Every searing hot Vegas or humid Orlando summer, we see a lot of rookies, journeymen and vice versa converge for a spot on an NBA roster. They each were stars in their respective college programs in one form or another. Some of them, will get a training invite while others will continue their dream overseas probably in Europe or the NBA Developmental League aka NBDL.
In this case, there is one player from the St. Mary's College in Northern California who is an interesting example of someone trying to make a roster. His name is Omar Samhan and he currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks Summer League team.
He played for four years but did not get notoriety until this past year's NCAA tournament where he scored 32 points in an upset over Big East power Villanova. Yet, he was never drafted in the 2010 draft. Throughout the Summer league, he has shown a nice back to the basket game and range as he once shot two 3s within 5 minutes of the game. Samhan has some problems with defensive technique but that can be corrected with coaching.
His chances of finding a spot in Dallas are next to nil because of the recent trade for Ty Chandler and signing of Brendan Haywood. He has shown great footwork that he claims in a recent You Tube video: see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0iNuY4xRTI&feature=popular.
In the brief video, he is engaging, funny, a good chemistry guy you need on a team. In addition, he was someone who would find a home as 11-12th man in an NBA roster for a team in need of height i.e. Miami. Yet, today he was signed for 2 years for BC Žalgiris in the Lithuanian Basketball League, which is one of the oldest Euroleague Basketball teams . They signed him where hopefully his talents can be developed rather than languish on the bench. He may never see an NBA roster for a while but his chance may come eventually.
Although, the league is where players have glorified games (See Anthony Randolph). They do not translate under the bright lights of the NBA season but there are gems to be found that can crack a team and maybe become a key contributor. For example, Wes Matthews son of former Los Angeles Lakers guard Wes Matthews. He was undrafted out of Marquette but he impressed the Jazz scouts so much that he became a key contributor for the Utah. Today, he signed for an exorbitant sum of 5 years 34 million to the Portland Trail Blazers. Not bad for a guy making at least 450 grand.
In addition, we see other players who were drafted yet never fully developed their talents as was the case with Gerald Green. He played for the Lakers summer league team after spending a year with CSKA Moscow in Russia. Coming out of High School, he was regarded as the next T-Mac but never panned out other than for his athleticism and dunking. Green has been a contestant in the NBA dunk contest where he won just three years before. Unfortunately, he has been discarded by three teams (Boston, Minnesota, and Dallas) due to lack of improvement on a year to year basis.
In this year's Summer League, his play demonstrated both why he has such potential as well as how he burned out of the NBA so quickly. For example, he would make a sublime jumper or jaw dropping hammer slam. Yet, for ever great play, he would then get picked off while dribbling the ball or taking an ill-advised pass and/or shot. He's only 24 but it appears that his time may be running out on his NBA hopes.
As Summer League draws to a close this coming Sunday, it may be the last one to date as the NBA apocalypse looms (NBA lockout) on June 1, 2011. The latest news in the CBA negotiations does not bring any comfort with the Players Union disagreeing with the Owners about the league losing $370 million. Perhaps, for these players it is their last chance to make an NBA roster or spend an uncertain amount of time overseas hoping for a call that may never come. For now, it's in the back of the NBA hopefuls minds, as it's a battle to catch the eye of a team and hopefully a home.
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