David, do you think it would help the Australian national team if more of players had at least a season or two in Europe to better equip them to perform during international tournaments? Craig - London, UK
"Yes, I think it would be good, because obviously now European basketball is a lot stronger, as you can see with Spain winning and Greece reaching the final of the World Championships. For Australian players to experience European basketball would be very beneficial to us."
Hi David, You are one of the strongest centers in Europe for your quality as a player in the best competition in the world, the Euroleague, and one of your qualities is your excellent shot. About this you became very dangerous at any distance, making you a player very hard to defend. Why do you never shoot three-pointers to be more dangerous and to open the area for the other faster players? Thanks again for the title of the Italian Championship with Siena and good luck with everything! Marco - Siena, Italy
"Sometimes I do shoot three-pointers. As I play more at power forward with CSKA, I get to step outside a bit more. When I play center, it's obviously good to be around the basket more, so it's hard to open up in that case. I am now trying to add longer shots to my game, however, so maybe in the future you'll see it happening more, as my confidence grows."
Hi David. How do you feel in terms of your injury? Do you expect to get back to the same level as before? What in your opinion about CSKA not reinforcing its roster so much? Juan Albuquerque Morena, Spain
"With respect to the injury, I did a lot of work in the offseason to put me in the right stance to come back and play as before, or even stronger. I'm now starting to get my feet underneath me, starting to move again, to get back to my level of before or higher. I feel like I'm getting back to full health, so this is a good time for me to start play basketball, which I love to do. In terms of CSKA reinforcing, we added a couple young kids from the Russian team who will help us a lot as they grow and get more experience. A young guy who was already here, like Kourbanov, is also growing, and we kept together the rest of the championship team. So I think the team will be strong, the chemistry will be good, and as we play more with each other, we'll get stronger and hopefully backup this Euroleauge title."
Dear David. You are a fantastic basketball player and I'm glad to see you back playing so well. I am Greek so I just want to know your opinion about Theo Papaloukas. Panos Paraskevopoulos - Athens, Greece
"Playing with Pops is really good. He's a great player and a good person. He brings energy to a team and helps the chemistry by always being positive. He creates a lot for his teammates and can finish plays also. So he's a great contributor, as you can see what he's done with the Greek team and with our team."
David Andersen, I am your greatest fan and love to watch you on the floor. Can you tell me about yourself a little, what you like to do off the court? Ksusha - Russia
"Off the court, I like to relax a lot. I'm a very chilled-out person. I spend a lot of time at home watching DVDs, playing computers and relaxing. Sometimes I go out with teammates, but generally speaking, I like to keep a pretty quiet lifestyle and take it easy."
Dear Dave! I'm СSKA fan from Moscow also I like basketball very much. When you broke you're ankle, I was very worried, because you played magnificent in that game. Then I worried every second about your health. Please say whether your injury disturbs you now? Also, do you want or do you have to change your position of a center? From Russia with love, Catty - Moscow, Russia
"The injury concerns me a little bit now, but mainly in the way of strengthening the ankle to prevent further injury, which is not a major concern because I feel strength coming and now I'm adapting to playing. As for the position I play, right now we have a lot of big guys, so the coaches have asked me to adapt to the four position more, but I'll keep swinging between there and center. So it's just a minor adjustment."
Hi David. First off, I would like to say that I am a big fan of yours and of CSKA Moscow. How did it feel when you watched CSKA win the championship, and what did it feel like knowing that you missed out on a chance to play and win in the Euroleague final? Eric - France
"It was a great feeling to watch the guys win the championship, because it is what we've been working on for a long time. Especially the club, CSKA, had worked a long time on the goal. So I am happy in that sense, but it was disappointing to not be actually playing with the team. But this is part of life: you have to take the good with the bad, take it in your stride and deal with it. Hopefully, this year I can be a part of it and do something special with the team."
Hi, David, I wish you and injury-free season. What makes CSKA so different from the other teams you've been on? Klemen K. - Ljubljana, Slovenia
"There's not a lot of difference, except just the way the guys click together. We have a lot of different options, like we did in the past with Virtus Bologna, and we won a lot there, as well. This team is also like that. One of the main strengths we have is that we can hurt an opponent in a lot of different ways. Add to that that our guys stick together in good times or tough times and you have the formula for a championship team. The difference between winning and losing is not usually big. It usually comes down to minor details. So the main thing is always sticking together as a team and working with each other."
Hi David, Do you agree that the level of European basketball is about to overtake U.S.basketball? What is your opinion on European teams' success in recent world championships? Tugsan - Istanbul, Turkey
"In terms of European basketball overtaking the NBA, it's tough if look at the broad talent the NBA has. The pool is deeper. In Europe, we have a different structure and a different style of play. We play more fundamental, less flashy, more functional. For us to overtake the NBA is going to be difficult. It is the best league in the sense they have the most money, so the best players want to play there. In terms of national teams, America vs. Europe, I think that the last few World Championships and Olympics have highlighted the importance of team basketball and the importance of fundamentals over the flashy plays and one-on-one style. But I think also that the Americans definitely have talented and strong players enough to win."
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