"I have no doubt he is going to be in a Spurs uniform for a long time.” --- Former San Antonio Spurs great Sean Elliott.
Call
him Tiago Splitter 2.0. Like Splitter
before him, Latvia’s Davis Bertans navigated his way through injuries and contract
issues to make the same trip from Spanish powerhouse Saski Baskonia (formerly Caja Laboral) to the San
Antonio Spurs. And like Splitter, Bertans left his own native country as a
teenager to seek his basketball fortunes abroad with teams known for developing
young players. Venturing first to Slovenia’s Olimpija at age 18, then on to
Partizan Belgrade, Davis developed his game in the Balkans before heading to
Spain, before finally joining the Spurs in the final days of the 2016 NBA
Summer League.
HOLDING
COURT WITH …caught up with Bertans at the start of the current season, and
again in recent weeks. First the
interview that appeared in early November on the Spanish website Solobasket.com
You’ve
been waiting for the day for a while.
DB: Yes, for about five years. It feels great to
be here.
You
had your first game in the Alamodome in pre-season exhibition play, and more
recently saw action in the season opener against the Warriors. That must have been an exciting game for you.
DB: Definitely – even though it was not so
competitive at the end, it was still great to get on the court in the very
first game and to score my first bucket.
Although
you have only had limited minutes so far you seem to be finding your rhythm the
moment you step onto the court. Against
the Warriors you went 2 for 2 and then a couple of games later against the Heat
you started off draining your first two shots… and in all of these cases it
happens within 30 seconds or less of entering the game. Most NBA rookies struggle in their first few
games as they are fighting off nerves. Was that typical for you, or were you
just having great nights or what?
DB: I’m just staying ready. You never know when
you’re going to get minutes throughout the game so I stay warm and if I get a
chance I have to use it.
You’re
not exactly new to playing at this high level, between Euroleague competitions with Saski Baskonia and playing for the Latvian national
team in European Basketball Championships, but even so this is the NBA(!!) Do you ever find yourself thinking: I can’t
believe I am on the same court with this or that player that maybe you watched
on TV over the years?
DB: Maybe before or after the game you think
about players you have watched on TV for five or ten years, but once you are on
the court you forget about all of that.
The
much greater number of games in the NBA – up to four games a week – can take a
toll, though I probably need to ask you this in February or March.
DB: Well the (five-star) hotels make it all good.
It’s a lot of travel but our team plane is very comfortable, we don’t have to go
through normal security checks, so there are a lot of things that ease that for
us.
As
you say, there are many “perks” available to NBA players even compared to the
better teams in Europe? What else have
you noticed?
DB: The staff that are part of the organization,
like whenever you are on the court you have someone to rebound for you, and
whatever you need there is someone to help you out, so that is probably the
biggest difference.
There
are more and more European and international players in the league with every
passing year, but you are probably on the best team for an international
player, given the number of international players that have played for the
Spurs during Gregg Popovich’s time as head coach and the culture he has built here,
and even having Ettore Messina who is an accomplished veteran of European
basketball.
DB: It is really perfect, plus even some of the
American guys have played in Europe before getting on an NBA roster, so all of
that makes it easier. Even if there are some things that I need to get used to
I have players to turn to, for example Manu spent a few years playing in Italy
before coming over here.
With
that, was there any player on the team that you knew personally before coming
here?
DB: Not really.
What
did Gregg Popovich say to you when you first got here?
DB: Just welcome to the team. He was talking to the whole team in training
camp, telling us what he expects of the team and for everybody to accept their
roles and that was pretty much it.
And
since that time what is the most memorable thing he has said to you?
DB: Fresh in my memory is what he said to me in
last night’s game (against ) when I
stepped onto the court and I didn’t take an open shot and I tried to pass the
ball and ended up turning it over and he said that’s a good lesson for me
(laughing).
You
are in touch with Kristaps Porzingis?
DB: We got in touch after I signed with the Spurs
and texted before the season opener – he wished me good luck and I wished him
the same. Hopefully when we go to New York we will get some time and we will go
for dinner.
He
had a surprisingly amazing season last year.
People weren’t expecting this, and saying things like he lacks the
physical strength to succeed in this league.
DB: I didn’t expect that it was going to be THAT
good. I knew that it was going to be better than what people were predicting
from when he went in the draft. I knew that he was ready and that I knew that
he might average like 10 (points) and eight (rebounds). People thought he
wouldn’t really be ready for the league for the first couple of years. But I
believed that after he was playing in the ACB for two or three years that he
was ready and would do better than all the people predicted. I knew that he
could play and could average 10 (points) and eight (rebounds per game). But I didn’t expect that he would do as well
as he did so quickly and average like 15 or 16 points per game.
He
did comment on how much it helped him that then-coach Derek Fisher let him play
through mistakes.
DB:
Well that might be the hardest thing to overcome, for example if you make a
turnover and then you get subbed out. But still you can see how hard and has
been working and how much he has improved since his final season in Spain (2014-15).
And
do you yourself feel pressure this year coming in as a rookie?
DB: No, not at all. Really I’m just happy to be here. And if I
don’t get many minutes on the court I will just try to learn. And get better. Hopefully
next year I will get a bigger role but I will take whatever Coach Pop gives
me. One of the best things on this team
is that everybody accepts their role and no one is getting frustrated with the
minutes they get.
How
do you think it will be for Kris and Willy Hernangomez being reunited again
after playing together two years ago?
DB: I think when Willy gets more comfortable and
gets more playing time they will be a really great duo. And of course they have
great chemistry between them and all that size. When Willy gets more experience
in the NBA he’s going to be a great force.
What’s
the biggest adjustment you have found yourself making so far this season?
DB: Probably the biggest adjustment is being on
the bench so much and just waiting for the opportunities. But I’ve been in that
situation before, like when I was 18 and moving to Slovenia and I knew that you
just have to go step by step to get a more important role on the team so I know
what it’s like when you just have to start all over again.
When
you went to Union Olimpija and then to Partizan, was it that you were on their
radar, or that you and your agent sought that out for you? How did that come about?
DB: At that time Olimpija was known as a good
place for young players and young players could usually get some minutes
there. And they were a Euroleague team
back then and also playing in the Adriatic League. And getting to play in
Euroleague back then at age 18 and 19 was a big deal.
Knowing
that other players who were successful but in the beginning had to be patient for
their opportunities, does that help you?
DB: Well definitely that helps but I think it
helps more that I’m on a really great team and the team’s goal isn’t to make
the playoffs, it is to win the championship. On a winning team you’re always
happy, whether you get minutes or not.
Well
the Spurs have had some historic games here in the Miami Heat arena. I was at the Game 6 when it looked like the
Spurs could start celebrating a championship and they Ray Allen stepped back to
take that three-pointer and…
DB:
No… don’t say it!
Today
Sean Elliott does the radio broadcast of Spurs games, but as a longtime player
himself Elliott was part of the 1998-99 team that won the first of five NBA
Championships, and had his own jersey retired by the team. This is what Elliott had to say about
Bertans.
“He
has a tremendous upside. The coaches are
really high on him. The sky’s the limit for him. He’s got great size, he’s got
a good basketball IQ, he’s a little more athletic than I thought he was and
actually he’s been a surprise athletically to a lot of people. We all knew he
could shoot the ball and he’s only going to become a better shooter with more
confidence. His ability to get into the
game and make his shots immediately is remarkable. That is hard for guys coming over here to San
Antonio because so many times players come here and they want so badly to be a
part of it that they will forget who they are as players and they will end up
passing the ball instead of taking the shot. Pop wants him out there to score;
that’s what we brought him here for. Manu and Kahwi are doing a lot to pass
along the culture of the Spurs to him, showing him and the other young players how
to be a professional on and off the court.
“I have no doubt he is
going to be in a Spurs uniform for a long time.”
Call
him Tiago Splitter 2.0. Like Splitter
before him, Latvia’s Davis Bertans navigated his way through injuries and contract
issues to make the same trip from Spanish powerhouse Saski Baskonia the San
Antonio Spurs. And like Splitter, Bertans left his own native country as a
teenager to seek his basketball fortunes abroad with teams known for developing
young players. Venturing first to Slovenia’s Olimpija at age 18, then on to
Partizan Belgrade, Davis developed his game in the Balkans before heading to
Spain, before finally joining the Spurs in the final days of the 2016 NBA
Summer League.
HOLDING
COURT WITH …caught up with Bertans at the start of the current season, and
again in recent weeks. First the
interview that appeared in early November on the Spanish website Solobasket.com
You’ve
been waiting for the day for a while.
DB: Yes, for about five years. It feels great to
be here.
You
had your first game in the Alamodome in pre-season exhibition play, and more
recently saw action in the season opener against the Warriors. That must have been an exciting game for you.
DB: Definitely – even though it was not so
competitive at the end, it was still great to get on the court in the very
first game and to score my first bucket.
Although
you have only had limited minutes so far you seem to be finding your rhythm the
moment you step onto the court. Against
the Warriors you went 2 for 2 and then a couple of games later against the Heat
you started off draining your first two shots… and in all of these cases it
happens within 30 seconds or less of entering the game. Most NBA rookies struggle in their first few
games as they are fighting off nerves. Was that typical for you, or were you
just having great nights or what?
DB: I’m just staying ready. You never know when
you’re going to get minutes throughout the game so I stay warm and if I get a
chance I have to use it.
You’re
not exactly new to playing at this high level, between Euroleague competitions with Saski Baskonia and playing for the Latvian national
team in European Basketball Championships, but even so this is the NBA(!!) Do you ever find yourself thinking: I can’t
believe I am on the same court with this or that player that maybe you watched
on TV over the years?
DB: Maybe before or after the game you think
about players you have watched on TV for five or ten years, but once you are on
the court you forget about all of that.
The
much greater number of games in the NBA – up to four games a week – can take a
toll, though I probably need to ask you this in February or March.
DB: Well the (five-star) hotels make it all good.
It’s a lot of travel but our team plan is very comfortable, we don’t have to go
through normal security checks, so there are a lot of things that ease that for
us.
As
you say, there are many “perks” available to NBA players even compared to the
better teams in Europe? What else have
you noticed?
DB: The staff that are part of the organization,
like whenever you are on the court you have someone to rebound for you, and
whatever you need there is someone to help you out, so that is probably the
biggest difference.
There
are more and more European and international players in the league with every
passing year, but you are probably on the best team for an international
player, given the number of international players that have played for the
Spurs during Gregg Popovich’s time as head coach and the culture he has built here,
and even having Ettore Messina who is an accomplished veteran of European
basketball.
DB: It is really perfect, plus even some of the
American guys have played in Europe before getting on an NBA roster, so all of
that makes it easier. Even if there are some things that I need to get used to
I have players to turn to, for example Manu spent a few years playing in Italy
before coming over here.
With
that, was there any player on the team that you knew personally before coming
here?
DB: Not really.
What
did Gregg Popovich say to you when you first got here?
DB: Just welcome to the team. He was talking to the whole team in training
camp, telling us what he expects of the team and for everybody to accept their
roles and that was pretty much it.
And
since that time what is the most memorable thing he has said to you?
DB: Fresh in my memory is what he said to me in
last night’s game (against ) when I
stepped onto the court and I didn’t take an open shot and I tried to pass the
ball and ended up turning it over and he said that’s a good lesson for me
(laughing).
You
are in touch with Kristaps Porzingis?
DB: We got in touch after I signed with the Spurs
and texted before the season opener – he wished me good luck and I wished him
the same. Hopefully when we go to New York we will get some time and we will go
for dinner.
He
had a surprisingly amazing season last year.
People weren’t expecting this, and saying things like he lacks the
physical strength to succeed in this league.
DB: I didn’t expect that it was going to be THAT
good. I knew that it was going to be better than what people were predicting
from when he went in the draft. I knew that he was ready and that I knew that
he might average like 10 (points) and eight (rebounds). People thought he
wouldn’t really be ready for the league for the first couple of years. But I
believed that after he was playing in the ACB for two or three years that he
was ready and would do better than all the people predicted. I knew that he
could play and could average 10 (points) and eight (rebounds per game). But I didn’t expect that he would do as well
as he did so quickly and average like 15 or 16 points per game.
He
did comment on how much it helped him that then-coach Derek Fisher let him play
through mistakes.
DB:
Well that might be the hardest thing to overcome, for example if you make a
turnover and then you get subbed out. But still you can see how hard and has
been working and how much he has improved since his final season in Spain (2014-15).
And
do you yourself feel pressure this year coming in as a rookie?
DB: No, not at all. Really I’m just happy to be here. And if I
don’t get many minutes on the court I will just try to learn. And get better. Hopefully
next year I will get a bigger role but I will take whatever Coach Pop gives
me. One of the best things on this team
is that everybody accepts their role and no one is getting frustrated with the
minutes they get.
How
do you think it will be for Kris and Willy Hernangomez being reunited again
after playing together two years ago?
DB: I think when Willy gets more comfortable and
gets more playing time they will be a really great duo. And of course they have
great chemistry between them and all that size. When Willy gets more experience
in the NBA he’s going to be a great force.
What’s
the biggest adjustment you have found yourself making so far this season?
DB: Probably the biggest adjustment is being on
the bench so much and just waiting for the opportunities. But I’ve been in that
situation before, like when I was 18 and moving to Slovenia and I knew that you
just have to go step by step to get a more important role on the team so I know
what it’s like when you just have to start all over again.
When
you went to Union Olimpija and then to Partizan, was it that you were on their
radar, or that you and your agent sought that out for you? How did that come about?
DB: At that time Olimpija was known as a good
place for young players and young players could usually get some minutes
there. And they were a Euroleague team
back then and also playing in the Adriatic League. And getting to play in
Euroleague back then at age 18 and 19 was a big deal.
Knowing
that other players who were successful but in the beginning had to be patient for
their opportunities, does that help you?
DB: Well definitely that helps but I think it
helps more that I’m on a really great team and the team’s goal isn’t to make
the playoffs, it is to win the championship. On a winning team you’re always
happy, whether you get minutes or not.
Well
the Spurs have had some historic games here in the Miami Heat arena. I was at the Game 6 when it looked like the
Spurs could start celebrating a championship and they Ray Allen stepped back to
take that three-pointer and…
DB:
No… don’t say it!
Today
Sean Elliott does the radio broadcast of Spurs games, but as a longtime player
himself Elliott was part of the 1998-99 team that won the first of five NBA
Championships, and had his own jersey retired by the team. This is what Elliott had to say about
Bertans.
“He
has a tremendous upside. The coaches are
really high on him. The sky’s the limit for him. He’s got great size, he’s got
a good basketball IQ, he’s a little more athletic than I thought he was and
actually he’s been a surprise athletically to a lot of people. We all knew he
could shoot the ball and he’s only going to become a better shooter with more
confidence. His ability to get into the
game and make his shots immediately is remarkable. That is hard for guys coming over here to San
Antonio because so many times players come here and they want so badly to be a
part of it that they will forget who they are as players and they will end up
passing the ball instead of taking the shot. Pop wants him out there to score;
that’s what we brought him here for. Manu and Kahwi are doing a lot to pass
along the culture of the Spurs to him, showing him and the other young players how
to be a professional on and off the court. Davis is an intelligent young man
and I have no doubt he is going to be in a Spurs uniform for a long time.”
HOLDING COURT WITH …
caught up with Bertans again just before the All Star break. Here is what he had to say with half a season
under his belt.
The more time that
passes the more I am getting used to being here and learning the system.
We
talked before about your great shooting percentage and how when you take the
shot you have total certainty that it’s going in.
I had Coach (Dusko)
Vujosevic at Partizan who used to tell me “If you miss a shot you just forget
about it right away and you focus on the next one and that one is going in. So
that’s what I have been doing.
I’ve always had
confidence in my shooting but with more playing time I am feeling more
comfortable being out on the court and being more aggressive both offensively
and defensively. That comes with more games and more minutes on the court.
Bertans’ inaugural NBA
season includes a 21-point performance to lead the Spurs to victory over
Charlotte back in January.
HOLDING COURT WITH …
caught up with Bertans again just before the All Star break. Here is what he had to say with half a season
under his belt.
The more time that
passes the more I am getting used to being here and learning the system.
We
talked before about your great shooting percentage and how when you take the
shot you have total certainty that it’s going in.
I had Coach (Dusko)
Vujosevic at Partizan who used to tell me “If you miss a shot you just forget
about it right away and you focus on the next one and that one is going in. So
that’s what I have been doing.
I’ve always had
confidence in my shooting but with more playing time I am feeling more
comfortable being out on the court and being more aggressive both offensively
and defensively. That comes with more games and more minutes on the court.
Bertans’ inaugural NBA
season includes a 21-point performance to lead the Spurs to victory over
Charlotte back in January.
