Former Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks center Willie Cauley-Stein feels at home in Europe.
Cauley-Stein loves the tactical style of play in that part of the globe. The big man is now strutting his wares for the Italian club Openjobmetis Varese. He now feels more comfortable in that kind of system rather than the NBA's, per Sportando (via NBC Sports' Kurt Helin).
“Here in Varese, however, I must say that I have found a great organization and strong teammates. I am very happy. I choose to come to Europe because of the more ‘tactical' way of playing compared to the one-vs-one basketball that is played today in the NBA, which is conditioned by the players' desire to produce personal statistics. Here in Europe every game and every ball is important, not like in the NBA where all 82 games are equal,” Cauley-Stein said.
Willie Cauley-Stein: European basketball vs. the NBA
Willie Cauley-Stein brought up the fact NBA players like to pad their personal stats. This is nothing new. Current ESPN analyst Jay Williams discussed stat padding in his 2016 book, Life Is Not An Accident:A Memoir of Reinvention. He said some players back in the day didn't catch a wayward basketball on purpose so they won't get charged with a turnover. Based on Cauley-Stein's account, European basketball doesn't tolerate such practices.
Cauley-Stein took some serious heat from Kings fans four years ago after they felt he didn't live up to expectations. The controversy brewed after DeMarcus Cousins' trade to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017. They felt he didn't display enough tenacity as their starting center. Some of them thought his fashion sense and passion for art indicated his lack of toughness on the basketball court.
It seems Willie Cauley-Stein badly needed a change of scenery. With that in mind, it's great to know he's thriving in Italy as an import.
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