Hasheem Thabeet goes unclaimed on waivers
By Wes Goldberg
When picking the NBA draft lottery, the idea is that the player selected will become a building block if not a future star. Unfortunaley, that isn’t always the case. In fact, the NBA draft is very much a crap shoot. Players get injured (Greg Oden), find themselves in the wrong situation (Thomas Robinson) or just don’t pan out.
Former No. 2 overall draft pick Hasheem Thabeet didn’t pan out. After being traded away from the Memphis Grizzles to the Houston Rockets, to the Portland Trail Blazers and then signed by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thabeet has never found a situation where he could make an impact. That includes the Philadelphia 76ers, who got Thabeet and cash in a trade with the Thunder this summer… and then immediately waived the center.
Via Yahoo Sports’ Marcus J. Spears:
"The Philadelphia 76ers acquired center Hasheem Thabeet and cash from the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources tell Yahoo Sports on Tuesday. Thabeet is also expected to be immediately waived."
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Now no one wants him. Thabeet went unclaimed after the 76ers waived him earlier this week.
Is there a place in the NBA for Thabeet? The 7’3” center has the size, but he’s never put his raw body talents to use. Sure, being tall in the NBA is important, but it isn’t everything. Fans see his size and youth, though, and wonder if their team could benefit by using one of its final roster spots on him.
The question is, will an NBA general manager think the same thing?