First game played on an honorable night

Just grabbed a late lunch with Rob at Restaurant Fair Play, and decided to come home and catch you guys up on the weekend. Before I do that though, I would like to apologize to all of my Romanian followers. It was thoughtfully brought my attention last evening that I've failed to realize that maybe, just maybe some of you may not be interested in reading my website links in all English. I have changed my neglectful ways and added a couple of the same Romanian Basketball website links in Romanian. This way, for those of you that don't know the websites off the top of your head, you can bypass the Google Translate mess and go right to the webpage. I'm sorry again, and I hope this helps.

Last night was my first game in Cluj and I must say it was quite the opening night for me. However, this may have been for reasons that may not seem so obvious. Of course it was great to actually be on the court again; great to actually play in a game that mattered. It was refreshing to still see I can compete at a high level, on a team and in a league that are both relevant. The fan's we awesome and my teammates were very supportive during this week leading up to the game, especially the younger guys. Furthermore, it was great that I had a decent performance, the fans enjoyed my talent enough to chant my name a bit at the end (pretty flattering) , and we got the win. What made it even more special was the fact that I was able to be a part of the remembrance of a man that I never had the pleasure of knowing, but that seemed to have touched the lives of so many people here in Cluj. Nicholas Ienac, who was one of the most influential and successful sports managers in Cluj history, died last week after falling into a coma due to some head and heart complications. Again, like I said, I had only shook the hand of Mr. Ienac one time, but the support at the game last night was amazing. Only a truly great individual could move a mass of people in this way. I would like to say Rest In Peace to Mr. Ienac and may you be with us for the rest of the season in spirit. I have posted some pictures below of the game and the memorial banners some of the fans showcased.

Picture Gallery (U vs. Rovinari)

I don't know if Radu (coach's son) has chopped up the game against Rovinari or not, but if he did I will have that up here on my next post.

All in all it was an great weekend, and I look forward to starting my third week here in Cluj.

P.S. The dunk contest last night was weak. I stayed up until 6 a.m. here just to see Blake Griffin win it by jumping over the hood of a car with bent legs. I'm not saying its easy, but C'mon SON! really? Could have been better.