Bucks hungry for success: Dellavedova
Oct 26, 2016 - 12:47 AM Matthew Dellavedova will have to wait two months to put his NBA Championship ring on his finger and is living in a house in Milwaukee without furniture, but the Australian point guard could not be happier.Dellavedova says he is energised by his $US38 million ($A49 million) move to the Milwaukee Bucks and excited about what the historically bad team might do this season.
"Everybody is so hungry to build something special and be good and to be able to be a part of that process of trying to get better and get to that next level, that's what I'm most excited about," Dellavedova told Australian reporters on Tuesday.
The Bucks, with Dellavedova expected to be the starting point guard, open their NBA regular season on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) against the Charlotte Hornets.
On Tuesday, he watched on TV as LeBron James and his other former Cavaliers teammates received their rings from last season's title win.
The ceremony took place before the Cavaliers played the New York Knicks in Cleveland.
Dellavedova will have the spotlight to himself on December 21 when the Bucks travel to Cleveland and the Cavaliers will present him with his ring.
"It is a little bit of a strange feeling," Dellavedova, describing what it was like to not be there, said.
As for the toughest part about his move to Milwaukee, Dellavedova, who just got engaged to longtime girlfriend Anna Schroeder, said it was not having furniture.
Apparently even a four-year, $US38 million ($A49 million) contract with the Bucks is not going to help him with express shipping to quickly furnish his new, big home.
"It takes a lot longer than what I thought to order stuff and get it in," he said.
The ping pong table that became famous on social media for Dellevedova's post-championship beer pong booze up with Cavaliers' teammates has come in handy.
"I already had a bed," Dellevadova said.
"But we got some temporary chairs and are eating off the ping pong table."
On the practice court Dellavedova has been in basketball heaven being coached by two of the NBA's best point guards, Bucks head coach Jason Kidd and former Utah Jazz great John Stockton.
Kidd brought Stockton in for the team's training camp and Dellavedova said the advice they offered was priceless.
He does not get starstruck talking to the legends on the court, but it sinks in when he gets home each night and realises the long road he has travelled from Maryborough in country Victoria to the NBA.
"When you get back to your room or back to your house, that's when you think, 'wow it's pretty cool having both of those guys to talk about the game and learn from'," he said.
The Bucks other Australian, 216cm, 101kg, 19-year-old rookie Thon Maker, was also fitting nicely into the long, athletic, young squad.
"Even though he is skinny right now, he is aggressive and really gets after the offensive boards," Dellavedova said.
Source: AAP
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