Bazz.........

[the Blades]

NBA

• 
  Blazers Trade For Shabazz Napier
  The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to a deal with the Orlando Magic

 

[Dominicfrank]

BIG STEP UP ! Thought my Mavs would go after him, bummer.

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

I don't know that's a step up if we are talking about him getting minutes. He had a better chance of unseating Elfrid Payton in Orlando than he does of unseating Damion Lillard in Portland. I assume you guys mean in the race for backup point guard which means you have written him off as an NBA starter. I think he could be a backup for the right team but not so sure if it's this one.

 

[the Blades]

Read the article ....Bazz has yet to prove himself, don't know if it's a step up, maybe a better opportunity, but you guys are the NBA experts:
" The hope is that Napier will assume some of the backup point guard responsibilities behind Damian Lillard. The backup point guard spot was an area that the Blazers identified as a need this off-season, after waiving Tim Frazier at the trade deadline, and with Brian Roberts likely not returning to Portland. Losing backup Roberts and losing reserve shooting guard Gerald Henderson, there should be plenty room in the Blazers backcourt for Napier to carve out a role for himself "

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

Sorry I had meant to reply to Dom's post but you replied before I could edit my post. Bazz still has a lot to prove and if he doesn't do it this year needs to go play in Italy and Eastern Europe, like KEA did. He will have a good time over there but needs to fish or cut bait with the NBA pretty soon.

 

[the Blades]

Sorry I had meant to reply to Dom's post but you replied before I could edit my post. Bazz still has a lot to prove and if he doesn't do it this year needs to go play in Italy and Eastern Europe, like KEA did. He will have a good time over there but needs to fish or cut bait with the NBA pretty soon.

If Bazz does go overseas at least he did it right ( A-hem.... DeAndre, D-Ham) ...stayed around in college until he got his first round Millions, gave it a shot in the NBA...... but got paid !
none of this $25K D-league chump change....now he's set for life if he wants to see the world while playing ball:

Player, Team, or Early Termination option
2014-15 ..$1,238,640
2015-16 $1,294,440
2016-17 $1,350,120
2017-18 $2,361,360

 

[Dominicfrank]

Oh I wish he was set for life......as we have seen most part time players see their money gone shortly after their last paycheck hits the bank. Hope Bazz is a conservative.

 

[the Blades]

Oh I wish he was set for life......as we have seen most part time players see their money gone shortly after their last paycheck hits the bank. Hope Bazz is a conservative.

Dom you know the point I was making.... at the $25K a year in the D or $100K some these guys play for in places like Australia..... they might have to keep playing until they're about 70 years old ( LOL ! ) to catch -up to what Bazz has made in 3 so far by sticking around until he was a 1st round NBA pick...plus Bazz has something else that will help him in life that they don't have.........a Uconn diploma !

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

A lot of these guys go overseas and don't make a ton of money but they end up meeting future wives and have families and life after basketball. Ex UConn player Gerry Besselink is a good example. He went to Finland or Norway and played ball there for chump change but then married a local woman and from what I understand has a family and job over there. He was originally from Ontario and the Scandanavian countries probably are not all that different than what he grew up with. For some other guys it's a real eye opener and a step up in life generally. If they don't have good skills for life after basketball it's not going to matter where they play, but if they do, it can open many doors for them.

Gerry Besselink was a frequent dining companion of mine when I was a student at UConn. He is a good guy, a Canadian who was built for the rugged outdoor lifestyle. He was not a talented player and would not have started for recent UConn teams but was a solid banger and added some rebounding and muscle. He actually did come back to CT for one of the Calhoun all star games a few years ago.

 

[the Blades]

He actually did come back to CT for one of the Calhoun all star games a few years ago.

Friday, August 12, 2016 -- 7:30PM -- Mohegan Sun Arena

Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic Charity All-Star Game!

 

[the Blades]

 

[TRUCONN76]

A lot of these guys go overseas and don't make a ton of money but they end up meeting future wives and have families and life after basketball. Ex UConn player Gerry Besselink is a good example. He went to Finland or Norway and played ball there for chump change but then married a local woman and from what I understand has a family and job over there. He was originally from Ontario and the Scandanavian countries probably are not all that different than what he grew up with. For some other guys it's a real eye opener and a step up in life generally. If they don't have good skills for life after basketball it's not going to matter where they play, but if they do, it can open many doors for them.

Gerry Besselink was a frequent dining companion of mine when I was a student at UConn. He is a good guy, a Canadian who was built for the rugged outdoor lifestyle. He was not a talented player and would not have started for recent UConn teams but was a solid banger and added some rebounding and muscle. He actually did come back to CT for one of the Calhoun all star games a few years ago.

 

[TRUCONN76]

Gerry Besselink was the player that made me realize that Calhoun was a great coach. He played on Calhoun's first team that had the worst talent in the Big East with their only two big east caliber players Cliff Robinson and Phil Gamble on academic suspension for the second half of the year and somehow they were competitive. Besselink had a lot to to do with that as he was 6'9" senior and managed to control the boards in most games. What most people forget is that Perno had recruited Besselink as a 6'6" guard.

 

[TripleDribbleMan]

Truconn that is a correct assessment of that first Calhoun team. The team was horrible and I recall a walk on named Greg Economou getting a lot of minutes in a few games. Besselink was a solid banger type player his senior year. He was thought to have better shooting skills than what he actually displayed but by his senior year he was playing strictly playing inside and his offense was mostly garbage off O-boards. He was a big strong guy and off the court he was a class act. I used to eat breakfast with him at the Whitney Cafeteria and he would get 4 sunny side up eggs and then douse them with about a half a bottle of ketchup. He was a hard guy not to like. He had a natural sense of humility and thought of himself as a student first and wasn't preoccupied with basketball off the court, was just a regular guy.

 

[Shaggydog84]

A lot of these guys go overseas and don't make a ton of money but they end up meeting future wives and have families and life after basketball. Ex UConn player Gerry Besselink is a good example. He went to Finland or Norway and played ball there for chump change but then married a local woman and from what I understand has a family and job over there. He was originally from Ontario and the Scandanavian countries probably are not all that different than what he grew up with. For some other guys it's a real eye opener and a step up in life generally. If they don't have good skills for life after basketball it's not going to matter where they play, but if they do, it can open many doors for them.

Gerry Besselink was a frequent dining companion of mine when I was a student at UConn. He is a good guy, a Canadian who was built for the rugged outdoor lifestyle. He was not a talented player and would not have started for recent UConn teams but was a solid banger and added some rebounding and muscle. He actually did come back to CT for one of the Calhoun all star games a few years ago.

Gerry Besselink was the player that made me realize that Calhoun was a great coach. He played on Calhoun's first team that had the worst talent in the Big East with their only two big east caliber players Cliff Robinson and Phil Gamble on academic suspension for the second half of the year and somehow they were competitive. Besselink had a lot to to do with that as he was 6'9" senior and managed to control the boards in most games. What most people forget is that Perno had recruited Besselink as a 6'6" guard.

Tru, great comment on GB. I was just about to say that but scrolled up 1st to see your comments. I remember his as a 6'5', 6'6" big guard, but i also remember commenting to my friend that as well as GB rebounded, I was confounded by the way he seemed to have lost any ability to handle the ball & shoot...just because he grew 4 inches. But, he was a very hard worker, and from what i remember a very nice guy. Good call