Tough game the other day at Fuenlabrada. It’s always gonna be tough there. Last year, when I played with Baskonia, we lost. That team plays with so much energy at home. They fight till the end and they play particulary well at home.
Also, we beat my former team last week. It was a great game for us. Probably the best game so far. We are always asked how we feel when facing clubs you have played for. In my case, there’s no emotion involved. Just business, going out and play the game. Anyway, it was nice getting to see some of my ex teammates like Tiago Splitter, Mirza Teletovic, Fernando San Emeterio… I was looking forward to see them. I spent some time talking to assistant coach Ibon Navarro, who’s a very good friend of mine. Got the chance to talk to him for a few minutes. Just being in the same court and compete with all of those guys was great because I know how hard they work.
You know in Spain there’s El Clasico, the great soccer game between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. It’s a huge rivalry. I can’t say there’s a rivalry between Caja Laboral and Barcelona, but I can say we’ve played a lot lately. Last season I think we played 11 or 12 games! And I think we had beat them coming back to the Finals the year before eight times in a row. Then finally beat us one game and that’s when everything changed. It started a great rivalry. When I signed to play in Barcelona, I already knew the players so well because I scouted them so much.
ANYBODY WATCHING?
There’s been reports out there about low attendance in Euroleague games. I don’t think it’s worse than in previous. When we played in Zagreb, it was sold out. Then we played in Turkey against Ulker and they didn’t have a lot of fans. What I can tell you is that our fans have been great. Our gym is not as big as a lot of other gyms, but the supporters are fantastic. This season Barcelona started selling jerseys for the first team and I heard my jersey is sold out already! It’s a great deal to me, considering the players we have. Juan Carlos Navarro, Ricky Rubio… A lot of stars on our team!
Speaking of jerseys, I read a story that basically said that Michael Jordan doesn’t need LeBron’s support. He’s already Michael Jordan. Jordan is in another level. Everybody can wear the number 23. A lot of people who grew up in Illinois like me, we idolized Jordan. We were able to watch him on local TV every single day. I got the chance to see Chicago Bulls every day – games, highlights, interviews… I’m a guy who understands why people wear No. 23. If you grew up in Illinois, then you can understand why guys like Corey Maggette, Quentin Richardson, Dwyane Wade idolized him so much. It was all Jordan, all the time for them. So I think if somebody wants to wear No. 23, he should be able to wear it.
ON JENNINGS
Brandon Jennings had two good games last year against me in the Euroleague when I played with Baskonia. Actually, his two best games in the Euroleague were against us! Anyway, yeah, I watched the game. 55 points. European basketball, NBA basketball… Two different games. I think he scored 29 points in one quarter. In Europe, it’s highly unlikely you could have the chance to do that. He played one-on-one from the top of the key, screen and roll, shooting every time. That’s not gonna happen here. We can play zone defense, clog the lane. I don’t know what the scouting report was on Jennings, but I know it was wrong! He just played one-on-one from the top of the key and the big guy let him shoot. He didn’t show him respect, so he started getting that kind of confidence. And once you start making shots, you can penetrate to the basket, mid-range, three-pointers, everything.
This guy is great on screen and rolls. Left handed, so crafty with the ball… Now he’s going to get more attention and he can create more opportunities for other teammates. Now the big guy is gonna have to step out and help the guard on the screen and roll, so he will have the chance to find Andrew Bogut under the basket or find the guy on the weak side.
The main thing with Jennings is that he doesn’t play like a rookie. He’s more like a second-year player. Anytime you’ve spent your first year in Europe playing in the Euroleague, competing against some of the best players in the world, competing against men, you don’t feel like a rookie when you go to the NBA. You learn the team basketball, how to play the game. You spend a lot of time in the gym working on your shot, team defense, strategy. If you are a good player, you’ll be able to do the adjustment. It’s not easy to play in Europe.
NO AI IN NYC
So Allen Iverson is not going to New York finally. The Knicks will get it right soon. I got drafted in 2000, the year they went to the Finals and lost to San Antonio. Latrell Sprewell, Glen Rice, Allan Houston, Chris Childs… I know about the program. They had a great team in 1999 and ever since, it’s broken up a little bit. They have the city, they have the right coach, they just got to find the right players and be focused only on winning basketball games. That’s going to take some time, though. They’ve got the money, the cap space. And everybody wants to play in New York. It’s such a great media market. They’ll be back on top in two years. This is the biggest summer of all time in the NBA. There will be a lot of broken hearts when July comes. In Cleveland? in New York? In Miami?
They call Miami the Dade County, but now it’s Wade County. I don’t think he’s going too far.
I had a career-high 26 points in the Euroleague as my team FC Barcelona won in Istanbul against Fenerbahce Ulker. My last scoring record was in a game played in Istanbul too! Hey, maybe they get smart and sign me or something… Just joking. I like Istanbul, but right now nothing can beat my current status: playing basketball in a powerhouse and living in a city like Barcelona.
I feel good when I’m in Istanbul. I got friends there and I’m always looking to go over there. Every year I’ve been in the Euroleague I’ve played against this team. It’s a challenge to play against all these guys that are fresh off the NBA. Players like former Jazz Gordan Giricek - good player, good contract - and Tarence Kinsey, who played with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. Two guys that play the three spot and competed against me. I’m a competitor so I was looking to take that challenge.
Real Prigioni
In the Spanish League front, we’ve started well although Real Madrid - coached by Ettore Messina - leads the standings. With the great coach they have and with Pablo Prigioni playing the point guard, they are gonna win a lot of games. And I don’t even mention other players like Jorge Garbajosa, Louis Bullock, Sergi Vidal, Darjus Lavrinovic… Pablo doesn’t have to shoot the ball to have a good valuation. To me, they have a world superstar in Prigioni. He’s done it in Europe, he’s done it with his National Team, leading Argentina to great success. They were my teammates in Vitoria last year and I’m happy that they are in Madrid.
Those two guys, with me and Will McDonald… Amazing. Four of the five starters, we all left the team who set the best record in the history of the ACB in the regular season. Money had nothing to do with it, that’s my personal opinion. I never had a negotiation with the club but now I’m 100 percent sure that I made the right decision to sign with Barcelona.
You can compare Pablo to a guy like Jason Kidd. He’s not as tall as Kidd, but both of them play for the assist, and Pablo has a better outside shot. Both are tough in defense, very tricky with the ball (behind-the-back passes and behind-the-head passes!) and they are great in screen-and-roll. When he played with Tiago Splitter, it was a like Euroleague version of Stockton and Malone. Tiago is a great player and the whole world needs to see him in the NBA. I hope in two years he go to the NBA and maybe he will replace Tim Duncan in a few years when he’s done playing.
Last weekend we played a tough game in Madrid against Estudiantes. I’ve been on small teams so I understand what it feels like to play against the team that won the championship the year before. I understand that kind of motivation. We suffered a couple of injuries - Juan Carlos Navarro got hurt - but we knew it was going to be a tough game with or without injuries. We did our job and got away with a W.
I learned a lot about Juan Carlos this season, about the way he plays. Navarro is very smart. He doesn’t rush anything. He scores his points in the flow of the offense, that’s why I have so much respect about him. Some players, they just go one-on -ive to score, but he is a complete player and in defense he’s been good. It’s great he’s with us instead of playing in the NBA.
One teammate that that will play there one day is Ricky Rubio.
I had never traveled with a rock star until now. To me, Ricky’s nickname is Rock Star. When I got drafted to New York, I played with Latrell Sprewell and I thought that was something. Everybody wanted a piece of Spree, everybody wanted an autograph, but there’s no comparison on the attention Ricky commands. It doesn’t matter where we’re at. Anywhere in Spain, in Europe… We can be in Turkey, everywhere. That’s why I call him the Rock Star, because I actually see people crying over him. I’ve never seen it! Girls crying! People want pictures, they come to the hotel to find him… It’s unbelievable. And he’s such a good kid though. He handles all these situations so well. His parents did a great job raising him because he’s such a humble and nice kid. He’s special.
Celts all the way
The Boston Celtics are going to win the NBA. Period. They play consistent defense. But they have to find that player who comes in and changes the game like James Posey did. Maybe they have it in Marquis Daniels, I don’t know. When they won the championship, Posey had to guard Kobe and he made open three-pointers too. He’s an intangible guy, like Sergi Vidal when I played in Vitoria. Posey did the same when he won the title with the Miami Heat. Playing D, rebounding, making open threes and guarding the best player. Guarding Kobe Bryant is difficult enough in one game. Being able to do that throughout the Finals was unbelievable. When he won the title against the Mavs, he guarded guys like Dirk Nowitzki. You know, Posey is 6-foot-7! He did the dirty job. Once some guy gets that role on a winning team, they are gonna be unstoppable. I know Posey personally. He’s a great guy and he deserved the contract he got with the Hornets.
It’s hard accepting your role sometimes. Take our team, Barcelona. We have so many guys who can score. Our coach Xavi Pascual has done a great job of keeping everybody unselfish. He creates a great environment for us to practice and play. This year I feel great everyday about going to practice. Last year was totally opposite: I didn’t.
It’s getting close to the start of training camp. I’m so excited!
Before that happens, I’m going to tell you a tale about my first few years in Europe. The tough times when I had to build my career. A lot of difficult experiences like, for example, not getting paid in time… I never got used to that. It was a culture shock to me. I had no clue that was the way in some clubs.
I got to Spain to play in Lugo with Breogan in 2005. That was pretty much the turning point in my career. My former agent George Bass told me, “OK, you start in a small team but if you play well then you’ll be where you want to be.” So I followed his advice, went to Lugo and had great numbers… And I had three consecutive non-payments!
Now it may sound funny, but it was tough back then. Three years in a row with the same problem? Enough was enough. So I left. I was about to left the dream of becoming a star in Europe. I told the team that the contract said that if I didn’t get paid in 21 days, I could leave the team. They were 22 days late, so I left.
I told them: “I don’t want your money. Just want to leave and I’m going back to Miami. I just want to leave. I’m not happy being around dishonest people because I’m a honest person. I have respect for myself.”
That was it. I went to Madrid, I bought my flight to Miami and thought about everything. Called Bass and he said “OK, then come home.”
But the next day, as I left the hotel and called a cab to go to the Barajas airport, I felt I had to finish my business. I swallowed my pride and decided to go back to the team. Didn’t matter if they were going to pay me or not. Not getting paid ain’t right. It’s my job. I do my job everyday to the fullest and I expect to get paid. But it didn’t matter anymore. I just wanted to finish my business.
So I flew back to Lugo and I went back to practice. We had a game against Granada the following day. I played well and we won the game. I took a lot of heat from the media for leaving the team. They said, “Oh, he only plays for money.”
Well, they were wrong about me. Now you understand who I am, and I wasn’t the player they portrayed me to be in 2005. The same people who said that now say I’m a winner and a leader. Go figure.
I’ve never talked about this situation before. People say a lot of things about me, but some people who saw me everyday said the opposite. My coaches in Lugo, the people who know about basketball… They supported me a lot. The fans too. Moncho Lopez, one of my coaches that year along with Moncho Fernandez, was later the Spanish National Team head coach and now he coaches the Portuguese National Team.
That season I averaged 20 ppg and 7 rpg. Still the media was coming at me with negative stuff. I got paid at last when the season ended. And then my agent started to receive calls from great European clubs.
I love it here in Miami. Sailing on my boat, going fishing… But I’m eager to start the season with my new team Regal Barcelona! I think we’ll start the preseason on August 21.
I’m looking forward to meeting my new coach, teammates, general manager, the president… I can’t wait to see Terence Morris. I spent so much time with him in Houston with the Rockets. I competed with him for the small forward spot to get playing time in training camp. I remember Rudy Tomjanovich having a lot of confidence in him. That man was a positive influence on the players. He really trusted them.
Let’s talk a little bit about Ricky Rubio, which I know you like. I’m hearing he could go to our team, he could go to Madrid, to Olympiakos… This is the exciting part: he’s got a lot of things going on for him. It would be great to have Ricky with our team. I know his dad and I’m sure they are excited about all the possibilites right now. I had dinner with his dad in Vitoria after we played DKV Joventut in the Euroleague. He is a very nice guy and was very good with his son and the way he talked about him I’m sure they have a great relantionship.
It looks like Wolves GM David Kahn is not worried about Rubio staying in Europe. He should be. He shouldn’t forget that Ricky is Spanish, and sometimes is good to be close to home. And Barcelona is really close to Badalona. You just have to cross the street!
Some people in the NBA don’t quite get Euro basketball. They don’t understand that players are very comfortable in their countries. Of course Ricky would like to go to the NBA. I’m sure about it even though I haven’t spoken to him. But guys, Spain is also a great option. You are talking about two of the biggest clubs in Europe in Real Madrid and Barcelona.
This Ricky situation is a perfect example of what some people of the States don’t understand. European basketball is great, being in the Euroleague is great. I meet a lot of people and when I tell them I’ll play with Barcelona they ask me, “Aren’t you trying yo come back to the NBA?” Hey, there’s a world outside the NBA! And the Spanish League is a great situation.
You make dollars in the States and now I’m making euros in Europe. The truth is, my market is higher in Europe. Ricky would make more money in Europe than he would in the NBA this year. If he goes now to the NBA, he would play for the Wolves, a team that is at least a couple of years away from competing for the title… Here in Spain he would compete for the ACB title and the Euroleague title right away.
I was in the Bahamas last weekend and guys were asking me where I played and stuff. I explained them, and when I said Barcelona everybody was like, “Oh, I love that city.” Barcelona wanted me bad, and teams in the NBA wanted to pay me the minimum. Come on! I’m 31-years-old. I’m not playing for the minimum. I built my career in Europe from 2003 when I started in Peristeri in Greece. Then I went all the way up. I reached the top level with Tau and now I’m still on the top with Barcelona. In some way, going to the NBA would be a step back for me. Why do that when I have it good in Spain?
This is Pete Mickeal from Vitoria, Spain. Little tibdits about myself for those who don’t know me: I play for Tau Ceramica, the current Spanish champion. I was the Finals MVP last year and I’m considered one of the top American players around here. I played with the Knicks and the Rockets back in the day, but the last few years I’ve been doing my thing in Europe. It’s not going bad! From now I will be blogging at HoopsHype.com about my experiences overseas. And hey, I’ll talk NBA stuff too!
The playoffs in the States have been amazing so far, but we’re playing for the title here in Spain too.
Last year was good for us, as we ended up winning the championship, but this time is different. This season we only lost four games (11 last year) and we set an ACB record for fewest losses. Now it’s expected for us to win, so we gotta deliver.
We are now in the semifinals and we’ll play against Real Madrid. We look at Real just like we look at any other team. We worry about ourselves and we need to do to win the game. Of course we respect Real Madrid, the most successful team in European history. They have very good players, including a small guy called Sergi Llull. I like the way he attacks the basket.
Real advanced after beating Joventut, a club led by other small guy. This one you may have heard of: Ricky Rubio. That guy is amazing.
First time I saw him it was like three or four years ago. I was playing for a team called Breogan in Northern Spain back then, my first year in the ACB. I saw a teenager on the court and I was like, “Who’s that kid?” They told me he was 15 or 16. Never saw something like that in the pros.
I saw his knack for defense, his ability to play the game of basketball at such a young age. That is something rare to see: the knowledge and the awareness of basketball at such young age. And that was when he was 15 years old. Then I’ve seen him turn into a star in the Spanish League, which is no small potatoes. Now everybody in the States knows him. Can’t say I’m surprised.
It seems that he would have to pay a lot of money of his own pocket in order to leave Joventut right now. Everyone’s situation is different, but I think any time you get a chance to be one of the top three picks in the Draft, you should go. Just my take.
I was thinking about entering the draft in my junior year. Projections were that I could be a late first-round pick, but I ended being a second-round pick. You can think, “Well, maybe I shouldn’t have gone out early.” But that’s a little bit of Monday morning quarterbacking. When you have that chance, and people are talking about you so well, it’s great to go out because you might not even have that opportunity again. You never know what can happen next year.
I’ve already heard that he may not want to play in certain places. Oklahoma City, Memphis… Teams like that. Having the fifth pick, I think the Wizards should try to do a trade to get him so he can learn from a great point guard like Gilbert Arenas, and play with some other great players. They are starting to have a lot of pressure to perform well and that would be a good fit for him.
The European transition
It’s my second season here in Vitoria. It’s the first time I have back-to-back seasons with the same team since my college days at Cincinnati, but although I’ve travelled a lot, it hasn’t been so hard because that was my plan from Day 1: improving every year whatever it takes. I’ve lived in Asia for two years, in Greece, now here in Spain… I’ve been through a lot of things, but I wanted everything to go up. I started in small teams and I worked myself up to the top teams. It worked out pretty well for me.
Now you see guys like Brandon Jennings and Josh Childress going to Europe. Now you have more people in the States who’s understanding European basketball. It’s not what it used to be, like, “OK, he’s playing in Europe, he must not be good enough to play in the NBA.” Now you have NBA players in Europe. You consistently have NBA scouts here, and I’m happy because I’m playing in the best league in Europe.
In the last Spanish Cup I hit the winning shot in the Final against Unicaja. That was a turning point in my career. That was one shot I practiced since I was 12 years old. Some things just happen. You saw what LeBron James did the other night? I just have that confidence in myself. The team had faith in me, got me the ball… So I delivered. (Then I blocked Unicaja’s last shot on the other end. Not bad, huh?)
Going back to the NBA
I live in Miami during the offseason and I get the chance to say hi to a lot of people there – guys like Kenyon Martin, but I have my own group of guys who I’ve been with since I was a kid.
I’d say the Cavs will get it done. I pick the Lakers in the West but I think the Cavs will win in six. LA has a big frontcourt, but the Cavs look so motivated. They have such a great chemistry. They love playing for each other, and actually cheer for each other to do well… That’s really difficult to see that on any team.
Like I said, I’ve played for the Knicks and Rockets, and if I had an offer this summer, money wouldn’t be an issue, because I’ve learned a lot about money since I grew up with nothing. I’ve learned life lessons about money when I was a kid, learning from experience, not having anything. You learn quick that way.
The key for me would be being able to be close to my family. Spending 10 months in Europe every year it’s kind of hard.
I want something great for my life, so I will continue to work for that. And my family understands, so that’s the best part about it. They support me and always keeps me going.
Hi everybody!
Hi everybody!