Mbah a Moute looks for a do-over with the Clippers after tough summer
Luc Mbah a Moute wasn't supposed to be in this position. He wasn't supposed to be fighting for the final roster spot on an NBA team. He wasn't supposed to be staring at a season of sitting on the bench.
No, Mbah a Moute was supposed to be in Sacramento with the Kings and a chance of starting. But a failed physical -- a controversial one, at that -- allowed the Kings to void his contract one day after signing him. Now the case has gone to arbitration, and Mbah a Moute hopes the air can be cleared.
“My shoulder was never an issue,” Mbah a Moute told the Orange County Register. “I didn’t miss a game. I played the whole season without any problems. I had a routine check and the doctor in Philly told me I was fine. I was fine.
“I just didn’t know what was going on because to me everything was good. It’s not like I got hurt or they discovered something crazy in my heart that would make me not able to play. I was playing during the summer, I was good. I was healthy.”
Fortunately for the Clippers, who have been starved for depth the past couple years, they were able to capitalize and sign the seven-year veteran. Whether he makes the team or not, they see his value.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers believes Mbah a Moute will make a roster either way.
“He passed all of our physicals,” Rivers said. “He’s fantastic. He’s a veteran player who knows how to play. He’s a really good basketball player. He’s an NBA player, there’s no doubt about that.”
Despite the money and playing time he will almost certainly be missing out on this season, Mbah a Moute is keeping his head up and his spirits high. He’s going to let this setback define his successful NBA career. For him, it’s about learning from the situation and moving on.
“It was tough because after you come off your best year, you don’t expect to be in this situation – career highs and everything in Philly,” Mbah a Moute said. “And even though we didn’t have a very good year, I felt I had played really well and kind of raised my value in the league.
“So finding myself in this situation is sort of a setback. It’s just one of those challenges that life throws at you and keep moving.”
