The San Antonio Spurs point-forward Boris Diaw has completely turned his career around since departing the Charlotte Bobcats. He showed the entire world how his exceptional basketball IQ can help a team win an NBA title as displayed in the Spurs dominant victory against the star studded Miami Heat in the finals. The Spurs, though, are determined to keep Diaw's weight in check which has been a major issue in his stint with Charlotte. There's even a clause in his contract to prove the Spurs determination. Diaw gets to cash in $500,000 every year if he meets the team's weight criteria.
Indeed, getting into shape seems to be part of Diaw's life now that he is with the defending champions and one of the most prestigious teams in the NBA. Head Coach Gregg Popovich even joked at media day on how they started a betting pool predicting Diaw's weight upon rejoining the team before they make their trip to Berlin and Istanbul as part of the NBA season's preseason global games according to Chris Mannix. Diaw's response? A hilarious photo that earned some minor buzz on social media:
"He commented on what I was doing in France while they were practicing here," Diaw said. "I was just chilling. It wasn't far from the truth. ... I was expecting it, because they were coming back to work and I was still on vacation."
Yup Diaw was just "chilling" while his teammates where sweating it out in practice. His extended vacation, though, became the source of a few jokes from Spurs players, via the San Antonio Express-News' Dan McCarney:
Manu Ginobili, one of Diaw's better friends on the team, took to calling him "Dora the Explorer" for other photos taken on nature hikes as the team toiled through two-a-days during the opening week of camp. The ribbing continued when Diaw met the team in Berlin.
"A little bit, especially the first day I got there," he said. "Did they still know my name anymore? Did they recognize me? We've got a new player in town."
Spurs fans need to relax, though, because Diaw is ready to go for the coming season. Never mind the weight issues and jokes on his overdued vacation because the Frenchman managed to put up some nice numbers in the two pre-season games averaging 6.5 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists - providing the same Swiss-army-knife versatility that was vital to the Spurs success in their recent finals match up against the Heat.
"Boris looked fine and he's ready to go," Popovich said. "He's always played with a little more weight, and he knows how to use it. He's fine."
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