Maybe Lakers management feels Mike Brown needs the type of challenge only Phil Jackson could make the most of. After all, if Brown wants to have success like the Zen Master then maybe he just needs to walk in those same footsteps blazed by PJ. How else can you explain the Lakers extending a camp invite to troubled but talented former UCLA Bruin Reeves Nelson?
Nelson, of course, was on the Lakers summer league roster where he saw limited action until the finale. The team saw enough from Nelson to offer him a contract worth $700,000 should he make the final cut.
For Brown and the Lakers this could be nothing more than a formality. Wanting to make sure there are enough bodies in camp that have some familiarity with the franchise.
Then again for Brown this could be a headache more unwanted than questions about Dwight Howard’s back. That’s if Reeves keeps up his act that got him kicked off of Ben Howland’s squad.
Nelson has talent. No doubt about that. Even after his expulsion from UCLA he landed on the roster of a Lithuanian team. That means the dude can play. He can also bring plenty of energy in limited time on the court as he’s not likely to see much burn should he make the cut. In fact, in many ways Nelson’s game resembles another former Bruin and Laker by the name of Matt Barnes.
Nelson also has a similar temperament to Barnes which means there’s a time bomb ticking with each breath he takes.
Again, this is all wild speculation being that it’s early September and we’re talking about a guy that has very little chance of either making the roster or contributing. But being that the Lakers did like what they saw in the summer league there has got to be some internal discussion going on about the prospects and potential problems that are associated with Reeves Nelson.