Taylor invited to NBA's annual pre-draft camp in Orlando
By: Courtney Linehan
05/23/2008
Updated 05/23/2008 11:11:54 AM CDT
Eleven months ago, Mike Taylor only hoped for a second shot at basketball.
On Thursday, he moved one step closer to an NBA career.
Taylor has been invited to the league's annual pre-draft camp in Orlando, Fla., which kicks off Tuesday. The four-day event is attended by representatives from each team in the league and showcases future NBA talent.
"It's my chance to play against college players again," Taylor said. "I look forward to going out there and doing what I did this year on the D-League without putting any pressure on myself."
Taylor is a former Iowa State guard who was named the team MVP as a junior in 2006-07, when he also earned a nod as honorable mention All-Big 12. He led the team in scoring, steals, 3-pointers and turnovers, paving the way for what was expected to be a standout senior year.
That all changed on July 17, 2007, when coach Greg McDermott cut Taylor after the guard failed to attend summer school classes. Taylor was already on a short leash following a series of legal run-ins in the spring.
The coach and former player have maintained a good relationship in spite of Taylor's dismissal. They stay in contact mostly through text messaging, although Taylor called McDermott this week to check in after Wesley Johnson decided to transfer. McDermott commented Wednesday on the difficulty of dismissing Taylor when he knew it would hurt the Cyclones' record the next season.
"It was certainly a decision that in the long-term life of Mike Taylor had to happen," McDermott said. "Mike Taylor's in a much better place because of the decision I made with his best interest in mind than had he stayed here."
Taylor moved on to the NBA Development League, and is now on course to become the first player drafted from the D-League. He averaged 14.5 points per game for the Idaho Stampede, and in April scored 27 to lead the Stampede to the D-league championship.
Even with a year of professional experience under his belt, Taylor is being considered a college player by the NBA. He already has half a dozen individual workouts scheduled, and is expected to be a second-round pick.
"Not in my wildest dreams would I ever imagine I'd be in the situation or have the opportunity I'm in right now," Taylor said. "At the time when everything happened at Iowa State, I was clueless when I'd next put on a jersey. I just knew whenever that chance would come, I'd make the best of it."
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