Re: [閒聊] Bairstow
看板ChicagoBulls (芝加哥 公牛)作者AhUtopian (It's my Life)時間11年前 (2014/07/04 15:55)推噓3(3推 0噓 0→)留言3則, 3人參與討論串2/3 (看更多)
BAIRSTOW BRINGS PHYSICALITY TO THE BULLS
http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/bairstow-brings-physicality-bulls
The Bulls moved up on draft night to acquire Doug McDermott. They almost did
the same for Cameron Bairstow.
In the end, though, Bairstow was there for Chicago at No. 49, making General
Manager Gar Forman’s decision an easy one.
“He’s a guy that’s going to bring physicality in the low post,” Forman
said of Bairstow following the draft. “He’s got a skill level, he’s a good
passer, he can shoot the 15-footer and he is a guy that’s going to fit the
culture that’s been created here.”
After his introduction this week, Bairstow, a 6-9, 250 pound forward/center
who spent four years at the University of New Mexico, called joining the
Bulls a “perfect fit.”
“It was one of those teams, that speaking with my agent, we were definitely
targeting,” said Bairstow. “With the culture they have here and the style
of play, I think I definitely fit in. In terms of knowing how to play the
game, being tough, being physical, definitely love playing defense, love
playing both ends of the floor, so it is definitely something that I feel
like I fit in. It was fortunate that we ended up here.”
Forman and the Bulls began keeping an eye on Bairstow during his junior
season when they were scouting his teammate, Tony Snell. The Bulls selected
Snell with the 20th overall selection in last summer’s draft, and last fall,
one of his college coaches, Craig Neal, came to visit for training camp and a
preseason game.
Neal, an assistant for the Lobos from 2007 to 2013, was named the head coach
in April after Steve Alford departed for UCLA. And while he was in town to
see Snell, he also made a point of telling Forman about the great strides
that Bairstow was making, saying he believed a breakout year could be coming.
Neal was right. Bairstow averaged a team-high 20.4 points to go with .7.4
rebounds. He led the Mountain West in scoring and shot a conference-best 55.6
percent from the field. For his efforts, Bairstow was named Second Team
All-America by Sports Illustrated, Third Team All-America by NBC Sports and
CBS Sports and Honorable Mention All-America by the Associated Press.
Though it was his senior season that put him on the map, at least in the eyes
of NBA teams, Bairstow explains that his improvement was steady throughout
his years as a Lobo.
“I do consider myself a late bloomer in terms of physical development and
that kind of thing,” said Bairstow. “But I don’t think it was just my
senior year. All four years I improved drastically. After not playing much as
a freshman or a sophomore, I started the last half of my junior season. It
was a gradual progression and a couple of fortunate things came into play my
senior year with the coaching change. That opened things up offensively I
thought. Playing with a bunch of guys who put me into a situation to succeed
really helped me. We had a core that had been together four years and it all
came together.”
As for Snell, Bairstow enjoyed playing with him in college and now he gets a
chance to reunite with his former teammate.
“He’s a really smart player and someone who knows how to play the game. I
think I fed a lot off of him,” said Bairstow of Snell. “He’s one of the
best post passers that I have played with and he really helped me a lot there
through my time there.”
Bairstow credits Snell for easing the transition as he closed the door on his
college career, prepared for the draft, and now joins the Bulls.
“He loves it here and he’s been a great help,” said Bairstow. “I think he
has that working mindset within him. He talks about the team culture and how
great it is to live in the city of Chicago.”
It’s that Bulls culture which Bairstow, who was born in Brisbane, Australia,
believes he’ll find suitable. He cites his physical play, skill level and
basketball IQ as his calling cards. And he hopes those same things will allow
him to acclimate into Chicago’s system and succeed within it.
“I’ve always loved physicality, regardless of how big I was,” said
Bairstow. “I gained a lot of weight during my time at New Mexico. I didn’t
come in that strong or physically ready. It was a gradual thing, in terms of
physically, but regardless of how I was I always loved physical play. I think
that’s the Australian mindset, to be physical and be intense and hard
working. So I think that was always there and I think it gradually progressed
more and more into that.”
Bairstow isn’t the only Australian to make his way to the Bulls via New
Mexico. Luc Longley spent four and a half years in Chicago, including the
championship seasons in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Not only does Bairstow know
Longley, but he’s played for him as Longley is an assistant coach for the
Australian national team for which Bairstow played last year.
“He taught me a lot and really helped me last season,” said Bairstow of
Longley. “He has been key to me during this process. He has been giving me a
lot of advice and all that kind of things so it’s been really awesome so I
will continue my relationship with him and talk to him about what it takes to
succeed at this level.”
It’s that international experience, playing in the FIBA Oceania Series and
the World University Games (Bairstow led Australia with a 12.8 scoring
average and a 6.8 rebounding average in 2013) that will make him all the more
prepared for the NBA.
Now, as he readies for summer league in Las Vegas later this month, he’s
eying an opportunity to make a roster in the fall with some like-minded big
men.
“I love the way Joakim Noah plays,” said Bairstow. “The Bulls are
defensive minded and they have very physical players. I love anytime players
who play somewhat similar to you, you can take a couple things away from them
and obviously they have great depth with Taj Gibson and that kind of thing.
It will be great to learn anything I can from a group of great, talented
bigs. Obviously, it’s a team which has had a lot of success in recent years
and it is a great situation to be in.”
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