Kelati may be Waived but Eritreans are proud of him.

     Eri-International sports has learned that Thomas Kelati has been waived by the Los Angeles Lakers. In 5 pre-season games Kelati averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds. His longest playing time was 8 minutes and he did not play in two games. In his last game against Golden State Warriors Kelati scored 4 points in 6 minutes, indicating clearly that he can play a role on any NBA team if given a chance. His record in Spain was spectacular and Thomas has a bright future and has a great chance to make an NBA team. It should be recalled that at Washington State University, Thomas was an ALL PAC and played alongside of some current NBA players sometimes dominating the game, and so there is no doubt with a lot of support from fans and hard work Kelati will re-appear in the NBA.

     To all who may be dissapointed about Thomas being waived from the Lakers, don't be because it is not an easy task to make the NBA let alone the world champion Los Angeles Lakers. I have been following the NBA for a long time and have also seen some of Thomas' games in college as well as in Poland and Spain and I strongly believe that Thomas can make it on an NBA team. All Eritreans should be proud of his accomplishements and wish him success in whatever he sets out to do. Keep the chin up Thomas and as the great saying goes "Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will be among the stars" 


Good luck.


Mike Seium for Eri-international sports blog.

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/

Kelati sees some action with the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers the defending world Champions started their 2009-2010 season by defeating the Golden State Warriors 118-101. The game played in Anaheim California was the first ever for Thomas Kelati. The Eritrean American in his 8 minutes of action scored 2 points, grabbed one defensive rebound as he debut in his first NBA game ever. The Lakers will take on the Warriors again at the LA Forum in Inglewood tomorrow starting at 7:00.

During an after practice interview this past Tuesday coach Phil Jackson had indicated that Kelati would be on rotation to play on the Lakers second unit practice squad. There are currently 18 players on the Lakers of which 15 will be retained at the end of the pre-season. Thomas certainly has a great chance to make the squad. He is a great outside shooter, and the Lakers could certainly use a great shooter. If there are Eritreans in the Los Angeles area try to go support while also enjoying a great evening with the family at an NBA game.

Thomas' stats are listed here below.

			FIELD GOALS				REBOUNDS
	POS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	+/-	OFF	DEF	TOT	AST	PF	ST	TO	BS	BA	PTS

T. Kelati

08:07

1-2

0-0

0-0

-11

0

1

1

0

1

0

1

0

0

2

Congratulations to Thomas on his first NBA game, hope there is a lot more to come.

Mike Seium

Eri-International sports blog.