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Clint Capela - interview Aargauer Zeitung
An interview from a Swiss newspaper in German language:
https://www.aargauerzeitung.ch/sport/basketball-schweizer-nba-star-clint-capela-ich-erhalte-staendig-morddrohungen-ld.2170716
Aargauer Zeitung - 05.08.2021
BASKETBALL
Swiss NBA star Clint Capela: "I keep receiving death threats"
The Geneva basketball player Clint Capela holds his basketball camp in Zurich - in a big interview he talks about the downsides of being a professional. And he promises: "Soon we will win the title with Atlanta, then you will all know me."
Interview: Nicola Berger, Zurich
It is Wednesday afternoon in a school gymnasium in Oerlikon (= northern district of Zurich), young people are dribbling in the "Capela Camp", which was held for the first time, music by rapper Lil Uzi is booming from the speakers, and Clint Capela speaks into a journalist's camera. He was asked to explain briefly who he actually was, so he said, "I'm Clint Capela, I'm 27, I was in the NBA semifinals with the Atlanta Hawks. Soon we will get the title, and then you will all know me."
There is something remarkable about the last sentence - Capela is the best-earning Swiss team athlete in history, and he will be paid 18.6 million dollars for the 2021/22 season, which begins in October. He has just played what is probably the best season of his career, he was the rebound king of the NBA.
He is since a while a star in Atlanta. But in German-speaking Switzerland, the man from Geneva is only marginally noticed, which is also due to the local lack of interest for basketball. On the fringes of his visit to Zurich, Capela also spoke to CH Media about the dark side of his job.
_ _ _
Did the Atlanta trade in January 2020 shock you?
Clint Capela: I wouldn't say that. There has been speculation about this in the media for a while. It was hard to leave Houston, I had good friends there. But we weren't successful enough, so it was clear that something would have to change. Fortunately, I ended up in Atlanta.
With the Hawks, you've exceeded all expectations this season. Hardly anyone believed this team would make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
That's correct. But we did, I mean: You need to believe in it, right? After the coaching change in March, we really turned it up. We have a young team, that was just the beginning.
The NBA season has been overshadowed by a number of injuries. After the forced break caused by the pandemic, were there simply too many games in too few days?
There were definitely too many games. We didn't have enough preparation time, so the injuries were no wonder. I wasn't fit either. In the playoffs I played with an injured Achilles tendon. When I got up in the morning, I could barely walk. But what can you do about it, with fewer games there would have been less money. That was also out of the question.
Speaking of money, you signed a $ 90 million five-year contract in 2018. Has the money changed you?
Of course it changes you. For better or for worse. I don't think it changed me for the worse. Money opens up opportunities, you can have fun in life. I enjoy that.
In Houston, your team-mate at the time, PJ Tucker, is said to have made fun of the fact that you "only" drive Rolls-Royce ...
That's correct. Because of him, I bought a Lamborghini. What can I say, they are just beautiful cars. And it's cool that I can afford it. But it should not be forgotten that there is also another side. It's not all just sunshine, although people may believe it.
Is it true that your car was demolished by angry fans in Houston after a playoff defeat?
Yes, it was like that. People are emotional. They bet on the games, more money than they can actually afford. And then they lose. I keep getting death threats.
I'm sorry, what?
Really often. On Twitter, on Instagram, everywhere. But I've learned to deal with it. In a way, it’s just part of this job, that's how the world is today. I ignore it.
How did you manage to be clarified like that?
You know, I left home when I was 14 and went to France so I could become a professional basketball player. I had to learn early on to think and live independently. That toughened me up. That helps me today.
A dominant theme in the NBA over the past twelve months has been the Black Lives Matter protests. The league and especially its players have done a lot to raise awareness of social injustice. Has it achieved anything, do you see any progress?
If you can sensitize people to an important topic, that always brings something. And yes, things are changing. Too slowly, but they are changing.
Thabo Sefolosha, your teammate in Houston in 2020, was once a victim of police violence in New York ...
Yeah and guess what? When we were playing with the Rockets in New York, Thabo and I saw the policeman who broke his leg. It was so weird. Thabo recognized him immediately, but we both could hardly believe it. The US can be a dangerous place to be, even today. Fortunately, I've never had to experience that myself and try to protect myself as much as possible by leading a quiet life. I am happy when I can watch a movie with my girlfriend at home.
You rarely stay in Switzerland. Why are you holding your camp in Zurich for the first time this summer?
Basketball lacks popularity in German-speaking Switzerland. My aim is to encourage children and young people to practice this wonderful sport - regardless of the level. I think wins help: if I were to become an NBA champion, it would help make the sport better known in Switzerland. For me that is a motivation. And I'll play for the national team again, if the game plan allows it.
Will there be another Swiss NBA professional after you?
I really hope so. If not, it will happen with my children at the latest.
What individual goals do you have besides winning the title?
That I can make it to the All-Star-Team. It will be soon. In my center position, I see myself in the NBA top 5. No, let's say top 4.
Clint Capela - short interview from Switzerland
NBA: CLINT CAPELA DISCUSSES HIS SEASON
29.07.2021, 15:39
Clint Capela recharges his batteries in Switzerland before starting a new season
Best rebounder of the last NBA season, Clint Capela is back in Switzerland. In Meyrin, the interior of the Atlanta Hawks offers its second youth camp and adds a first edition in Zurich.
Switzerland's most famous blonde lock is at home in Meyrin. Harassed by a marathon regular season of 72 matches picked up over five months, then three play-off rounds and a loss in six matches against the future champion Milwaukee, Clint Capela admits having ended the season (July 3) with a limp.
"I was hurt in the hand and in the heel", he explains. "I'm injured, but I'm fine. Nonetheless, I will have to go to Los Angeles to do some rehabilitation for my hand. " This passage in Switzerland therefore reads like a parenthesis of ten days. After Meyrin, the highest paid Swiss sportsman will go to Zurich for a German version of his camp. "No no, it will be in English," he laughs when asked if he will speak to young people in Swiss-German dialect.
To the participants of his camp, Clint Capela hopes to send them a message: "It's my mission, they must understand that everything is possible, but that it will not be easy. It’s possible to learn a lot and I would like to see some will break into LNA (=Swiss first division) or higher in the future. I would transmit to them this mentality - while not forgetting to have fun. "
It is legitimate for young people to watch a Capela at the top of his game with stars in their eyes. Recovered from a foot sole injury contracted while still playing with the Houston Rockets in early 2020, the 27-year-old Genevan had to whip to become essential with his new team, win the title of best rebounder in the League and make it to the Conference final.
"It was a pretty incredible season because of the covid, he analyzes. A real challenge from December to July. It did not start as we wanted. But after the break and the arrival of Nate McMillan as a coach, it woke everyone up a bit. We gained confidence and I gained responsibilities. We remained united despite the injuries that inevitably occurred. "
The beautiful story of the Hawks was interrupted in the play-off by that of the Milwaukee Bucks and its Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo. "Amply deserved", according the Genevan speaking of the title of the franchise of Wisconsin and the "Greek Freak". "He has always worked very hard."
In order to be ready for the preparation for the coming season at the end of September, Clint Capela will not exaggerate, while continuing to follow a preparation allowing him to respond to an insane schedule: " With increasing age, is necessary to be increasingly careful. I know I still have a big athletic margin. I can become more dominant and I can lose fat. Of course I want to defend my title of best rebounder and participate in the All-Star Game. "
While Clint Capela takes care of the youngsters at his camp, the Swiss team are preparing the European pre-qualifiers for the 2023 World Championship which will take place in August in Skopje. And even if he will not be present with his compatriots, Clint Capela will be the first supporter as he had been when Switzerland beat Serbia. "I want to play with Switzerland again, he concludes. If the schedule allows."
Clint Capela - Article-interview, before RSeason 2020-21
Basketball - Clint Capela opens new chapter in Atlanta
Published Dec 16, 2020
Traded to Atlanta by Houston in early February, Clint Capela has yet to play any official game with the Hawks. Fully recovered from an arch injury, the Genevan is ready to open a new chapter in Georgia from the start of the NBA season on December 22. "I work to be dominant for a long time," he says.
Almost everyone agrees that the year 2020 should be tucked away at the bottom of a drawer. Clint Capela is one of those who will not remember these twelve months. Injured in January before a move in February and the onset of the pandemic, the interior is eagerly awaiting the three strikes on December 23 against Chicago. "I want to be on a winning team," says the one who averaged 13.9 points and averaged 13.8 rebounds last season in Texas.
The daily life of NBA players remains however impregnated by the Covid. After the success of the "bubble" of Disney World and the title of the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA could not impose such a structure for the season of 72 matches (instead of 82) which is announced. This therefore means that the players must be absolutely careful not to be infected, as the Genevan explains: "For the moment, I have not caught the Covid. I am being very careful, but we do not We are never safe. We are tested every day. When we arrive at training, we are entitled to a sample in the nose and we have to wait 45 minutes in the car before the result. "
The arrival on the market of several vaccines could change the protocols, but this is not for now. "We are not among the priority people, specifies the center of the Hawks. The seniors and the nursing staff come well before us. If it is necessary to be vaccinated to continue to play, I would not mind. We will travel again. and we will have to limit all our contacts. There will be an inspector for each team and fines if we break the rules. "
And the rules are not necessarily very clear. "Can we just go out for a walk when we are in a city?" Asks the Genevan, for example. "This period is complicated, we cannot not live."
The impression of aging faster
Clint Capela is entering his seventh season in the NBA, the sixth as an important player in his club's workforce. But at 26, the Meyrinois realizes that his body is subjected to intense workloads. "You feel like you're aging faster, he admits. It's such an intense life! But I work to be dominant for a long time." Back from injury, Clint Capela is delighted to be able to speak on the pitch. The first two preseason matches showed him that his excitement was mounting as we approached the start of the 2020/21 fiscal year: "It's a marathon, not a sprint. You have to increase the intensity little by little to to be on top later in the season. I still have to improve the cardio, but in my Achilles heel, I feel a lot better and my body is readjusting. "
"Create chemistry"
In Atlanta, Capela finds himself in a formation in the making which revolves around a talented young fullback, Trae Young. What motivate the "veteran" of 26 years. "The team is young. More than in Houston. There is a lack of experience, but we work to create chemistry," he analyzes.
The Hawks have also been active in the transfer market, signing Danilo Gallinari, shooter Bogdan Bogdanovic and veteran point guard Rajon Rondo (34) who just won his second title with the Lakers.
"We will do everything to hang the play-off, but it will not be easy, says Capela. The system in Atlanta is different. There is John Collins who is also an interior, but who can move away and shoot three points. At the Rockets I was a bit on my own. "
Isolated for six months
Even in Atlanta, Clint Capela hasn't forgotten Houston. "This is my home, the city I love," he sums up in an interview with Keystone-ATS. There is an apartment and her friend still lives there now. "We see each other on weekends," he says.
In a "covid" world, you have to comply with many rules that are not always easy to understand. So Capela hasn't seen her family for over six months. Tough, even when you're paid several million dollars to play basketball. "They should come soon," he concluded. "But with the quarantines and the current situation, I don't know if it would be great to have to stay home. Honestly, now I just want to start this season."
Capela interview before game4 (from a French Basketball magazine)
Deni fit with Hawks
"My favorite landing spot for Avdija is Atlanta. The young Hawks desperately need a secondary playmaker alongside Trae Young – a special offensive player who had to carry far too much of the load for Atlanta last season. Avdija would give Young the opportunity to play more off the ball and use the threat of his deep shooting as a more dangerous weapon."
We Haven't Seen Anything Like Luka Since Lebron
Luka is playing lights out and can't even legally drink alcohol yet.
Prospect Brandon Clarke has private dinner with Coach Lloyd, GM Schlenk
Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports, "Brandon Clarke had a private dinner yesterday [May 30, 2019] with Lloyd Pierce and Travis Schlenk."
BleacherReport article
"Atlanta Hawks Star Prospects: John Collins; Trae Young Other Notable Players: Kevin Huerter; Omari Spellman Schedule the Hawks for entry into the next tier in T-minus, oh, by-the-start-of-next-season. John Collins is coming for stardom in an Eastern Conference begging for new members, pre-Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis joining the Knicks, of course. Defense remains a struggle when Collins is on the floor, which for now, drags down his would-be peak. As Jeff Siegel wrote for Peachtree Hoops: "For the moment, Collins plays power forward in part because he's not good enough defensively to play the most important defensive position on the floor, which puts some limits on what the Hawks can do from a team-building and lineup construction perspective. The Hawks do have two rotation-quality NBA centers in Dewayne Demon and Alex Len, which further explains why Collins operates at the power forward spot for the vast majority of his court time. With that said, Collins currently has to be paired with a defensive center who is capable of spacing the floor offensively and, in turn, that allows the second-year big man to be the main dive threat in pick-and-roll." Collins' holes present real problems for Atlanta's lineup structure. But they're not damning enough to harsh his offensive progress and activity on the glass. Assuming his numbers hold, he'll join Karl-Anthony Towns as the second player to clear 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one made three per 36 minutes before his age-22 season. View this in tandem with Trae Young's recent uptick, and the Hawks get real scary, real fast. The undersized point guard is a defensive pushover, but his finishing around the rim is better than advertised, he's a high-IQ table-setter, and the space he creates with his perimeter dribbles offsets his early shooting wrinkles. Besides which, Young is averaging 18.2 points and 8.1 assists while splashing in 38.2 percent of his triples over the past 30 games. Combined with the sweet-shooting Kevin Huerter, Atlanta is laying a gnarly offensive foundation that already needs to be reckoned with."
Collins' Upside
John Collins has conquered challenges as they have been given to him. His upside is better than I originally thought. If asked to do more, I think he has future small forward minutes in him like an Aaron Gordon.
