Argyris Pedoulakis held a Press Conference concerning tomorrow’s encounter (January 10, 20.45) versus Unicaja Malaga. The Panathinaikos Head Coach made reference to velocity and creation but also to issues the team had to face during its preparation. He even spoke of Nikos Galis.
“We have the encounter versus Unicaja Malaga ahead of us, a team which bases its efforts in its velocity, brings out energy and speed on the floor and in offense its main goal is fast breaks. Moreover, it is also a very swift team in defense and during its defensive rotations. We must be focused on each player’s elements, because they each have different ones. They have creation at both ends of the court, they many times perform using 3 guards which can penetrate and develop a passing game. As far as us, Diamantidis and Banks trained. All four of our creators have dealt with issues over the last few months; Diamantidis and Banks and Sofoklis and Roko (Ukic). Banks had a cold, it was nothing serious. The good thing is that he did not have a fever, because that would have meant that he would have to miss out on more practices and the medical staff would not have allowed him to train or compete. Diamantidis is a different case. He was missing for a few days and we must see how he will react after his absence. They are two different cases”.
Pedoulakis was asked about Dimitris Diamantidis’ participation: “He was troubled by his sprain, he joined practice at a more intense level, but his actual situation will be established during game time. Actual game time is a different deal compared to the intensity of practice rhythm. We got the green light from the medical staff for him to compete but he has to find his pace and his breathers. He is a necessity to us; in both execution and creation but also due to his experience. Unicaja is a team for which rhythm is one of the most important parts of its game. The two teams are of two different basketball mentalities and Dimitris knows this better than anyone estimating matters from the driver’s seat position. Banks is an NBA player who needs time to comprehend European basketball manner. Diamantidis is the most appropriate person to recognize when we must put the pedal to the metal and when we must go to more organized offenses”.
The issue of absences and injuries was the area towards which he steered his focus in the next question: “We want 10 days all together. To be together in 2-3 games. It is something we have yet to achieve this season. Staring at Sofia and the very first tourney up to date not once have we been all together. You must find ways to resolve such issues. The team is forged through such situations. The most important thing is for us to practice all together, incorporate all new elements. As you train, you play and we have not yet practiced all together. It is a great disadvantage which surfaced during the games”.
When asked about Diamantidis absence and to what extent it had an impact on the team’s competitive image in the clash versus Anadolu Efes, he stated: “Efes is a game we have left behind us. One very important element was certainly Dimitris’absence. But, as we have already explained to the boys, this absence does not justify our image, especially in backcourt. We failed to function correctly. We got our lesson from that game, especially the new guys, because tactics exist in the defensive part of the game also. Gist followed the defensive tactics for a few minutes and then what came to him naturally from all he knew how to do in his previous teams surfaced. Also, as contemporary basketball would have it, the creators are very important. It was tough enough to have to compete without Diamantidis but also we had Sofoklis playing after quite some time in Euroleague. It was a game in which he was very important for us to be able to mess-up the opponent’s two big-men’s game, duo which was hurting our game. Also, you need guys who across from such defenses can perform good pick n roll plays and get good shooting range, area in which once more we were missing Dimitris. This encounter was a parenthesis for us. It taught us a lesson though. Praise to video and training we managed to establish what we did wrong in order to remedy it; because it was us who were performing something incorrectly”.
Argyris Pedoulakis was questioned about Nikos Galis who is a candidate for the “Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame”: “Galis is known worldwide. As an athlete I have personally experienced this very thing. He is more recognizable than the county’s Prime Minister. He is generally accepted abroad but he could be honored not a little, but to an even further extent. It is good that this is happening now. He is the man who shifted the entire Greek sport mentality; not only Greek basketball, but all Greek Sports categories. We were talking about the Balkan Games and Nikos was the man which, having grown up in a land with a different sport culture, persuaded us Greeks that we can achieve more and I believe that we did exactly so. Nikos was the cherry on top. There were others, in administrative positions, in development, a vision existed back then, a thirst and a hope for basketball to desert the open courts and pass on to a higher level. Many people helped towards it but the cherry was Nikos and his presence”.
