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On Friday night, Gary Neal took the court for the Bobcats for the first time since being traded by the Bucks on Feb. 20. Playing in San Antonio, where he spent his first three NBA seasons, Neal scored 15 points in 23 minutes of action.

But it's what he said off the court that's even more interesting. After being obviously frustrated for most of this season with the Bucks, he finally gave voice to the discouragement that he'd held inside. Per Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News:

Q: Better than your last trip to SA with the Bucks? A, Gary Neal: This was real basketball. — Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) March 1, 2014

More Neal: "Happy to be in a situation to play in games like this, not doing whatever it is Milwaukee is attempting to do." — Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) March 1, 2014

OK, if you liked those Neal quotes, you'll love this one. Upon hearing the news he was traded... — Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) March 1, 2014

"I didn't turn nothing in. I got on the plane. I left everything in the house, wrote a (rent) check and I was out of there." — Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) March 1, 2014

"I was just getting out of a shootaround in Milwaukee when I found out. I took out my insoles (from my shoes) and I was out of there." — Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) March 1, 2014

The quotes from Neal don't end there. In McCarney's story from last night's game, Neal said, “I’m excited to be playing meaningful basketball again. After three years of being with the Spurs, with every possession of every game counting I’m just glad to being back to that. I’m a little too old for the tanking situation.”

We've known for months that Neal was upset with the situation in Milwaukee. He was kept out of 21 games due to coach's decision and never given much of a chance to be an impact player in games. During his toughest days in Milwaukee, he generally steered clear of the media or kept his frustration in check while responding to questions -- no one wants to let their negative feelings out to the media when they still need to be in the locker room every day.

It's good to finally hear his unfiltered side of the story.