| Brezec making the most of opportunity |
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By Brad Friedman, SportsTicker
The United States has always been known as the land of opportunity. But to Charlotte Bobcats center Primoz Brezec, arguably the most improved player in the NBA this season, it sure must have not seemed that way.
The 25-year-old Slovenian languished on the bench from 2001-04 with the Indiana Pacers. Indiana was trying to win championships, not build for its future. Brezec watched from the sidelines as teammates such as Jermaine O'Neal or Brad Miller, both NBA All-Stars, ate up playing time in the middle.
"I learned a lot and made very good friends with teammates and people from the (Indiana) organization," Brezec said. "(But) it was also often very frustrating because I was stuck on the bench behind great players. I was very impatient, and wanted to get minutes and show that I could play."
Brezec made a grand total of 62 appearances in an Indiana uniform, averaging 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in a trivial 5.5 minutes per game. Pacers fans figured their first-round pick in 2000 was a bust; NBA bigwigs questioned his preparedness.
"I could tell he had upside from the little we saw him play in Europe before he went over to the Pacers, but he also had played little at a top level on the international level," Bobcats director of international scouting Tim Shea said. "I always thought that he would have been better off staying in Europe, even after being drafted (Brezec remained overseas for just one additional season) to hone his skills and develop by playing."
Even Brezec questions whether he belonged in Indiana.
"There were times that I was very unhappy because of my situation and I would start thinking about going back to Europe," he said.
Had Brezec made good on that thought, nobody could have blamed him. The son of a former member of Slovenia's national team, Brezec spent three seasons (1998-2001) with that nation's top pro team, Union Olimpija Ljubljana, winning two league titles and three national cups. Some of his teammates included Nuggets 2003 draft pick Sani Becirovic, Spurs rookie guard Beno Udrih, former Suns swingman Marko Milic and Celtics guard Jiri Welsch.
"Playing for Olimpija was a great experience that helped me be where I am today," Brezec said. "We had a great young team and we were all really good friends. At that time, our arena would sell out for every Euroleague game. We had great fans and people who supported us.
"But my agent, Marc Cornstein, would never consider letting me go back to Europe because he believed that I could make it in this league. And I am happy I trusted him. I knew that working hard and being patient and waiting for my opportunity to come would have to pay off one day."
It certainly did. When the expansion draft rolled around last June, Charlotte snatched the fundamentally sound 7-1 pivot, believing his high post game would complement the gritty interior play of Bobcats power forward Emeka Okafor, whom Charlotte was targeting in the draft.
"He (Brezec) is the most skilled player on the team in terms of fundamentals and shooting," Shea said. "Our front office thought having him would open up the inside spaces to help Emeka get his game off and prevent opponents from double-teaming him (Okafor), as Primoz has the outside touch."
For Brezec, the invitation to Charlotte was a chance to resurrect his career. The Bobcats featured no returning veterans with prior claims on playing time, and starting jobs were completely up for grabs. Moreover, the club's immediate emphasis was not on winning a championship ? it was on building one.
"I was very happy to come to the Charlotte Bobcats, because I knew I would turn a new page in my life here," Brezec said. "I knew I was coming to young team where I would get a chance to prove myself and play quality minutes. It is also great to be part of something that is growing from scratch, and I am part of it, helping and contributing."
Brezec is enjoying a career campaign with the Bobcats. In his first three games of the season, the Charlotte starter accumulated more minutes (95), points (65), rebounds (25), field goals (22) and free throws (11) than he did all of last season.
Brezec's averages of 11.7 points and 6.4 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per outing have him on pace to challenge for the NBA's Most Improved Player Award. He already he has been thanked by the Bobcats with a three-year contract extension.
"I hope to stay with the Charlotte Bobcats," Brezec said of his future, "and have a great basketball career, and help our team become one of the best in this league."
As to what he would tell young Europeans coming to NBA, Brezec emphasized, "(to succeed) you just have to be in the right place at the right time and get the chance to play."
Sounds like the fourth-year veteran has figured out exactly how the NBA works. The U.S. may be the land of opportunity, but the NBA has always been a league of opportunity.
Used courtesy of: USA Today |
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