Brooklyn Nets: Greivis Vasquez Looks to Bounce Back
By Sandy Mui
The Brooklyn Nets took a risk when signing Greivis Vasquez this offseason. That risk just might end up paying off.
The Brooklyn Nets didn’t have much to worry about when making decisions this offseason. They’re coming off a 21-win season, second-to-last in the Eastern Conference. The Brooklyn Nets doesn’t have much to lose, after their win-now mentality and rebuilding turned out to be a disaster. That’s why when they got the opportunity to sign Vasquez to a one-year, $5 million deal, they immediately jumped on it.
Vasquez, who has spent seven seasons in the NBA, has already played for five teams. His best stint was with the New Orleans Hornets, where he averaged 11.6 points per game and 7.4 assists per game. Unfortunately, his numbers have mostly declined since then, and Vasquez was traded from team to team. In his most recent season with the Milwaukee Bucks, he posted 5.7 points per game and four assists per game. Vasquez was limited to just 23 games with the Bucks after suffering a right ankle injury.
Luckily for Vasquez, the Brooklyn Nets interpreted his injury in a good way, and were intrigued enough to offer him a deal. The Brooklyn Nets know that Vasquez is determined to prove himself again, and that’s why they took the gamble on him. Vasquez is hungry for success, and is tired of being moved from one team to another. If he shows enough promise this season, he just might have found a new home in Brooklyn.
"“He’s hungry. I think he’s hungry to prove himself again.”-Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson on Greivis Vasquez"
Even when given the chance to represent his home country Venezuela in the Rio Olympics, Vasquez decided to withdraw. He would’ve been the third player on the Nets roster to participate in the Olympics, with Bojan Bogdanovic and Luis Scola representing Croatia and Argentina, respectively. Vasquez felt that he needs to take this extra offseason time to heal back to full strength before the season begins. This is a good sign for the Nets, as it shows Vasquez is making his health his number one priority and that Vasquez understands how important it is to perform well this season.
Although it’s still unknown how the Brooklyn Nets plan on using all their players on the roster, there’s no reason to believe that Vasquez won’t be getting significant playing time. Vasquez is only 29-years-old and is at the peak of his career. He’s been in the league long enough to know how to run the offense, and though his numbers have dipped, they still show he has good court vision. As a backup for Jeremy Lin, he’ll likely be the first player off the bench, which should generate an ample amount of productivity for the Brooklyn Nets’ second unit.
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Signing Vasquez was a low-risk, high-reward deal for the Nets, especially when they were able to get him at an affordable $5 million contract for one season. If Vasquez isn’t able to make a successful comeback, Brooklyn can just let him go after the season is over. However, if Vasquez can put up numbers like the ones he tallied in New Orleans four seasons ago, then he’ll be seeing bigger money coming his way in the future. Nevertheless, Vasquez has already shown how badly he wants to succeed in Brooklyn, and he’ll have his shot at redemption.