When one door closes, hopefully another one opens
Lou Amundson played his last game for TNT on Sunday evening, as Donte Greene — the team’s original replacement in lieu of a troubled Denzel Bowles — has flown into the country all set to suit up and take his place.
But the 34-year-old American made the most of his final outing, scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds in TNT’s 134-109 dismantling of Phoenix.
And as he leaves the Philippines, Amundson has nothing but kind words for the TNT franchise — the first team he has ever played for outside of the NBA.
“Really, it’s kind of bittersweet,” Amundson reflected. “I like it here and my teammates are great people, coaches are great people.
“I’m just blessed with this opportunity and to be on this team for this short amount of time. It’s really enjoyable and I was able to get good experience here.”
Asked how he sees Greene fitting with TNT, Amundson believes that the 6-foot-11, 29-year-old center — who last played in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional in Puerto Rico — will fit in nicely with TNT.
“I think he will be fine. He’s a great scorer. He shoots the ball from deep and just a talented scorer.
“He’s going to bring that scoring punch when Jayson [Castro] is not with the team and I think he’ll integrate nicely,” shared Amundson.
Moreover, the 10-year NBA veteran believes the his now-former team will go places once the Katropa realize how they can survive without Castro on the floor.
“I think they’re going to be great. Having Jayson was obviously huge for them. He’s a great player so that’s a big lift. They have a lot of great young players and they have to learn how to play without Jayson,” he shared.
“The way they played today — fast, uptempo, fast breaks, and good defense, the sky is the limit for this team.”
Now that his short yet memorable stint in the Philippines has wrapped up, Amundson is now looking forward to playing basketball either overseas or back in the NBA once more.
“Hopefully find another team, hopefully a good European team. This is my first experience outside of the NBA and outside of the US so I’m just trying to enjoy it and be in the moment and enjoy this experience,” said Amundson.
“You’ll never know. We’ll see what happens.”
But he conceded that a PBA return is a possibility.
“I would love to play here again. Hopefully, by having a little bit of experience here, I was able to show some teams what I have to offer and maybe, I’ll be back for another team in the future,” Amundson admitted.
