll take a look at the situation in the country and what I want to do with my life. Today I'll tell you I'll be back.
86. What bothers you the most about the media?
The 100 questions (laughs). No, it's bothersome when they have to fill up space and write whatever. During the playoffs it happens a lot. They end up talking about stupid things. With the soccer national team, for example, I ended up getting really mad during the Copa America. They would say and write atrocities. When they end up looking for the fifth leg on the cat they end up screwing up the protagonist, the viewer and it's even counterproductive to the media. As a general rule, I'm very respectful. I'm not passionate about interviews. I would prefer to be at home with my wife, obviously, but it's part of what I have to do.
87. Have you ever heard Leandro in his commentator role?
I saw him in the Turkey Worlds for the first time. Leandro is like that, annoying. Maybe the remaining members of the family are a bit more polite (laughs). That's his nature, he says what he thinks without filter, and well, I think he adds value to the broadcast, because then there's two other serious journalists that compensate a bit.
88. What's your main vice?
Internet. Sometimes it's Twitter, other times the chat, other times reading, Facebook, games, whatever. I don't conceive my life without that access to information. On the food side, I love fries and salami. They're my greatest weaknesses.
89. Songs?
“Alta Suciedad“ from Andrés Calamaro, “Desconexión Sideral“ from Bersuit, “Bicho de la ciudad“ from Los Piojos, “Giros“ and “El amor después del amor“ from Fito Páez, “Prohibido“ and “Una nueva noche fría“ from Callejeros, “Balada del diablo y la muerte“ from La Renga. There's a few.
90. Where does your ego hides?
My ego doesn't go into what I say. My thing is to feel strong at the moment to compete. I don't mind having better players in front of me. When I get to play them, I want to beat them. And I think I can beat them. Alongside my teammates, obviously.
91. On that aspect, in the NBA you're some kind of weird animal
Yes, I'm very different to your average NBA player that believes they deserve all they have, and the guys that think they're a notch above the rest. I'm never going to be saying I'm the best, that I won this or that. I'm never going to pose a situation of jealousy of why somebody is paid more than me. They're stupidities. I don't feel that way.
92. At some point, do you feel you screwed up with some attitudes?
Between 2003 and 2005 I sometimes had bad reactions, I don't know that I would react the same today. Maybe I was over-accelerated, and up to a point it's understandable. Nobody teaches you to deal or assimilate such big changes in fame, money, being recognized or popularity.
93. Why so many teams in the national league have so many problems?
A bit because of the context. It happens everywhere, with all the sports. There's very few places in the world where sport is profitable. Except for the US, where people consume a lot. I think we have to get away from the sole objective of winning Sunday, and bet more towards entertaining people, give them a show, convenience, comfort. We have to learn to appreciate the fan, who, at the end of the day, is the one that pays for the tickets.
94. Is that something Pepe Sanchez is doing with Estudiantes?
Pepe is also trying to show a management model. To be ordered, respectful: to professionalize management. He's taking some interesting steps. His first order wasn't to go out there to hire new talent, but instead to improve the arena. You don't see that happening often. Over here, first you hire the star, then you look if the scoreboard works. In the national league everything is yet to be done: media, referees, rules… People are taking notice and managers aren't dumb. I see we're slowly moving towards a positive change.
95. What was your worst game?
Against Cleveland, the third game in the 2007 finals. I played horribly, scored three points and missed everything. But we won, it went unnoticed. The final in Indianapolis was also terrible, beyond the fact I was injured. I shot like I was fine and I didn't provide anything. I hurt the team.
96. If the lockout is extended, what are you going to do?
Maybe I'll go a couple of weeks to train in San Antonio. Over there I work in a different way. There's more facilities and more peace. But my idea is to stick around here until the lockout is over.
97. Do you discard playing in Europe, then?
Nowadays, yeah. I'll try to stay in shape, I'll train with Estudiantes, but there aren't a lot of options. I have the twins now, I'm not going to head out to Turkey. If I get a contract there and three weeks later the lockout is over, I have to head back to the US… it would be crazy. Maybe in December I'll change my mind, we take on the challenge with my family and go. But right now I would say no.
98. Montecchia and Jasen said you're a terrible driver. Are they lying?
I drove Puma to training for a year, he's just being disrespectful (laughs). He didn't want to drive and was with me everywhere. I'll admit when I was 21 I was a little more crazy and drove a bit fast. When I was in Bahia with Jasen was when I just acquired the driver's license. I took my dad's Regatta and, sometimes, I would hit a ditch. But over there in United States, you can't screw around. It's impossible to be a bad driver. The rules are so clear and the people are so respectful that you adapt or adapt.
99. In which way your kids changed you?
They allowed me to place basketball in it's proper place. Before it was the top priority in my life and that changed a bit. Example: the day after the last defeat against Memphis that ended the season for us, I got up and the twins were there, who didn't know if I won or lost, with the same smile as usual. Same thing when we won. They're a wire to the ground.
100. Up to what point does the female chief rules?
(Laughs) Well, during vacations she rules. She makes the decisions. During the season I have my routines and my specific duties, and she adapts to me. Nowadays, she has more voice. All that said, almost everything is agreed upon. Marianela is very flexible, everything works for her.
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