Israel Matzav

Omri Caspi is coming home

You have to wonder why he waited this long (apparently there were some tax issues), but with the NBA season about to be wiped out by a labor dispute, Sacramento Kings forward Omri Caspi (pictured here with a group of Bnei Akiva kids in Denver) has signed a deal to come home in January and play for Maccabi Tel Aviv if the NBA season is wiped out.

"Maccabi and I have signed the contract and I'm as happy as can be to be returning home," Casspi wrote on his Facebook page. "I'm so excited to be coming back home, to my family and the best fans in the world."

"I will be coming in January assuming the NBA season is canceled. The reason I will only be arriving in January is because I don't want Maccabi to suffer from having two players leaving the team at once should there eventually be an NBA season."

The chances of the entire 2011/12 NBA season being canceled significantly increased on Monday after the NBA players union rejected the latest deal offered by owners and announced that it will file an antitrust lawsuit against the league.

Casspi, who was drafted by the Sacramento Kings two years ago, was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the end of last season. He has not yet played for the team due to the labor dispute.

Maccabi has already benefited from the lockout, during which a number of NBA players have signed temporary contracts to come play for European teams.

Maccabi's roster has been bolstered by two-time NBA champion point guard Jordan Farmar.

Farmar, who is Jewish, was playing for the New Jersey Nets until he landed in Tel Aviv as a result of the lockout.

Welcome home Omri. You have a much better chance of winning a championship with Maccabi than you had with Cleveland.

Labels: Maccabi Tel Aviv, NBA strike, Omri Caspi

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:26 PM