After spending the last two seasons playing professional basketball in Greece, Josh Childress is excited to be back home in the States and playing on the West Coast. Childress, who was born in California and played his college basketball at Stanford, was recently acquired in a sign-and-trade five-year contract from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a 2012 second round draft pick. He is now happy to be playing closer to home and is excited about the opportunity to play with some great players in Phoenix, and in an offense that he feels is a great fit for him. Childress had a decent four years when he played for the Hawks and showed that he had an ability to slash to the basket and shoot the ball. I didn’t really pay much attention to him while he was in Greece, but given some time, he should become their sixth man and quite possibly a starter.
Josh Childress joined KTAR in Phoenix to talk about whether he has any regrets for leaving the NBA to play in Greece, why he decided to come to play for the Phoenix Suns, and whether his game changed when he went over to Greece or if he is still the same player that he was in the NBA.
His thoughts on leaving the NBA to go to Greece and now being back in the NBA:
“That decision, obviously, was tough for me at the time but I made it and I was happy with my decision and it is great to be back home. It is great to be back in the States and to be able to play in front of my family.”
Whether he has any regrets for leaving the NBA to play in Greece:
“I think the experience in Greece was worth it. It was definitely a learning experience and a life learning experience. I am definitely happy that I did it but I am also happy to be back with a great organization and a great team like Phoenix.”
What some of the big differences were between playing in Greece vs. the NBA:
“It is a huge difference. It is a huge difference in the mentality and the approach to the game. The crowds are a lot more crazy to say the least. It was a great experience for me. I got to play in very small gyms to 20,000 seaters and got to experience basketball in different countries which was amazing.”
Why he decided to come to play for the Phoenix Suns:
“Well the Phoenix Suns were an organization that excited me for a number of reasons. Number one, it is a great organization, they have a great team, and I put the emphasis on team. They have a great group of talented individuals but they play like a team and I felt like I could come in and contribute and thrive in this type of situation.”
Whether his game changed when he went over to Greece or if he is still the same player that he was in the NBA:
“I have gotten better. I feel like I have gotten better as a whole. I am going to come into this situation trying to become more of a shooter because of the amount of open looks that Steve and other guys create. It is going to be a situation where I think I will become a better player through my hard work but also through the great team that is here.”
Josh Childress on KTAR in Phoenix with Gambo and Ash
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