What are your goals for this tryout? I mean, I’d say the goal should be to not embarrass yourself, but you’re famously really freaking good at soccer.
Well, I could definitely embarrass myself with those guys. The goal is to make the team. [Laughs.] The sub-goal is to not embarrass myself. I’m not under the illusion that I’m going to make the team.
I’ve heard that some folks have asked you, in total seriousness, if you might make Inter Milan, and how that would impact your NBA career.
Yeah, and I’m like … I don’t necessarily want to give up the joke, but it’s just an awesome opportunity, obviously. It’s great to promote this tournament.
Fit with Kobe:
Were you nervous about how you’d fit with Kobe, after having the ball in your hands basically all the time in Phoenix?
Not nervousness, but acceptance. I knew it wasn’t gonna be the same. I felt like I was going to try something new, and that I was going to adapt — and to accept that, and embrace it. I think it’d be nice to find a middle ground where he does his thing but the ball still can move for great parts of the game. Hopefully we can find that this season. But I knew it wasn’t going to be the same. When you play with Kobe Bryant, the ball is gonna be with him most of the time, which is understandable.
You took a lot more spot-up jumpers last season. Are those easy for you? Do you look at that almost as a way to prolong your career?
I embrace it, and I tried this year to get better at it. Like you said, in Phoenix, I almost never got a catch-and-shoot chance. I actually felt really uncomfortable last summer trying to learn to catch-and-shoot.
Really? Wow. The assumption is they are easier shots, for everyone.
Right? But after years and years of creating off the dribble, I felt almost funny and off-balance when I was catching-and-shooting, which is obviously when you should have your best balance. But I really worked at it, and I embraced it. I ended up shooting really well, by league standards.
Favorite TV shows:
What are your favorite TV shows right now?
I’m trying to like The Newsroom.
I watched the first two episodes on the plane. It’s terrible.
I’d hate to say that on the record, because [Aaron Sorkin] is just a great writer, but I feel like it’s overwritten, and the actors are maybe overacting a little bit. I’m trying to get into Orange Is the New Black, but it’s not as good as House of Cards. But in terms of my favorite shows, can you name a few to jog my memory?
Well, I’m always behind, so I pick a new one every offseason to watch start-to-finish. Last year it was Mad Men, and I’m plowing through Breaking Bad now.
Love Mad Men, love Breaking Bad, and I’m totally caught up on both of them
Really cool interview. All I can say is that this team is very likeable, which is a refreshing start.
Grantland
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