Memphis Grizzlies sign former Louisville standout Earl Clark
By Bryan Rose
A former first-round pick (14th overall) by the Phoenix Suns in 2009, Earl Clark looked primed for a solid career in the NBA.
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No, Clark wasn’t expected to be a star but given his impressive career at Louisville, it seemed as if the 6’10 power forward would have no trouble carving out a role in the league. Of course, that didn’t go as planned considering Earl Clark, a five-year veteran, has played for five different organizations.
He’ll now be joining his sixth as the forward signed a training camp contract with the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday morning.
Free agent forward Earl Clark has agreed to a training camp deal with Memphis, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 14, 2014
Memphis already has Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in their frountcourt, so assuming Earl Clark does crack the Grizzlies roster he’ll only be playing a backup role.
Of course, winning a roster spot won’t be easy though Earl Clark has shown an ability to put up numbers when given a chance. You may recall during his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, Clark put up over 7 points and 5 rebounds a game off the bench and proved himself to be more than adequate.
If a team is able to get that type of production (from a big man) for nothing more than a training camp contract, you can’t really complain.
Assuming Earl Clark plays up to his ability, it seems likely that the Memphis Grizzlies will extend a regular season contract to the veteran once camp concludes.