Draft bust Hasheem Thabeet seeks redemption and second chance in NBA

(Photo: Lance Murphey, AP)Ten years removed from joining the Grizzlies as the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2009, Thabeet is determined to return to the NBA, even though he is five years removed from his last game in a league that has changed dramatically since he left.That's why Thabeet runs sprints in the mornings – and sometimes in the afternoons – as he works out up to three times a day in preparation for an opportunity to prove there is still a place for him at basketball's highest level.DOWNLOAD THE APP:Follow Grizzlies news from the Commercial Appeal on your mobile devices"The game, as you can hear from a lot of people, the game has changed," Thabeet said. (Photo: Nikki Boertman, The Commercial Appeal)As a rookie just five years into playing basketball, Thabeet found himself – as Tanzania's first NBA player – dropped into a Grizzlies organization expected to make major strides in the 2009-10 season.There were few veterans to learn from, with Marc Gasol still establishing himself and Zach Randolph only beginning to remake his reputation in Memphis."The thing about Hasheem was I don’t think he had a good mentor," former Grizzlies star Tony Allen said during a January appearance on "The Chris Vernon Show." "Didn’t nobody mentor him, like a seasoned vet at the time."Allen joined the Grizzlies at the beginning of Thabeet's second season with the franchise and made some effort to help the young center.But by then, the franchise was expected to compete for a playoff spot after a four-year postseason drought.The patience with developing Thabeet wore thin in Memphis, and the Grizzlies traded him to the Rockets for Shane Battier midway through his second season.