A SoCal Exclusive with Sasha Vujacic of the Lakers

Thanks to the good folks over at sashavujacic18.com, and of course “The Machine” himself, we have an exclusive interview with Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic. You can read all about The Machine at his new official site, sashavujacic18.com. By the way, Sasha’s new site is blowing up and becoming a great place for all Vujacic fans to keep in touch with one of their favorite players. Here are the questions. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do this again in the future, and you can definitely read some of his thoughts over at his site as well.

Q: You’re now in your fifth season with the Lakers. What has been your favorite moment as a professional so far?

A: There are so many favorite moments that it would be unfair to pick one. I think that all I’ve been though has been a learning experience. I’m still waiting for the best one to come, and that is of course winning the championship.

Q: In Europe, you were more of a point guard, but in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, you have gotten more playing time as the shooting guard. How has the adjustment been over the years?

A: Well, it was interesting because my first year with Phil, he played me as a point guard and then he played me in a shooting guard role. With time, as Phil gets confidence in his players, he knows what he can expect from them. The position doesn’t really matter because I’m doing what he’s asking of me. #1 or #2 makes no particular difference to me as long as we’re winning.

Q: Many critics of the triangle cite its high level of difficulty and its longer-than-average learning process. What has your experience with the offense been like?

A: I’m not going to lie to you; the triangle is not an easy offense to learn. It takes a lot of patience and understanding and as an athlete you’ve got to be willing to accept new things. It’s very different from any other offense, and that’s why I love it. It took some time for all of us to digest it, to get a feel for it. Like Phil always says, you can’t ever know everything about the triangle, there are so many different options, and you always have to be a step ahead. What I love most about it is that it’s very versatile and gives me an opportunity to play different positions. I really like it and am having fun with it.

Q: Your minutes, points per game, and shooting percentage, have progressively increased each year you’ve been in the league. What has been the biggest reason for your improvement?

A: I think that I needed to get a feel for the NBA. My rookie year was terrible; I didn’t play at all. Then Phil came and showed his confidence in me and it went drastically up. Right now, we have a team that is very deep and my minutes can go from 5 to 30. It doesn’t matter because we’ve got to sacrifice something in order to win the championship. Every player is sacrificing something. We have 12-14 guys on the team, anybody can play, and anybody can have a good night. It’s an unpredictable team.

Q: After two early first round playoff exits in 2006 and 2007 and Kobe’s trade demands, how did you and your teammates react?

A: I think that we were just not ready at the time. We were not the team that we are today. Every team goes through the building process. It’s part of basketball and I think that right now we are where we want to be. We have a team that not only can compete today but, if you look at the future, we are very young and have matured much faster by losing in the first round and of course we matured last year losing in the Finals. There’s nothing worse than that, being so close but still so far away from something that you worked for all your life. Now we will not let that happen again.

Q: Last season, the Lakers went from a 42 win team to a 57 win team. What would you say was the biggest reason for the improvement?

A: I think that it takes awhile to understand and execute the triangle offense. I think last year everybody got on the same page and we were hungry and wanted to prove to everybody how good we could be because no one believed in us. I guarantee that each year, it’s only going to go up.

Q: Phil Jackson has been known to be critical of his players at times. He has called Vladimir Radmonovich a space cadet and I believe he’s even called you an 11:00 AM shooter. How do you and your teammates respond to such criticisms?

A: Phil likes to talk to his players through the media and I’ve been here for a while, so I’m used to it.

Q: You said back in December that you wouldn’t wear green during Christmas holidays because it was the same colors as the Boston Celtics. After last season’s NBA Finals, how much do you actually hate the C’s?

A: I want to specify something. I don’t hate the Celtics. There’s not a word in the vocabulary that describes what I feel for them. Hate is a very strong word, so I want to set that straight. I do want to say that I am purple and gold in my heart. I’m a Laker and proud of it. I see that all the true Lakers fans support me and are not wearing green, either, and I’m proud of them, as well.

Q: Do your two regular season wins over the Celtics this year have any bearing on a potential rematch in the finals?

A: In the Finals, we were not ready yet. As much as it was painful, it helped us mature and that’s what we proved in December. We know when it counts the most, but with winning in the regular season, we showed everybody that we’re here and this is our year. One step at a time, that’s how we’ll win the Finals.

Q: Now onto a more personal note, what do you like to do when you’re not playing basketball?

A: I enjoy life. I appreciate life. I think that every day is a great day and I like to read, go to the movies, and spend time with my family, my brother and sister, and friends. And just to do ordinary things as an ordinary guy. I also like to play chess from time to time.

Q: What do you enjoy most about living in Southern California?

A: I enjoy the weather and the lifestyle. I like everything about it. And of course I love our fans and the people that are waiting for the championship to come back to LA. It’s a great feeling representing the City of Angels. I really enjoy the people. Now that I see how people believe in our team and how much they look up to us and what we mean to this city – there’s nothing better than that.

Thanks for taking your time.

It was a pleasure.