Pistons give Hasheem Thabeet a training camp shot

It's been a good couple of days for disappointing No. 2 overall picks.

One day after forward Michael Beasley landed a camp deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, Marc Stein of ESPN has reported that the Detroit Pistons have extended the same opportunity to Hasheem Thabeet.

Thabeet will join the Pistons at camp on a non-guaranteed deal and attempt to crack the end of the roster as a reserve center behind Andre Drummond and Aaron Gray. The team may ultimately opt to roll without a third pivot, however, since power forward Greg Monroe is more than capable of manning that post.

If Thabeet impresses, it will be a bit of a surprise. The No. 2 pick in the 2009 draft has never been able to carve out consistent run, despite a handful of opportunities, disappointing at four different NBA stops in five seasons.

In 224 games, he's averaged just 2.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 10.5 minutes, and while his 56.7 percent mark from the floor seems impressive, he's been wildly inefficient overall. His defensive metrics are difficult to gauge considering the small samples spread out over a long periods of time, but his length hasn't translated enough on the defensive end to earn him consistent playing time.

To wit, here is his biggest highlight from last season:

But hey, what's wrong with a training camp flier on a guy that's 7-foot-3, right? If anyone can figure out how to turn Thabeet into a usable rim protector, it might be Stan Van Gundy.