Tarence

Kinsey

He’s going to have a very difficult time cracking the final roster, but that’s the case for most training camp invites. The Warroirs will also bring in Carlon Brown, Rick Jackson and Lance Goulbourne for camp.

Pau Gasol added 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, while Mike Miller added 17 points for the Grizzlies. It was Memphis’ first loss in exhibition play and Navarro appears to have taken Tarence Kinsey’s spot in the rotation. Navarro should be drafted late in most leagues, while Kinsey appears to have no value as long as Navarro and Mike Miller are healthy.

Kinsey’s been putting in a lot of work to improve his 3-point shooting, so it’s a bit ironic that he was hurt in the midst of a long-distance attempt. Memphis is expected to pick up the contract option on Kinsey, who was superb down the stretch, winning NBA Rookie of the Month honors in April.

They’re not likely to return to Memphis now, but second-year forward Alexander Johnson and Tarence Kinesy are expected to be back. Johnson’s contract for the 2007-08 season is guaranteed if he’s not waived before Aug. 1 and Kinsey became a household name in fantasy leagues with his strong play over the final month of last season.

Coach Marc Iavaroni said his rotation is set for the time being with nine players that are guaranteed to receive playing time. Hakim Warrick is averaging just 3.5 PPG in 7.0 minutes through the first two contests as well.

Despite his solid defense on T-Mac, Kinsey needs an injury to a starter to have any impact. Once that happens, pick him up. Remember last year, he finished the season by averaging 20 points per game over the final 7 contests.

He hit a couple threes, but still hasn’t worked his way into the rotation. We know the skills are there, but he got his minutes in a game that was never close. Keep your eye on him, but don’t expect him to emerge as the super-sleeper he was last year.

He was a great sleeper pickup late last year when Mike Miller got hurt and it’s kind of sad to see him go out like this. However, don’t be surprised to see him signed to some 10-day contracts later this season and float around the league for the next couple years.

The Hornets even have an open roster spot available and Morris Peterson hasn’t exactly done much to keep his job at SG. It’s a little surprising that the Grizzlies simply cut Kinsey loose, especially givne the fact he averaged over 18 ppg in 12 starts last year and is was one of the Grizzlies’ best defensive players. This is a move that could come back to haunt them.

Kinsey saw virtually no time in Cleveland and wasn’t likely to see that change any time soon. Wherever he ends up he’s still a long shot to hold any value.