In this interview, Greg Ostertag gives his reasons for his comeback attempt (not for the money), what he's been doing since he retired, and my favorite part, reflecting on his time with Coach Sloan,
NBADLeague.com: Is that what made you retire early? Just having not confidence in your shot?
Ostertag: There were a bunch of factors in there. I was just tired. I was tired of the travel, tired of the practices. It's probably hard to hear you say that when you're making the money that somebody like that makes, but I was tired of being on the road. I played basketball for 24 years.
It was premature - I shouldn't have done it. I should've stuck it out. Granted, the money's great, but it's not so much about the money. It's just what I know.
I don't have my college degree, and basketball's what I know. I know basketball.
I've gotten smarter. I learned over the years of being retired, and started understanding. Jerry [Sloan] and I used to butt heads all the time and I thought he was getting on me because he needed somebody to get on.
Now I look back on the things he said to me and they're all making sense. I guess I won't say the things he was saying to me - more like the things he was yelling at me.
NBADLeague.com: Haha, Jerry Sloan could be forceful...Ostertag: I love Jerry to death. He was old school. I played with two of the best to ever step on the floor, and I was the one taking the brunt when things were going bad. I thought he was just picking on me, and I understand it now.
Good luck to Tag. The couple of times I've heard him on Jazz broadcasts when Utah was playing in Phoenix, I thought TV was something that he could do once his playing days were over. If that's the case this time around, I hope he lands somewhere with the league.