Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Keeping Up With Lance Allred
Posted by Vince Grzegorek on Tue, Jul 7, 2009 at 2:04 PM
Lance Allred is a bit of a sentimental favorite around these parts. Not only did he get his first break in the NBA with the Cavaliers two seasons ago, but he's written a fantastic autobiography covering his youth growing up in a fundamental polygamous Mormon compound, to his deafness, to his struggles at Utah under Rick Majerus, to overcoming everything that had been placed in front of him and realizing his dream of making the NBA.
When we last spoke to Lance, he said he was retired from the D-League, and if he didn't catch on with an NBA team for next season, he'd be picking up and moving to play ball in Europe.
Well, he's playing in the summer leagues now, and here's a quick update:
Allred didn't expect to be in Orlando on Monday night at the RDV Sportsplex, playing for the Magic. He's done the summer league thing before, and it's not his thing."I need structure to play well, and there's no structure in these games," he said after playing seven minutes and going 0-for-3. "I'm a chess guy, and this is streetball."
But Magic assistant general manager Dave Twardzik gave Allred the hard sell, convincing him Orlando truly was interested in seeing what he can do, and possibly inviting him to training camp in the fall.
"We've scouted him for a few years, and we really like his feel for the game," Twardzik said. "He's a very intelligent guy, which I'm sure you discovered, and he's more mature than most players."
If you're so inclined, follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/lanceallred41) or his blog at www.lanceallred41.com.
Comments (0)