Leon Smith - second 10 day

Just two ten days, then you have to sign him for the rest of the year or let him go. He's got another week and a half for Atlanta to decide.

Hasn't shown much, but has stayed out of trouble.

 

You know I completely forgot that Smith was on the Hawks when that fight between Reef, and Thomas broke out. Maybe Reef was just trying to flex a little muscle so that Smith doesn't mess with him during practice.

 

I just have to say that his personal problems while with the mavs were, though grave, very blown out of proportion.
Anyone can have some personal problems and become suicidal. The Mavs should be ashamed for not helping him more.

 

I totally agree Legendary it was completely irresponsible. I hope that Leon's really feeling better. Anyone in the worlds emotional fortitude would be ravaged by the stuff he went through. If Leon is actually ready for basketball(that is emotionally), I would like to see him play for the Rockets. I know he was living in Houston for a while. Also it just seems to me Rudy and the rest of the organization would have known not to treat him the way Nelson and the Mavs did in the first place.

 

How exactly did they treat him? Do you mean that they shouldn't have made him run sprints in practice? Maybe it was the lay up drills, that was kind of harsh. Wait, I know ... it was when they actually made him show up to practice, yea that's it! It wouldn't have mattered what team he was on. The kid had major problems. The reason he gave for flipping out was that he wanted to start. Nellie wanted him to play a year in a developmental league to that he could sharpen his skills (which he ended up doing anyways). He threw a hissy fit, and went back to Chi-Town where he proceeded to stalk his ex-girlfriend, and vandelize his ex-girl's mother's car. Oh yea, and he tried to kill himself when his ex-girl wouldn't take him back. Nellie is the one that actually contacted the league for help with Smith. Leon did not want to talk to Nellie because Nellie wasn't going to start him. Also in Leon's best intrest, and at the request of his agent (due to his obvious mental problems) Cuban agreed not to give him his entire salary at once when he was cut. Instead, in order to give him financial security (over the long term) Cuban agreed to pay his salary in $100K installments over a 10 year period. Due to his mental state it would not have been in Leon's best intrest to all of a suddenly make him a millionaire.

 

Whatever his problems was I think they were with himself and not the Mavs. I hope he's feeling better and is comming back to the league to make a career. I wouldn't mind seeing him on the rockets roster.

 

I think the Rockets can handle fragile player egos well - bipolar, or sheer insanity. Look at Vernon Maxwell- he played more responsibly for us than any other team until wigging out in April '95.

This is a big physical player - I wish we had him....