Cweb invited to Pelicans training camp

CWeb has cleared the first hurdle!!

After a few days of working out in front of Pelicans coaching staff and along side available players, Corey has impressed enough to get an invite to training camp and be one step closer to his goal of making the big league.

The training camp begins on the 29th of this month so he will be staying there continuing to work with the Pelicans staff and get himself ready. As has been mentioned there is a spot for a player of Corey's skill set on the roster and the fact he has been invited to camp is a pretty clear indication that he has impressed them and they think he might be able to play at the NBA level.

Im not an expert when it comes to NBA contracts (guaranteed vs non guaranteed). From what I can gather the contract is non guaranteed and to earn a spot on the regular season roster he will have to impress even further during training camp and then the pre season which begins not long after training camps finish.

Making the NBA is not easy but Corey has proven himself at the highest international level against some of the best teams and players in the world and the fact he has done enough to earn a camp invite  may be a sign that New Zealand is close to having a fourth player make it to the big league!

AP

CWeb gets his shot at the NBA

If recent social media posts are to be believed CWeb has just boarded his flight to New Orleans for his shot at the big league.

Its been a pretty amazing run for Corey over the last 18 months! A championship and league MVP award in the 2014 NZ NBL, was the Tall Blacks leading scorer at last years World Cup, he became our go to guy offensively in our fourth championship season and further solidified his position as the Tall Blacks go to guy after his performances during the international season that just passed! As we all know he is already on the NBA radar after his mini camp invite with the Indiana Pacers a few months back but now has a real shot at a training camp invite and roster spot with the Pelicans.

His recent performances in the Oceania series against NBA Champion Patty Mills and Cavaliers cult hero Matthew Dellavedova obviously opened a lot of eyes and proved to everyone that he is more than just a guy who can get buckets in the NZNBL and Aussie NBL but that his scoring ability is world class.

Looking at the current Pelicans roster he isn't going over there just to be training fodder! He has a very real chance of getting a training camp invite and competing for a roster spot! As of right now Eric Gordon and Bryce Dejean-Jones are the only SGs they have, they have several players who are capable of swinging between the SG and SF spots but in terms of natural 2 guards they only have Gordon and Dejean-Jones! With the recent departure of Jimmer Fredette and Eric Gordon having a pretty average history with injuries there is definitely a spot for a player with his skills.

A player I think is a pretty good comparison, in terms of the type of role he would likely have if he was to make it, is Eddie House who was a key bench player for the 2007-08 Boston Celtics championship team (google him). His role was pretty simple, come off the bench and get buckets. They are similar in that they are slightly undersized for SGs (by NBA standards) but just know how to put the ball in the hole.

I think I speak for all basketball fans in New Zealand in wishing him good luck! It will be extremely tough to get an invite to their training camp let alone making the final roster but he has proven he can put the ball in the basket against pretty much anybody and hopefully will do enough to impress the Pelicans coaching staff.

AP