10 BIG3 matchups we can’t wait to see
By Miles Wray
9. Lou Amundson (Tri-State) and Rasual Butler (Ball Hogs) v. Cup of Coffee guys
It’s true: as BIG3 started ramping up to the draft and its first season, nobody was eagerly asking, “But will Lou Amundson and Rasual Butler be involved?!” However! Amundson and Butler are the only two guys in the league who were on an NBA roster last year. They are barely 12 months removed from playing at the pinnacle of the sport. While many of the other players in BIG3 have continued to play internationally since their NBA careers ended, not everybody has been exactly playing in the Euroleague. I’m going to guess that there’s a pretty big difference between training in the NBA and training in Puerto Rico or the Phillipines or what have you.
Eddie Basden, who only briefly played in the NBA in 2006, is far from the only player in BIG3 who is about a decade removed from a cup-of-coffee NBA career. Andre Owens’ 54-game NBA career ended in 2007-08; Desmon Farmer’s 11-game career ended in 2008-09 (he is teammates with Butler); Derrick Byars and Xavier Silas (Amundson’s teammate) each had NBA careers that lasted only two games. Surely Amundson and Butler can use their recent experience to school these guys. Right?