Bjelica intrerview

[Monster]

I saw this over at Rubechat the other day and I finally got around and remembered to read it. Someone saw it on reddit its translated so yeah.

http://rubechat.kfan.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=346306

He had a long journey - a boy form New Belgrade block 70 became a professional under the radar, as a teenager he played in Austria, and then Svetislav Pe?i? brought him to Red Star.
Then for Nemanja Bjelica began the journey of his dreams - Vitoria, then Fenerbahce where he became the MVP of Euroleague, medal with the Serbian NT, last season he achieved a peek of his profesion by playing in the NBA.

Nemanja hasnt been thought to settle with what hes done but to always strive for more - in the interview for Sport Klub he emphasised that he will be geting more room to play in Minnesota, he explained how last summers injury helped him mature and we touched on the missed Olympic Games in Rio.

Also, Bjelica explains to us how Tom Thibodeaus practices function, we spoke about his changed diet and his work in the gym, life in Minnesota and we went all the way back to 3 on 3 basketball in his old neighborhood.


Rookie season with the Wolves started great for Nemanja, but then came small injuries and foul trouble. Now the situatuion is different - he spent almost the entire summer in Minnesota and he is ready for new challenges.

"Coach Thibodeau came immediately after the Olympics, and even before that i saw him in Las Vegas for my injury. We talked about my roll on the team and about Minneosta being a young team of the future with a lot of room to grow. It is amazing that he came in to be ur coach - he thinks a couple of steps ahead and he built a good system, we are organized in every detail and maybe that discipline was what was missing from this team. Thibodeau is a big authority", Bjelica begins his story for Sport Klub.


On his teams Bjelica worked with Pe?i?, Du?ko Ivanovi? and ?eljko Obradovi? in the national team with Du?an Ivkovi? and Aleksandar ?or?evi? and now he is emphasising how Thibodeaus practices remind him of european ones.

"More than anything its the length of them - it is hard but it is better like this, we have a clear goal ahead of us. I would describe the practices as varied the design doesnt change much, we know exactly what we are going to do. Thibodeau is a very simple (this in not an insult) coach - physical fitness is mandatory and he is very just its on the player only to put in the effort, play hard and be focused at al times. There is not a lot of philosophy", says Bjelica and adds:
"Defense is the foundation of our game and practices usualy begin with certain details that are very important to him - for example we did some back and forth drills with the ball the kind of which i havent done since i was a kid. Then we go through various defensive sets, transition 3 on 2 and 2 on 1, after that we defend the pick and roll and do a few shooting drills. We finish playing 5 on 5 two or three times for 6, 7 minutes".


In his rookie season he averaged 5,1 points and 3,5 rebounds while not playing a lot with the ball in his hands - that should be changing now.

"Wiggins and Towns are the future of the frachise, i had trouble adapting to the lay of the land last year but now i know exactly what i need to know on the floor. The coach trusts me, i have freedom in the game and i feel comfortable so i can do what i can do best, make my teammates better. Last year it was asked of me to be a traditional strech four and now i can be a more of a point forward. Coach is trying to find me a roll similar to the one i had in Fener".


Bjelica says he has grown accustomed to everything in the NBA, most important thing to him is to stay healthy, he is also happy with the team around him.

"Minnesota is either this or next season gona play in the playoffs and i am very happy to be a part of the team that started building - its all guys in their twentys but unbelievable talents. I am alos more prepared - when you are a rookie regardless of years they (refs) call you on everything so i had trouble with fouls. Now i know what is waiting for me and i only want to be what i came to the NBA for - play my own game within the system. I am confident i will improve with the new coach".


One of the things Nemanja showed attention to during the summer was his diet - he says he matured and that he knows now how important it is to keep care of your body.

"I threw out food that wasnt good for me, that is what everyone loves - sweets. I wish i thought like this when i was younger now i am sorry about that. I am in my best playing years but i have to keep good care of my body - what happened to my leg last sumer i took as a warning. I spent a lot of myself in the lsat seven-eight years, you have to invest in yourself", says Bjelica and goes in to details:
"Team found a girl to cook for me - no drastic changes but i did throw out fast foods and sodas. I also took recommended suplements while working in the gym and on my condition".


Second part of working on his body consists exactly of work in the gym - on first look Bjelica seems a lot stronger than he used to be. He also mentions he feels refreshed and he finally found time for individual work.

"I worked a classical program for the whole body - arms, legs, basketball practice, condition. I went to the gym four-fime times a week and i trained twice a day - gym in the afternoon, morning basketball and condition, with changes acording to my coaches. I worked very hard and i know i will see returns on that when the season gets deepand everyone is tired, i set my base line for the hardest games".


Bjelica explains that he didnt need much motivation it was enough that he was playing in the best leauge in the world.

"Once you get into NBA flow you just get hooked and you want to keep growing because you dont want to lag behind. It is important to be committed and maybe this will sound cruel but you have to think of basketball as a job - its not as fun as it seems to the people on the sidelines where everything looks amazing. Young players thing they can overcome a lot just with their years but sooner or later it catches up to you. It is very challenging but it has to be if you want to endure in the strongest league in the world".


Nemanja is already used to life in the NBA - to Minneosta and everything else that is a part of basketball playes live in USA.

"Minneapolis is amazing in the summer - wheather is beautiful, its not very wet and there are a lot of lakes. Winter is honestly very cold for those two-three months but you know how they say life in the NBA is the best while you are winning we need that feeling. Everything here is top notch, a player just has to show up and put in the work. You have your plane, equipment and shoes are waiting for you, and dont get me started about recuperation, last year we got new space for regeneration - sauna, cold and hot baths, jakuzzi, massage, all kinds of stuff, believe me when i tell you i dont even know everything there is...".


Last season Nemanja was closest to Nikola Pekovi?, Damjan Rude? and Ricky Rubio and now only the spanish PG is there.

"True i got used to hanging with the Europeans, but really all the guys are great - little Kris Dunn is (beastly, amazing, scary) kid, as well as Cole Aldrich who came from the Clippers, Rush, Rasual Buttler...it is a good crew".


One man will certanly be missing - after 21 year seasons in the NBA, Kevin Garnet retired. Oppinions on him vary but on Bjelica he left a great impression.

"I dont know first hand what his style was throught his career, but i personaly can say only the best of him. He is a true teammate future Hall of Famer and it was my great honour to share the locker room with him, and i can still remember play games with him on NBA live. He helped me a lot, especialy with defense and how to adapt faster to certain criteriums - he was always one of the first on the floor always intense and sweaty when he tells you something or explains. We will miss him a lot in the locker room as well as the entire league".


To the question which teams he views as favourites for the ring, Bjelica answers:

"Only thing i know is in the NBA anything is possible, i learned that last year. Cavs and Warriors are first candidates, especialy Golden State now with Durant, but we shouldnt write off the rest of the teams. I like to think about my team a lot more - we should build, to implement continuity and to be ready when our time comes, and i would love to be in that conversation in the future".


Ever since he put on the jersey on Serbian NT in 2009 Eurobasket in Poland, Bjelica hadnt missed a single summer with the national team - now a higher power intervened and stoped him form being a part of the Olympic team.

"How can i not be sorry... But in life not everything is ideal, who knows why that was good but i am very sorry - not because of the medal but being there at the Olympics. Like Stefan Markovic (NT teammare) says: Only if Bjelica was here, we dont even need the medal. That paints the picture of what this national team means - you form a bond, go through good and the bad, make friends and become family, especialy since Sale (current NT coach) came. I missed everything a lot but i hope to have an opportunity to experience the Olympic games in four years".

[Monster]

To end this we came back to the begining - New Belgrade block 70 and basketball courts where many a great player came up including Bjelica.

"I was a little dissapointed, its a new era now, before we used to play at JUL and Rupa (local courts), but now its at Rajfajzen, and they play 5 on 5. Man i miss that basketball 3 on 3, its the thing i most looked forward to - you play against Male? and the crew (Bojan Male?evi? former profesional basketball player), you beet him and you are the happiest person in the world. As soon as i finish my career, i will play 3 on 3 but our way - i dont know how they do it now but in my times when i was 15-16-17 years old, best basketball was played in our neighbourhood of that i am sure of they used to come from all over the city to play there".


Basketball but also growing up in New Belgrade had a big influence in forming Bjelica as a person.

"I was hardened by that basketball and i often tell myself: *** man i really miss playing 3 on 3, you lose one game and you go home because 15-20 other teams are waiting to play. Also generaly speaking blocks (his neighbourhood) are great and i am very attached for my home -for a man from New Belgrade its hard to get used to anything else. Now with a family my thoughts are a bit different, i can adapt, but i had a great childhood and growing up - many things about life i learned form the blocks, how everything works and i feel its good a lot happened to me while i was young because i was prepared later on in life", concludes Bjelica for Sport Klub.

[ahughes53 [enjin:6639223]]

Super happy to hear that he is going to have the ball in his hands more. I can never figure out why coaches try to limit what players do. Remember Love wasn't allowed to shoot 3's? If a 4 has the ability to handle the ball and shoot against players who don't normally guard against that type of game, it sounds like an advantage to me. Idk.