Contract settled, Biyombo anxious for NBA debut

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Christmas came a little early for Bobcats rookie Bismack Biyombo.
He will get to make his preseason debut Thursday night at Atlanta — a day he wasn't sure would come at all this NBA season.For months Biyombo, the seventh pick in the draft, wondered if he'd get a chance to play basketball for the Bobcats because of a contract dispute with his former Spanish team Fuenlabrada, which demanded it held his rights.But the situation was resolved earlier this week with Biyombo agreeing to pay $1.5 million to Fuenlabrada for his contractual freedom.Bobcats owner Michael Jordan paid $525,000 of that, the most allowed under league rules. Biyombo handled the rest.

He didn't seem to mind all that much.He gets to play ball in the NBA.Biyombo said he was depressed watching his teammates practice last week and play in Monday night's preseason home game against the Hawks, but is all smiles now.Biyombo said practicing with his teammates was fun, but added "until I actually play in a game, I can't say my dream has come true."
Coach Paul Silas is thrilled for the rookie.


"If you just saw him during the practice session, he was sitting over there about as depressed as I've ever seen anyone," Silas said. "When I first walked in (after the contract dispute was settled), he had his hands in the air and smiling So this is great for him as well as the team."Biyombo felt like he was letting his new employers down by not practicing."The team drafted me high and really expected me to be on the floor," Biyombo said. "So it wasn't just a disappointment for me, it was for the guys who drafted me."Teammates say Biyombo has been playing above the rim at practice this week, seemingly anxious to show what he can on the court.

Corey Maggette said Biyombo's conditioning was impressive."We had a great contribution from Bis(mack) in practice," Maggette said. "Him coming in and making a tremendous impact in practice is amazing. So that's a big positive for us."The power forward from Congo has incredible leaping ability and figures to play a key role in the Bobcats' rebuilding effort.