Gerald Green Seeks His Way Back to NBA

LAS VEGAS -- During All-Star Weekend in February 2007 in Las Vegas, there were a lot of stars. By the end of the weekend, Gerald Green had joined the list.

The high-flying Boston swingman won the NBA slam-dunk contest at the Thomas & Mack Center. He then put the finishing touches on a strong second season in which he averaged 10.4 points.

But what's become of Green since then?

Let's just say nobody is green with envy.

Green slipped badly after 2006-07 and wasn't even in the NBA last season. Now, he's playing in the NBA Summer League with the Lakers, and not exactly starring.

But Green did score 18 points Thursday in an 80-71 loss to San Antonio to finish with a 8.6 summer scoring average. That might be enough to get an invitation this fall to Lakers training camp.

"He got off to a slow start but he picked it up with increased minutes,'' said Lakers assistant and summer coach Chuck Person. "So there's a chance to be invited in the fall. He has the opportunity and he has the skill set that very few people have. He's very athletic and he can run and shoot. He just has to keep developing the mental part of his game. ... Hopefully, he'll get invited to fall camp, and we've got some spots open. So there's an opportunity for him.''

Imagine that. It's gotten to the point Green, taken with the No. 18 pick in the first round by Boston in 2005 directly from high school, would be happy just to get a training camp invitation on a non-guaranteed contract.

"I'm just trying to get my face back out there because I've been missing the action for a season,'' Green said of playing in the summer league after spending last season with Lokomotiv Kuban, a team in Krasnodar City, Russia. "So my main goal is to get out there and let people know that I'm back. Now, I'm trying to get back here and trying to land in somebody's vet camp.''



Share Green also was in the McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Contest as a high school senior in 2005 and was the NBA runner-up dunker in 2008. Person said Green might have been too occupied with dunking earlier in his career, which hampered him from fully developing other parts of his game.

"We tried to hammer that home in the three- or four-day minicamp we had and in the five, six days we had (in Las Vegas),'' said Person, who said Green has to "learn the other players (on the court) can help you and let the ball help you and not just depend on athleticism."

Green, though, denies he's been too concerned about dunking.

"I never really thought that dunking was everything,'' said the 6-foot-8 free agent. "Even when I was in high school I never thought dunking was everything. Just the fact I dunked on people, people thought that.''

"I'm a big believer it's not how you start, it's how you finish. I don't have to be high profile. I just want to be on somebody's team. I'm not trying trying to be an All-Star. I just want to play basketball."
-- Gerald Green Now 24, Green says he's matured a lot. His arduous journey the last few years has helped.

Green was shipped to Minnesota in the summer of 2007 in the massive deal in which the Celtics got Kevin Garnett. He split 2007-08 with the Timberwolves and Houston, averaging 5.1 points before being waived in March 2008.

Green signed with Dallas for 2008-09 (shown in above photo during his time with the Mavs), averaging 5.2 points in 39 games. But he said he didn't get any offers as a free agent last summer before heading to Russia.

"I got traded to Minnesota and that wasn't a good situation for me,'' Green said. "I just bounced around. That's how it goes. If I can just find somewhere where I can stick, I think I'll be OK.

"I can't worry about what happened in the past. I'm just trying to worry about the future. I'm a big believer it's not how you start, it's how you finish. I don't have to be high profile. I just want to be on somebody's team. I'm not trying trying to be an All-Star. I just want to play basketball.''

If he wants to do it in the NBA, Green knows there are things he must improve.

"I have to work on every aspect of my game,'' Green said. "I can improve my ballhandling. My defense has gotten better. I want to get stronger and my shot to get a little better.''

Well, there's one thing Green doesn't need to improve. That would be his dunking.

But be assured the Lakers, even though next season's All-Star Game is at the Staples Center, aren't looking to sign a dunking specialist.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com or on Twitter@christomasson