Bulls' Andriuskevicius Speaks Out Following NBDL Fight
2nd January, 2007 - 10:22 am ESPN -
Chicago Bulls prospect
Martynas Andriuskevicius, knocked unconscious during a practice fight Dec. 21 while playing for the Dakota
Wizards of the NBDL, is slowly recovering but his future remains in doubt, ESPN is reporting.
"I've heard a lot of things [from doctors]," Andriuskevicius was quoted as saying in the
Chicago Tribune. "They say I'm not going to play at all. Then they say I'm not going to play this year. Then they say I'm not going to speak for two months. But everything is changing. I hope in two months I'll be back playing basketball."
Andriuskevicius was injured in a fight with
Awvee Storey. Storey was suspended indefinitely and replaced on the roster after reportedly punching Andriuskevicius in the head. Storey is 6-6; the 20-year-old Andriuskevicius is 7-2. The NBA and NBDL are investigating.
"It was a heated situation," Andriuskevicius said. "We were playing basketball. I didn't say anything bad, but we were talking. I turned my head and I didn't expect a punch. He hit me. That's how it happened. But everything is better now. I'm just waiting to come back to basketball."
Andriuskevicius said that he isn't going to press charges against Storey.
"It's not going to help me anyway," Andriuskevicius said. "God is going to take care of it."
Andriuskevicius' recovery is still up in the air. "I just started to speak three days ago," Andriuskevicius said. "And I'm still speaking badly. I'm about 80 percent right now. I wasn't able to talk for a while. But now I feel a lot better. My headache is gone. I'm not taking medicine anymore. My hearing is just off."
"He's still having difficult moments,"
Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "But he's getting better. We just want to be around him a little bit. He's a great guy."
