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Remember back in June, when we were all excited about all the new rookies getting drafted? From Martell Webster to Linas Kleiza, there area dozens of those guys running around out there, and just about any one of them might make some noise in this league before it's all done.

But for every one who arrives, another must depart. For every Andre Iguodala there's a Matt Geiger. For every Jermaine O'Neal there's a Chuck Person. (Man, what lame, outdated examples! I think my analogy maker is busted.) That's the math in the zero-sum game of NBA roster spots. They arrive loudly, and all but the best leave oh-so-quietly, by being shuffled off the end of the bench with dings, bruises, and tendonitis.

Consider this e-mail from TrueHoop reader Matt:

On my flight last night to Houston Ron Mercer was sitting across the aisle from me. I talked to him real quick on the way off the plane to see if he was playing in Kenny Smith's charity tournament, but he wasn't. Then I asked him where he was going to play this year and he said that he was probably going to retire because he was going to have another knee surgery.

Wasn't very long ago Ron Mercer was a star. Now he doesn't even warrant an article.