Lakers add former HU player to roster
BY MARTY O'BRIEN
Devin Green says he was walking onto the practice court Saturday when a succession of Los Angeles Lakers teammates gave him the word, the word he'd been waiting to hear for years. The first was guard Aaron McKie.
"He told me, 'You made it to the big house,' " Green said.
Seconds later, Green says, forward Lamar Odom told him, 'Congratulations, you're a Los Angeles Laker.' "
Then shooting guard Kobe Bryant, a seven-time NBA All-Star, added the punctuation mark.
"He said, 'Congratulations, you earned it. Keep working hard.' "
Green, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound guard/small forward, will be on the Lakers' 15-man roster when they open their season Wednesday at Denver. He said he will earn the NBA annual minimum salary, about $400,000, an income that surely will put him at or near the top of Hampton University's 2004-05 senior class. Jerome Mathis, a rookie with the NFL's Houston Texans, is earning just under 400K.
Green is the first Hampton player to make an NBA regular-season roster since forward Rick Mahorn. Mahorn played with four teams during an 18-season career from 1980-99 and is best known for his role on Detroit's 1989 championship team.
Before Saturday, Green probably was most renowned for earning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honors on the 2002 Hampton team that reached the NCAA tournament. Green capped his career at HU by earning a spot on the all-MEAC first team in 2005, when he averaged 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds.
"Making the NBA has been my goal since stepping onto the campus at Hampton," Green said. "Hampton was a great place and a great experience. Making the NBA is a testimony to the hard work I put in there and since then.
"I'm a gym rat."
Green was invited to camp after averaging almost 12 points and six rebounds for the Lakers' summer-league team. Green said he was a sponge during camp, soaking up knowledge from Bryant and the other veterans to learn how to play on the professional level.
He believes that he impressed legendary coach Phil Jackson with his ability to do the little things, while blending in with his teammates on the court. Succeed or fail, Green certainly was hard to ignore in the final three minutes of the Lakers' 105-103 comeback win over Sacramento in the final exhibition game Friday.
With the Lakers behind by five, Green broke free in the lane to score on an up-and-under layup via an assist from Bryant, who had drawn two defenders. Back on the defensive end, Green intercepted a pass by the Kings' Francisco Garcia, leading to an Odom tip-in that cut the deficit to 96-95.
Then Green blocked out Garcia and rebounded his missed 3-pointer. The Lakers capitalized via Odom's two free throws to take the lead. Green later missed a layup after catching an alley-oop pass from Smush Parker in the final minute, but feels he proved he can contribute with the game on the line.
"That game was like my final examination," said Green, who averaged 4.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in seven exhibition games. "That game is not the whole reason I made the team, but it helped.
"I showed that I'm not going to go crazy in pressure situations, and that I'll play team ball and help us win. I feel blessed to be able to raise my game in certain situations."
