May 13, 2010

- Larry Turner

Larry Turner averaged 3 points, 2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in his redshirt freshman season for Oklahoma back in 2003-04. This appears to have been the thing that kept him in the NBA's sights. Turner transferred to Tennessee State part way through his sophomore season, and then proceeded to average only 5.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game in his senior season there. He wasn't even an every day starter. Yet somehow, after graduating, Turner got a training camp contract with the Lakers. And since that time, he's also had tryouts with the Bobcats and Jazz.

In between these NBA sojourns, Turner has been playing not nearly as good basketball. He started this season with Fundacion Adepal Alcazar in Spain's LEB Silver, and averaged only 4.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 fouls per game. The LEB Silver is Spain's third tier basketball division, and, aside from one game by JaJuan Smith, I can't think of anyone else we have covered that has played there this year. Turner shot only 43% from the field and 14% from the foul line - bear in mind that this is the LEB Silver we're talking about - and was released in December. He then moved to Puerto Rico, but was released in preseason, and then went on to the PBL to play for the Halifax Rainmen. In 9 games for the Rainmen, Turner averaged only 9.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 4.3 fouls per game. These are not good calibre leagues that we're talking about here, and Turner is not playing well in them. I'm not saying he's useless or evil, but I am saying that he's not NBA calibre.

And now aged 27, he's never going to be either.

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