Navigating the road to the NBA can be a tricky task. Just ask former LSU guard and current Sacramento King Garrett Temple. Temple went undrafted and spent most of this season in the NBA’s Developmental League.   Basketball’s premier league only holds two rounds in its annual draft — unlike the NFL and the MLB, which have seven and 50 rounds, respectively. No worries for Temple. He signed a 10-day contract with the Houston Rockets after his stint in the D-League and played well enough to earn another 10-day deal. Temple played in nine games for the Rockets, averaging five points in 13.1 minutes of action per game. But the Rockets chose to go in another direction. NBA rules mandate players can only sign two 10-day contracts with a team per year, so the Rockets were forced either to sign Temple for the remainder of the season or send him back to the D-League. Temple went back to the D-League, but it was a short stay. “I didn’t expect it to be this soon though,” Temple said. “I was actually on my way to the airport and was told to turn around because the Kings signed me. I thought it might take three or four days but not that quick.”Just one day after he was demoted, the Sacramento Kings snatched Temple and signed him to a 10-day contract. Temple has played sparingly in two games so far with the Kings. He didn’t mope after the Rockets passed on him. Temple’s brother, former LSU guard Collis Temple III, said Garrett understood the business side of the decision. “He wasn’t down,” Temple III said. “We understood it was a numbers game. His play was the reason he got picked up by another team. He understood the situation. He didn’t really have any issue with it.”Temple nevertheless likes his current situation. “I like the team,” Temple said. “I like the players here. It’s a young group so I can really connect with them. We’re coming close to beating some playoff teams and have a chance to get over that hump and become a pretty consistent team.”Temple has been down this road before. The Baton Rouge native came to LSU in the shadows of high school teammate and best friend Glen Davis. Temple redshirted his first season under then-coach John Brady. It was probably a good thing. Temple became a glue guy for the Tigers, playing 33.5 minutes per game in the 2005-06 campaign. Temple saw much success in his LSU career. Two SEC titles, a trip to the Final Four and second-most minutes in school history all dot Temple’s collegiate resume. Current LSU coach Trent Johnson was certainly impressed in his lone season with Temple. “I really like it from a standpoint that Garrett Temple is a guy that didn’t put up all the glorified numbers in terms of points, but he was a journeyman who made himself a really good basketball player,” Johnson said. “We could use Garrett this year.”
 
 
 
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