HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Raúl Barrigón

By the start of the season, did you expect that you could play the All Star Game?

Al Horford: It was one of my goals. But you know, the way I play, maybe I wasn’t putting up such great stats in order to be considered. But the coaches valued the work I do for my team and the good run of the team this season. So it was an honor to be selected by them.

When did you learned that you were going to play the All-Star Game?

AH: I was aware the morning it became official. The Hawks’ PR person called me and said “Al, you’re in.” I was so happy.

Your father (Tito Horford) is a former NBA player. What did he tell you?

AH: He was so happy. Right now he’s in Missouri, but I think he will be here on Sunday.

What’s your take on the fact that the coaches chose you over your teammate Josh Smith? Did you speak with him?

AH: Yeah, I talked to him. Obviously he feels he should be here playing on Sunday. But you know, it’s up to the coaches, they’re the ones who judge the players’ performance, and they chose me. Josh is a hell of a player.

Do you think you can become a go-to scorer in the NBA?

AH: Yeah, I think that as long as I continue to improve my game… I feel good about it. It’s my third year in the league and I feel comfortable in every game, so I expect that at the end of this season or at the start of the next one, my offensive game will be at the level it has to be at.

What do you think about the free agency status of teammate Joe Johnson?

AH: Let’s see what happens with Joe. He doesn’t worry about his impending free agency. We hope he stays.

Johnson is a great player but maybe not so popular as other stars. Do you think he should market himself a bit more?

AH: Joe is the kind of player you want to play with. He’s focused only on basketball, and hopefully Atlanta will take that into consideration this summer. It will be very interesting what happens then.

You are enjoying the All-Star Weekend. How was the Magic and Zo’s pool tournament?

AH: Well, actually my game is table tennis, but I played a good tournament. I got to the second roung and lost to some guys who were semi-pro. Nate Robinson was there, Kenny Lofton, Emmitt Smith… It was really fun.

Shakira and Alicia Keys will perform at the All-Star Game. Which one would you meet?

AH: Shakira. I want to meet her! I’m a fan of her music and everything she represents. She’s such a good dancer.

You got the the Dominican Youth Award this year. What does it mean to you?

AH: It’s really special. Miss Universe Amelia Vega has it too. She is a great example for the youth of my country. My father received the award because I couldn’t go, I was already playing games with the Hawks. The president was there and it was really a great honor.

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What do you think about the exhibition game between the best two teams of the last Olympic Games?

Jerry Colangelo: On behalf of USA basketball, we’re very excited about the World Championships this summer. We’re excited about coming to Europe and playing in Spain. We have very great respect for the Spanish Federation and the work they’ve done in the game of basketball. We look at it as friendly competition and preparation for the World Championships, and I’m sure the Spanish team and the U.S. team wanna play the best competition to get ready. And that’s what this is all about, so it’s a great opportunity to prepare and what better place than going to Spain. We will play two games against Spain and Lithuania. I’ve been in Madrid and Barcelona three or four times. Both are two great cities. There’s great interest in the game of basketball in Spain. There’s a lot of passion for the game; I have a passion for the game, that’s a great marriage. I know the food is good in both places. I like real good paella to begin with and then the fish in Barcelona is pretty good too.

Did you really think, during the fourth quarter of the Olympic finals, “‘Oh, Spain can beat us?”

JC: One thing I know about the game of basketball is that in any given night a team can win. It’s a game of streaks. When we played Spain earlier in the Olympics, we beat them pretty bad, so a lot of people were saying, “Well, there’s not going to be a contest.” Well, there’s pride involved too. They came out… They competed. That’s what you really expect. And they had a run and they were real close. Did I sweat? Sure. I got up out of my seat and walked down to the corner of the floor… I wanted a different perspective. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. It took two shots made by Kobe and Wade to put it away, and then I felt, you know, “We have it.” We worked hard to get it, and we’ll have to do it again to win the World Championships.

Do you think that FIBA rules give an edge to European National Teams?

JC: Well, the length of the game is a major difference, and the lane… Those rules are gonna change going forward, which is good. We should have more consistent rules. Basketball is the number two sport in the world behind soccer, and I want basketball to be number one.

What do you think about Bryan Colangelo’s job.

JC: I’m very proud of what he’s done on his own. He’s very independent. He did a great job for us in Phoenix, but it was a time for him to go and do his own thing. I’ve never had any doubts that he would be successful. He’s a hard worker. Work ethic is important. He had been around me his whole life so he learned what no to do maybe (laughs).

You were quoted in a story on FanHouse saying that Chris Bosh had committed to the program. Then Bosh said he hadn’t.

JC: What I’ve said in the last two days and I’m sticking to it is that all we’ve announced is our National Team roster. That’s all we’ve done. I’m aware of what everyone has in front of them. There’s a number of guys who are free agents. There could be maybe some injuries, personal issues, who knows. But we don’t have to make any decisions ourselves until next summer. So why talk about it? I’m not gonna speculate on any of them because I’ve been around the game too long to know that things change in 24 hours, in seconds maybe.

What’s your take on the story about you recruiting Mike Krzyzewski to coach the Nets?

JC: I know the story regarding me. My response is that I haven’t heard from anyone. I’ve heard from no one.

What do you think about the future of the Suns?

JC: They are in a little transition. They have to make some major decisions, so their future… It will be interesting.

Do you think Amare Stoudemire will leave?

JC: I don’t know [laughs].

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Wolves signed Ramon Sessions. Your take?

Andrew Bogut: He’s got a great contract in Minnesota. We wish him all the best, but I think with the point guards we have in our roster now, it would be tough to find minutes for all four with a fourth point guard.

Well, the Bucks can still match the offer.

AB: We have time to match but I don’t see it, honestly. Well you never know, we could make a trade. I’m not saying we are going to do that, but you never know in the NBA.

Everybody asks about your back.

AB: It’s looking good. Now I’m doing a lot of weight training, a lot of running… Some basketball work. Once the contact starts we’ll se how it goes.

How was the experience of having trainer Marc Boff in Australia along with strength and conditioning coach Jeff Macy?

AB: They made sure I was doing the right things. It was just more of making sure that I’m working out and not just sitting on the beach drinking beer (laughs).

Were you a good tourist guide?

AB: Of course, we went to an Australian football game, they saw the kangaroos and stuff like that.

In order to not get injured in the back again, have you been told to slim down, bulk up, stay put…?

AB: Weight will not be an issue for me. I’ve never really been overweight, it was just more a matter of getting my core, my glutes, my hips, getting evertything around my back strong as I can so my back doesn’t take as much pounding. Basically, the key message is to get everything strong around my back.

Are you going to do special exercises to protect your back once you start playing again?

AB: I’m doing it now: a lot of Pilates , a lot of abs…

How do you feel going into the season without Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva and possibly Ramon Sessions?

AB: I can say that I was prepared for that. When we had a meeting at the end of the season John Hammond let me know that we were going to make some changes. “Some might shock you, some might not”, he said. So it wasn’t like the season before. I think we’re just trying to create some financial stability with the economy the way it is and the salary cap being lowered. We are trying to free up some room for the future. We had a team that was pretty good on paper last year but still we couldn’t achieve a playoff run.

You said in that interview “Didn’t speak to anybody within the Bucks, I read it on HoopsHype, actually, believe it or not, with my morning coffee before practice one day.”

AB: The problem was that I was in Australia, so I’m guessing they tried to call me, the time difference, the phone numbers… It wasn’t like I was in Milwaukee where they could just reach out and give me a phone call… I was in Beijing at the Olympics, I think. They only had the e-mail to find me so I wasn’t disappointed by it or anything, it was more that I didn’t expect the Yi trade after only one season.

Do you expect to be more in touch with GM John Hammond about the options of adding new pieces to the roster in order to improve the team?

AB: I was in town during the summer when they traded Richard Jefferson and John called me before it got announced. So he’s been pretty good about letting me know about some decisions, but at the same time you don’t want to let everybody know everything because sometimes certain trades don’t go through for whatever reason.

Let’s move on and talk about the new guys. Now there’s more international flavor in Milwaukee. Do you like it?

AB: Yeah, I think it’s good for me, I’m an international player too. Delfino is a winner, he knows how to play the game and he will bring some toughness to our team. Ukic obviously hasn’t had the opportunity to play too much in Toronto so I know he’s very eager to prove himself in Milwaukee. He’s a pretty good friend of mine. I played with Ilyasova my first two years; when he came to the NBA he was very young, very skinny. I heard he’s improved a lot and I know his dream was to be back; his wife is actually from Milwaukee. And we already have Elson, Gadzuric and Mbah a Moute.

What about Brandon Jennings?

AB: I’ve been working out with him the whole week. He’s a very good ballhandler, very smart point guard and very athletic. He brings energy everyday but obviously he’s young. He’s gotta have good times and bad times in his rookie year, but I think he’s going to be a great player in the NBA.

This season your new five-year contract kicks in. Milwaukee is clearly counting on you to be the leader of this team.

AB: I tried to make that adjustment last year but I got injured. I’m definitely ready to become more vocal, offensively, defensively, in the locker room. The team has invested a lot into me so I’ll try to step up in every way, not just points and rebounds. I need to lead by example on and off the floor .

But the feeling out there is that what it really counts is getting better stats.

AB: With all these fantasy basketball leagues, a lot of people are just worried about stats. It would be nice to average 20 points and 10 rebounds, but I’d much rather make the playoffs and one day go for the championship if that means averaging five points. I would be happy to do that. In saying that, the team wants me to be better offensively and defensively. I definitely need to get better in those aspects but like I said, if I’m averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds and we are winning games it doesn’t really matter.

Have you talked with Coach Skiles about your role in this team next season?

AB: The coaching staff want me to have the confidence of getting the ball inside and making quick decisions. Last year a lot of the times I was indecisive whether I was shooting or passing. I was kind of waiting to see what the defense was gonna do before I did it. Now I have to be more aggressive and get to the free-throw line, knock down free-throws and just be more confident.

You’re right now at 59.3 percent in free-throw shooting.

AB: It’s one area you need to improve every year. It’s just a matter of confidence. My technique is not too bad, I just have to stay in the gym and shoot as many as I can, which I have been doing the last couple of weeks. I’d definitely like to improve my percentage, no doubt.

How are the Bucks going to play this season?

AB: I think we’ll run. With a kid like Jennings you’d be crazy trying to play half-court. He’s one of the quickest point guards I’ve ever seen with the ball. He can find the open man. We’ll try to push the ball offensively and defensively we’ll be definitely be a half-court team. We’ll try to get stops to win games. We’ll be a defense-first team. That’s Scott Skiles’ system and that won’t change.

A total of 53 panelists from across ESPN have predicted the Bucks to be second to last in the East.

AB: We like it. We like where they picked us. I think it’s better for us and our franchise to have lower expectations coming in because nobody thinks we can do anything and if we can do something it’ll be a surprise. We have a lot of new players. I don’t think we have a starting five that… You know, most teams on paper you could kind of figure out whose the starting five is gonna be. With us, there’s a lot of question marks on who’s gonna start, who’s gonna play minutes, who’s not gonna play.

So do you expect a killing preseason?

AB: Yes, I do. We’ll try to have the whole team here on Monday, ready to work out on Tuesday and get started a bit earlier. Rather than having a training camp of conditioning, we’d rather learn how to play with each other on the floor and do all the conditioning before it ends. Hopefully all the guys will be here by Tuesday and start working out.

How would you define your NBA career after four years?

AB: Probably average because there’s a lot room for improvement. I had a pretty good third year but we didn’t win a lot of basketball games so for me that was a failure. I struggled earlier in the season last year and really started to play well towards December and January and then I got hurt. Average would be the right statement.

You said while you’re playing in the NBA, everyone wants a piece of you. At the same time, you can get a piece of everyone else. What have you learned from journalists?

AB: You’re just doing your job. You tell stories and that’s just the way it goes. When you are worried about what people say as far as (what) fans or people write about you… You know, make it in a positive way. If you get any talk about in a negative way, you’re just being talked about – so it’s a good thing.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the NBA is preparing Twitter guidelines for the players. You are one of those players that are into this new way of getting in touch with the fans. What do you think about it?

AB: I haven’t heard anything yet, maybe once the season starts they let us know, but it’s gonna be very hard to the NBA to tell people what to do with their lives outside of basketball. It’s pretty hard for the NBA to say “You can do this, you can’t do that”… I think it’s gonna be very very tricky. But once you’re on the court at a practice site, I definitely agree you shouldn’t be posting twitters or facebook. Once you finish a game if you write “We had a good win” or “We should have played better” or whatever, I think that’s fair enough. But at halftime… I definitely agree with that. I’m a professional and you should do that on your own time.

It is said that maybe they would also talk to the players about using Twitter to release team-related news.

AB: That’s probably another thing. Obviously there’s some stuff that teams want you to keep to yourself and that goes back to this: Maybe managers won’t want to communicate much with their players anymore because they think they gonna go and post it on the Internet. Like I said, the bottom line is everyone is on Twitter, websites… The more publicity they get the better for them, so certain people will take a fine or two but they’ll get an extra fifty thousand people coming to their site. You have to keep that in mind as well.

In Slam Online, Etan Thomas posted a response to your comments in the Sydney Morning Herald when you talked about the public’s image of NBA players. Do you remember that story?

AB: No (laughs).

If you could go back in time, what would you say?

AB: The way it came out it was wrong. I definitely agree with the points Etan Thomas made, I definitely wasn’t right looking back now, but it wasn’t the point I was trying to make. I think it was taken a little bit for a ride by a certain journalist but it definitely wasn’t the point I was trying to make.

So that journalist wrote it in a different way you said it.

AB: It was a phone conversation, so obviously when you are talking to a journalist on the phone you don’t know in what context they are talking about or in what sort of manner they are talking about, so it’s kind of hard we don’t see each other face to face. But like I said, I made a mistake and I’ve learned from it.

Here’s a question from our members of the HoopsHype.com Forums: Are we going to see you high-fiving yourself at the free throw line again?

AB: Yeah, maybe next time I’ll do a chest bump to myself (laughs).

What do you think Australia will do in the World Championships to be played in Turkey next year?

AB: That’s a good question. Obviously we have a new coach and new players coming up, so it’s still questionable what sort of system we are going to play and everything, but it’s definitely exciting. We hope to make the Final Four, but there is a lot of good countries these days playing basketball. It’s very hard getting to the Final Four, especially in the World Championships. If we can make it, it will be a success for us.

Australia lost to New Zealand this summer.

AB: We had a lot of players missing, which is no excuse. Props to them, they played very well against us. They deserved the win and hopefully we can move on and play a good World Championships.

What do you think about the new generation of Australian players?

AB: There are some exciting guys. Pat Mills is definitely one, although he got injured. But there are a lot of them in college who could lead the way next year.

Would you consider playing in Europe once you are done in the NBA?

AB: Basketball in Europe has a different atmosphere than America and Australia. I’d like to experience it and if the body hold up by then it would definitely an option.

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Tell us about the workouts you have done lately and your schedule before the draft.

Keith Brumbaugh: Just worked out with the Detroit Pistons and I am currently in New Orleans (Wednesday) working out with the Hornets. I had a great experience playing against the Chinese Junior National Team in Houston the other day and I look forward to the remainder of my workouts. This is a great time and a tremendous learning experience.

How are your preparing for the draft in terms of conditioning? and mentally?

KB: I have a great relationship with John Lucas, so I have been working out with John in Houston who has been huge for me. He really pushes you. I am extremely focused right now.

About the workouts… Are they all the same or do they change from team to team?

KB: Usually a little different, team to team, but it’s great going up against guys from around the country and being able to measure yourself. Everything has been totally first class.

Some scouts compare you to Tayshaun Prince: lefty, 6-foot-9 tall, you play the 2/3 spot… Do you agree?

KB: Wow… That’s a great honor to even be compared to a player like Tayshaun. Obviously, I have a long way to go before I can even place myself anywhere near his level, but I feel like I am a natural scorer who brings versatility and have a good feel for the game.

Have you received any feedback from the teams so far?

KB: Clearly, I was disappointed that the Orlando camp did not go better for me. That week was a great learning experience for me. I did not play up to my ability that week, but this is a long process where I plan on redeeming myself leading up to the draft and giving people a real feel for my true potential. But I know that I need to keep moving, keep working hard and show teams that I do bring a lot to the table in terms of my basketball skill. I have enjoyed speaking with several NBA guys who have been very encouraging and tell me that I just need to keep playing and prove that the past is behind me. They have said some really nice things about my upside and versatility, so I am just taking this process day by day and trying to get better each day.

What are your best skills? And the ones where you have room to improve?

KB: I would say my best skill is my shooting ability and my ballhandling for my size, my court vision and creating mismatch problems due to my size at my position…. I would say my most immediate need for improvement is my upper body strength and my defense.

You averaged 35 ppg in junior college. How did Coach Derrick Worrels help you at the Hillsborough Community College?

KB: Coach Worrels was a huge help. He believed in me, trusted me. Taught me so much about life. Me and coach have a great relationship, so important for any young player to have a coach who really cares in his corner.

Do you keep in touch with anyone you met when you played at DeLand High School, the place where you became somewhat of a star in the making?

KB: I keep in close contact with my high school coach. He was another great influence in my life. I owe him so much. He always believed in me and had great confidence in me.

All the problems you had in the recent past, especially the arrests and withdrawing from Oklahoma State… What have you learned from them?

KB: I learned to surround myself with positive people and keep my circle small and be careful who you trust. I learned how important it is to do the right thing and make smart choices. I learned how important family is… And I learned to take responsibility for your actions and how important it is to learn from your mistakes. I have learned that being a father is the most special thing in the world and I care about giving my daughter the best life possible.

You said that your 17-month-old daughter, Deliah, has been a motivating force. Is there anything else that has motivated you to change?

KB: The biggest motivating factor is knowing that I never want to live through hard times again. I don’t want to live in the past, I want to move forward and show people that I have really grown up and learned from mistakes. I come from a college-educated family who I have learned to lean on quite a bit. Bottom line, I want my daughter to be proud of me and think of me always in a positive way. I want to set positive examples for my daughter. She is the driving force for everything I do. She is my world and I just want the best for her and my family.

Reports say that you have the talent to be a first-round pick, but first you must overcome all of the negatives in the minds of NBA executives. Do you agree?

KB: I definitely realize that I dug myself a hole because of my past mistakes. I look forward to teams getting to know me better and see that I have really matured and have incredible passion for the game of basketball. I have one goal in mind now and this is to be the best player I can be and have success at the next level NBA teams are interested in you.

Draft partners like Ty Lawson think that you are NBA-bound. But as Kevin Pritchard said, they are going to “talk with coaches, classmates, academic counselors, trainers, teachers”… As many people as they can who have been around you, like they do with every prospect. Does it bother you or it’s just part of the draft process?

KB:Ty Lawson is one of the best point guards I have played with and I appreciate this compliment very much. Teams doing background checks and learning more about a player’s character goes with the territory. I understand this is a business and they have every right to do whatever they need to do to make the best decision possible. So no, this does not bother me. Me, more than a lot of other guys will be subject to more scrutiny. I understand this and can appreciate how much work has to go into evaluating hundreds of players.

You said that you’re not worried if you make the NBA or not. If not, will you consider playing overseas or would you rather play in the D-League?

KB: Playing in the NBA has always been my dream. Maybe I pushed the issue in the past too soon, but I do want to be a part of the NBA. I am a basketball player and will work as hard as I can to get there. If I do not make a roster right away, then I will keep my head up and report to the D-League or overseas to keep improving and fight for my dream. I care about getting better and will work every day to become the best I can be.

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