"Hasheem Thabeet hasn't exactly shown signs of being the next Dikembe Mutombo, the NBA's last top big man from Africa. In fact, he's looking a lot more like the next Yinka Dare.

But Memphis general manager Chris Wallace insists he's far from given up on the center the Grizzlies took with the No. 2 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Thabeet, a native of Tanzania, was selected ahead of the likes of Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings and well ahead of No. 26 pick Taj Gibson, who so far has been the best big-man pick of that draft.

"I'm not a regrets guy,'' Wallace said. "I don't think he should be put in a dead-letter file. That's extremely premature for that.''

Still, it's stunning how little the 7-foot-3 Thabeet has shown in his two NBA seasons. If you thought it was bad last year for Thabeet, who averaged 3.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.31 blocks for the Grizzlies during a campaign that included a stint in the D-League, look at this season."