Seemingly held back.
Seems as though the mysterious forward from the Congo might have a hard time lacing up in the US.
Bismack Biyombo didn’t seem at all worried about his contract in Europe when the Charlotte Bobcats introduced him to the media earlier this week. The 18-year-old was drafter seventh overall by Charlotte in last week’s draft but his contract may be a bigger concern than even he realizes.
According to NBA.com, the two sides are supposed to have talks this Friday, July 1 concerning his contract overseas; however, the impeding lockout begins that day as well which may throw another hurdle at negotiations.
Jorge Sanz, a spokesman for the Madrid-based Fuenlabrada, said that Biyombo still has two seasons left on his contract with the team. His buyout could cost the bobcats $1.4 million but NBA rules state that Charlotte can’t spend more than $500,000 towards a buyout.
Sanz has stated that the team respects Biyombo’s dream to play in America but fully expects to receive payment for his buyout. If the mediation on Friday does not lead to Charlotte paying the million Euros, the dispute will go to court for a judge to decide on.
While the rule states that the team may not spend over half a million dollars toward a buyout, the Bobcats have several players set for free agency, four of which are frontcourt players. Kwame Brown, Joel Przybilla and Dominic McGuire are all unrestricted free agents this year while Dante Cunningham’s contract is restricted. Additionally, these are all players that any team should be willing to dump for necessary money.
Scout’s say that Biyombo is one of the most athletic players picked in this year’s draft but was mainly unnoticed until he recorded a triple double at the 2011 Nike Hoops Summit with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. His defense is unquestionably good since he has a natural tendency to position himself appropriately under the basket for rebounds and blocks but his offense is another story. He’s very raw on the other end of the court and scoring doesn’t come easy for the young forward that still has a lot to work on.
The Bobcats made the playoffs during the 2009-10 season by playing hard defense under Larry Brown. Last season, they missed the playoffs mainly due to their lack of scoring with only 93 points a game, second to last in the league. They were also ranked 24th in the league in rebounding with only 40 a game. Biyombo has the potential to give that frontcourt a little more bite that they have missed since the departures of Gerald Wallace, Tyson Chandler and even Emeka Okafor.
Bismack Biyombo’s performance at the 2011 Nike Hoops Summit in Portland.
