Will Conroy

It is not a surefire thing that any ex-NBA talent can just bowl up and play there. Some, like Chris Hunter, don't want to, declining the big Chinese monies in favour of a tiny D-League one on the presumption and/or gamble that a midseason NBA call-up might be forthcoming. And a good many more tried and failed - players to have tried out for a spot in China this summer include, but are not limited to, Eddie Gill, Patrick O'Bryant, Will Conroy, Ronald Murray, Rashad McCants and Rafer Alston. In recent years, the CBA has become an even more attractive place to play, and thus has been able to become pickier.

- Will Conroy - Contrastly, Will Conroy has long been on the cusp of the NBA, without ever quite getting into it. Conroy appeared in 5 games and 36 minutes for the Rockets this season, taking his career totals to 12 games and 88 minutes; he also scored his first six NBA points. Yet that's all the NBA time Conroy has to show for a career constantly on the cusp. Conroy turns 28 later this year, and thus is in his prime; it seems inevitable that he will once again do a training camp dance somewhere. But will he stick? History suggests not.

- Will Conroy

Apart from very short stints in the NBA and Italy, Conroy has been in the D-League since leaving the University of Washington in 2005. This means he probably still has a mortgage, because the D-League does not pay well. Conroy has done this for the simple reason that he knows he's on the cusp of the NBA, and the best way to get in it when you're that close is to be in the D-League and wait for opportune 10 day deals. However, despite averaging 27/8/5/2 down there last year, Conroy still couldn't get any guaranteed money in training camp this year, and went to the Rockets camp in October on a completely unguaranteed deal. Then, in spite of the Rockets having only two point guards, Conroy lost out on a roster spot to Brian Cook, because Cook's expiring salary can't be traded if he's not on the roster. And trading that remains a possibility, however small. So it was no joy for Will.

The guards to have been called up from the D-League to the NBA so far this season are Sundiata Gaines, Mario West, Cedric Jackson and JamesOn Curry. While Gaines's story has been quite cool, what else does Conroy have to do? No one in the NBA really needs Conroy right now, not even the Rockets, but he's being passed over for lesser players and has been for a while. If teams need a point guard to call up as injury cover, Conroy is ready and waiting, but they're not doing so. Worse still for Conroy; he just turned 27, and the window is closing.

Conroy went to China to start this season, but lost out in the crush that saw basically every former NBA player vying for spots there. He has since rejoined the D-League and is averaging 14.3 points, 8.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.