Spanish media have reported that Australian Boomers player Joe Ingles “continues to receive offers from the NBA”. It is believed that many teams have remained in contact with Joe since his break-out Olympic performance, but so far have only offered non-guaranteed contracts and invitations to training camps.
Ingles clearly wants to play in the NBA, however it seems unlikely we will see him in the NBA this year due to his current contract with Barcelona making it an near impossibility. The only way Ingles would be able to make an NBA squad this season is if an NBA team has enough faith in him to offer a guaranteed contract without a try-out.
Joe Ingles averaged 33.7 minutes, scored 15 points, captured 5 rebounds and gave 4.2 assists per match in his team’s six Olympic matches. Earlier in the week Ingles gave an interview with Barça TV and fcbarcelona.com.
Ingles spoke about his Olympic experience saying “Yes, I went to the Beijing Games and I hardly got any playing time. However, in London I played an important role and I got the chance to spend more time on the court. I think that’s what I needed after not having too much playing time and playing here for a couple of years. I needed a different role; I needed to play more. Being one of my team’s most important players was a fantastic experience. I’m very pleased with how we played even though I would have liked to win more games. I’m pleased with how I played, it gave me the necessary confidence to come back to FC Barcelona.”
When asked about Barça Regal’s upcoming season Ingles and noted that he “wouldn’t have returned” if he didn’t want to be part of Xavi Pascual’s project as well as stating that he thinks FC Barcelona Regal has what it takes to win the Euroleague Competition this year.
Meanwhile Ingles hopes to guide FC Barçelona Regal to victory over Valencia Basket in the semi-finals of the ACB Super Cup on September 22nd in Zaragoza.
The Supercup is the premier pre-season basketball competition in Spain. Barça Regal will defend as repeat champions having won the ACB (Spanish Basketball League) in 2011 and 2012. Barca Regal have also been the champion of the last three ACB Super Cups. The winner will play the victor of the other semi-final will game between CAI Zaragoza and Real Madrid.
The Barcelona players have made it clear that Valencia are a tough rival. “We know that they will be one of the most difficult rivals of the Liga Endesa this year and the ACB Super Cup match will be very difficult” Marcelinho Huertas, the starting point guard for Barcelona Huertas.
Last week Barcelona were defeated by Valenica 68-66, In that game Nathan Jawai made a huge impact with 11 points while Ingles was kept relatively quiet with only 3 points.
Joe Ingles speaks with Barca TV about his Olympic experience and the season ahead
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
