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Shaquille
O'Neal: "When you are 60, hang out with 60-year-olds, not 20-year-olds.
That is all I got to say about Jerry Buss."
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HoopsHype.com Interviews Tiago
Splitter: "I think I'm not going to declare"
Tiago Splitter: I think playing for Tau is the best thing for me. But getting used to this level now... It's much harder. I now have to earn my minutes when I play. In which area of your game do you think you have improved the most this season? TS: I think the main thing is toughness, because this is a league with much bigger people than LEB (Spanish second division) and that changes the whole thing. Ever since you were a kid, you've been expected to become a star. Do you feel the pressure? Is that a problem for you? TS: No, I think that is not is true. I've always played against older guys, older players and I feel no pressure. But I do have to prove why I play on a team with this level. Had you stayed in Brazil, do you think you would have progressed the way you have in Spain? TS: I don't know. I know there are a lot of players there that have not progressed as well as I have. It's hard to compare. It's something difficult for me to say. Is there any player you look up to as a model? Gasol maybe? TS: No, you have take the best of each player. You don't have to focus on one player only. You are one of the most talked about draft prospects this year. Are you aware of all that? TS: Yeah, well. I know there is a lot of speculation about me, but I don't worry much about that. Right now, I'm really fine in Europe. What are your plans regarding the draft? TS: Right know, I don't know yet. It depends on my agent and it also depends on how I play this season. And what's your agent's advice? TS: Right know -- the way things have gone this season -- I think I'm not going to declare. But well... If things change, I may change my mind. What would you do if they give you a guarantee that you will be a lottery pick in the draft? TS: I would have to look at it. The thing is, I have a contract with my team Tau Ceramica, and I would have to pay a buyout. But if I was a lottery pick and it was a good situation money-wise and I could afford to pay the buyout... Do you how much is the buyout worth? TS: No, no. I can't tell you that. If you finally go to the NBA, how would you handle a situation like the one Darko Milicic is going through -- not playing at all? TS: That will be another thing I would have to look at. I would have to get guaranteed minutes there. That's important. Jorge Sierra is the editor of HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this interview. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
You've
played a lot of minutes on your previous teams in the Spanish lower divisions.
How do you handle the lack of playing time with your current club (Tau
Ceramica, the best team in the Spanish league)?