Gary Neal Happy to Be Away from ‘Tanking’ Milwaukee Bucks

Gary Neal grew extremely unhappy in Milwaukee before he was traded to Charlotte. Neal says he’s glad to no longer be part of an organization he accuses of tanking away the season. Per the Journal Sentinel and Express-News:

We’ve known for months that Neal was upset with the situation in Milwaukee. He was kept out of 21 games due to coach’s decision and never given much of a chance to be an impact player in games. During his toughest days in Milwaukee, he generally steered clear of the media or kept his frustration in check while responding to questions — no one wants to let their negative feelings out to the media when they still need to be in the locker room every day.

Ex-Spur Gary Neal returned to his former home for the second time this season, under far better circumstances than his first visit with Milwaukee. A, he actually played meaningful minutes (23); and B, he did something with them, scoring 15 points to give the lagging Bobcats a critical offensive lift on a night they shot just 37 percent.

Neal unloaded on the Bucks — who buried him on the end of the bench after signing him to a two-year deal during the summer — before the game, saying he got out of town ASAP after he was traded to Charlotte.

“I didn’t turn nothing in,” he said. “I got on the plane. I left everything in the house, wrote a (rent) check and I was out of there. I was just getting out of a shootaround in Milwaukee when I found out. I took out my insoles (from my shoes) and I was out of there.

“I’m excited to be playing meaningful basketball again. After three years of being with the Spurs, with every possession of every game counting I’m just glad to being back to that. I’m a little too old for the tanking situation.”