Smush Parker saw tryout with Long Island Nets as opportunity to ultimately return to the NBA

Smush Parker paid a $125 registration fee to try out for the Long Island Nets, as reported by Bill Oram.
The former NBA guard (274 games played at 9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest) would love to sign for the newborn NBDL franchise, Long Island Nets.

Per NY Times,  Amid a predictable fare of drills and full-court scrimmages, it quickly became clear that some players had better odds than others of landing one of those precious camp invitations. Langdon, once a first-round N.B.A. draft choice who played in the N.B.A. and in Russia, identified one candidate with a unique background: Smush Parker, a former guard with the Lakers who has spent recent years circling the globe on a basketball odyssey. “I wanted to see the world,” Parker said. Parker, 35, most recently played for teams in Tunisia and Morocco. When he renewed his passport, the government sent him one with extra pages. But he now calls Brooklyn home — “I’m a five-minute bike ride from Barclays Center,” he said — and learned of the D-League tryout from his pastor, a big fan of the Brooklyn Nets. “I’m here on his blessings,” Parker said.

Parker said he had no idea that the Nets even had a D-League affiliate until his pastor broached the subject. But he saw the tryout as an opportunity to ultimately return to the N.B.A. “I know from experience that scouts and coaches at these things don’t really care if you can score the ball,” Parker said. “Nobody here is going to be Allen Iverson. Nobody is going to be Kevin Durant. When teams bring a player up from the D-League, they want someone who can fit the system, not someone who thinks they can come out and score 40 points.”