Yes fans, Omri Casspi, the first Israeli NBA player had a very good opening game. His team, The Sacramento Kings lost but Casspi tossed in 15 points on 7/9 Field Goals. He also had 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal.
Omri Casspi made a historical debut and made the most of it. He came in ready to play. After missing his first shot (a three) and dropping a pass that resulted in a turnover, he settled in nicely by being one of the rare bright spots offensively. The only other shot he missed was a quickly, forced jumper to try to beat the buzzer that is one of those shots which was a complete prayer and probably shouldn’t count against shooting percentages. His jump shot was very crisp and fluid, even with the funny shooting motion. He never seemed intimidated by the stage or the fact that his team was down so big.
Defensively, he was very active and did a good job of challenging shots. He allowed just two made shots in seven attempts against him. Both made shots were threes off of slow rotation by Casspi. He used his length and quickness to stay with James Harden and Kevin Durant.
The result was a +10 on the court for the night, the largest of anyone on the team. I give Omri an A- for his effort.
http://www.cowbellkingdom.com/...
Admitting to butterflies before the game Casspi had only two points at halftime. There he regrouped said to himself, enough with the nervousness, and proceeded to play an excellent second half.
Speaking to Ynet after the game, Casspi said, "I went through a lot to get here, and now I'm embarking on a new journey, which I hope will be a successful one."
Asked whether the fact that he is the first Israeli to play in the NBA entered his mind, Casspi said, "I thought about it more during the preseason. When we began the warm-up I thought to myself, 'I made it to the NBA'. Undoubtedly, the first game is special, but during halftime, when I had only two points, I said to myself, 'Enough jitters, I have to start playing'. I'm glad that I improved and scored another 13 points in the second half."
Casspi, who was on the floor for 19 minutes, said he received good feedbacks from the Kings' coaching staff. "This is just the beginning; there are 81 more games to play," he said. "I hope I'll make the most of the chances I'll get. I'm working hard."
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Addressing his supporters in Israel, the small forward from Yavne said, "I want to thank everyone for the support; it warms my heart. I'm glad the game was aired (in Israel) and I promise to keep working hard."
http://www.ynetnews.com/...
"I call him the Michael Jordan of Israel, being the first guy from there drafted in the first round," Kings teammate Jason Thompson said. "He has a high motor, consistent jump shot, and is real wiry with bounce. When he gets a lot of reps and feels more comfortable playing games, he'll be a really good player."
There is excitement for Casspi in Jewish communities in the United States as well. Fans in Sacramento wearing jerseys with Casspi's name spelled in Hebrew came out for a rally after the draft and the Knicks have already designated the Kings' visit to New York in February as Jewish Heritage Night.
Casspi, 21, is a 6-foot-9 athletic shooting forward who led Israel's most famous team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, to a league championship this past season. He averaged 12.6 points per game and was named to the all-league team. He also starts for the Israel national basketball team.
Casspi's adjustment on the court went well in the preseason. He was the ninth leading scorer among all rookies, averaging 11.7 points per game, shooting 55 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range.
"There's a lot of differences with the players, the physicality and the quickness," he said. "It took me some time to adjust. But I feel comfortable now. I feel like coach gave me confidence and my teammates also."
http://csnbayarea.stats.com/...
Teammate and 5-year veteran Francisco Garcia has helped Omri make the adjustment to the NBA. Even though they are competing for playing time at the same position - small forward - Garcia has taken Casspi under his wing, helping him with his game. And it's paid big dividends. Sadly Garcia injured his wrist and will be out till February, but he continues to mentor Casspi, even continuing to go on all road trips with the team in order to do so.
"He told me to come in late at night at 9 o'clock to be in the gym," Casspi said. "I came in late at night, and it was only me and him in the gym. My father came with me. 'Cisco told me, 'Hey Omri, you're my rookie this year. I'm going to take care of everything you need. If you've got any questions, if you have any problems ... '
"It meant a lot to me. I'm coming from a different country, coming to a new culture, and to see a guy like him. ... He said, 'People might think we're competing for the same (position), but ... I'm going to really keep supporting you. He did that day. He still is."
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"I know it's hard," he said. "The culture is different; his family isn't going to be here. I know his brother (Eitan) is here (and is living with Casspi), but he's going to need somebody on the team to be with him and show him the ropes.
"I'm going to be that person. I'm just happy for him; he's doing so good because he worked hard."
The work has produced results so far, as Casspi's defensive versatility, offensive efficiency and fearlessness on both ends have convinced (coach) Westphal to give him a role in his rotation.
"He's shown some real good ability to belong out there," Westphal said. "He's somebody that doesn't recognize limitations, and he's willing to pay the price to achieve his goals."
http://www.sacbee.com/...
Let's Go Casspi!
bah bah bahbahbah
Let's Go Casspi!
bah bah bahbahbah!
swish