Bismack Biyombo was determined not to be “that guy.”
That disenfranchised NBA veteran who simply checks out. Who is bitter about not playing, surly when asked about it and doesn’t do a thing beyond the minimum to collect a massive paycheck.
“My parents didn’t raise that kind of kid,” Charlotte Hornets center Biyombo said after making two huge fourth-quarter blocks Friday to help seal a 100-92 home victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
This hasn’t been an easy season for Biyombo, in his second stint in Charlotte, but he has handled it with grace. When he didn’t play - he wasn’t even included on the active roster for 12 games this season - he cheerfully agreed to show up two hours before the team’s regularly-scheduled practices for extra two-on-two or three-on-three games, run by an assistant coach and populated mostly by rookies.