Edgar Lopez
10-31-2006, 03:53 AM
Froom hoopshype.com
One-on-One with Eduardo Najera
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By Travis Heath
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Oct 30, 2006, 16:55
Being an NBA player has it benefits, but it also comes with a great deal of pressure. Now imagine for a second if you were not only an NBA player but also a player who was representing your home country all by yourself each and every time you took the floor. Welcome to the world of Eduardo Najera. Some might crack under such intense pressure. Najera just embraces it because he understands all that comes with playing for a cause greater than himself.
BNS's Travis Heath went one-on-one with Najera recently to discuss his return to his home country of Mexico, Denver's new up-tempo offense, and a whole lot more.
Standing here with Eduardo Najera, future president of Mexico. Nah, I'm just playin', but Joe Smith and some other guys told me that you're as popular as anyone in Mexico. How great was it to go back and play in your home country.Well, it was a great experience. I had a lot of fun. Actually, I think I had a little bit too much fun! I didn't concentrate on the game. At the end of the day, we put on a show. It was a pretty good game. We lost the game. We wish we would have won it, but it was great experience not only for myself but for the whole team.
Do you see yourself playing any role in Mexico -- I know president might be a little bit of a stretch -- once your career is done?
I don't know. I know I've got options once I'm done. I know I could go back and do something in my country, but I've still got my family to think about here (in the U.S.). It will be a tough decision. Some days I feel like yes I would like to go back, and other days I feel like I want to stick around over here.
Moving on to this Nuggets team now coming into this year. What did you think of this team in the preseason?
Well, we haven't even run a play. We haven't run any plays. We're just running, we're having fun, we're just playing basketball. I think that's helping this team a lot. The more we run, I think the easier it is for us to score. Defensively, we've shown that we can be really good, but then we have some bad habits where we don't really play every possession or we let someone grab the rebound and waste a good effort. So there are little things that we need to clean-up, and if we do that I think we will be a complete team and we will be a very exciting team to watch.
I'm struck by the fact that you said we haven't even run a play. I mean is that how the offense is designed, and is that how you think the offense is going to be run in the regular season?
We're supposed to. We have more like transition plays. It's not really a play that you call, you just kind of go to it. (Right now) we don't necessarily go to it. We're just playing basketball. Actually, today at shoot-around we finally put a couple of plays in, but it was only two or three. We're not really going to try and run them. We're just going to stick with the transition offense and try and create plays and get shots off of that.
As a player, do you like that more?
Oh yeah, definitely! You've got a lot more freedom.
Tell me about all the bigs on the roster. I know you've probably gotten that question like a thousand times, but is that a good thing for this team?
It is. Last year, we had a really tough experience. We had a lot of bigs getting hurt . . . and everyone was hurt at one point. I think that's the reason we've got so many right now.
Thanks, man.
Anytime, T. Nice shirt by the way.
I got it from your closet, dude.
No, it really is a nice shirt, but you went a little too far with the pants.
Thanks, Eddie. I'll keep that in mind.
So there you have it. Not only is Najera the future president of Mexico, but he is now apparently a fashion critic as well. In all seriousness, there is not a guy in the Nuggets' locker room who is more liked by his teammates than the man they call "Eddie, and the entire organization embraced the trip the team took to Mexico earlier this preseason.
When Najera is healthy -- which he wasn't for the majority of last season -- he's an extremely valuable asset coming off the bench. His energy and passion coming off the pine was a big part of the reason the Nuggets finished the 2004-05 season 32-8. The only question this season is how prominently he will figure in the Nuggets plans with so many big men on the roster.
One-on-One with Eduardo Najera
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Travis Heath
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Oct 30, 2006, 16:55
Being an NBA player has it benefits, but it also comes with a great deal of pressure. Now imagine for a second if you were not only an NBA player but also a player who was representing your home country all by yourself each and every time you took the floor. Welcome to the world of Eduardo Najera. Some might crack under such intense pressure. Najera just embraces it because he understands all that comes with playing for a cause greater than himself.
BNS's Travis Heath went one-on-one with Najera recently to discuss his return to his home country of Mexico, Denver's new up-tempo offense, and a whole lot more.
Standing here with Eduardo Najera, future president of Mexico. Nah, I'm just playin', but Joe Smith and some other guys told me that you're as popular as anyone in Mexico. How great was it to go back and play in your home country.Well, it was a great experience. I had a lot of fun. Actually, I think I had a little bit too much fun! I didn't concentrate on the game. At the end of the day, we put on a show. It was a pretty good game. We lost the game. We wish we would have won it, but it was great experience not only for myself but for the whole team.
Do you see yourself playing any role in Mexico -- I know president might be a little bit of a stretch -- once your career is done?
I don't know. I know I've got options once I'm done. I know I could go back and do something in my country, but I've still got my family to think about here (in the U.S.). It will be a tough decision. Some days I feel like yes I would like to go back, and other days I feel like I want to stick around over here.
Moving on to this Nuggets team now coming into this year. What did you think of this team in the preseason?
Well, we haven't even run a play. We haven't run any plays. We're just running, we're having fun, we're just playing basketball. I think that's helping this team a lot. The more we run, I think the easier it is for us to score. Defensively, we've shown that we can be really good, but then we have some bad habits where we don't really play every possession or we let someone grab the rebound and waste a good effort. So there are little things that we need to clean-up, and if we do that I think we will be a complete team and we will be a very exciting team to watch.
I'm struck by the fact that you said we haven't even run a play. I mean is that how the offense is designed, and is that how you think the offense is going to be run in the regular season?
We're supposed to. We have more like transition plays. It's not really a play that you call, you just kind of go to it. (Right now) we don't necessarily go to it. We're just playing basketball. Actually, today at shoot-around we finally put a couple of plays in, but it was only two or three. We're not really going to try and run them. We're just going to stick with the transition offense and try and create plays and get shots off of that.
As a player, do you like that more?
Oh yeah, definitely! You've got a lot more freedom.
Tell me about all the bigs on the roster. I know you've probably gotten that question like a thousand times, but is that a good thing for this team?
It is. Last year, we had a really tough experience. We had a lot of bigs getting hurt . . . and everyone was hurt at one point. I think that's the reason we've got so many right now.
Thanks, man.
Anytime, T. Nice shirt by the way.
I got it from your closet, dude.
No, it really is a nice shirt, but you went a little too far with the pants.
Thanks, Eddie. I'll keep that in mind.
So there you have it. Not only is Najera the future president of Mexico, but he is now apparently a fashion critic as well. In all seriousness, there is not a guy in the Nuggets' locker room who is more liked by his teammates than the man they call "Eddie, and the entire organization embraced the trip the team took to Mexico earlier this preseason.
When Najera is healthy -- which he wasn't for the majority of last season -- he's an extremely valuable asset coming off the bench. His energy and passion coming off the pine was a big part of the reason the Nuggets finished the 2004-05 season 32-8. The only question this season is how prominently he will figure in the Nuggets plans with so many big men on the roster.