By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Billy Baron was the guest star on the latest episode of the Role Player podcast hosted by Jordan Taylor and Anthony Goods. The guard talked about Zenit not finishing the Euroleague season, NBA opportunities for himself and other Euroleague players, Kevin Pangos’ trip to Cleveland, getting his mind blown by Vassilis Spanoulis, tough start at Crvena Zvezda, EuroLeague milestones, Russell Westbrook, Lebron James and much more.
The conversation started off with Zenit and the whole situation surrounding Euroleague, Baron’s contract and his future.
“I think that this year, with what we had going on… We definitely had a shot at the Final Four. Last year, we were one game away and this year, we were at the upper level of our ability and potential. And it stopped just like that. We were about to play Barcelona, we get done with practice and find out they’re not gonna come. Everything took off from there and just stopped, just like that. It was tough,” he said and added.
“I signed a two-year deal prior to this season. Eventually, when I went home and took my family back home, there was a lot of uncertainty. And that gives me anxiety and stress. I wasn’t sleeping well, it was just a lot of question marks. The team has my right and FIBA isn’t helping us out much. I don’t know if they’re gonna be in Euroleague and I’m 31, I want to be in Euroleague.
I was able to negotiate to become a free agent after this season, just to see what’s gonna happen. But that meant I had to go back and finish the season. And Zenit was cool with it. They allowed me to negotiate my release after this season and take control of what I’m gonna do.”
Baron also touched on Vassilis Spanoulis and how he impressed him even before he started his career in Europe. The clutch shots coming from Spanoulis in the Final Four atmosphere left him speechless.
“I started looking him up and I fell in love with his game. I was watching all these shots that he was hitting in the Final Four. The commentator going crazy, the fans going crazy, it blew me away.”
He also mentioned the transition from Europe to NBA and how it’s situational, with some guys adjusting while some don’t. But it’s also on the teams that bring them over. Some just don’t get the right opportunity and he believes Pangos didn’t get one with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“There are guys that have made the transition to the NBA and it’s worked, they’re still over there. It’s curious to see what kind of games translates there. It’s not always on the player, the public always thinks it’s on the player that things didn’t work out, it’s never on the team. What kills me, is guys like my teammate Kevin Pangos going to the league. And he can hoop. A little undersized for an NBA point guard but he can go.
For a backup point guard, he can shoot the ball, he can hit the right man, he knows what he’s gonna do. Is it on Kevin that it didn’t work? First-Team All-Euroleague and all of a sudden he doesn’t make it through the season with Cleveland and it’s his fault? I don’t think he was give the right chance, the right opportunity. He didn’t play for a while and all of a sudden he’s starting. To throw someone who’s not playing at all into a starter role and base him off of it? That’s wild to me.”