Right now, there is a fierce “deportation battle” going on in Charlotte. The combatants? Willy Hernangomez of Spain and Bismack Biyombo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In their struggle over center minutes newly freed by the injury to Cody Zeller, each player is trying with all their might to get the other deported so that even more minutes become available.
Given the current political climate in America, this is a valid strategy for both parties. The current administration will deport you for doing such innocuous things as eating tacos, driving by a mosque, or visiting the tourism website for Iceland, so it’s fair to assume that both Hernangomez and Biyombo are one small transgression away from being banished from America – forever.
Hernangomez can point to something such as Biyombo’s likely falsified birth certificate as reason to send him packing. Remember, there’s a certain subset of people in the United State who are obsessed with African birth certificates. However, pointing this out to immigration officials carries its own risk, because his name totally sounds Mexican. If I were him, I would just lay low and try to not do poke the wrong bear. Then again, the prospect of playing thirty minutes per game as the full-time starter is very alluring. Getting that role and then playing well in it would basically guarantee that he would never have to play in the ratty arenas of the European leagues ever again.
Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, Primoz Brezec once was the full-time starter for the Charlotte Bobcats, and even his decent performance in that role didn’t equate to a long-term NBA gig. So I dunno. Anyway, stay tuned for updates to see which one of these guys gets deported first.