By Lefteris Moutis / moutis@eurohoops.net
Alexey Shved is the most highly paid player in the Euroleague, but he’s not concerned with that. After three years in the NBA, though, he believes that the Euroleague is approaching the standards of the best championship in the world.
The Russian guard made a lot of noise in the summer with his transfer to Khimki, and he’s still making noise in the course of the season by being the top scorer and second best passer of the full of talent Russian team. He spoke to Eurohoops.net about the new challenge in his career, the differences between the Euroleague and the NBA, the Russian national team and his former coach, Giannis Sfairopoulos.
Khimki is playing a “final” for their survival in the Euroleague against Olympiacos and Alexey Shved is going to face Giannis Sfairopoulos, his coach in the 2011-2012 season, his last one in Europe before moving to the NBA, as an opponent. Sfairopoulos was Kazlauskas’s associate and Shved had an excellent season, good enough to send him to the NBA for the next three years.
“We were together in CSKA. He’s a very good professional, a good man. He always helped the players, stayed with us as long as it was necessary, and he was there before and after the training sessions in order to help us improve. Whenever you went to the stadium, you’d see him there,” the 27-year-old Russian guard recalls.
The most highly paid player in the Euroleague this season feels no extra weight from his… big contract. He receives almost 3 million euros annually, but, like he says, “I don’t think about that at all. I just play my game. I want to be good and win and that’s all I have in mind.”
Khimki resembles an NBA team because of the many stars that have gathered on their roster (Rice, Shved, Koponen) and they can make the difference in every game. Does this make things easier or is it confusing for Shved? “It’s easier when you play with teammates like this. Each one of us can score in every game, play hard in defense and help the team.”
What is the biggest difference that Shved locates between the Euroleague and the NBA? “The difference is not as big as it was 3 or 4 years ago. In Europe there are many big players now and the level of basketball is constantly improving. The style of basketball that is played in the NBA is completely different, but as time passes, the Euroleague approaches the NBA.”
Is the mentality also different in the NBA? “Of course! In the NBA there are 82 games in the entire season and you might miss a few games and it won’t matter. In the Euroleague, however, and especially in the Top 16, if you miss a game you can get left behind. Every game matters. In general, the NBA is a different world. For instance, in every game there’s a lot of people in the stands. Sometimes in Russia for example, the stadiums are not full. We have fans that come to the stadium, but that’s not the case everywhere.”
“Kirilenko can be the change”
The Russian national team has been going from bad to worse in the last few years. In the Eurobasket of 2013 they finished 21st and last year 17th. Andrei Kirilenko taking over the federation can be a catalyst, as Shved says:
“We have a new president. Everyone likes him and knows him as a player. I hope that, this summer, everyone will come together so we can return to the highest level.”
Is Kirilenko’s personality enough to put Russia back on the road to success? “It can change a lot. Of course it takes time. He can’t transform everything in a week. It takes a few years and all the players to be available to play.”