Mike Batiste was the guest of Live Press Room on www.paobc.gr talking about Obradovic, his team mates and how Fotsis is… killing him, about the fans, the history of Panathinaikos and his Greek habits and of course about the titles won and the ones to come, with a special reference to the fans of the team.
-Are you happy in Panathinaikos? Was there a moment that you thought that it would be better for you to leave?
“Now I am very-very happy, extremely happy to be here in Panathinaikos. For one because of the team, because when you win it always bring happiness and joy. And number two the city of Athens, people outside of Panathinaikos, have accepted me like one of their own and it also make me feel comfortable to be in a society in a different environment. Second if there was a thought of leaving, yes, I mean it happened in my first year. It was a difficult season for me with all the injuries and stuff, learning a whole new system, coming to a different country, different people, different lifestyle, different society, all of this stuff played like a role in my decision to stay or go. Finally I made the choice to come back and it was difficult but I knew that I had some improvement and didn’t want to leave the wrong way. I came back for my second year and things started turning for the better and since then I haven’t look back and so far everything has been a success”.
-You are already six years in the team. Have you ever been disappointed? Do you ever think of the NBA?
“Yes, I have been disappointed. Losing is always a disappointment, because you play the game to win, but you also the game of basketball there is the win and loss. But when you lose you go back and watch the video and you feel you didn’t give like 110% effort it disappoints you. One thing in life about my coaching stuff is that they watch a lot of video and they give a lot of details and for me being a student of the game that I am, everytime there is video, I try to watch myself on the court. Trying to see what I can do better, even if I do something right. About the NBA? I thought about it, because my family is there, people that I truly love and I would die for are over there, but I know the situation that I am is in for the best for everyone. For myself and my wife, my mother, my brothers and sisters back at home, so I know the sacrifice that I am making is for the better and this is also the reason why I am still keeping coming back here. Like I said in the first question, the win also brings joy, so once I retire and look back at my career here I can always say that everything I did was the right way”.
-Obradovic usually says that when he agreed to come to Panathinaikos back in 1999, he could never thing that 9-10 years he would still be here. You have similar thoughts?
“I could never thought that I would be here in 2009, when I first signed for Panathinaikos. I played in the NBA for Memphis the year before and I thought that I had a pretty good season there but you know the game of basketball is always a business, it didn’t work out the way that I wanted to so I came over here and after the end of the first season I thought that I would go back home and play to the NBA for sure. I had a couple of offers, but the situation was not good, so I decided to come overseas. I didn’t think that it would be Panathinaikos, but they wanted me again, they called for me again and so since I already knew the system, the players were staying, the coaching stuff was the same I told myself why am I not giving it another shot and let’s go for it again. And I repeated it again and again. I came back and finally I ended up signing my new contract, because I felt this is the place I wanted to be, so why not make it happen and stay more years?”.
-People in Greece are already calling you Mihalis, because they feel you are one of us, that you are Greek. Do you feel the same way? Any Greek habits?
“In a way I do. Any Greek habits? Listen I can’t really be specific, but when you live in a country for so many years it’s hard not to adopt in the way people are living here. So, I drive a little faster maybe, a little bit more crazier… Too many rules in the States! I have a little frappe, a little cappuccino.. Other than that like I said I have adjusted quite well and my family has come over here to Athens and they are so overwhelmed by the people, the city of Athens, so much history, tradition and when they come over here they do a lot of things. They go sightseeing, they have 100.000 stories to tell and this makes me happy, when my family can come over and enjoy where I am at and also they have a chance to see what I am doing every single day”.
-You have said that you really feel how the fans of Panathinaikos feel before a game against Olympiakos, how they thing the game since the moment they wake up.
“It’s crazy. As I didn’t grow up in this rivalry I started to learn about it each year. I hear more and more the stories, the history of the two teams, how many wins, how many losses. But what I try to do during the time we are playing Olympiakos, is not go out so much. It’s not a bad thing, but a lot of people are so in the game. Both fans. Our fans want us to beat them, their fans want them to beat us. They see a player and they have all these certain things to say and it gives you so, so, anxious and so nervous that sometimes it’s hard to be ready to play, so what I try to do is to stay in the house as much as possible when we play each other. Be really focused and try to go and play hard and I want to win for the team and our fans. So that’s what I do”.
-What about your Greek passport, do you speak Greek and if you are thinking about the National Team of Grece?
“If I have the opportunity… you have half of the team playing for the National Team, guys that are like brothers to me. We have a great relationship, so why not? But on the other hand I haven’t been offered anything, so until then I cannot say anything and I will make my decision. I know it’s going to be tough because once the season is over the summer is so important for me. To see my family, my mother, my brothers and sisters and also to get some rest, because your body goes through so many through the year with the high level practices, that we are doing every day, the high level games we play in every single game… As from now I am 31, I will be 32 in November so I thing the opportunity, the window is closing, but at the same time, if I was offered something I would really consider it, sit down with my loved to see if it’s the best thing for me and I will say yes or no”.
-You have said in an interview that you pay attention to all these banners in OAKA. How much do they really mean to a foreign player?
“I think this is what it is. You can’t miss them. They hanging there over the top of your head. When you get all the championships that had been won before you it’s an honor and you get the chance to see the championships that you helped for and that’s really special. Every single time in practice it reminds you why you are here, in practice. You have to work hard to get better, to win a single game”.
-Which is the game you remember the most, or the one you celebrated the most?
“A lot of them! I really would say my two Euroleague championships. I mean this was really special to be the top team in Europe, because there a lot of top teams in Europe and for my first Final Four to this one there have been some really special games. But as I said the one in Athens and the last one in Berlin the last two games were really special, because we won and to be champion of Europe is the ultimate high. You are the work you put in, all season long, even when at the begin of the year when some people had some doubts about us. We kind of proved everybody wrong, so I think this trophy has been more special to me because of all these ups and downs we’ve been all this year and we overcame a lot of stuff to get to the top”.
-Is someone asked you to speak about this final four in a few words, what would you say were the key points?
“Defense! I mean you’ve got to understand that you were playing against the best teams in Europe. You had us, CSKA, Barcelona and Olympiakos. I really felt that those were the best teams in Europe and every game is tough. We won the first semifinal by two points and the final by two points. Our defense really picked up, especially the last seconds. Olympiakos had the chance to tie the game with Bourousis and he made a good move, the shot didn’t go in, the time went out and you know the championship game, Siska had a good look and the whole team was focused. The whole defense picked up. Drew really played excellent defense. His defense has really been a surprise for a lot of people all year, because all his carreer he was the scorer, to shoot the ball 20 times, to score 30 points, but you know here, defense wins games and championships. We really had to push him to play another way. Everybody’s chance in offense will come, since we have so many offensive players. But defense is always an individual task and you can push yourself to get better. He is being doing this and all of us has played good defense and as we said, defense win championships”.
-What does Obradovic means to you both as coach and as a person?
“As a coach what bad to say about him? He made me the player I am now. Coming here I was supposed to be small forward, power forward but the kind of coach he is, he always knows what the players’ capability is so he put me out of my position, he thought I could succeed in and that’s what I am doing for the past 5-6 years I ‘ve been here. He helped me in every single situation I have been in and it doesn’t matter if we are up by 30 or if we are losing, he is always there to help you, he is always there to push you to your limits. Even if there is stuff that you don’t want to hear you know it’s for the better and for this I can only appreciate him, because not only he brought out another type of player in Mike Batiste. I never thought I would be center but also playing good. For this I can only appreciate him and the whole coaching stuff, Itoudis, Pistiolis. You know these guys really bond themselves into coaching and for players, you can only appreciate that and give back the same effort to go out and give 110% every single night, because they do the same for you. So this is why I always like coach as a coach. As a person… Great person! First of all he is like a bigger brother for all of us. He expects honesty from us and when you are honest with the person you get to know the person better than the coach. He is a great guy, he likes to joke, to make you laugh, we had a few team dinners this year and to see another side of the coach is always excellent, because you get to see the person he is inside. And when you see that you only have good things to say about him”.
-How did you feel when Obradovic used some tough words about you, the players and when in a specific game he changed the whole five guys that were on the court, with you being one of them?
“I knew what it was for. Everything the coach does is not personal. As a player you have to understand this. It’s not personal. This is profession. This is what he has to do to take the most out of his players. So for him to scream, to yell, to say some tough words… It’s difficult but at the same time you know why is he yelling to you for. Maybe for some mistake, maybe for something bad that you did and he is trying to refocus you to do something better in the next play. So, I am used to it. It’s a little bit motivating. As a player we’ve been together for so long. We have a trust, so I know when he yells at me I know what I have to. I don’t let it sit in my mind or I don’t let it bother me from what I have to do”.
-During the game he speaks to you and to other players and he seems to listen to you. How does this help you?
“This is why coach is coach. Before every game we watch the video and we come up with a game plan. Sometimes we play a team that they might different plays and during the game as a players you are the ones out playing, so it’s always good to go to the coach and try to tell him the adjustments the team has being made and he will think about it a little bit, he will sit back and he will help you. This is why all the players really like the coach. You can always go to him and tell him they are running this play this way and he will always find a way to make adjustments for you to do better. I have a lot of questions. This is just me. That’s why I like the coach, because once you are honest to him he will help you. If I have question I will ask them and I think he likes it too. He is the teacher and we are the students. Anytime you get to ask a question he is going to help you. He is always there!”
-Do you think that you are going to get the championship title?
“We don’t have advantage this year, so we know that it is going to be difficult. I have never been in a situation like this before but at the same time we know who we are playing and we know how to beat them. It’s always going to be tough, but we won there before, we’ve beaten them for the cup, we’ve beaten them to get to the euroleague championship and win it and I expect the same thing regardless if we are playing in OAKA or in SEF. We are going to go out there and play tough, play with pride and dignity and we are going to see what happens. But I would say that everything will be OK. That’s the kind of faith I have in myself, my teammates, my coaches. I know that If we play the right way… I never like to live in the past, but when we played tough games, we played two games in Siena, so the past always tells you the truth. So we know that if we are going to get there and play hard we have a really good chance to win. This is the key and this is what we are going to go after”.
-How is the life of a center, having players like Jasikevicius, Diamantidis, Spanoulis good creators, or Nicholas on their side?
“This fact makes your job 10 times easier. You have good shooters for once so that opens the key up for guys like me or Pekovic and with the pick n rolls the defense has to give up something and with the players that we have at the perimeter that they are so smart, really really make the game easier for everyone. You know we’ talked before, once we control our turnovers and the guards can make the game the way that it should be made we are going to start rolling and being more successful. And for the last 3-4 months we really took control of our turnovers, shoot the ball well and it makes my job and Peko’s job 10 times easier. Now the players cannot pack on us, cannot double team us because they have to respect the shooters, because be and the big fellow are the unselfish type of guys. We are not going to force the shot to score. If the guard is open we are going to pass the ball back to him. When the guards are getting shots it’s good, because 3’s are better than 2’s”.
-How much do you enjoy dunking?
“Dunking is always a big part of my game. I really am not a natural center. I play center and this is my advantage to be quicker than some guys who are bigger, stronger, taller. I know when I attack the rim there is one thing to do, and that is dunking, because you never want to get your shot blocked. Maybe you can get a foul team and you can still score. I always being set to dunk the ball, even when I was younger, regardless of what happens. I kind of perfected it a little bit more and it’s just the easy two points. I really enjoy dunking, even if after some games my hands are so shore, that I have to put ice on them. And I know the fans like it, I like it and it really keeps your team going. A real good dunk, when you dunk on somebody’s face it really gets the team going. It can really change the minds of your teammates, so everytime I get the chance to dunk, I will dunk it!”
-You have said that Becirovic was your opponent in the playstation. Now that he is not around, who is your opponent?
“Fotsis… AKA Bounias… He is winning now… He is killing me. This is the good thing in Panathinaikos. The team. We are really getting along with one another. On the road you spend so much time with one another, you are one big family and you really have to find the fan in things we have in common. Other just like to sit in the room relax, watch TV, others like me, Drew, Spanoulis, Pekovic, Fotsis we like sit back and play playstation and be kids and have fan and brag to one another at lunch time about who won, who lost. This is fan trust me!”
-How about Greek food, do you pass recipies to your mother?
“Lamp chops! The best! Souvlaki! I do… I can’t name them all. It’s a long list. I really do enjoy the food here. In my first year in Greece I stayed in some food chains familiar to me from the States, because you stuck inside your own little world. This is what you are used to. All of a sudden we started trying new things, better food and now me and my wife when we look to certain places we just think of what happened then. We still go there from time to time, don’t get me wrong, but not as much as we used to in my first year!”
-We know that you have a rather difficult life growing up. How did this affect you getting to the person you are today?
“My life growing up was difficult. Where I am now, me and my wife we are more than happy. Everybody goes through some type of trouble when they are younger. Especially from where I am from growing up in a ghetto it was always tough, it was always difficult for a boy in my age to see a lot of things that are sins. Shooting, drugs, I can name it all, but I am not really here to talk about it. That’s a long story. That’s the past and I am all for the present and the future. Everyday I am looking forward to tomorrow. So everyday is a blessed day for me, everyday that God wakes me up just to leave a day is a blessing first and then after to do what I love to play basketball. I mean I am living my life and my dream now”.
-As you have said before wherever basketball takes you.
“Exactly. If they play basketball in Pluto I’ ll go there. It’s my life, this is what I do”.
-Do you feel that you will end your career here?
“I am not a psychic but at the same time basketball is a business at the end of the day so I am always going to do what’s best for Mike Batiste and his family. But my first choice is to be here, hands down! It’s going to be really tough if I had to leave. This is where I want to be. We’ll what the future holds!”
-And your message to your fans.
“Keep supporting us. Every game they come and see us it’s an extra lift, extra motivation for us to really play hard. We know that they are there, we are going to get them what they want and that’s to win, so as long as they keep supporting us good things are going to come. I am not worried about the fans. I am here so long they’ve been here through good or bad times, so I know that they we’ll be there. To have 4000-5000 fans follow you to another country is something really special. All the fans are special. The one you see inside the court, the ones you meet outside the court… Every fan I get to meet is special, because they have only good things to say. They come and say “stay forever, don’t go…”Like I said this is what makes me feel special but at the same time I try to keep my head down to earth, because I am still human, I am still a person, I still make mistakes and everyday I still try to learn, from my mistakes as a human or as a basketball player”.
