8 Biggest Reclamation Projects in the NBA Today

After signing with the Orlando Magic in 2000 to play out what were to be his prime years, small forward Grant Hill failed to play even 30 games in each of the four seasons during the six he spent with the club.

His prime was replaced by an onslaught of injuries no one could have predicted.

You might have figured Hill would call it quits after that, but he could still play when healthy. He proved just that during his last five seasons with the Phoenix Suns, reclaiming a career that had been all but taken from him.

And at 39 years old, Hill is still rolling, this season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Any number of variables can turn a career on its head, from injuries to off-court problems. Sometimes a team just isn't the right fit. However devastating the results, this is a league that's almost always willing to give a guy another chance if he's willing to earn it.

Here are eight players who will look to do so this season.

Gilbert Arenas–PG

Gilbert Arenas remains unsigned, and he also remains the quintessential reclamation project.

Once a brilliant scorer who averaged over 29 points a game in 2005-06, the shoot-first point guard's career was derailed by injury and infamous locker-room distractions.

Those eventually led the Orlando Magic to amnesty the erstwhile superstar in 2011, and he hardly re-established himself last season with the Memphis Grizzlies. He played a limited role in just 17 regular-season games and averaged fewer than four minutes per contest in the postseason.

Nevertheless, Arenas is still just 30 years old, and you have to figure he could be a pretty solid sixth man if he could conjure up just a fraction of the talent he brought to the table in his prime.

That doesn't mean you have to take the risk, though—so far no one has.

Andray Blatche–F/C, Brooklyn Nets

Andray Blatche's relatively young, seven-year career hasn't necessarily hit rock bottom, but it has certainly seen better days.

The Washington Wizards amnestied Blatche after his field-goal percentage sank to a career-low 38 percent. Just one season after scoring nearly 17 points a game, Blatche's minutes and production declined markedly, and his once solid mid-range game all but disappeared.

The Brooklyn Nets are hoping that 2011-12 season was an anomaly.

They signed Blatche this summer to provide some depth behind starting big men Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries. He'll join rebounding specialist Reggie Evans to hopefully given the Nets another scoring option off the bench and some insurance in the event of injury to Lopez or Humphries.

From Brooklyn's perspective, this is a pretty low-risk gamble, and the chance that Blatche will return to form makes it well worth their small investment.

Kwame Brown–C, Philadelphia 76ers

When has Kwame Brown not been a reclamation project?

Since he was taken with the first-overall draft pick in 2001, the 30-year-old center has consistently failed to live up to expectations, averaging just 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds over the course of his 11-year career.

He was injured for almost all of last season, and really hasn't made much of an impact in the last five years, but for a halfway decent 2010-11 campaign, in which he played 26 minutes a game for the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Philadelphia 76ers signed Brown to a relatively modest two-year, $6 million deal, and he'll back-up the subsequently-acquired Andrew Bynum.

As a reserve, Brown isn't a terrible option. Though he lacks the mobility and focus to be an elite defender, he can body up in the post and make life difficult for would-be interior scorers. That's probably all Philly will ask of him, but any contributions beyond that would be a huge bonus.

Josh Childress–SF

Josh Childress has had a highly atypical career.

His first four seasons with the Atlanta Hawks were productive, but after two seasons overseas, Childress returned to the United States and received a five-year, $33 million deal from the Phoenix Suns.

That didn't work out. Childress was amnestied this summer, after playing in just 34 games for the Suns last season and averaging a career-low 2.9 points per game.

The Brooklyn Nets are hoping they'll fare better with the 29-year-old swingman, offering him a one-year contract so that he can provide some depth behind Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace on the wing. Childress is better known for his length and defense than he is for his scoring, and that could suit the Nets pretty well with MarShon Brooks handling most of the second-unit offense.

Adam Morrison–SF

Adam Morrison hasn't quite assured himself a roster spot for the upcoming season, but he'll have an opportunity to do just that in training camp with the Portland Trail Blazers.

After a productive but inefficient rookie season with the Charlotte Bobcats, the 2006 third-overall draft pick suffered through half a sophomore season that was neither productive nor efficient before fading into oblivion with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Since then, Morrison has gone the overseas route and is now looking to prove that he can reprise that Gonzaga scoring ability, this time at the NBA level.

It doesn't help that the shooter is already 28 years old and relatively one-dimensional. Though he has good size for a wing scorer, it's hard to hold down a job without making a substantial contribution on either the offensive or defensive end of the floor.

Morrison still has time, but it's running out.

The chance to return to form in the familiar Pacific Northwest would make for a heck of a story.

Jermaine O'Neal–C, Phoenix Suns

Jermaine O'Neal was still playing nearly 30 minutes a game as recently as 2009-10, but his two-year stint with the Boston Celtics was sabotaged by injury, and the 33-year-old never carved out more than a niche role in head coach Doc Rivers' rotation.

The Phoenix Suns will give O'Neal a chance to play 15 or so minutes a contest behind starting center Marcin Gortat, so there's somewhat of a ceiling on how much the 6'11" shot-blocker can bounce back.

He still has something to prove, and he'll have the opportunity to prove it.

Drafted straight out of high school, O'Neal has put a lot of miles on his legs over the last 16 years, but a big guy who can defend and rebound will still generate some interest. The fact that he's a veteran who understands the game won't hurt either, especially on a young team like the Suns.

Brandon Roy–SG, Minnesota Timberwolves

Brandon Roy isn't your traditional reclamation project, but his situation certainly resembles one.

Roy retired from the NBA in 2011 on account of bad knees, but he decided to make a comeback this season, and the Minnesota Timberwolves were happy to help. In need of a starting shooting guard and a veteran alike, the Timberwolves killed two birds with one stone by adding Roy—at least in theory.

How he holds up over the course of the season obviously remains to be seen, and head coach Rick Adelman may have to carefully manage his minutes.

If all goes well, Roy could very well play for 30 minutes a game and make the occasional All-Star contribution here and there. There's no questioning his skills, but there's also no telling how long it will take him to get back into the swing of things.

Hasheem Thabeet–C, Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a relatively quiet offseason, but they're banking on some small moves paying off.

One such move was the addition of free agent Hasheem Thabeet, a 7'3" 25-year-old who once played dominant defense at UConn. But with career averages of 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds, you probably wouldn't guess Thabeet was taken with the second-overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009.

His opportunities have certainly been limited by originally playing for a team with Marc Gasol starting in the middle, and later by bouncing around with the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. 

Unfortunately, Thabeet has time and again simply proven too raw to remain on the floor. The Thunder will give him what could very well be his last chance, so look for the young center to work hard these next two seasons.