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马刺中文论坛 » 环球刺讯 » [E-N]10.17 Haislip happy to be back in NBA

 
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 2009-10-17 12:48  #1
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[E-N]10.17 Haislip happy to be back in NBA



Web Posted: 10/16/2009 12:00 CDT
Haislip happy to be back in NBA
By Jeff McDonald- Express-News

Spurs forward Marcus Haislip made a lifetime's worth of memories playing the past four seasons in Europe.

Not all of them were good.

There was the time in Turkey when some disorderly fans shot off flares in the middle of a game. He has been spat upon and pelted with coins from varying nations.

“One time, I saw a pocketknife fly on the floor,” Haislip recalled, shaking his head. “The fans over there are crazy.”

Through four preseason games back on U.S. soil, Haislip — a former first-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks — has been reminded of one perk of playing in the NBA.

“They've actually got security here,” he said. “So that's great.”

Haislip's European escapade did more than simply prepare him for a perverse game of dodge-the-debris. To hear him tell it, it has prepared him for new life in the NBA.

After four seasons overseas — two in Turkey and two in Spain — Haislip has resurfaced with the Spurs, eager to pick up where he left off before being forced across the Atlantic.

The fighting spirit instilled in him in Europe will serve Haislip well in San Antonio, where his contract is guaranteed but playing time is not.

Perhaps the Spurs' best all-around athlete, the 6-foot-10 Haislip has averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.3 minutes throughout the team's preseason slate, which resumes tonight with a visit from LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers.

“For him, it's just a matter of learning the program a bit more, getting over some anxiety and feeling comfortable in the NBA,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “We've got a pretty deep team this year, and minutes are going to be hard to come by for some people. At this point, he's just trying to find his place.”

Indeed, the Spurs' frontcourt is logjammed, with veterans Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff and Matt Bonner and rookie DeJuan Blair clamoring for minutes behind and alongside Tim Duncan.

Even without an established spot in Popovich's rotation, Haislip, 28, is happy his search for a basketball home has returned him to this side of the globe.

The 13th overall pick in the 2002 draft, Haislip flamed out of the NBA after two seasons in Milwaukee and one in Indiana. By the end of his Pacers tenure, he was fastened to the end of the bench, discouraged, bored and labeled a bust.

“Just sitting back, watching and waiting — that's tough to do,” Haislip said. “I was ready to show the world I can still play.”

To do that, Haislip had to take his game to the world. He was a Turkish League All-Star in 2005-06 and 2006-07. By the time he completed his European adventure with Unicaja Málaga of the Spanish League, he had established himself as one of the top American players abroad.

In signing a free-agent deal with the Spurs in July, Haislip followed the path — from the NBA to Europe and back again — forged by scores of other pros, including Spurs guard Roger Mason Jr.

“I was able to play a lot and work on some things over there,” Haislip said. “I just got better. After that, I felt like I was ready to come back.”

Once primarily a dunk-first, ask-questions-later YouTube phenom, Haislip worked diligently overseas to add range to his jump shot. He also developed into a solid defender, the likes of which might come in handy against rangy power forwards such as Dirk Nowitzki.

“He seems to have learned the game a little more from the time he got drafted,” McDyess said.

Whether that will be enough to get Haislip on the floor remains to be seen.

Heading into his first NBA season in four years, Haislip is not concerned with the hows and the whys. He is just thankful his life of dodging spittle and coins is over.

“It's good to be back on U.S. soil,” Haislip said. “I'm just going to have to take advantage of this opportunity, and see what happens.”
Marcus Haislip

Position: Forward

Size: 6-foot-10, 230 pounds

College: Tennessee

NBA: Bucks made him 13th overall pick in 2002 ... Played 79 games with Bucks and Pacers before going to Europe in 2005 ... Signed with Spurs in July ... Averaging 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in preseason.

Europe: Played in Turkey with Ulker Istanbul and Efes Pilsen and with Spain’s Unicaja Málaga. Last year with Unicaja, he averaged 14.5 points and five rebounds while making 75 of 208 (36.1 percent) of his 3-point attempts and 82.4 percent of his free throws in 47 games.




Find this article at:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Haislip_happy_to_be_back_in_NBA.html
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