There's nothing that feels quite so deflating as realizing that you've double booked yourself -- agreeing to be at two different places at the same time and then realizing it before you can do anything about the situation one way or the other. For Cole Aldrich, his job as an NBA player for the Oklahoma City Thunder precludes anything else he might be involved with, so his offseason plans to run his own basketball camp have to be set aside when his boss tells him to be somewhere. That "somewhere" is the NBA Summer League happening this week in Orlando, Florida.
The good news is that his fellow KU alum are here to help. Mark Randall, current player Travis Teleford and Jeff Gueldner all came to Aldrich's aid to work with the 100-plus students. Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed are also taking part.
"He gave us the heads-up that he wasn't gonna be here today, and that's just how it works," said Randall, recalling his days a pro. "If they say you're gonna be in camp, you're gonna be in camp. He's not playing a ton with Oklahoma City, and he has to be able to show them that he's worth investing in. And if it doesn't work out in Oklahoma City, he's gotta show someone else that he can play. So it's a necessity for him. It's horrible timing. But he could never have known this was gonna happen."
Aldrich is expected to compete for more playing time in the middle for the Thunder next season as the team decides what to do long-term about Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka down low.