Brezec Gallery

Everybody salivates over success.

In the NBA, it is no different.

When Matt Carroll swished a baseline trey or rookie Walter Herrmann splashed onto the scene with unique one-handed dispy-dos, they endeared themselves to the Bobcats ever-growing fanbase. Headlines and podcasts followed, recasting the former benchwarmers into relevant household names.

Fans rarely noticed Primoz Brezec, who didn’t enjoy nearly the same statistical success as his upstart teammates, yet he was an equally important cog of Charlotte’s record-shattering season.

The nasty underbelly in most locker rooms is lurking jealously from a selective teammate, usually a veteran, who conceded their spot on the court to allow for teammates like Carroll or Herrmann to absorb the spotlight, but that has never been the case in Charlotte.

Sure, Brezec was constantly frustrated with his decreased role in 2006-07, but his plight was deflected inwardly.

Brezec, who is one of the five original Bobcats still with the infant franchise, expects to play at his peak level no matter the circumstance – casually in the backyard or in the limelight at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. He knows what he is capable of and wants to prove it to himself and the Charlotte community.

Maybe he feels like he owes it to the organization that gave him a second chance, helping to resurrect his once-fledging career. Three years ago, Bobcats General Manager & then-Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff revived Brezec from the depths of the Indiana bench, selecting him in the 2004 Expansion Selection. He was drafted 27th in the 2000 NBA Draft, but was never shuffled through the Pacers lineup and failed to average more then 2.0 points during three seasons.

Brezec immediately flourished in his new opportunity in Charlotte, helping to instill some much-needed mortar to the team’s foundation. While the Bobcats drafted Okafor as the long-term frontcourt centerpiece, for two seasons, Brezec was an ample complement.

This past year, Brezec was expected to do the same. Be a seven-footer. Clog the middle. Make baseline jumpers. Pull opposing centers away from the basket. Be a solid complementary starter.

That, Brezec admits, never happened.

“It was definitely a disappointing season for me,” Brezec said. “I thought it was going to go a little bit different.”

After averaging 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 79 games in 2005-2006, the 27-year-old contributed just 5.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 58 games. He dropped considerably in every major statistical category.

“I had played well the first two seasons in just building up my game, but that’s what happens in life,” Brezec said. “Sometimes there will be some ups and downs, but I didn’t expect that kind of down.”

Brezec’s 2006-07 season started awry. After spending his summer playing for the Slovenian national team at the prestigious world championships, Brezec missed most of training camp and three exhibitions games because he lost 15 pounds, which later was attributed to a virus.

The situation compounded when Brezec was held out by team physicians, which led him to the inactive list for the season’s first two weeks (eight games) because of exhaustion and dehydration. The Bobcats were 2-6 when he returned and 3-10 before he played a season-high 34 minutes on November 28.

Critics questioned his work ethic and dedication to his team. But Brezec and Bickerstaff, to his credit, couldn’t scream loud enough that the nasty accusations were misleading at best.

The exhaustion was merely a physical issue that Brezec tried to solve by sitting. Even though he was later deemed healthy, the loss of strength forced the 7-1 center to alter his game. More potent was the mental drain that lagged, and ultimately never went away.

“It’s all about confidence,” Brezec said. “When you don’t have it, it’s tough. It’s all me. The coaching staff has been really supportive, and I just didn’t contribute the way I could.”

Brezec, who also missed 10 games in late January with a bulging disc in his lower back, erupted with 17 points on March 12, his only game in double-figures over the latter half of the season.

"I think it was about time that I did something for this team,'' Brezec said afterwards, clearly citing his will to contribute publicly with a tone of frustration. “It's tough after everything I went through.”'

But Brezec was doing things for the greater good of the team – not complaining on the sidelines and displaying genuine enthusiasm that the team achieved a franchise-best 33 wins.

And now faster than ever, Brezec fully understands that his nemesis last season – the summer – can be a rewarding and refreshing time, where he can literally start anew.

“I’ve never had a break before,” Brezec said. “…It’s obvious I’m going to have start from the beginning. From the conditioning, weights, confidence and everything, I’m going to have to get back to the basics and get ready for next season.”

Brezec is hoping the lack of commitments, and Slovenian landscape, will allow him to free his mind, mentally flushing the 2006-07 season as a mere fluke.

“Getting back my strength is going to be one of the most important things,” Brezec said. “Obviously my confidence dropped a lot this season, so I just want to focus on getting back my confidence and believing in my game. I know I can do it.”