4
Can Primoz Brezec play? Will he? We’ll see, I guess. Brezec is in his eighth NBA season and fourth team. He started for three seasons in Charlotte and two of those were productive, at least statistically, as he averaged 13 points and 7.4 rebounds in 2004-05 and 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 05-06. His production fell off badly last season and even more this year before he was traded to Detroit earlier this season where he mostly sat.
Can Brezec play? We don’t know. Can he talk? Absolutely, and the Slovenian big man does it in almost perfect gangsta slang. Why does a Slovenian talk like a rapper? Fellow Slovenian Rasho Nesterovic speculates it might be because he broke into the NBA in Indiana.
“[Your English] depends on where you start in the NBA,” said Nesterovic. “I started in Minnesota, he started in Indiana. That’s a pretty tough organization to pick up English.”
Anyway on to Primoz, who held court briefly in the Raptors dressing room before the game and let it fly:
Q. How do you feel about the trade?
“To tell you the truth, at first I wasn’t that excited. I wanted to stay in Detroit and win a championship, I want to play there, I don’t want to sit on the bench. I was not so happy, Toronto’s got a lot of bigs. But now, talking to Bryan and Maurizio, I know I’m going to get a shot here. I just want an opportunity to play. In Detroit there was no playing time. I’m excited now. I know this is a great organization, Bryan is doing a great job, a lot of European guys. I know Sam, he was in Charlotte before I was there, I love it so far. I love the city, love the organization, they sell out every night. I want to be here. Hopefully I’m not going to be here for one year, hopefully I’m going to be here long term."
Q. What went wrong in Detroit?
"What went wrong? I’d rather not say. Everyone knows the problem in Detroit, you know. Great players, great organization. I don’t have one bad word, one bad thing to say. Joe Dumars is the man. The first to the 15th guys make you feel like family. But no playing time, man. No playing time. I was just looking for a chance, and I didn’t get it. In a month-and-a-half, two months, all I got was garbage time. That’s not me man. I’ve been a starter in this league, I know I can play, so I’m not going to sit on the bench. I guarantee you that. I am not going to sit on the bench."
Q. And Charlotte?
"Sam Vincent, he changed it up. He wanted to go more run-and-gun. I have no problem with that, I can run three days in a row. But I think I set a record in the NBA: out of 50 games I started I didn’t get the ball, I didn’t get a shot off. So I was like, you know what Sam? You don’t need me, you don’t like me and I don’t like you, so get me out of here. And see how they’re doing this year?"
Q. Do you like the style here?
"I love it. It’s a perfect situation here, it’s a perfect fit. They’re improving here every year, it’s going to be all right."
Q. Why’d you want to get here so badly?
"I want to be with the team. I don’t want to be in a hotel, waiting. I want to be here. Hopefully I can play tonight. I don’t have a chance to get used to the system, but I’m ready. I’m ready, whatever. I’m ready for a fight man."
