A funny little article about several veteran NBA players looking for work with the season already well underway. Chief among them, of course, is one-time Knick, one-time coach choker and provider for his family Latrell Sprewell. One would think he's kicking himself for passing on that $21 million offer he derided as insufficient to provide Lunchables for Little Latrell. More likely he is still convinced he will end up with more money, the doggedness that served him so well on the court now keeps him off it. It'd be ironic if it weren't so predictable.
Among those also mentioned:
Dajuan Wagner - Had an alarmingly brief stay in the League, especially as he was the #6 pick in the 2002 draft. Seems a poor candidate to garner much interest for a second go-round, with his deadeye 32% shooting touch and all.
Jay Williams - Williams still isn't all the way back from his motorcycle crash and may never be. Tried out for several teams but shelved the process when it was clear his health wasn't up to snuff. I wouldn't be surprised if Williams plays in the NBA again, but would be if he made major waves upon a return. Not to make light of a terrible accident, well I guess that's exactly what I'll be doing, what's with the Duke point guards and mechanized transportation? First Bobby Hurley, then Jay Williams, if I'm J.J. Redick I'm not piloting a Cessna in the future.
Vin Baker - Not only did he open "Vinnie's Saybrook Fish House," known for it's bar no doubt, he is still making $5.2 million from the Celtics AND accepted a $3.5 million buyout from Houston. Nice fucking work if you can get it and piss it away through alcohol and fatty foods.
Shawn Kemp - Kemp has supposedly lost more than 50 pounds in an effort to return to the NBA and a return to some relief from his onerous child support payments. The article cites a report that Toronto and Denver were interested but Toronto GM Rob Babcock shot down those rumors, saying the 36 year old wasn't a good fit on a team looking at a youth movement. Few have done more for America's youth than Kemp though so I wouldn't count it out.
Christian Laettner - Living it up in South Florida, Laettner hasn't shown any desire to play ball this season. He didn't show much desire to play the last few years either, loping up and down the court with a vague sense that there was competition going on around him. Who can blame him though? His place in the sports firmament was ensured before he played a single NBA minute. If his pro career was a big ball of nothing, and it was, he still had 2 NCAA titles, a gold medal and one of the most memorable shots in the history of basketball. He's got enough money that I'm sure he's living a fun little life on the beach, I doubt he finds the zeal to play again.
Todd Day is playing in Qatar and Chris Herren in Iran, so they might not be in NBA game shape but there is all kinds of training over in that part of the world to keep your game sharp. It would be really funny if Todd Day has really been a deep cover CIA agent all along, with Lee Mayberry his handler. Who knows what Nolan Richardson was up to down there.
Have Cornrows, Will Travel