Matthew Dellavedova: ‘Main Target’ for the Bucks is the Playoffs

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Milwaukee inked free agent guard Matthew Dellavedova to a three-year, $ 39 million pact this summer, and the 25-year-old has designs on leading the Bucks back into the postseason.

Dellavedova is eager to learn from Bucks head coach Jason Kidd.

Dellavedova says leaving the defending NBA champion Cavs was tough, but he’s looking forward to stepping into a leadership role.

Per ESPN:

“Leaving Cleveland was tough because I had a great three years there and they gave me my first opportunity,” Dellavedova said.

 

“Winning the title is going to give you a bond with those guys for life, and the way the city embraced me made leaving even harder. […] But I’m excited about the opportunity in Milwaukee, especially to step into a bit more of a leadership role. Obviously at Cleveland we had Kyrie [Irving] being the point guard which puts a ceiling on what you can achieve.”

 

“We definitely want to get into the playoffs, that’s our main target,” Dellavedova said. “They made the playoffs two years ago and looked really good in the first round against Chicago. It was a bit of a down year for them last year with injuries, but the development of their young players is really exciting for the future.”

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Matthew Dellavedova wants to see NBA game played in his native Australia

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Matthew Dellavedova is now an NBA champion, but he definitely hasn’t forgotten his roots.

On a victory tour of sorts with the Larry O’Brien Trophy in his native Australia, Dellavedova expressed his desire to see an Association game played in his homeland.

“All the boys are working on it, it’s just a matter of whose teams are going to get out and play,” the 25-year-old guard said, per Michael Randall of the Herald Sun. “All the boys talk to the NBA and any chance we get we always make sure we mention (a game in Australia) and keep it fresh in their minds.”

Dellavedova, who could be looking at a big role with the Milwaukee Bucks next season, even took things a step further and said that he would like for the game to be played at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the largest sports stadiums in the world with a capacity of over 100,000 people.

“I think the MCG would be pretty cool,” he continued. “I obviously can’t run out there playing footy, but it would be pretty cool to run out there if they can get a basketball court on the surface. I hope it’d be a sellout because I think a lot of people love basketball, it’s so accessible these days.”

Though the NBA has yet to host a game in Australia, they have a long history of holding regular season contests overseas in Japan, Mexico, and England as a part of their “NBA Global Games” campaign. With a growing number of Australian players in the league (and therefore a growing Australian fan base), it’s a proposition the NBA should at least consider.

H/T theScore

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