Veteran NBA center Daniel Theis signed a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv earlier this month. He initially agreed to sign with ASVEL, which is owned by Tony Parker, but the French club is facing financial issues and several deals it had lined up ending up falling through.
In an interview with German outlet Braunschweiger-zeitung, Theis provided more details on his experience with ASVEL, as Eurohoops relays. The 34-year-old said he was “honored” to be recruited by Parker and was intrigued by the possibility of focusing on EuroLeague contests rather than French league games.
However, Theis was disappointed to indirectly learn of the budget cuts that led to the departures of several high-profile players.
“I found out mostly through the media or through teammates who sent me reports,” Theis reportedly said. “Unfortunately, there wasn’t much communication. … You would have expected a phone call (from Parker). We spoke over the summer. Many players, myself included, had been to his house to discuss different things. Finding out this way was obviously frustrating.”
Theis said he was content to sign with Maccabi after the Israeli team offered him the starting center job for the next two seasons.
Here are a few more notes from overseas:
