Things at Milwaukee panned out very otherwise to what Serge Ibaka anticipated when he re-signed with the franchise final season.
The 14-season veteran knew he wasn’t going to get as many minutes as he would have favored however the Bucks coach (at the time), Mike Budenholzer, reassured him.
“(Budenholzer) told me to my face,” Ibaka told Shams Charania. ‘Listen, you’re coming right here, I promise you nothing, however you by no means know, it’s a protracted season, guys can have accidents, you must keep prepared’.”
However, Ibaka quickly grew to become confused when gamers have been getting injured and he he nonetheless wasn’t getting any time on the court docket.
“Going there, I said, ‘cool, I’m going to stay ready…’,Ibaka said. “I’m a professional and so grateful to be in this position. It’s a blessing no matter if I am playing or not. But now when things start getting more confused for me mentally was like when a guy got injured and nobody called my name to play. And when those guys came back, that’s when you called me. And then I play one game and then you don’t play me for three weeks? On top of that, there was no communications, so that’s mainly the reason why I left…”
The almost-34-year-old condemned the Bucks’ for his or her lack of communication and combined messages.
“When I go talk to the front office, they tell me different things,” Ibaka mentioned. “They love me. They want me to be there, they want me to stay. And when I go back on the court, it’s different. It got to some point where I cannot take this anymore. I love this game so much, but if this is going to take my peace of mind, my joy, it’s not worth it. I earned my respect in this league. At least communicate. I’m not asking about playing, I’m just asking for communication.”
During his time, Ibaka has skilled comparable conditions, like when he was with the Clippers within the 2021-22 season.
But the primary distinction was that Clippers coach Ty Lue’s communication was much better than Budenholzer’s, Ibaka defined.
“I was with the Clippers,” Ibaka mentioned. “One thing I respect so much about Ty Lue, he used to call me in the morning. ‘This week, I’m going with the young fellas.’ ‘OK, cool. Perfect. No problem,’” Ibaka mentioned. “Like it or not, at the end of the day, I have to be professional. At least I know the next two weeks, I have to work. And when something changes or something comes up, he calls me in the office, ‘Listen, Serge. Tonight, I think I will put you in. Be ready.’ Or ‘I don’t know. I’m not sure yet.’ That’s it.”
The elite defender solely ended up enjoying in 16 video games for the Bucks final season, the place he averaged 4.1 factors, 2.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists on 48.1 % taking pictures from the sector and 33.3 % taking pictures from three.
He is now and unrestricted free agent and feels as if he has extra to present within the NBA.
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