He had spent a season in a new country on a new job, surrounded by new colleagues, new players and new bosses, with new responsibilities, and it took Darko Rajakovic some time to take stock and process all that was being asked of him.
He will stand in the centre of the NBA universe as an all-star coach in Los Angeles on Sunday and feel understandably proud of how he navigated the road there more quickly than some may have anticipated.
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