| 05 August 2011
When Brose Baskets Bamberg opens training camp in two weeks they’ll have a familiar face back on the floor – Brian Roberts.
After constant negotiations over the last month, Brose is set to announce they’ve re-signed the point guard who was critical to their back-to-back title run in the Beko BBL.
“Things definitely took a turn recently,” Brose's Scouting Director Brendan Rooney told Beyond the Beat.
“Chris (Fleming) is more comfortable with having Brian come back compared to the other options we had. Plus, he's just a better player than the other guys, too. And we think he has another level to reach.”
In early July it appeared Roberts’ days in Bamberg were officially over. Bamberg general manager Wolfgang Heyder said then that the return of Roberts (along with Kyle Hines) was “very unlikely” and he didn’t believe the team would have enough financial resources to secure Roberts’ services. There were also reports that teams in Spain and Turkey were offering Roberts – who averaged 10.7points per game and 3.4 assists per game last season - upwards of 500,000 euros to sign a deal.
The addition of Julius Jenkins from Beko BBL rival Alba Berlin didn’t help Roberts’ chances either. Oddly enough, it was an unfortunate injury to John Goldberry’s knee that left a gap in Brose’s backcourt and opened the door for Roberts to return.
That’s when negotiations resurfaced, even as Rooney and the organization continued to proceed with inquiring about other point guards to pursue.
They finally got their man.
While the team has not officially announced the terms of the deal with Roberts, it’s safe to say that sharing the backcourt with Jenkins, Roberts’ place within the team dynamic is set to change and will play out as camp gets under way and the season officially begins.
“His role will be different but he's a high level player and has proven he can win,” Rooney said of the 6'2 point guard out of Dayton, who later had pre-draft workouts with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008.
By re-signing Brian Roberts, Bamberg’s offseason changes to their roster are complete. And what an offseason it has been. Not only did Brose extend the contract of Casey Jacobson and lure Jenkins from Berlin, but they imported Marcus Slaughter and P.J. Tucker, who formerly saw time in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors and made an impact on the Israeli Premier League in 2007-08 winning a league championship and being named league MVP.
“Our roster, overall...we could not be happier.”
“We basically got all of our Plan A "target" guys. We improved our depth at every position, athleticism, and rebounding, offensive and defensive versatility and have a lot of weapons,” explained Rooney.
“There's always an adjustment period when you make changes, especially as many changes we made. But with the coaching staff that we have, I'm not worried about that.”
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