On Thursday, former San Antonio Spurs player Beno Udrih was traded in a three-team deal to the Milwaukee Bucks. Spurs fans remember Udrih from his three seasons with the Spurs as he was part of the team during their 2005 and 2007 NBA championship runs.
Well, it seems Udrih’s previous winning experiences are a plus as his new head coach Scott Skiles is excited to have Udrih and former Spur Stephen Jackson in Milwaukee reports Charles F. Gardner of JSOnline.com.
“We felt like we needed more playmakers,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said of the trade, which brought Jackson, Udrih and 6-7 guard Shaun Livingston to Milwaukee.
“I bet you he is underrated in the deal,” Skiles said. “I bet you the casual fan says, ‘Oh, he’s all right.’ But then look at his numbers, look at the way he shoots the ball, watch him run some pick-and-rolls.
“He’s been on world championship teams (with San Antonio) twice. He’s a very, very good player.”
While in San Antonio he had his ups and downs. He showed flashes of how good he can be but he was never consistent. During the 2005 NBA Finals versus the Detroit Pistons, he got time on the floor but it seemed the pressure got to him and was yanked off the court.
There was even some question about his mental fortitude playing for a tough-as-nails coach like Gregg Popovich.
However, Udrih just completed his seventh season in the NBA and at the age of 28-years old, he’s still in his prime which features him as a very reliable back up point guard for a team like the Bucks.
Last season with the Kings, he averaged career highs in points at 13.7 per game, assists at 4.9 per game, minutes played at 34.6, steals at 1.2 per game and field goal percentage at 50%.
After playing with San Antonio and Sacramento in his NBA career, it will be exciting to see what kind of numbers Udrih posts now playing in Eastern Conference and backing up another rising point guard – Brandon Jennings.
(Photo: Zimbio.com)
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
