As the month of August comes to a close, clubs across the world are finalizing their last moves of the off season to officially complete rosters. The current economic climate is unique in that every type of player from journeymen to established vets to young, fringe NBA talent have at times found the market to be unkind. Teams have adjusted to the situation by opting to go with the smaller roster count of 13 players instead of 15. The downsizing of teams has resulted in a trickle down effect in the form of overseas clubs receiving bona find nba talents. A limited number of roster spots has also shut out many would be first and second year players from occupying those 14th and 15th spots.
The months of June & July are extremely vital for free agents looking to impress scouts & front offices. A selection of undrafted free agents and two/three year players have the opportunity to play in front of several scouts at the Orlando Pro Summer League, and or the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. Other free agents and pro vets participate in official team mini-camps and private workouts.
After spending a majority of his NBA rookie season on the end of the Hawks' bench, Othello Hunter's first off season started with a bit of uncertainty as he was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Atlanta Hawks. In addition to his new found free agent status, Hunter also faced the sobering prospect of possibly not being able to play in the Vegas Summer league. However, Hunter was able to latch onto the Golden State Warriors Summer League team a week before Vegas Summer League play.
The Golden State squad featured draft pick Stephen Curry, budding star Anthony Randolf, and Anthony Morrow. After the feature big man Randolf, Hunter's main competition for minutes consisted of Quan Prowell, Lawrence Hill, and Connor Atchley. As a late addition, O saw limited minutes in the initial games of summer league, yet as play went on Hunter slowly worked his way up to the first forward substitution.
Hunter averaged around ten minutes of playing time in five games. He finished with a total of 17 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks, and a steal & assist each. The limited number of minutes once again put Hunter in a situation where he would have to impress scouts by displaying his role player intangibles of hustle, effort, and defense. Up to 230 in weight, the much stronger Hunter showed the willingness to bang with inside players, yet was able to show his trademark ability to run the floor for hustle plays. His Vegas highlights included converting a three point play off a nice setup by Stephen Curry, and an open court steal which resulted in a fast break in which Hunter finished with a two handed slam.
Hunter's summer would get more interesting when he was invited to the late july Hawks mini-camp. The camp served as an almost replacement for not having a summer league team; here the Hawks coaches could evaluate their signed rookies as well as prospects. Othello Hunter returned to Atlanta to show the improvement he made from year one to year two, he did not disappoint...In a more featured setting, Hunter displayed an improved face jumper, defensive patience, and played with a higher level of comfort and confidence.
In an interview about rookie/mini-camp, Atlanta Head Coach Mike Woodson referred to Othello as one of, "our players" in remarking about Hunter's improvement, hinting at a possible resigning.
So what's next for Othello Hunter? The last member of the Thad Five now waits for an invite to the Atlanta Hawks fall veteran's camp. After a strong month of July, August has brought more uncertainty with Hawks signing of veteran forward Joe Smith, and their current search for additional big men. If Hunter is not re-signed by the Hawks, the good vibes from his summer could possibly put him on another NBA roster, or on a team overseas. As a 2nd year pro, Hunter is also still eligible to be assigned to an NBA Developmental team.
In review, Othello Hunter ended up having a helpful summer as a result of his play with the Golden State Summer league team, and at the Hawk's Rookie Camp. Now we will have to patiently wait to see where his unlikely NBA story takes him for the 2009/2010 season.
Summer League/Mini-Camp clips
No comments:
Post a Comment