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The most high profile American player in Europe, Josh Childress, fared pretty well in his first ever Euroleague Final Four, posting 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 turnovers in 28 minutes. He was hampered somewhat by foul trouble, which he was very visibly frustrated by, both during the game and afterwards in the locker room:
“I feel like a rookie sometimes here, or a freshman in college,” Childress told us. “I never get any calls. It is what it is. I can’t be mad about it. I guess it could be more even.”
Despite the foul trouble, Childress was a major contributor in this contest, doing an excellent job being aggressive with the ball both in the half-court and in transition, notably standing out with his excellent athleticism, but clearly playing within himself and looking very intelligent and unselfish. Defensively, he guarded multiple positions, and did an especially good job on combo guard Vassilis Spanoulis, helping slow him down after a very hot start. He had one especially impressive putback slam off an offensive rebound with about four minutes to go, and managed to get a hand on a last-second desperation tip-back that would have sent the game to overtime, but unfortunately rimmed out. “I hit it a little too hard” Childress lamented.
Childress knew exactly what question was coming next, and was ready to answer it by the time the third word came out of my mouth.
“I don’t know what I will be doing this summer. It’s too early to decide.”
When asked what factors will play into his decision regarding whether or not to opt out of his contract and return to the NBA, a very solemn looking Childress offered few specifics.
“It will come down to personal feel. How I feel at the time.”
Regarding how much financial considerations will help decide that, Childress didn’t think they would be the main one:
“Money isn’t everything. I’m going to make a good living regardless. It will come down to personal preference. Money is money—it’s cool, but it’s not why I live my life.”
