FanPost

Non-Computer Generated Translation of Claver Interview

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Translated from here.

Victor Claver: "Another Year Like This Would be Very Hard for Me"

The Spanish player for the Portland Trail Blazers, Victor Claver, told Efe, (ed: EFE is essentially the Spanish Associated Press or Reuters), that he believes the team will do well in the playoffs, although he showed some disappointment in the uncertain future he has with the Oregon franchise.

"For next year, I don’t want to repeat this situation," admitted the Valenciano (ed: person from Valencia). "To be inactive, then active but not knowing when you’re going to play… It’s true that I’m on a good team and that always helps, but I have to be a little more demanding and look for the opportunity to play. I don’t know if that will be here- because I don’t know what changes will happen in the summer- or for another team, but another year like this would be very hard for me," he added.

Claver played just 37 seconds in tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He has appeared in 18 games this season, averaging 1.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in his limited appearances. In spite of this, he took advantage of some injuries on the team during March to take a step forward.

"I’ve been a little erratic just because I don’t know if I’m going to go and play every day," he recalled. "But I’ve demonstrated that I’m ready to play and I’ve been able to help out the team when they’ve needed me. I needed to play and feel better on the floor. I can practice a lot, and very hard, every day, but we all want to play and show what we can do. At least I’ve had some opportunities," he added.

Portland is in 5th place in the West and Claver believes that the team could go far. "The situation became a bit more complex during March with the two long road trips that we had. Now we’ve got a healthy LaMarcus Aldridge, who gives us balance. When we’re focused and committed, running the sets and game plans we’ve prepared, the team plays very well. We’ve won against almost all the teams above us. We’ll probably see if, in a long series, we can endure without home court advantage," he said.

Finally, he affirmed that the World Cup in Spain is something that all the players have in mind in spite of the time remaining.

"We all want to be there. It’s great to play at home and we want to be able to play there," he stated.