Middleton: ‘I’m voting for Diamantidis even though I wanted to beat him’

Daryl Middleton spoke on camera for Cosmote TV and “Pick N’ Roll” about what he experienced at Panathinaikos in the early ’00s, about the comparisons between Dimitris Itoudis and Zelikos Obradovic, but also Dimitris Diamantidis.

What he explained in detail:

– Can you compare Dimitris with Obradovic? similarities and differences;

“your will to win. Both always want to win. When I was at Obradovic, that’s what he always wanted: he expected 100% from his players, he tried to get the best out of them. Dimitris is the same. You are honest. And I think the players like it when the coaches are honest and tell them what they think. Don’t lie, don’t go behind their backs, and don’t speak badly. Face to face they say they feel and that’s it“.

– You were a really tough guy. Tell me if you ever remember either Obradovic or Itoudis getting so upset that (I don’t mean scared of them but) they scared you a little.

“I think Obradovic can be really scary sometimes. As it is, with the energy it has, especially in game. Off the ground is another person. Great guy, you can talk to him about anything. But on the ground it’s like being a different person. He screams and I remember he yelled at me many times as I lay on the floor and I tried to pretend not to listen to him. But he screams louder and louder until you hear him. And then you say “K”. It’s ok, I didn’t have a problem, I had a lot of tough trainers“.

– Like I said, you were really a tough guy, you didn’t lose a game and suddenly you had a serious health problem.

“That was a surprise at first, because I’ve never had any injuries. One day I just woke up and found out about this problem, thrombosis. I lost the rest of the season, I was out 4-5 months, it was very difficult. I wanted to be with the team, we went to the Final Four and I couldn’t play. So it was very sad for me“.

– Have you ever feared for your life?

“No, I didn’t hear anything. Because I didn’t understand exactly what the situation was until I spoke to friends from America. And they told me I could have died. The thrombosis could have hit me in the lungs, in the head. And I said to them “What, really?”. But still I wasn’t afraid. The doctors told me I would take anticoagulants and get better. Already after the second day I felt better and I wanted to go back to training. But they told me, “You’re out for four months, you can’t do anything, you can’t train by contact“.

– What was your favorite moment with Panathinaikos in Greece?

“Of course, when we won the EuroLeague in Bologna in 2002. That was great. Because that was my goal. I was 35 years old, I left Spain because my goal was to win the Euroleague. I had won everything on a personal level, I was the MVP and many other things in Spain and I said I have to go somewhere to win the Euroleague. I got the opportunity to play in one of the best teams and I said: “I will do it”.

I would have walked through a wall for these people. I played hard in every game to show them I can play at this level. It was hard. How many players in their 35s have won the Euroleague? I think that was impressive and I really thank them. Do you know how many times I thanked Obradovic and Dimitris for giving me this chance to win the Euroleague? Many players have failed and I have succeeded“.

– Favorite Panathinaikos teammate?

“You all were! I loved to play, let’s just say… Albert was a good guy. Johnny Rogers. he was my friend When I first came he was already there and he explained to me what was going on, I didn’t know anything about basketball in Greece. The best was definitely Bodiroga. I loved this guy, he was by far one of the best guards in Europe. It was amazing “.

– And between the two Greek “gods”? To the eternal question, which would you choose: Spanoulis or Diamantidis?

“I would vote for Diamantidis. I remember when I first met him, we were playing, I think he was playing for Hercules?“.

– Yes.

“And I remember that game because we were about to get stuck. I think he stopped me, I got angry and punched him in the berry. Shortly after that, that summer, Dimitris told me that we were going to sign this kid. “Truth;”. I was happy because this guy was tough. He came into the team and did everything. He played defense, he was tough, he made blocks, he shot. I adored him, he was a leader. I would choose him anytime“.