By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Dimitris Diamantidis doesn’t like to talk. He actually does that only if he has something important to say and the fact that his basketball circle will soon come to an end was a good reason for an interview with Eurohoops.
Although Aleksandar Djordjevic’s wish is to change Diamantidis’ mind, Panathinaikos’ leader is getting ready for the last season of his career, according to him, and the fact that the opening game of the season is against Olympiacos doesn’t mean anything different.
“No matter what the first match will be, it’s the beginning of the season and we have to be focused. We play against Olympiacos. It’s a knockout game. We will play and see how it will go. There is no concentration issue, we have to take it for granted that we we will be concentrated.”
The fact that in another classical derby between the two clubs, there will be no fans, it’s not uncommon not only to Diamantidis but also to everybody else: “I don’t feel sad about it. All these years, the situation is the same. I don’t think about that. All these years, we have been unable to change things, so we have to accept the law’s consequences and punishments. We play under these circumstances. The only thing I have in my mind is how we will play and be victorious in the match, not that it will be another match without fans.”
Dimitris Diamantidis played for eight years under Zeljco Obradovic and since last month under Sasa Djordjevic, however he didn’t want to compare these two coaches. “Each one has his own personality and works on what he wants to accomplish. I don’t want to evaluate them,” he said.
“I didn’t expect my career to be evolved like this”
Diamantidis talked about everything he has been through since he joined Panathinaikos, where he played at first alongside his old friends from Iraklis BC, Nikos Chatzivrettas and Lazaros Papadopoulos, and makes a comparison: “When I came to Panathinaikos, Nikos was better than me, as he had already played in the Euroleague. And Lazaros was in the same situation, because they left early and managed to play at the highest level. Each player’s target is to compete at the highest level and play against the best players and I am very proud of having having come to this team. Through all these years, I had great moments. I will play for one more year and since it will be my last one, I will try to enjoy it as much as I can. But, certainly, I didn’t expect my career to be evolved like this.”
For Dimitris Diamantidis, though, how was the transition from Iraklis to Panathinaikos and how easy is to compare these two eras? “It’s logical, when you come from a team like Iraklis, to see that the level is higher. Everything is different. As long as you are there, you adapt and get used to that. It’s another story whether you will make it and be capable of playing at this level.”
Still, the most difficult thing that you can ask Diamantidis to do, is to talk about himself. According to him, “I offered many things to the team. Many other player did the same. The same goes also for many coaches and people in the administration as well. I am very happy that they showed that to me through the event that took place a few days ago.”
And when we insisted on how he wants to be remembered, he added: “It’s not about what I want. What matters is what the reality is. I want to be remembered as a player who was entering the court and gave everthing. Beyond that, if he was the better man he would win and if he didn’t play well, he would lose.”