Take a guy who grew up on the warm and diverse streets of Los Angeles then drop him in Moscow for a few months and you have the making of an interesting story. Or a terrible sitcom.
That’s what happened to Austin Daye, the Pistons forward signed a two-month deal to play with Moscow’s BC Khimki (a deal that has couple weeks left). He may or may not stay, both the lockout and a player returning from injury on the team will impact that.
But it has been one cultural experience for Daye, which he talked about with Hoopshype.com.
“Everyone smokes here, I can tell you that. It’s just a little different, but it’s how you would figure it to be, it’s the European style. Moscow is the main city, where a lot of money is and you see a lot of Maybachs and Porsches and nice cars….
(Getting healthy food) been difficult because I can’t really just go to the store and buy things because it’s hard to communicate with people. I try to go to good places to eat and get a different variety of food. I try to eat the best I can, but it’s different out here. In the NBA, I was fortunate enough to have a chef all year.”
It’s one of the interesting things about the run of NBA players to Europe during the lockout — not every NBA player is made for it. There are good college players who can make a living over there who wash out because they can’t adjust to the culture changes.
Daye has, other guys have thrived, but it’s not for everyone.