Though he has a fun name to say, Magnum Rolle is a not a common household name—not by a long shot. However, he has tremendous upside and athleticism, and a lot of teams would benefit from signing him this offseason (he is currently battling a knee injury).

Magnum Rolle is a 6'10'', 220 pound power forward/center. He is a very active on the glass, especially on the offensive end, but is primarily known as a shot-blocker. He's very mobile and also has good hands for catching the ball in traffic, at which point he can use his soft touch to score the ball. Rolle is considered a bit soft in the low post offensively by many scouts, but has a nice mid-range shot for a big man.

He has been compared to Tyrus Thomas. Said Pacers coach Jim O'Brien during training camp: "He's been by far the best player by a large margin (in camp). He has dominated everything. He has scored. He has rebounded. He has defended well. He has a surprisingly high basketball IQ. He shoots really well and pursues every offensive rebound."

Magnum had a lengthy college career, which started in LSU. Before then, he was considered a five-star prospect by both Scout and Rivals. During his tenure with LSU, he showed a glimpses of potential, mostly in shot-blocking.

However, he left LSU after two years, only averaging 8.7 minutes as a freshman and 16.7 as a sophomore. LSU coach John Brady stated that this was because of concerns over development, while Rolle's high school coach Darrel Sears added that Rolle had been unhappy with both the program and the coach.

Rolle was courted by many Division I teams and joined Louisiana Tech for the opportunity to play for coach Kerry Rupp. There, he was given roughly 30 minutes a night throughout his career as a Bulldog and showed incredible improvement in his percentages. He also got more opportunities to show off his work on the boards and ability to block shots. Throughout his college career, he posted per 40s of 11.4, 9.7, 10.2 and 11.2 in rebounding and 2.9, 2.6, 2.5 and 2.8 in blocks.

The first Bahamian ever to be drafted in the NBA, Magnum Rolle was drafted 51st by the Oklahoma City Thunder and immediately traded to the Indiana Pacers. He was cut in camp and had his contract bought out because they were over the league maximum of 15 players and did not want to waive center Solomon Jones because of a lack of depth in the frontcourt.

The Pacers did try shopping a Dahntay Jones/Solomon Jones package but it was very hard to free up a roster spot for him. Why? Because Magnum Rolle was very impressive in both training camp and the Summer League. I quoted Jim O'Brien's comments earlier about Rolle's performance during camp, but The Boston Globe dubbed Rolle as one of the "steals of the draft" alongside fellow Pacer Lance Stephenson.

Following his departure from the Pacers, he was drafted third overall by the Maine Red Claws of the D-League. Red Claws GM Jon Jennings said that many teams believed Magnum Rolle had the most potential of anyone in the draft. He was waived after two games after suffering a knee injury that would keep him out indefinitely. However, the Red Claws still retain his rights. During those two games, Rolle averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in 28 minutes.

What Magnum Rolle brings to the table can help a lot of teams. Rebuilding teams such as the Cavaliers or the Pistons can benefit from his upside, while aging contending teams such as the Lakers can obtain him to retain an interior defensive presence while getting their team younger at the same time. The Pacers, with a very weak frontcourt, are very fond of him given his history with them and they will undoubtedly try to sign him in the offseason if they have the chance to.

Magnum Rolle could develop into a very good player on both ends of the court, and though he never may be an All-Star, he will probably blossom into a good starter or role player in the NBA when he reaches his prime. Hopefully, we will see him return to the NBA soon, whether it is this offseason, the next or sometime down the line.