Long-term dudes, short-term deals By Sekou Smith | Tuesday, March 28, 2006, 03:50 PM Welcome back Anthony Grundy. And good luck to you James Lang. Is there anything more peculiar than the late-season 10-day contract call ups in the NBA? A guy like Anthony Grundy tears up the NBDL all season long and has to wait until there’s a month left to get a shot in the NBA while a big like Lang, who spent 20 days with the Hawks but never played, is working on his third 10-day deal (this time with Toronto). The fact that Grundy’s a point guard and Lang a big man has everything to do with why one gets called up and the other doesn’t. But something tells me there’s no way Grundy spends his time with the Hawks without playing. And there was just as big a need for Lang to play as there will be for Grundy to play, the Hawks are thin at both spots. Grundy’s a guy the Hawks didn’t want to part with in the preseason, but they knew he’d get much more work in the NBDL than he would with them - when everyone was healthy. And Grundy didn’t disappoint in the D-League, averaging 23.2 points and roughly five assists and rebounds. He impressed during his time with the Hawks with his hustle and natural point guard instincts, though he played more a of a combo-guard position at N.C. State. There was even some talk about keeping him on the roster back then. Now that he has a second chance, I’m interested to see how he handles it. As for Lang, I can’t imagine where he’ll find minutes with the Raptors if he can’t defend (the main reason he couldn’t get on the floor for the Hawks). They did cut Antonio Davis loose, so maybe they need another big man for practice purposes. And maybe they want him around as a project for the summer and beyond, the ultimate idea being that he’ll get in shape and develop a well-rounded enough package to be a regular contributor someday. People are always yapping about how it takes big men longer to come around (Darko Milicic’s impressive play Sunday being Exhibit A). But how long do you wait? The Hawks have two projects on the end of the bench most nights, though Esteban Batista plays much more than John Edwards. The jury is still out on both guys, something I think they understand as well as anyone. Like Lang, they’re long-term guys but playing on short term contracts. Crazy huh? 直得一看。 资料来源 http://0rz.net/861eb --

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