10 July 2013

Nobody Wants Jason Collins on Their Team

Jason Collins
If Jason Collins thought that being the NBA's first openly gay player will guarantee him a job, well he is mistaken. Nobody wants him on their team and they will not fall over themselves to sign the 34-year old center.

Free agency has begun almost two weeks ago in the NBA, but up to now Collins is not being courted to any degree by any one team. He may not be Dwight Howard or Brooke Lopez, but he may have thought that his career averages of 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game is enough to sign him to a veteran’s minimum. Sadly for him, others who average less than his number are better preferred.

The following list is of players whose value is not as high as Collins’ and who are not exactly setting the NBA on fire with their on-court statistics, but they are considered less risky:
  1. DeSagana Diop – In his 12.3 minutes this season, he is putting in 1.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.
  2. DeMarre Carroll – He has a career average of 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
  3. Lazar Hayward – Averaged 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
  4. Travis Outlaw – He is using his nearly 12 minutes per game to score only 3.1 points per contest.
  5. Chris Duhon – He is averaging 3.2 points and 2.5 assists per game.
  6. Semih Erden – The center has an average of only 2.1 rebounds and 3.4 points per game.
Maybe worthless is a bit harsh. Every player has some value no matter how bad they are or how little they contribute on the court. Some guys may be a good locker room leader, a good cheerleader from the side or just be there to practice against the team's All-Star. Collins, however, is the closest thing right now in the NBA that can be called a 'worthless' player.

"I look at it, honestly, like any other free agency in the past several years, where I know I have to stay patient," Collins told The New York Times's Howard Beck. "And I know that at this point in my career, you remain hopeful that there’s a job and an opportunity waiting for you once teams start to fill out their rosters," he adds.

No matter how long he waits, Collins will probably be not signed at all. His value is diminishing and he is a liability.

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