Chances are Jamaal Tinsley was going to be the first Gatorade Call-Up of the 2011-12 NBA Development League season, but the Jazz beat ’em to the punch. According to Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah has signed the veteran point guard, and he’ll be in SLC tomorrow when training camp opens.
The No. 1 overall pick by the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the 2011 D-League Draft, Tinsely averaged 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.4 steals through his first eight games – falling in line with the 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists he averaged over 436 NBA games from 2001-10. He’ll now come to a Utah team looking for a new identity, backing up Devin Harris. Other potential backup point guard options were Sebastian Telfair and Earl Watson.
Tinsley’s last time on an NBA court was April 10, 2010 as a member of the Grizzlies. He took the court for two minutes and failed to register a stat of any kind. Let’s hope that won’t be his last.
What do you think? Is Tinsely worth a shot in Utah?
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