Source: Orien Greene Signs 10-Day Contract With Nets

January 31 2011 Last updated at 03:20 PM ET

Orien Greene hasn't played in the NBA since he appeared in seven games with the Sacramento Kings during the 2007-08 season, but he's apparently shown the New Jersey Nets that he deserves another chance as a source has confirmed to FanHouse that Greene has received a 10-day call-up from the team.

The move was first reported by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpres on Twitter.

Greene, a 6-foot-4 guard out of Louisiana-Lafayette, was the 53rd overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. Greene has played in 128 career NBA games, including seven starts, but the defensive stalwart was never able to get his offense going as he averaged just 2.5 points on 39 percent shooting in stints with the Celtics, Kings and Indiana Pacers.

The biggest thing keeping him out of the NBA, however, may have been some off-court mishaps. With the Celtics, he was suspended for driving 90 miles per hour on a city street. Last season, while playing in Venezuela, it was discovered that he failed a drug test while playing in Amsterdam a year earlier.

"It ain't Jerusalem," Greene told True Hoop's Henry Abbott last month. "You have to go check out Amsterdam for yourself. Can't really do nothing about that."

He's worked hard changing that image, however, and has been a seemingly model citizen off the court while playing for the NBA D-League's Utah Flash the past two seasons.

"I ain't getting no younger. More guys coming out, more athletic. More a lot of stuff. But I don't think there's a lot of guys in the league right now who can bring what I bring. I'm 28. Whatever," Greene told True Hoop. "A lot of guys in the league that I see right now, don't really play both sides of the ball. Lord willing, lord willing, somebody's going to call me and I can get back in."

Playing both sides of the ball is something that Greene is doing quite well as he's currently averaging 18.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.0 steals while playing a point-forward role for the Flash.

He's also been catching the attention of people in the basketball world, whether it be from opposing D-League teams or NBA scouts.

"I loved his versatility at the showcase. He played point or the wing, and his game never wavered wherever he was playing," Fort Wayne Mad Ants president Jeff Potter recently wrote on his blog. "I've heard he is not a great shooter, but I thought he shot well when I saw him, and I loved how active he was on defense."

An NBA scout said similar things while talking to FanHouse prior to the D-League Showcase when asked which players were interesting.

"Greene's a great athlete with an NBA body," the scout said. "He's always been aggressive attacking the basket, he's really improved his outside shooting this year. On defense, he's got a great knack for the ball and active hands. The only thing holding him back right now is he often times comes off as being a little out of control."

It's not known how much of a chance he'll be given during his initial 10-day contract with the Nets, but it seems like he at least deserved another opportunity to show the NBA that he still has what it takes to play in the big leagues.

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