By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Jordan Farmar is back in Europe, he leads the darkhorse of the Turkish league, Dogus Darussafaka, and he speaks to Eurohoops about his return, the NBA, the chances that he didn’t get and his future ambitions. Read what he had to say about the Clippers, the Lakers, the Turkish league and of course the possibility of playing in the Turkish national team.
– What made you return, specially to an up and coming team like Darussafaka, which doesn’t play in Euroleague?
“I wanted to play a lot of minutes the rest of this season… Being familiar with the coach and some of the players here made it an easy transition to start playing and making a difference right away. After my buyout, it was already past the deadline for Top16 rosters in Euroleague. Darussafaka will be a big team in Europe for the future, and I felt comfortable being a part of their direction”.
– What’s your goal for this season with your new team?
“As a competitor, the goal is to always win every game you play… That ultimately means trying to win the Turkish League Title”.
– You returned in TBL which in a very little time has made a lot of progress. How do you rate the league in comparison to your previous experience?
“The Turkish League is making a strong attempt at being one of the best in Europe. They allow any player on the court at all times, regardless of country, which I feel makes the league stronger as a whole”.
– What didn’t clicked for you in the NBA and the Clippers?
“Coming off of my best season in the NBA … I just never really got an opportunity to play my game and fit in with the team… My minutes and opportunities were at a career low”.
– Do you regret your decision to return to the NBA, leaving a more lucrative contract in Anadolu Efes?
“Not for one second. I had an amazing time returning to the Lakers… Unfortunately, I got injured which hurt me from earning a big deal, but I enjoy the journey of life and my career. I’m still young and coming into my prime of my career…I have plenty of time to make great money doing what I love”.
– Even if it’s still early, what do you expect your near future to be? A return to Europe – and hopefully to Euroleague – for good, or an other try to the NBA?
“I will just play it out and weigh my options…The beauty for me is that I have opportunities in both Europe as well as the NBA. The Euroleague is a lot of fun as well, so they are both good options”.
– You turned heads all around Europe with your quote about the Turkish national team. Has the Turkish federation approached you in order to negotiate such a possibility?
“It was just preliminary conversations to see interest. Every summer there is a different set of needs, so we will see how that plays out in the future”.
– If you get a Turkish passport, this will be one more reason for you to stay for good in Europe?
“Playing in Turkey I don’t really need a passport, but it would help the team’s flexibility with the amount of foreigners on the active roster. As for the rest of Europe, I’m not sure how a Turkish passport would affect my status in each country’s individual league”.