Bass trying to stay alive in NBA

BATON ROUGE, La. – With his NBA prospects fading, former LSU star Brandon Bass will get a chance over the next few weeks to try to prove to the Dallas Mavericks that he is worth keeping.

Bass, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward who earned Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons, was to play for the Mavericks’ summer league team in Las Vegas starting Friday.

Depending on how he performs, the gig could develop into an extended audition at another summer league in Salt Lake City. Bass could even get an invitation to training camp in the fall or get a provisional contract offer with Dallas or any other team _ including the New Orleans Hornets, the team that drafted Bass in 2005 and kept him around the last two years.

So far, Bass’s NBA career has not lived up to the promise of his college career. In two years he’s played in 50 games, started four and contributed barely measurable statistics.

Some observers feel that Bass, who left the Tigers early to pick up the NBA payday, would have benefited from two more years in the college game.