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Ben McLemore says Shabazz Muhammad getting sent home from NBA’s rookie program was ‘very disappointing’

Kings McLemore McCallum Basketball

Sacramento Kings first round draft pick Ben McLemore laughs as he answers a reporters question during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, July 1, 2013. McLemore, who was the 7th pick overall in last Thursday’s NBA draft, is a 6-5 shooting guard from the University of Kansas.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

AP

As recently as January, UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammad was higher on many mock draft boards than was Ben McLemore of Kansas. Things changed in the months leading up to the draft, and for a variety of reasons, McLemore ended up going seven spots higher when all was said and done.

The two were linked throughout last season in conversations about who would ultimately be the better NBA two guard, though, so it wasn’t exactly a question out of nowhere when McLemore was asked what his reaction was to Muhammad being sent home from the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program for the most basic of rules violations.

From Gary Bedore of KUSports.com (via HoopsHype):

Shabazz Muhammad of the Minnesota Timberwolves was actually dismissed from the program for violating a rule and allegedly bringing a female guest into his hotel room.

“Very disappointing,” McLemore said, asked his reaction. “After they (were) telling us the rules, what not to do, for him to do that ... it’s just unbelievable after they just explained the different rules to us.

“Hopefully he’ll learn from his mistakes. Hopefully that won’t stop him from being the basketball player who he is, just keep playing, going with his career.”


This was the issue all along with Muhammad’s breaking of the rule -- it wasn’t that the violation was at all egregious, but his cavalier attitude in ignoring the rules which were, as McLemore noted, “just explained” to everyone is what makes it all so frustrating.

The good news for Muhammad is that the team isn’t imposing further discipline, and he’ll have a fresh start once training camps open at the end of September. But for those downplaying Muhammad’s infraction, McLemore’s reaction should tell you just how ridiculous it was.