Former NBA big man Daniel Theis signed with AS Monaco in February, spurning an offer from Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos. Theis apparently could have stayed in the NBA after being waived by the Thunder, Eurohoops.net relays.
“Before coming to Europe, I had an offer from the Knicks,” Theis told Euro Insiders. “Mitchell Robinson was coming back from injury. I spoke with (Tom) Thibodeau and he told me I would be insurance for them if Robinson couldn’t play. I thought, if I stay until the end of the season and don’t play, what chances will I have in the summer? So I said, ‘I’m going to Europe. If I play well, I’ll have better chances.’ Maybe I wouldn’t have come to Europe if (Monaco coach Vassilis) Spanoulis hadn’t called me. I didn’t just look at the money, but the school, the life, everything.”
Theis played for six different NBA teams and had grown weary of being on the move.
“Trades in the NBA are kind of like, ‘Thank you, but you have to go — we traded you to Chicago.’ Then you pass medicals, go back for two days to where you were to get your things and move. It’s tough,” he said. “After some years, you see the business side of the league. Sometimes it’s not that your team doesn’t want you, but another team wants you more. Or sometimes you’re part of a trade because your contract fits better somewhere else. It’s like Panini stickers — you take two, I take one. When you have a family, it’s not easy.”
Here’s more international news:
- Alex Mumbru is the current head coach of the German national team. While Germany has plenty of NBA firepower, he told Spanish news agency EFE (hat tip to Eurohoops.net) that he considers Serbia and France the favorites in this year’s EuroBasket tournament. “We have to play well, improve every day, try to play good basketball, and the team has to have chemistry. Pressure? Everyone’s trying to create it,” he said. “I think Serbia and France are the two strongest teams. We have good players, too, and we’re going to the EuroBasket to win and compete seriously. I’m sure we’ll go there with great desire.”
- Luka Doncic claimed that Vlatko Cancar and Josh Nebo were blocked from representing Slovenia by Olimpia Milano, according to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal. “As far as I understand, the club didn’t allow them to come,” he said “In the end, the Lakers allowed it, Milan didn’t. I’d rather not get involved in it, but that should be the player’s decision. In my opinion. Those two are not at fault.” However, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops reports that an official statement released by Milan’s GM Christos Stavropoulos refuted Doncic’s claim. “Regarding some recent media reports, I would like to clarify on behalf of the club that the health of our players has always been and always will be our priority,” he said. “In the specific cases of Vlatko Cancar and Josh Nebo, I need to point out that both players are recovering from very serious injuries that severely limited their availability during the last season. In agreement with them, a procedure for their gradual return to action will be implemented to safeguard principally their health and long-term competitiveness.”
- Barkas calls EuroBasket a can’t-miss tournament due its star power, making it superior to any other international basketball event outside of the Olympics.