Feb 27, 2009, 11:59 pm
Part II
Quote:[color="#FF0000"]Looking at the German national team, a dream of yours came true last summer by reaching the 2008 Olympics. From a sports standpoint, things didnââ¬â¢t go as you had dreamt ââ¬Â¦[/color]
Youââ¬â¢re right. From a sports standpoint, things were unfortunate and a little disappointing. We had an absolute high at the qualification tournament in Athens in June. We played our best basketball there. Then everybody had a week off and celebrated a little. And itââ¬â¢s very tough to reach that same level again right away. We didnââ¬â¢t have our top form in the Olympics, we just couldnââ¬â¢t keep it up. That was aggravating. Of course, the main thing was being at the Olympics. Thatââ¬â¢s why we celebrated so much in Athens. But when you are there and have a victory in your grasp ââ¬Â¦ it hurts when you lose. And we lost our steam against the U.S.A. Of course, losing by 50 points did not have to happen.
[color="#FF0000"]Were the Olympics off the court how you had anticipated?[/color]
The things I thought beforehand would be awesome ended up being awesome. I will never forget the Opening Ceremonies and walking in carrying the flag, and life in the Olympic Village. When you got back from the late game at 2 a.m. there were still 2,000 sitting around the cafeteria when you arrive. Those were the things I wanted to experience the most. And I will never forget them. I had already played basketball in China. And I play against the guys from the Dream Team in the NBA.
[color="#FF0000"]When you look back on the basketball tournament in Beijing and compare it to past successes for Germany, could you tell that the team had gotten older and couldnââ¬â¢t afford to do certain things?[/color]
Honestly, I would say all of the other teams have gotten better. I also said that at the 2007 EuroBasket in Spain, where we were a bit lucky to finish fifth. Even then, I had the feeling that all the other teams had taken a step forward. Younger players had been integrated and even the 12th players had earned minutes and were scoring off pick-and-rolls. Everyone can do everything. A year ago I thought: ââ¬ÅWe didnââ¬â¢t get any worse, but we also didnââ¬â¢t really get any better. We kind of stood still.ââ¬Â
[color="#FF0000"]And in 2008?[/color]
Chris Kaman of course brought us some fresh air. It was important that he was in Athens. Despite an injured foot and him being slightly overweight, he really cleaned up under the basket. I can clearly remember some important rebounds against Brazil and Puerto Rico. That was certainly important. He may not have played a great tournament, mainly because of his injury. But even with him, it was clear to see that we as a team are no longer near the top in the world. We wouldnââ¬â¢t have deserved being in the top eight in the world at the Olympics. The way that Greece and Spain took us a part showed that there are two class levels.
[color="#FF0000"]What did you think of the performance by the United States? Were you surprised with their showing, especially the teamââ¬â¢s defense?[/color]
I knew they would really go all out this time, especially on defense. They dominated already at their qualifications in Las Vegas in 2007. And now Kobe was there and they got used to the physical style of play. They also got used to the European system by putting LeBron James at the four and playing with a small lineup. In the NBA, itââ¬â¢s very rare that teams willingly play with two small guys. For me, the only surprise was that Spain was so close in the final. It was clear that they were not going to whip them by 30 points like in the group stage. But I thought it would be about 20 points. Still, it was an exciting final.
[color="#FF0000"]And that despite the fact that the Spaniards started the 17-year-old Ricky Rubio at point guard.[/color]
I really donââ¬â¢t know how the Spaniards keep bringing out those kinds of players. Or Italy. One of their players was picked No. 8 in the NBA Draft (Danilo Gallinari), who I didnââ¬â¢t even know. He wasnââ¬â¢t even at the 2007 EuroBasket in Spain. I had to ask Sven Schultze who he was and what he can do. That is really crazy how other countries can come up with young players who can really ball. For us (Germany), not too much has come out in the past few years even though we did have a couple of new guys last year which was really fun. Like Tim Ohlbrecht for example. Being just 19 years old, he worked his way into the roster during the preparations. So that gives us some hope. But over the past few years, young talents have never really challenged the veterans for their spots in the national team.
Respect and thanks for everything:
Alvertis, Bodiroga, Jasikevicius, Radja, Wilkins, Vrankovic, Fotsis, Rebraca, Kattash, Gentile, Koch, Middleton, Kutluay, Rogers, Papadopoulos, Becirovic, Tomasevic, Siskauskas, Pekovic, Lakovic, Vujanic, Chatzivrettas, Maljkovic, Spanoulis and many more to follow in the near future.