Joe Alexander Trying To Make An NBA Comeback

Over the past few weeks, Joe Alexander has made the rounds. He has worked out with the Thunder, Knicks, Nuggets, Grizzlies, and has an upcoming workout with the Hawks this week. All of this is in an effort for the NBDL All-Star to make a return to the NBA. Alexander refined his game while playing for the Texas Legends, the Dallas Mavericks NBDL affiliate. He primarily played PF for the Legends. He bulked up (or filled out), and spent last season banging against mostly larger players en route to averaging over 20 points a game and 9 rebounds per game landing him on the NBDL All-League First Team. 

One interesting team that he has worked out for, and fell under the radar of the national news outlets, was that he spent four days working out for the Milwaukee Bucks. Yes, the same team that drafted Alexander 8th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft and then failed to pick up the rookie option on his contract when they couldn't find a role on their team for Alexander.

After that, Alexander spent time playing for the Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Hornets during last year's pre-season. After the Hornets cut Alexander prior to the start of last season, the Dallas Mavericks offered him a contract to play for their NBDL affiliate. When the NBDL season ended, Alexander became a free-agent. Now he can sign with any team that would offer him a contract that he chooses. 

When he has worked out with other teams over the past few weeks, they have been one or two-day variety workouts. The workout with the Bucks lasted four days. When the Bucks drafted Alexander, one of the things that made the former Mountaineer a commodity in that Draft was his athletic ability. After bulking up, Alexander seems to have lost some of that athleticism. That doesn't mean that he has George Costanza's vertical leap, however. He still has the quickness and hops that enables him to get his position in the paint against larger, slower power forwards.

Now that Alexander seems to have settled into a position, he is trying to find a new home. After drawing rave reviews during his workouts with the Knicks, wouldn't it be something if Alexander found a new home with the team that didn't want him?

Alexander could be signed before the predicted NBA Lockout after the current collective bargaining agreement ends on Thursday.