Kelati's chances of making the Lakers look very good.

Eri-International sports blog has learned that three of the 18 players from the Los Angeles Lakers squad for this year (2009-2010)have been waived making it possible for Thomas Kelati to remain on the Lakers throughout the season. The Los Angeles Lakers have waived Mickeal Gelabale, David Monds and Michael Fey cutting the team roster to 15 players. There is also news now that Jordan Farmer has become an un-restricted free agent and could be traded any time even though he has indicated that he wants to remain in Los Angeles.

The indication we are getting is Kelati may officially become a Laker. Meanwhile in a loss to the Golden State Warriors at the LA Forum in Inglewood where the Lakers used to make their home, Kelati scored 2 points in the loss and so far has been averaging 8 minutes of playing time. The NBA is not an easy league to play in and the competition for a position on any team is not easy. During any given season, less than 500 of the world's best players get an opportunity to see action with the league's 30 teams. Those special few who make the cut are athletically gifted and determined individuals in peak physical condition. Each NBA team consists of a roster of 15 players, 12 of whom are allowed to suit up for games. A team's 5 starting players and top substitutes must be able to perform at their highest level for between 30 and 40 minutes per game. While staying prepared to enter the game at a moment's notice, less talented NBA players get far fewer minutes of playing time, often hitting the court only at the end of lopsided contests.

NBA-caliber players are highly specialized. Each team needs a starting quintet made up of a point-guard with superb ball-handling skills, a shooting guard adept at hitting long-range jumpers, a pair of forwards who can score and rebound and a center who provides a powerful physical presence near the basket. Bench players typically fill specific roles such as providing stifling defense or rapid-fire scoring. Thomas Kelati may be just the player that the Lakers are looking for to provide defense and three point shots which he has proven to excel at based on his European tour of duty.

Another indication that Kelati may be official is the fact that the NBA has finally created a statistic page with his player profile making it easy for people to follow his contributions to the Lakers very easy. Click on the following link to see his stats for now which shows he is averaging 2 points per 8 minutes a game.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/thomas_kelati/index.html?nav=page

Congrats to Thomas and we will be keeping an eye on him.

Mike Seium for Eri-international sports.

http://eri-internationalsports.blogspot.com/