Rasho Nesterovic Spurs 13pts/15rebs/5asts/7blks vs Mavericks (2004)

March 5 2004 With the absence of Tim Duncan, Rasho Nesterovic puts up 13 points 15 boards (8 offensive) 7 blocks (season high) and 5 assists, receiving a standing ovation from the home San Antonio crowd as he exited. Nesterovic was born in Slovenia, at the time under the Yugoslavia communist dictatorship which ruled over the Baltic states. He was born to a father that layed the railways of Slovenia, and a nurse. During the Yugoslav Wars, Rasho fled to play in Greece under a different name to avoid EU sanctions. Rasho in Greece was referred to as "Radoslav 'Rasho' Makris". After the end of the war in his region, he returned to play professionally near his hometown. He was wowed away from Slovenia by an offer by a mighty Italian ball club (Virtus Bologna) and would soon find himself on the NBA radar. The Timberwolves drafted Nesterovic 17th overall in the 1998 NBA Draft, and he would make the journey stateside at the end of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season. By 2004, Nesterovic entered free agency and although was offered a more lucrative deal by Minnesota's GM Kevin McHale, Rasho decided to sign with San Antonio for the better chance of making the NBA Finals. Nesterovic in 2006 was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that brought back fan favorite Matt "Red Rocket/Red Mamba" Bonner to San Antonio. One of the few times Skip Bayless was right about the impact of a Spurs bench player in the early days of First Take when it was Cold Pizza. He usually extremely exaggerated the abilities of Spurs bench players. If you haven't watched the clip type in "Skip Bayless Rasho Nesterovic". Any recommendations? Comment below!