Shabazz Muhammad has already endured his fair share of controversy for a rookie that has yet to play in an NBA game. The controversy doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, however, as the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round pick got into some trouble at the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program this weekend.
Muhammad was sent home Tuesday night from the annual four-day program because, according to a report from USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, he had a female guest in his hotel room just hours after administrators explained that one of the rules prohibited any guests not previously approved. Aside from having to leave early, he’ll also be forced to pay a fine and complete the program again next season with that class of incoming rookies.
This wouldn’t seem to be as major of a problem as the time that Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur were sent home in 2008 for marijuana and females in their room -- Michael Beasley later admitted to being involved -- but it is another small bump in the road for a player that seemed to already have enough problems to deal with heading into his first NBA season.
In an ironic twist, by the way, the ordeal comes just shortly after Muhammad gave a good quote to the Timberwolves’ official website about being a professional during their preview of the RTP:
The 20-year-old wing was once considered a potential top pick in this year’s draft, but he struggled to fit in during his one season with the UCLA Bruins and was found to have been lying about his age after investigators found out he is actually a year older than he’d been claiming. That caused him to fall from the top of the lottery to the last pick in the lottery -- and he didn’t exactly prove that he was worth being picked even that high at last month’s Vegas Summer League. Muhammad scored in double figures just once during the Wolves’ six-game exhibition schedule, averaging 8.5 points on 36.5 percent shooting from the field while having a negative assist-tot-turnover ratio.
All of this isn’t to say that Muhammad is a bust or that he’ll continue to struggle going forward, but the transitioning wing will have to turn things around soon -- both on and off the court -- if he’s ever going to live up to his once-promising potential.