Tabuse still has eyes on NBA return

Tabuse still has eyes on NBA return​

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Yuta Tabuse's desire to play in the NBA again hasn't waned. But playing in Japan will give him the valuable playing time that he never got in three years in the NBA Development League and sharpen his game for another shot at the top.

"My desire to once again try for the NBA has not changed," Tabuse said at a press conference Tuesday in Tokyo. "I played three years in the development league, but I felt I needed a change of surroundings. I spent most of the time on the bench and I wanted to play more."

Tabuse will get plenty of court time with the Link Tochigi Brex, the newest member of the Japan Basketball League with whom he signed a two-year contract.

Tabuse, the only Japanese native to play in the NBA after appearing in four games with the Phoenix Suns in 2004, will be reunited with his high school coach, Mitsuhiko Kato.

Tabuse led Akita's Noshiro Kogyo High School to an unprecendented triple crown of national titles for three straight years.

Tabuse said that playing under Kato again was a reason for joining Tochigi, but he also relished the challenge of helping an expansion team.

"I appealed to me to start from zero," said Tabuse, who will wear No. 0 on his uniform. "To play for a team that has no fixed form is a challenge."

Brex general manager Takaashi Yamaya did not release figures on Tabuse's contract, which allows him to leave for the NBA at any time, but said the 27-year-old will be the highest-paid Japanese player in the league.

Top-earning Asiain guard Kenichi Sako is estimated to be receiving somewhere between 25 million yen and 30 million yen.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/sports/20080903TDY22311.htm

 

After leaving the Toyota Alvark in 2003, Tabuse became the first Japanese person to play in the NBA's summer league, playing for the Dallas Mavericks. Tabuse's first attempt at making it to the NBA made the headlines in Japan, and drew large media attention.

That year, Tabuse joined the Denver Nuggets' training camp, but he was waived before the start of the regular season.

He spent the 2003-2004 season with the American Basketball Association champion Long Beach Jam, averaging 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and a team-high 6.3 assists per game in 18 games.

In 2004, Tabuse joined the Phoenix Suns' training camp and made the opening night roster. He scored seven points in his first NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 3, 2004. However, he was waived by the Suns on December 16, 2004. He rejoined the Jams for the remainder of the season.

In 2005, he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers but was waived before the start of the regular season. That fall, Tabuse appeared on a limited edition cover of NBA Live video game in Japan, even though he did not play a single NBA regular season game.

That year, he was drafted by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA Development League and averaged 6.5 points and 4.0 assists in 34 games before he was waived in March.

In the summer of 2006, Tabuse played with the Dallas Mavericks' summer league team. In November 2006, Tabuse was drafted into the D-League by the Bakersfield Jam. In November 2007, Tabuse was cut by the Bakersfield Jam before the 2007-08 season began.

On December 8, 2007, Anaheim Arsenal of the D-League signed Tabuse, and he made his debut on December 9, 2007 against the Bakersfield Jam. For the 2007-2008 season, Tabuse averaged 4.5 points and 2.0 assists in 39 games. He did not receive much playing time.

In July 2008, Tabuse joined the New Jersey Nets squad in the Orlando Pro Summer League.