<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">SACRAMENTO -- In one of the more improbable, and most heart-warming, stories of the early NBA season, Ime Udoka has made the Trail Blazers' opening day roster. Udoka's story is improbable because he was a last-minute addition to the Blazers' training camp roster, getting the invitation the day before camp started after Aaron Miles failed a physical because of a sprained ankle. And his story is heart-warming because Udoka's father, Vitalis, suddenly passed away on Oct. 17, a day Vitalis had been looking forward to because Udoka was set to play for the first time in an exhibition game that night at the Rose Garden. Udoka wasn't with the Blazers in Sacramento when the official word he made the team came down Thursday night. He was in Portland for the funeral of his father. "The day of the funeral, and hearing the word on the same day, it's kind of like a blessing," said Udoka, who plans to fly to Sacramento today to rejoin the team. "My dad was a big reason I was doing this -- I wanted to play in front of my family -- so to get this result would have made him proud." Udoka, 29, is a 1995 graduate of Jefferson High School who finished his college career at Portland State. The 6-foot-5 small forward earned a spot on the team by doing what McMillan said he had to do -- play well enough to force McMillan to ask president and general manager Steve Patterson to include him on the roster. In four exhibition games, Udoka averaged 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists while playing what McMillan said was the best perimeter defense on the team. And he did it while playing with a heavy heart. "If his story doesn't pull at your heart-strings, you're not living," said assistant general manager Kevin Pritchard. </div> Source His teammates threatened to go on strike if Udoka didn't make the squad. I'm glad to see the Blazers give him a chance.
From reading the article, however, it must be made clear that there was no sympathy involved in this decision, or at least that's what they say. However, I think that when somebody plays that well whilst obviously having other things on their mind, you can only wonder at how well they can play when fully focused on the game. A very heart-warming story, though.
