Lakers And Suns Host Free Agent Camps; Atlanta Hawks Show Interest In David Lighty

Not much in the way of NBA rumors, at least as they pertain to the Ridiculous Upside community, but there were a couple of things of interest that I've tracked down for the 12 loyal readers of my humble abode. Let me tell you about them!

There are two more mini-camps taking place this week, in addition to the three already happening, as both the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns will take looks at potential minimum salary additions to next season's roster.

The Lakers will bring in Bobby Brown, Bobby Simmons, Kevin Palmer, Jamelle Horne, Steven Smith, Leo Lyons, Eric Boateng and J.R. Giddens for a look at a good cross-section of NBA veterans with a couple of hard-playing rookies thrown in for good measure. More players are expected, including a few longtime NBA veterans if my sources are correct, and should be confirmed tomorrow.

The Suns, on the other hand, will host a handful of the top undrafted rookies including Diante Garrett, Justin Hurtt and Cory Higgins along with second-year pros Dionte Christmas and Edgar Sosa among others. Update: Paul Coro says Sean Williams, Matt Howard and Matthew Bryan-Amaning will also be in attendance.

While it may be that the majority of these workouts only include long shots, they are essentially taking the place of Summer League where plenty of players have been able to earn their way onto NBA rosters in the past.

One possibility this year is David Lighty, a 6-foot-6 swingman out of Ohio State, after apparently impressing the Atlanta Hawks quite a bit in pre-draft workouts and Day 1 of their free agent mini-camp.

"Lighty is a gutsy defender. He can defend maybe three positions. That is what we are looking for as we move into next summer," coach Larry Drew told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "I want guys that can defend where it's already instilled in him, it's in their DNA. Lighty has been a tremendous defender throughout his career and certainly he would be a plus to have on this team."

A full list of the players in Atlanta this week is available here.