By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Basketball in Europe is constantly changing and the twice Euroleague champion Kyle Hines of CSKA Moscow is part of the “undesized rebellion”. Now he return for the first time in Piraeus and just before the big game against his former team, Olympiacos, he is answering every question posed by Eurohoops
Basketball in world level has entered the era of the great guards who are dictating the game. They have the ball, they take the decisions, they control the production of the big guys in offense .In the constantly evolving Euroleague this rule is absolute and has been confirmed in all the last Final Fours.
What we didn’t expected was to see big guys who are running the court like guards – and have almost the same height – and are making their own revolution. The center is not necessarily the tallest guy on the court, but he can be as effective as ever and decide the outcome of the game.
The center of the revolution was the two times Euroleague winner Kyle Hines. He is not the only one, but he plays like a Spartan – the nickname of his college team – and he is the poster-boy of the new trend. An undersized but hugely successful center.
Just hours before his return to Greece for the first time as an opponent of Olympiacos, against a crowd that chanted his name, he reveal his toughs about this big come back to Eurohoops.
– Is it my idea or you are enjoying this season much more than the last one?
“I feel better in my role, I get shots, I am more involved in our game. The team is different compared to last year. We have better chemistry. You know, the second season of a foreign player in a club is always better. You get used to the team and the environment”.
– Not always! I know a player who got two titles in his first season with his new team and one in the second…
“Who?”
– You! At Olympiacos.
“(Laughs) Yes! Ok, that’s not the rule in most cases”.
– Do you believe that CSKA is a better team this season?
“We will see in the end. In this level everything is judged by results. This years is different, our roles are more clear. Some times we had to play with a smaller rotation because of injuries and many players got more chances, they got into the team spirit and they are ready. CSKA always had many big guys. This time we are kind of smaller, we play a lot of small ball, we adapt to the style of basketball that dominates Europe. We can respond better in defending switches and we use many guards on the same time”.
– How long did it take you to accept the defeat from Maccabi Tel Aviv in the semifinal? It was a tough one..
“It’s always bad to lose. It was the first time I was defeated in a Final Four. You see the other guys celebrating and you feel sad. That gave me a bigger motive and that’s a fact also for the rest of CSKA. We are focusing even more on details. For 39.40” we were leading… You work all season to get there. Thankfully, during my two first Final Four, everything was great…”
– You have participated in three Final Fours in a row. You won the first two and lost the third. Your emotions in a few words?
“Unbelievable taste for the first two! Bad taste, deception in Milan”.
– CSKA seems until this point able to adapt in any style of basketball. Is this the key in order to win the Euroleague?
“It’s a big key. The game last 40 minutes. There are many different situations and the secret is to be ready to react. The big guys, the guards, the coaches, every one. It’s a game of moments and quick reactions. Specially when we talk about title games which may be decided on one shot”.
– You have been coached by Ivkovic, Messina and Itoudis. Which are the different points in their philosophy?
“Messina has a strong demeanor and view on basketball. He has managed great players. Messina wants to control everything. Ivkovic loves defense and transition. He is more like a teacher for me. Itoudis is exceptional and one of the smartest guys I have met. He really knows the game. He emphasizes on details, so much that he impresses me”.
– You have played with Spanoulis and Teodosic. Who can help a pick and roll finisher, like you, score more?
«That’s hard man! Both of them. They are very smart players. The ability of Milos to see the court and his quality of passing can be matched. Vasilis, however, can be also that effective. He is always a trouble for every defense and that creates a lot of spaces and multiple threats. Those are two of the best pick and roll creators in the world! Milos is a pure, solid talent”.
– Can you describe their difference with one word?
“Milos is an unreal basketball talent. Billy has an unreal determination and ability to succeed”.
– You are one of the main reason that undersized centers became a Euroleague trademark. Who will prevail in the near future, your kind of players of seven footers?
“I have to say that the first player who paved the path for this style of centers was Mike Batiste. He showed the way. When I got to Olympiacos, the team was the one that brought me to the top. Basketball changes and that applies also to Europe. It’s more about the guards and speed. If you look back in history, the great centers were dominating the game, players like Shaq and Olajuwon.
It was the most important position of the sport. This has change. Player like me are now established, because we can keep up with the speed of the guards. The game itself created this need for our position. However nobody knows what may happen in the future. You see for example the Gasols who have great size, but also tremendous technic. They do great things”.
– The amazing come back of Istanbul made Olympiacos the team of destiny. Two years after do you feel that it was meant to be and that Olympiacos was the team of your destiny?
“Nobody can analyze it! We have seen it in so many sports movies about underdogs who won in the end. That night is the highlight of my career. That’s why we all love sports. That come back was the highlight of that amazing season and if you consider how we started, it was like a Hollywood story. But it was real! We were fighting from August, many people were asking – and we did too – can they make it to Top16? For the second part of your question, that’s exactly how I felt. It was the team of my destiny. I have told you that I have lived the best moments of my career there, the happiest moments”.
– In that “movie” you had the last touch. You were the last who had the ball, before history was made. Was that touch, before he send the ball away, better than touching the most beautiful woman in the world?
“Until now, yes, it was the best felt touch of my life! I still don’t know who has the ball of that final. Pero Antic has the ball from London’s final. I hope the presidents of Olympiacos got it”.
– When you think about your return at SEF, what’s the first think on your mind? Last summer it was rumored that Olympiacos wanted you back, but you had a contract. Would you return?
“Honestly, I haven’t though about it at all yet. I have learned from the situations that I have experienced. Now I am 100% focused on what I do. It’s early to think about this kind of stuff”.
– I am obliged to ask you, because you will be a free agent in the summer. On the other hand, CSKA always keeps the players they want to…
“I understand, but I just don’t have an answer at the moment. If we speak generally, you know that life may surprise you. The same applies to basketball. Never say never. Now I am interesting in working with dedication in order to win titles with CSKA, we are a great team with big ambitions”.
– For the night of your return what do you think Kyle?
“I am just scared that I will confuse the locker rooms! It will be a different kind of game for me. For sure I will feel strange in my return, considering what I have lived”.
– What kind of response do you expect from the fans?
“Honestly, I don’t know what to expect and how fans will react! I am thankful for what Olympiacos and its fans offered to me. I hope they feel the same. It means a lot for me and my family. I remember the reaction of the fans when Papanikolaou returned as a member of Barcelona. I will try during the warm up to adapt, because I am a pro and I have to help my team”.
– Your final four prediction?
“You ask for something really hard, the way things are now in the league. I have been the underdog and also the favorite. I will go with my team, CSKA. Fenerbahce and Efes are quality teams with good coaches. Real and Barcelona are always contenders. And of course, there’s Olympiacos. Like Panathinaikos, because of their tradition and quality there are always there. Did we even counted Maccabi like a contender last year during the same time period?”
– Best five and the MVP?
“There are more than five! From our team Milos, Weems, De Colo. Vorontsevich and Sasha Kaun are also among the best big men. Spanoulis is always at top level, like Diamantidis, Tomics, Rodriguez, Fernandez, but also Goudelock who never stop to score. First of all I am a Euroleague basketball fan, so that’s why it’s not easy to decide”.
– MVP;
“I will go with Milos”.
– We have also seen more and more European players being stars in the NBA. Who do you believe are going to be franchise players and All Stars in the near feature?
“Europeans are established in the NBA because they have experience, they know the fundamentals and some of them have proven they can make a difference. We have even players who are not even established in Europe and are considered NBA prospects. On that I agree with Kobe Bryant’s point of view.
Antetokounmpo can be for sure a great player. I know his brother Thanasis and we talk about Giannis when I was playing in Greece, so I knew about him. It’s exciting to watch him. This kid has incredible skills. He is just realizing his potential, who he can became and what his position will be in the league. I also believe that Thanasis will make soon the big step towards the NBA.
One player other who is also a big time talent and has already developed his game, is of course Dario Saric of Anadolu Efes. I am sure he is going to play in the NBA and he will have a significant career. Also Fenerbahce’s Bogdanovic has the talent to be there, if he works right. Hezonja also, even if I haven’t seen much of him. He is very athletic and he seems to have the right package”.