[外電]Wolves: Summer league players scatter and hope for best
http://www.startribune.com/stories/511/5515561.html
Here yesterday, gone today, forgotten tomorrow.
For eight days, a bunch of young men got to call themselves "Timberwolves,
" practice in the NBA team's facility at Target Center, dress and loiter in
the big guys' locker room and play a series of audition games on the main
court where Kevin Garnett cavorts.
Not long, however, after the Wolves' 80-65 loss Tuesday afternoon in the 15th
and final game of the Minnesota Summer League, they scattered, with their cell
phones on, their agents on speed-dial, their breath held and their fingers
crossed.
"They just told me: 'We'll be in touch with you. We liked the effort you put
forth,'" guard Paul McPherson said afterward. "There was never, ever a
guarantee, but a couple of coaches just said: 'Be ready. When camp comes, you
might get a call.'
"That's all I can ask for, to be right back in this situation, getting looked
at again."
For most summer league players, it is an almost endless process of workouts,
evaluations, practices, assessments, games and decisions. Not for all, of
course; high draft picks (Rashad McCants), young veterans with guarantees
(Ndudi Ebi) or prospects with some promises (Dwayne Jones) can assume they'll
be back in October at veteran camp.
The rest have to hope that they showed a glimmer of something, to someone.
"Obviously, it's a small group of people who get this opportunity," center
David Simon said. "I'm thankful I've gotten this far. This is one step that
will get me to the next step, which puts me closer, and then there's another
step after that."
Simon, who played at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne after transferring from Loyola
(Ill.), averaged 4.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 19.4 minutes. Guard Ricky Shields
of Rutgers averaged 9.2 points but peaked at the end with 19 against Indiana.
"I'm glad I was able to play well to end it all," the 6-4 Shields said. "I
learned a lot from each game."
Shields' plan now? "Go back home, chill in Maryland," he said. "If no vet
camps happen, I'll go overseas."
McPherson, 27, has been there, done that -- and might have to do it again if
he can't get a second shot in the NBA. He averaged 4.8 points in 55 NBA games
with Phoenix and Golden State in 2000-01.
A product of DePaul, McPherson heads back to Chicago now to work out with Tim
Grover, Michael Jordan's trainer, and scrimmage with pals such as Corey
Maggette, Bobby Simmons and Quentin Richardson. Come October, they'll be
prepping for another season in the league.
McPherson has been at that for four years now.
Summer highs, lows
The bad news was that the Wolves went 1-4 in their own summer league. McCants
did not play at all due to his strained left hamstring. Second-round pick
Bracey Wright was limited to 51 minutes in three games by a sore ankle. Free
agent Nick Horvath sprained his right ankle in his only appearance. And
Nikoloz Tskitishvili, after a dazzling opening game (25 points, 10 rebounds in
17 minutes) broke a bone in his right hand the next night and was done for the
session.
"The first thing that jumps out at you is, it was disappointing the injuries
we had," assistant coach Don Zierden said. "The positives were, you got to see
Dwayne Jones, who did a very nice job. Ndudi Ebi got to play and ended up
having a nice game."
Ebi scored 13 points in the finale while matched up with Pacers forward Ron
Artest, the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year. Artest got 15.
McCants' NBA debut
Actually, McCants got into a boxscore without logging a minute. He was slapped
with a technical foul in the third quarter Tuesday after suggesting that one
of the aspiring referees might want to consider another career choice. It was
the Wolves' only technical in five games.
Etc.
‧ Two familiar faces Tuesday: Garnett in a baseline seat and former assistant
coach Randy Wittman in a hallway after cleaning out his office. Wittman will
be a member of Brian Hill's Orlando staff this season.
‧ Rich Melzer, the Minneapolis native and 2004 NCAA Division III Player of
the Year as he left Wisconsin-River Falls, was added to the Wolves squad for
the finale when it appeared they might need healthy bodies. But the 6-8 forward
wound up playing only one minute, and Zierden apologized to him afterward.
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