The Fast Break: Greivis Vasquez explains the process of being traded
As fans, most look at trades from an on-court perspective. Who was the biggest name involved? Which team got better? What were the motivations behind the deal?
Of course, there’s also the very human element of the players needing to pack up a part of their lives to move to a new city in a matter of days, sometimes hours. Before the Raptors hosted the 76ers on Friday night, I had a couple of minutes to ask new Raptor Greivis Vasquez – who was part of last Sunday’s trade (which was approved on Monday) between the Kings and Raptors – about that element.
Here’s that quick chat about finding out he was traded, flying from one coast to the other and then from one country to another before finally arriving in his new home…
How did you find out you had been traded and what were you doing at the time? What was going through your mind?
“I kind of knew something was going to come down. I just didn’t know the time. I just got a phone call…I was buying some toys for my kid. All of a sudden I got traded. Actually I wasn’t really surprised. Sacramento, they were trying to make a lot of moves. Unfortunately I was involved in that. I’m in a different situation where I can start all over and just start fresh.”
Is it always your agent that would call you to let you know?
“Yeah, my agent called me, and it was pretty much normal. Sometimes you don’t fit into a situation, so you feel better when you get traded. So I wasn’t really fitting in Sacramento the way I thought it was going to be. And it’s nothing personal. That’s just the business of basketball. So now, like I said, I’m here (Toronto) and I’m going to embrace this opportunity, and hopefully everything works out pretty well.”
Who was the first person you called or told after that?
“My family was with me. My mom, my dad, my family was with me so they were the first. And I was like, ‘we’ve just got to move on.’ It was kind of hard just to move, just to pack, in a hurry, just get everything straight. But I got it all done. I was living with a person that was working with me so we got everything all packed up and just ready to bring it over here. Eventually we’ve got to ship it over here. So now, I’ve got all my paperwork, did a lot of visa work and all that stuff. It was a little pain, but I got everything done.”
Getting your visa was a bit of a process it sounds like?
“I went from Sacramento to New York to get my visa. I got it. Then I flew from New York (to Toronto). It took two days to get everything, so I’m glad that I finally got everything.”
So then you land in Toronto. What happens next?
“I did my physical that night (Wednesday) and then the next day I practiced. And now tonight (Friday) we have a game.”
How quickly do you begin the process of house hunting in your new city?
“The team did a great job just finding me a place to stay for now until I find something for myself. So right now everything is good because I’ve got a place for 47 days, so it will be fine for me, enough time to get a place.”
Vasquez scored 12 points in 17 minutes on Friday against Philadelphia before chipping in seven points on Saturday night in Chicago to complete a whirlwind week for the 26-year-old point guard.
About last night...
Trail Blazers 111, Pistons 109 (OT) - Portland erased a 13-point fourth quarter deficit and won the game in overtime (to improve to a ridiculous 21-4!) on this Damian Lillard fadeaway:
Kings 106, Rockets 91 - Rudy Gay scored 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting in his home debut for the Kings, meaning he's now shot at least 50 percent from the floor in both his games as a King (he shot 8-of-12 in his Kings debut Friday in Phoenix) after doing so just once in 18 games with the Raptors to start the season.
Timberwolves 101, Grizzlies 93 - Kevin Love had 30 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks as Minnesota climbed back to .500 (12-12).
Thunder 101, Magic 98 - OKC owns the league's longest running win streak right now, at six.
Nuggets 102, Pelicans 93 - J.J. Hickson had 19 points and 11 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting.
Suns 106, Warriors 102 - At what point does the general basketball viewing public go from thinking the Suns are merely an early season fluke to accepting that this team may actually be good? Phoenix now sits at 14-9 - the eighth best record in the league - when many thought they'd fail to reach 20 wins all year.
Line of the night: Josh Smith - 31 Pts (13/17 FG, 0/2 3PT, 5/6 FT), 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO in 46 mins.
Play of the night:
Bonus highlight:
The Fast Break Player of the Week: Kevin Love - 31 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, 17-of-29 three-point shooting, 3-1 record.
Previous winners: Kevin Durant, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin
On tap tonight: Eight games are scheduled for this Monday evening, with another late night Western Conference showdown headlining the schedule, as the Spurs are in L.A. to take on the Clippers. The two teams come in with a combined record of 35-13.
Let the real trade talk begin: December 15 marked a big day on the NBA calendar, as players that were signed as free agents this off-season are now eligible to be included in trades by their new teams, meaning the quantity and depth of both legitimate trade discussions and rumors alike are about to be kicked into overdrive.
Harden's ankle: If you were wondering why James Harden was shooting free throws 'Karate Kid' style in the bonus highlight above, The Bearded One actually twisted his ankle on Ben McLemore's foot last night. Harden is listed as questionable for Houston's next game on Wednesday against the Bulls.
Lin Hurting: In addition to Harden, the Rockets may also be without Jeremy Lin again on Wednesday, as the point guard missed Sunday's game against the Kings with back soreness. Neither Lin's back nor Harden's ankle seem too serious, but Houston will hope that both can get the issues behind them quickly, as Wednesday's game against the Bulls is the first in a busy stretch for the Rockets that sees them play three games in four nights and eight games in 12 nights over the holidays.
Conley day-to-day: Good teams - like teams coming off of a Conference Final berth - need not usually worry about being buried by a slow start, but there has to be some serious concern in Memphis right now. The 10-13 Grizzlies have lost three straight and are fading early in the tough (and tight) Western Conference, are already without Marc Gasol, and have now listed Mike Conley as day-to-day with a thigh contusion. The Grizzlies play the Lakers, Mavericks and Knicks this week.