Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot went all the distance from hero to anti-hero in Olimpia Milan's loss to Panathinaikos. After the contest, the French forward explained to BasketNews how another game was added to a string of failures for the Italian side.

Credit: Roberto Finizio/Getty Images
Credit Roberto Finizio/Getty Images

Three weeks ago, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan brought Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the fashion capital in an attempt to boost their roster.

The Italian team was already going downhill at the time, something the Frenchman's addition couldn't change. But with some key players sidelined (Gigi Datome, Shavon Shields) and some scoring punch needed, Ettore Messina decided to make the most of Luwawu-Cabarrot's free agency and give him a chance to make his EuroLeague debut at the age of 27. 

The Cannes-born forward is one of those rare cases of European players becoming NBA veterans without any prior experience at Europe's top level. Luwawu-Cabarrot has no less than 328 NBA games under his belt, in addition to 15 playoff contests with the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks.

Luwawu-Cabarrot landed in Italy after a short stint at Phoenix Suns in the NBA pre-season. The swingman arrived in Phoenix following a silver medal with the French national team at FIBA EuroBasket 2022, but his time in Arizona lasted 22 days.

And as much as he's inclined to "trust the process," as the Philadephia 76ers motto would have him do, his new team keeps struggling. The Italian side has come close to reaching a point of no return after suffering eight consecutive EuroLeague defeats. Currently at 3-9, Milan will need to pull out a miraculous comeback to remain in playoff contention.

Let's say a comeback like the one their last host, Panathinaikos Athens, were able to stage at OAKA on Thursday night. Being down by as many as 15 (40-55), the Greeks fought all their way back to the game in the closing minutes, forcing overtime. Hence, when Messina's men invited them to take advantage of their mistakes and misses, the outcome was no different than the one Milan had seen in their previous contests.

The only considerable difference was how the Italian champs ended up losing this time around. Their two main protagonists, Naz Mitrou-Long and Tim Luwawu-Cabarrot, had pushed (almost) all the right buttons up until three minutes before the buzzer. Milan were up 72-65, and their fourth win in their last five visits to OAKA appeared to be on the cards. 

Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

But everything turned upside down in the last two minutes. Mitrou-Long lost the ball to Paris Lee and missed an open 3-point shot before Messina sent him to the bench for the remaining 1:30 of regulation.

As for Luwawu-Cabarrot? Over 90 seconds, he executed three possessions for his team, where he registered the following:

  • a missed 3-pointer
  • a missed layup and
  • an offensive foul.

On both occasions where he misfired, Milan were leading 72-70. Had he made any of those shots - and especially his uncontested layup with only 28 seconds left to play- the result might have been different. 

For a player with plenty of NBA and national team experience, those lapses seem unforgivable. What had been the Frenchman's best EuroLeague game (15 points, 4 rebounds in 24 minutes) turned into a nightmare. 

Milan collapsed in the extra time, and Panathinaikos got a hard-fought 90-77 win. 

The 2.01-meter forward was among the last to exit his team's locker room. BasketNews caught up with him, and this is what transpired next. 

How was the game lost?

We showed that we're a better team. I think the lack of experience and the lack of confidence showed (sighs). We're a better team overall. We got to close the game and avoid the stupid mistakes that we made and get better.

The only thing we can do right now is take this game, learn from it and move on.

Could you explain what you mean by lack of experience? There are many experienced players on the team, like Kyle Hines, Billy Baron, Brandon Davies, and Nicolo Melli. Do you think those who hadn't played on the EuroLeague level have things to get accustomed to?

Maybe. I mean, that's how I feel. For sure, we've advanced in age. But some of the guys haven't played at this level of basketball and aren't used to those fans. So, maybe we panicked a little bit. We threw that one, and we shouldn't have. We needed that game.

That lack of confidence that you pointed out is something that you noticed in tonight's game, or has it been going on for some time?

It's a tough situation. It's because of the losing streak, injuries, and not winning games. We all can't find our rhythm. I thought we found it tonight. But we panicked at the end, and that cost us the game. We should be feeling great, and now we're feeling terrible.

Why is it that the EuroLeague's best defense in terms of points allowed cannot produce some decent scoring?

Because of our mistakes on offense. We panic, lose our head and don't stay focused the whole game. We play some great minutes, some great games. Today, we played great for 37 minutes, and then we just threw it away.

Why do you think you missed that layup that could have potentially ended the game? Do you feel like it was Milan's biggest missed opportunity?

Yeah, definitely. I hate myself for missing that. The free throws, the three-pointer before that- those aren't things I'm supposed to miss. 

Mam Jaiteh missed a similar layup from almost the same spot when Virtus Bologna came to OAKA.

Yeah, it's unfortunate. It's tough... I should have made it for the team. Even if we put ourselves in a good position, we needed that win - and we deserved it, too. We were the better team, and I had to make that shot so that we could win the game. 

Judging from Milan's last two games, against Sassari (a 92-63 win) and Panathinaikos, are you confident that the team will bounce back?

The potential's here. Sooner or later, we'll turn it around. I do believe that our potential is crazy, and my potential is crazy.

Some guys on the team just need to learn how to close games, myself included. That's all we have to do. That's all we can do. We can't just be sad and sorry about ourselves. We got to keep working and stay focused.

Credit EA7 Emporio Armani Milan

You're a EuroLeague rookie at 27. What was the process of your signing with Milan?

Things are great so far. I started the season with Phoenix. I didn't make the team and ended up going back home, working out on my own, and trying to figure out what the situation was and what was best for me.

Coach Messina and I kept in touch all summer. He had a vision and a project in Milan, which was already constructed. As I told the Italian media, this was the only team I actually saw myself in. 

Why's that?

I don't know. It was only my feeling. My mother-in-law is from Milan, and my fiancée is half-Italian. It's a good situation for me. 

Did you watch the EuroLeague while in the States?

Of course. I've got some good friends who play in EuroLeague: Isaia Cordinier, Mam Jaiteh, Guerschon Yabusele; people that play in the French NT. I've been watching the league and keeping in touch with all of them. 

How is the adjustment process going for you?

Good. It's a tough situation and moment, but the process will probably make me a better EuroLeague player over the next days, weeks, years. For sure, I believe I can be one of the best players out here, defensively and offensively.

Do you feel like you were the missing piece from Milan's puzzle?

Yes, maybe. They had a lot of injuries, and I can't tell until everybody's back. But so far, so good. The team is losing games, but I can see where we're going. 

Do you see yourself in Europe long-term?

Yes. Why not?

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