Interview by Dariusz Ejkiewicz of LowGravity.pl
FC Bayern München started the season in both Beko BBL and Euroleague strong by winning 3 of 4 games in Euroleague and 7 first games in Bundesliga. One of the main reasons for that has been the steady and strong play of Malcolm Delaney. Just before the home game against WALTER Tigers Tübingen he had a moment to answer some of the questions about both campaigns so far. We also had the possibility to talk about some of his more personal matters. We encourage all of the fans to ask their additional questions in comments below the post.
Your website has been online for about a week. What was the reaction to it so far? Were the fans happy about it and what was the response?
It has been great so far. Everyone has been congratulating me about this decision. I wanted to have a website where I could post my personal thoughts for a long time now. My friends told me that it was a good idea for my career going forward. For friends this is also a much easier way to keep track with me since many of them don’t use any social networks. Now they can get all the crucial information by just visiting one source, it’s convenient. Some of my teammates also checked out the website.
Bayern Munchen started the season with a great 7-0 winning streak. What was the reason for such a good start if you could point it out.
I think that we’ve came together at the right moment. As you know we didn’t have a great preseason, we dropped a few games but we’ve worked hard in practices in cover our mistakes.
We are a very talented team and we can win a lot of games just based on that factor. We can hopefully keep this pace going through the middle of the season. People can already see how good this team can get and how much we can accomplish. We have the championship in our sights for this season.
After the 7-0 streak your first loss in Bundesliga has been against Alba Berlin. What went differently for your team in this particular game that didn’t land you with the 8th win of the season?
We had a good first half. But they came out strong and hungry for the second half and played a lot better. They had a great gameplan and played aggressive, I think this might’ve been the best game they’ve played so far this year.
For us it’s crucial to come out strong after a tough Euroleague schedule and then win in Beko BBL. We play games on Friday and then Saturday/Sunday so we need to stay fresh and play hard. We have a lot of tough games ahead, we just have to remember about this loss but not dwell on it. It was a dissapointing loss but we need to have these games remembered and behind us in order to become the best team we can be.
Your last game was on the road in Berlin. Was this your first visit to the German capitol? Did you had a chance to do any sightseeing?
It was my first trip to Berlin but we didn’t have time for any of that. We had to travel to Berlin, practice and then play at 3 o’clock. Only pictures of sights are ones I took from the bus window.
In one of your Instagram pictures you mentioned that Coach and point guard have to see eye to eye for a team to work. Do you think that this relationship is most crucial in winning games?
Definitely. I need to be his voice on the court you know. I have the biggest responsibility out there being the point guard. I need to do exactly what the coach wants us to play. On top of that I can also see some things on the court that he can’t so I have to take advantage of that. I am always ready for the challenge, that’s also why I wanted to play point guard for FC Bayern.
How do you see the Euroleague competition so far? Your team has 3 wins and just one loss. What will be crucial to get to the top 16 of Euroleague this season?
We need to keep playing like we are playing so far. We were playing tough against the two time Euroleague Champion in recent years, Olympiacos Piraeus. We had a chance to win that one but we lost focus in the final minutes. With that said we were just a few minutes from being 4-0 in Euroleague that says exactly how good we are. I think that if we play hard and most of all good on the defensive end along with doing what coach wants from us we can definitely get to the top 16 this year.
You’ve played 2 games on the road against Olympiacos in Greece and Zielona Góra in Poland. What can you say about both of those places?
We don’t really have time for anything when we are on the road, coach keeps us busy. But when it comes to the fans and arenas, Piraeus was supposed to be one of the toughest crowds out there. I don’t think they were too crazy. In Poland fans were not hostile at all, they were actually welcoming and nice, the arena was packed. I have to say that I really enjoy playing on the road. My job allows me to travel and see a lot of different places in the world along with playing basketball, it’s definitely a blessing.
You had a few 20 point games already this season in Euroleague and Bundesliga. What is crucial for a player like you to stay on fire while also leading the team on offense being the point guard?
I’m just playing my game. I’m a natural scorer but also a good point guard. I just need to balance things out and lead my team, which I think I’ve been doing good so far this season.
One of the crucial facts about our team is that coach allows me to be who I am, not trying to change my game. I think we definitely benefit from that. I try to stay aggressive, get to the rim and then to the foul line for easy points. I’m not doing nothing new though, both in Euroleague and Bundesliga that is the type of the game that I play.
Which game do you think will be most crucial in the upcoming weeks in Euroleague and Bundesliga. Are you preparing yourself specially for any of those upcoming games?
No special games right now. I think every game is important, I can’t honestly say I’m looking for one particular game than the game at hand. For me this next game against WALTER Tigers Tübingen is most important.
Aside from Basketball and practices, what are your spare time activities while you are in Germany. Do you play video games, chill, watch movies?
Most of the time I’m just chilling. We have two practices a day so we don’t have much time. Most of the time I’m just resting my body. We have huge games on Friday’s and Saturday’s.
I also play video games like right now mostly Grand Theft Auto V, I just started my online play. I try to watch all the shows (Homeland, Sons of Anarchy, Scandal, The Walking Dead) as they make the days run faster. I also try to check new restaurants (if fans have any suggestions, let me know!).
In one of the Instagram posts you mentioned it wasn’t hard getting these (Jordan 5 Laney). How crazy is the shoe game in the US right now?
Well it’s definitely crazy. I’m big on sneakers and I got many shoes. For a normal person who doesn’t have a lot of money I feel they could do anything to get shoes. Honestly I feel like it’s an overhype at this point because everyone wants to be a sneakerhead. I’ve been walking in Jordan’s since I was 5 years old and getting these shoes while being a professional basketball player is definitely easier. Especially when you consider Europe vs. US.
Do you consider yourself being a sneaker head? How many pairs of shoes you use during the season?
I don’t consider myself as a sneakerhead, I don’t treat shoes like they do. This year we need to wear Adidas as the team. I usually don’t wear shoes more than two games in a row but it depends. I would say every 3-4 games I change my shoes. Right now I have like 6 pairs in rotation that I wear to the games and that’s it.
For all of the fans out there we have a special surprise. One of the pairs from Malcolm’s current rotation will be a part of the next giveaway/contest. We will inform all of you how to win an authentic autographed pair of his shoes!
