Miles, Langford weighing NBA camp offers

By Gary Bedore     Aug 2, 2005

It could be weeks before former Kansas University basketball players Keith Langford and Aaron Miles finalize their fall plans.

The two guards apparently played well enough during NBA summer-league action in July to warrant invitations to NBA veterans’ camps.

“To be honest, we will not accept any until we see how rosters play out,” said Miles’ agent, Chris Emens. “After not necessarily having as strong a summer league as he hoped … the fact Aaron still has several veteran camp invitations without even chasing any is promising.”

Miles, who averaged 4.5 points and 2.0 assists in two games for the New York Knicks in the Las Vegas summer league, averaged 3.3 points off 29.2 percent shooting in six games with Seattle’s SuperSonics in the Rocky Mountain Review. He had 13 assists and 15 turnovers and missed three three-point tries with the Sonics.

“If I had to guess, I’d say Aaron will be playing in the U.S. this season,” Emens said, acknowledging Miles would consider playing in the National Basketball Development League if “we think he’s close (to making NBA).”

Langford, who is making the transition from shooting guard to point guard, averaged 12.5 points off 44.6 percent shooting in six games for the Dallas Mavericks in the Long Beach, Calif., summer league. He averaged 19 points in his final three games.

“We’ll be weighing our options. We’ll wait and see what moves teams make,” said Langford’s agent, Mark McNeil. “I want to put him in a situation where Keith has a chance to make a team, not just go to a camp and be a body.

“I don’t want to rush, get him with a team and have that team sign two to three free agents. We’ve been contacted by a couple teams, but we’re still talking. We’ve not committed anywhere.”

Like Miles’ agent, McNeil said he believed his client also would play in the U.S., not overseas, this season.

“I believe Keith is NBA (material),” McNeil said. “He’s making the adjustment to the point and understanding what it takes to play there. He played well for Dallas in the L.A. league and had a good game against the Under 21 team in an exhibition.”

The agents realize anything can happen at preseason training camp.

“Chris Duhon entered veteran camp with the Chicago Bulls last year when they had four players under contract at his position. He had almost no chance and made the team,” Emens said.

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Simien excels: Former KU forward Wayne Simien, a first-round draft pick of the Miami Heat, played well during NBA summer-league action in Long Beach. In seven games, Simien averaged 17.1 points and 7.0 rebounds off 53 percent shooting. He hit 78 percent of his free throws.

“What’s probably most impressive is just how solid and intelligent he is,” Heat assistant coach and summer-league head coach Erik Spoelstra told the Miami Herald. “It feels like he’s a seven-year veteran. You can tell he’s been coached well over the years, and he’s just got a really good poise about him and a real solid game.”

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Robertson update: Ex-Jayhawk Ryan Robertson, who played last season in Greece and France, says he’s had a great experience overseas since his campaign with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings (1999-00).

“The thing is, you have to really want to play basketball and love playing basketball,” said Robertson, who averaged about 10 points a game last year in France. “Once you go (overseas), the life isn’t like the NBA. It’s a very different life. You get to see a lot of different places.”

Robertson, who played three years in the Netherlands, has been contemplating his future after competing for a U.S. all-star team in the international hoop summit last month in Las Vegas. The point guard/shooting guard scored 11 points in four games.

He and wife Andrea are parents of an 11-month old girl, Kylie.

“I might play in Italy. There’s an outside shot. I might consider stopping playing and get a real job,” Robertson said.

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