Isaiah Canaan talks payback chance vs. Monaco, future with Olympiacos, teams' spying tactics / News - Basketnews.com

Isaiah Canaan discusses with BasketNews a dismal record against AS Monaco and his first EuroLeague Final Four that also includes his season-last games. The veteran guard sends a message to John Brown and weighs in on the live broadcast of timeouts.

Credit: IMAGO/ANE Edition Credit IMAGO/ANE Edition

"Here's something you probably never thought about. Your teams have played AS Monaco six times over the course of three seasons. How many games have they won?" I asked Isaiah Canaan during Olympiacos Piraeus' pre-Final Four media day.

The Biloxi-born guard smirked and tried to think.

"They definitely got a better record. I think I might only beat them one time."

"When was that?" I insisted.

"I think last year with UNICS, at home. Maybe," he hesitantly replied.

"No, it's six losses in six games," I reiterated.

Canaan started to look a bit surprised. "I haven't beaten them at all?" he wondered. "Wow! I knew my record against them was ugly, for sure. But it is what it is," he said and burst into laughter.

"I mean, I never really thought about it," Canaan admitted the obvious. "But I also knew I haven't beaten them as much since I've been over here. Every chance I get to go against them, I definitely try to change the narrative."

That's what Olympiacos are hoping to do as well, given their 0-2 regular season record against Monaco. But Canaan's history with the Final Four rookie team goes back to April 2021 when his UNICS Kazan squad took on the ambitious side from the Principality in the EuroCup finals.

Monaco, guided by Zvezdan Mitrovic who's now coaching Canaan's ex-team Galatasaray, swept the double-header and lifted their maiden European trophy, three years after losing the BCL title to AEK in Athens. Canaan got well-acquainted with Monaco at Kazan and also this season at Olympiacos.

Two years have gone by, and now the former NBA shooting guard is facing the same opponent with a different team and in another competition. To a large extent, his role with Olympiacos is different than what he was used to while playing in Russia, but Monaco are also a different team than the one that ended up winning the EuroCup in 2021.

"Just to go back, they're in EuroLeague only because they beat us," Canaan poignantly remarked. "As times changed, their team has changed. I'm on a different team now, but I'm happy for them and that they were able to get to the EuroLeague and now the Final Four."

As a matter of fact, Canaan has the chance to compete against his nemesis and win a EuroLeague trophy in Europe's top club event.

"I'm really looking forward to it, and it's going to be a good game," he added.

The American guard finds it hard to explain how Monaco have gotten the best of his teams, Olympiacos included. He admits that getting payback for his 0-6 record against them wouldn't be a bad idea but the whole Final Four concept is more important to him.

Canaan, 31, has played at almost any level and in every competition, starting from the NBA and then moving overseas to China and Europe. Hence, it does seem a bit odd that he and Tarik Black are the only players on Olympiacos' roster who have a lot of NBA experience but have never been to a EuroLeague Final Four.

Referring to his expectations, Canaan assured that it's going to be "amazing."

"Everybody's going to be there and all eyes are going to be on us," he argued.

"I've been playing this game for 10 years and I've been to a lot of high-level games in the NBA and playoffs in Europe. But I've never been to the Final Four, even though I was always watching it since I came to Europe.

So, I'm looking forward to the experience and the excitement that it brings. I wouldn't have it any other way than take my first battle with these guys."

Among "these guys" stand Kostas Sloukas and Kostas Papanikolaou, two players whose accumulated track amounts to a total of 15 Final Four appearances. Coach Giorgos Bartzokas, who will record his fourth participation in the event, said before the team's departure for Kaunas that players should focus less on their families or the media and more on the games.

"We just have to stay focused," Canaan maintains. "What we can't control is what the media or fans say. We just have to block that out and focus on the task at hand."

The 2021 EuroCup finalist said there's a lot of excitement behind the game against Monaco but Olympiacos should try to do the things they've been doing all season long.

"As long as we do that, we'll be fine. It's about worrying about things we can control -- go out and play that game, giving everything we've got," Canaan stressed.

Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

The strategy has paid dividends so far, with Olympiacos winning 27 of their 39 contests throughout the season. However, the Reds were seriously tested in the playoff series against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul. If it hadn't been for Kostas Sloukas' 3-point buzzer-beater in Game 3, Turkey would probably have had Final Four representation for the 8th straight season.

Canaan shined bright in Game 1, where his string of five 3-point shots in only one quarter proved enough to overcome the Turkish resistance.

"I was telling everybody in the locker room, 'We need to finish them.' Give Fenerbahce credit, they played well all season long," he acknowledged.

"We made sure we try to give them no confidence because they're a good team. They were the No.1 seed for at least 3-4 weeks. They got a lot of great players on their team, and a great coach," he argued.

Canaan didn'twant his team to give away everything they had worked so hard for all season long -- especially not on their home court.

"We had protected it throughout the season and we did that in Game 5 on both ends," he commented.

That was the third time Olympiacos needed the tie-breaker to make the Final Four after 2013, 2017, and 2022. For Canaan, that series carried a special significance. Not only because of him having been a Galatasaray player but also because Fenerbahce pursued him last summer.

"I have much respect for Fener. I don't have anything against them. It wasn't another extra, I just try to do anything for my team to win. It was crazy that I got a chance to start the playoffs against another team that was trying to sign me, but I feel like I made the best decision. I thought I'd fit in Olympiacos better," Canaan reflected.

Does he feel vindicated for his choice to sign with the Greek side?

"I came here to win a championship. That was my biggest motivation. It took me time this season to adjust to the playing style, my teammates, and my coaches. But I'm glad that I'm here.

It's a family. Everybody on this team looks out for each other and wants the best for each other. I want to be in a situation where I'm valued, I can go out there, compete and win at the highest level. Win or lose, the whole season has been a learning experience for me. As long as we're winning and I'm playing, I'm happy."

And what happens if the second condition (playing) Canaan mentioned isn't met at all? The veteran guard has signed a 1+1 deal with Olympiacos, set to expire next June. However, regardless of what he's done so far in the season, the club has a team option and can unilaterally decide on the future of the partnership with the player.

Given the fact that Canaan has been left out of Olympiacos' Greek league roster, the Final Four games will definitely be his season-last. They might also end up being his last overall with the Reds.

It's a point in time when Rick Pitino's famous "one-day contract" theory becomes relevant. Pitino would tell his players that he wanted them to play as if they were on a one-day deal. "You have one day to perform. And at the end of the night, I want you to look in the mirror and decide whether you get another contract," he used to say.

Canaan describes a bittersweet feeling where he's got two more games left and then he'll be able to go back home to his family and relax a little bit.

"But at the same time, I'm going to give everything I've got in these last two games," he promised. "I will continue to support my team in the domestic league as well and push these guys at practice. Just because I won't have any more games doesn't mean I will stop my job."

Still, his future with the team largely depends on how he'll perform in the Final Four. Over 37 EuroLeague games with Olympiacos, Canaan has been averaging 16 minutes, 5.9 points on 36.8% field-goal shooting, 1.0 rebound, and 2.9 in PIR. Despite scoring 18 points in Game 1 vs. Fener and his defensive efforts throughout the entire series, that's still a far cry from his 11.8 points on 41% 3-point shooting and 6.9 in PIR last year with UNICS.

Canaan holds that his contract extension -- or the lack of it-- isn't one of his concerns for the time being.

"No, I don't worry about that," he replied. "It's something that I don't control. I only control what I do on the court and that's all where my focus is. I let everything else take care of itself."

On the brighter side of things, there's another reason Canaan can't wait for the Final Four. In a recent BasketNews discussion with John Brown, the AS Monaco big man revealed that several former UNICS Kazan players keep in touch through a group chat.

Credit Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Canaan already knows what he's going to text his ex-teammate before the two meet each other on the Zalgirio Arena court.

"I'd tell him my hope he won't get on those switches against me," Olympiacos' player laughed.

"Like I always do. You know, he's a great defensive player and he knows what I bring to the game. We were teammates but we're still great friends and brothers. We speak almost every day. We both have busy schedules, but we definitely talk on and off the group chat."

Canaan said their former UNICS teammates ask questions about the EuroLeague and they get asked about what's happening in Russia and the VTB League, which UNICS ended up winning this year.

Canaan reflected on how things could have turned out for him and his friends in Russia if the country's teams had somehow managed to finish their European campaigns.

"The Final Four is something that we wanted to experience together last season, but with the war and everything that happened, we didn't make it. Still, somehow, someway we made it to the Final Four with different teams."

Mario Hezonja falls under the same category, as the Croatian forward is preparing for his second career Final Four and first with Real Madrid.

"I'm looking forward to seeing him," Canaan admitted. "I hope we stay healthy. That's another brother of mine. We shared our battles on the same team last year. Playing against those guys in the Final Four will definitely be fun."

During the recent BCL Final Four and their semifinal game against Unicaja Malaga, the coaching staff of Telekom Baskets Bonnwas noticed using what was described as underhanded tactics.

When both teams headed to their respective benches for the timeouts, one of the Bonn assistant coaches looked and listened to what Unicaja's head coachIbon Navarroinstructed his players to do. It was noticed by one of the fans in attendance and quickly gained social media traction.

Unicaja's Kendrick Perry called it "underhanded tricks and tactics", while Tenerife's coach Txus Vidorreta went even further.

"I found what Bonn did to be regrettable. It was a gruesome image," Vidorreta said after winning third place, via Malaga Hoy.

The day after the game, Bonn's head coachTuomas Iisalo, who was earlier named BCL Coach of the Year, was asked about it in the pre-game press conference and explained that his team is usinglive tagging during the games.

"When you look at NBA games, they have iPads for the players on the bench when they come in, so they get a mental image of what's going on over there. We don't see any reason why our assistant coach should close his eyes during the timeouts if this is what the media and the competition want," he explained.

"In the NBA, they have found a solution for this. They don't show the timeouts, they don't show the tactical things, they show the timeouts with a delay later on, which obviously removes this entire issue," the specialist told the media.

As a six-year NBA veteran (238 games), Canaan knows how things work on both sides of the ocean.

"I didn't see that," he said referring to the incident in Malaga.

"In the NBA, they have iPads and show plays for everybody. If I was coming out of the game and they wanted me to see an adjustment, they would have it on their iPads," he described.

"It's a way they don't have to wait until half-time to talk about it. You can see it live. I come on the sideline, you want me to do this and I'll go right back in. In Europe, they don't really use them, but they do that in the NBA."

Canaan argued that teams 'spy' all the time, whenever and wherever possible.

"Every time we're on the road and practice in somebody else's gym, there are cameras and I'm sure there are people watching us practice. So, what's the difference?" he wondered.

One live broadcast that Canaan did get to enjoy and be a part of was Olympiacos' game against Fenerbahce Game 5. It was the first EuroLeague outing the ESPN platform streamed live in the States.

"It's good because it will be easier for a lot of my friends who want to watch the games," Canaan commented.

"I'm glad that ESPN worked it out with EuroLeague and gave everybody a chance to be seen in the United States or by NBA teams. That was a great game to broadcast, for sure."

Four more games left for ESPN to broadcast, and two more games for Canaan to play. All that both sides can hope for is to leave viewers and fans with something to remember when the season is over.

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