Good interview with Boki Nachbar on Hoopshype
You announced on Twitter yesterday that you were going to make a decision on your new team today or so. Have you made a decision already?
BN: I’m really close to signing a contract with Efes Pilsen, the Turkish champion, for one year. They’ve been calling me for the last two weeks and I’ve been postponing it because I was trying to get a good NBA contract. But I don’t want to let go this offer from Efes because financially it was so much stronger than anything in the States, especially with the market in the NBA being so tight this year and good players getting such low contracts. It’s hard to get a long-term, solid contract. So it makes sense for me to wait one more year and go for free agency then. Unless something dramatic happens today, it looks like I’m going to sign with Efes Pilsen.
From the basketball standpoint your first choice was the NBA, though. Right?
BN: Yeah, yeah, of course. When problems started happening in Russia, I spoke to my agents and told them to start looking for a team in the NBA. There was a lot of interest. I had to say probably there was a lot more interest than last summer. Not probably; for sure. There were more teams calling, there were more teams in conversations. But it’s a tight market this summer. As you can see, a lot of teams are saving money for next year’s free agents. So it’s tough to get a long-term deal, which is what I was looking for. You know, a three- or four-year deal that would bring some security. I made my mind that it’s probably the best decision to play here one more year instead of landing just a one-year deal in the NBA. A lot of times, it’s just a matter of timing. Looks like this summer it was a bad time for me to do that.
Well worth checking out the0 full interview on Hoopshype, it’s an interesting read. Nachbar talks about his experiences playing in Russia, free agency, the Nets, the Slovenian National Team, and of course his best dunk in the NBA.
It’s a pity Boki Nachbar won’t be back in the NBA next year, he’s a solid role player and could be a useful player for somebody.
Update: Boki has signed with Efes Pilsen
Efes Pilsen upgraded its roster for the upcoming Euroleague season by inking versatile forward Bostjan Nachbar, the club announced Tuesday. The contract is a two-year deal, with a team option to end it before the 2010-11 season.
Nachbar (207, 29) arrives from Dynamo Moscow, where he averaged 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 13 Eurocup games last season. Nachbar finished fourth in the competition in scoring and third in free-throw shooting at on 91.2%. Nachbar was also an All-Eurocup First Team selction after leading Dynamo to make it to the Final Eight.
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