Zaza Pachulia is back in Atlanta – and maybe this time he can sleep.
Pachulia spent eight seasons with the Hawks before signing with the Bucks as a free agent in 2013. He returned to Philips Arena last season with some stress.
“I kind of feel different this visit,” Pachulia said Friday morning. “Last year was very stressful. The first time, it’s always tough. Of course, I’m still exciting coming back. Last year, I remember 48 hours (with) no sleep. Seriously, there was no sleep. A lot of people (to see), a lot of things were going on in my mind. … Now I’m more relaxed.”
There was quite a reunion in the Philips Arena hallway as the Hawks ended their shootaround and the Bucks arrived for their pregame practice. Al Horford and Pachulia greeted each other with a hug. There were greetings from Jeff Teague and Mike Scott. It was a lengthy walk down the corridor with several conversations with other Hawks support staff.
“Can’t miss his head,” Teague joked. “No, Zaza that’s my guy. He’s always been good to me, always been a friend. It’s good to see him happy and playing well and I’m glad to see he’s healthy.”
Pachulia was a fan favorite in Atlanta and that was before his famous forehead-to-forehead playoff confrontation with the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett in 2008.
“Think about it, most of my career I spent here in this building,” Pachulia said. “Nothing can change it. This city is special. These fans are special. There are guys I guys I grew up with, Al (Horford) and Jeff (Teague). We had a good time. We had good years, right? It’s something I’m never going to forget in my life. At the same time, life goes on, right?”
This season, Pachulia is averaging 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 21.5 minutes a game. The Bucks are one of the surprise teams in the NBA. They are 14-15 and sixth in the Eastern Conference.
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