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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 Sasha
Vujacic: "I don't want to go to the NBA to
be on the bench"
Sasha Vujacic: It was stressful. It was pretty difficult at the beginning. I didn't know Italian. I didn't know one word. It was a different culture and it was hard at the beginning. The first year was tough because I was alone, but after the first year my family came with me to Udine. Without them, I wouldn't be where I'm now. What has been the best and the worst part of your experience in Italy? SV: The worst part was waiting for a chance. At the beginning, the coach only wanted to give me a few minutes, but not even that was possible because I was waiting for a card from the Slovenian Federation that would allow me to play. That was hard. The best part was when I started playing and being a part of the team. I was the youngest foreign player to play in the league – I was like 18 then – and that was great. How's been this season for you in Udine so far? SV: My main thing this season was that I wanted to improve. I think I have been able to do that this season. I have improved and I want to keep improving because my dream is to play in the NBA. I think the season has been pretty good for me. You know, it's never enough, you always want to play better, but I think it has been good so far. Which position are you playing there: point guard or shooting guard? SV: I'm a point guard. But because of the situation of the team and because of the players the team has, I'm playing the two most of the time this year. Like they say in the States, I'm a combo guard. I can play both guard positions. But you feel more comfortable playing the point, right? SV: Yeah, yeah. I feel better playing the point. I really like playing the point guard position. I like making the plays for my teammates and giving assists and all. But because of the situation on the team, I'm playing the other position most of the time this year. You almost entered the draft last June. In which areas of your game do you think you have improved the most over this year? Shooting, maybe? SV: Shooting? Well... Shooting, I'm not brilliant. But I have no problem shooting the ball. The thing I've improved the most is that playing more this year has helped me understand the game more, understand different situations. How was the experience in the Chicago pre-draft camp last year? SV: It was a good experience, but it's a little stressful for an European player like me. It was not like playing basketball. It was more like running and doing drills. It was not organized basketball like we play in Europe. It was making stuff for people who is there to see what you can do. But Chicago gave me a lot of positive things. Who were the best players you faced there? SV: I don't know. I know some of my teammates there now are playing in Europe. A couple of centers that were pretty good. I played against one of them the other day, in fact. I don't know. There wasn't one that really, really impressed me. It's not like when you see Michael Jordan play and you say "hey, what was that?" There were good players, but not one that I was really impressed with. Are you going to the Chicago pre-draft camp again this season? SV: I don't know. I'm not sure about that. My agent takes care of those things. Is there any chance that you don't enter the draft this season and stay in Europe another year? SV: I want to go, but I could stay. I want to go to the NBA when I'm ready. I want to be there to play. I'm not interested in going there and spend all the time on the bench and play just three games. Whenever I go, I want to go because they really want me and because I can help the team. If you finally enter the draft, in which position do you expect to be selected? SV: I'm not bothered about that like other players. It's OK if I'm a first-round pick. As long as the team wants me and I'm in a situation in which I can help my team, I'll be OK. I don't care about the position – if it's second or 20th. I just want to be on the right team, one team that I can help. Is there any particular team you like in the NBA? Most players from the Balkans like the Kings. SV: Yeah, Stojakovic, Divac, Webber (laughs). Yes, I like them. But I don't really care about the team as long as they want me and I can help them and we can win games and go in the highest position that's possible. Would you have to pay any buyout if you leave your club this season? SV: Yes, I have to pay. But it's a normal buyout. It's $350,000. The standard buyout. SV: Yeah, $350,000. I had no buyout last year, but I have it now. My agent and my parents took care of that last summer, so that would not be a problem at all in order to go to the NBA. You have been compared to Brent Barry. Is that a good comparison? SV: I think it's a very good comparison. He's a combo guard like me. He can play the point and he's tall like me. He's like 6-foot-6. How tall is he? 6-foot-7? Yeah, 6-foot-7. (He's 6-foot-6, in fact). SV: Right. I'm proud that they compare me to Brent Barry. He's a very good player. He's not a superstar, but he can do a lot of things and he's very useful for his team. One final question. If you would have to describe yourself as a person and as a player, what would you say? SV: The most important thing for me is honesty. I like people that are honest. I don't like lies. I don't like false people. Honesty is very important to me. And the other thing is my family. My parents, my brother and my sister... I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing without them. That's for sure. Jorge Sierra is the editor of HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this interview. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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