Brandon Paul: "Everything for Olympiacos"!
They say that everything in life is a matter of right timing. And for Brandon Paul, the right time to wear the 'red' shirt was this season!
"I had been talking with coach Blatt during the past season and there was certainly mutual interest" he said talking to OlympiacosBC.gr. "However, for various reasons it did not happen and I went to China. However, we still kept in touch. I have a small 'history' with the coach, since when he was at Cleveland I was playing for the Canton Charge, Cavaliers team with the D-League. I know his coaching style. I had anyway been a fan and I'm excited to be playing for him. I'm also happy to be playing for Olympiacos, a team that has written its own history in European basketball".
Most think that the American guard's great 'weapon' is his shooting. However, he has a slight different opinion. "I think that my biggest advantage is that I'm a very versatile player. I score at a high level and I can play defense in many different positions. I take pride in my defense and from the fact that I'm willing to do the small plays to help the team win. When I'm talking about 'small' plays, I mean from diving to save a ball, to taking the responsibility for the last offense. Coach Blatt told me that he expects me to come in and be one of his main players in offense, but at the same time I'm able to guard from the '1' to the '4' position. Just like I said before, this is one of the strongest aspects of my game".
The 28 year old guard will be in a new environment, however, not completely unknown to him. "I remember when I was playing 2 or 3 years ago with Efes for the Euroleague, we had played against Olympiacos for the playoffs", he said talking about the 2016-17 season, when the 'reds' had eliminated the Turkish team. "I'm obviously a big fan of Spanoulis. He's a legend! He plays tough and plays totalitarian basketball. There are also other truly remarkable Greeks on the team. Printezis and Papanikolaou are great! They play with pride and enthusiasm. I'm joining players that are always highly motivated and are excellent on both ends of the floor. I'm really excited to be a member of the 'reds'!"
He also remembers the fans very well! And actually had a funny or even weird - for his standards - story to share. "I remember how passionate the fans were. The gym was really noisy and I remember there was a lot of smoke. During one of the first games in the series, while I was at the free throws line, a fan targeted me with a laser; however, the refs saw it and ordered for the free throw to be repeated. So, you understand how happy I'm no that I'm going to be on their side! I know how passionate they are and how much they love the team. It's going to be a great change for me!"
Brandon Paul avoids talking big, but he's willing to commit to being the best he can be! "My basic goal is to come to Greece and be the best player I can be. I'll do whatever I can and is needed to help Olympiacos achieve its goals. I want to 'build' a good relationship with everyone, with my teammates, the coaching staff, the staff, the fans and show them that I'm not only a good player, but also a good teammate and a good person. I don't want to talk big. We'll be always setting new goals throughout the season and I'll do whatever I can to achieve this. I want to help the team win as many games as possible. Whatever role I get, I'll do the best I can with it ".