Orien Greene
Encyclopedia
Orien Randolph Greene II (born February 4, 1982, in Gainesville, Florida
) is an American
professional basketball
player currently playing for the Halifax Rainmen of the National Basketball League of Canada
. His first two seasons were spent with the NBA's Boston Celtics
and Indiana Pacers
, respectively. He played briefly with the Sacramento Kings
in 2007.
originally chose to attend the University of Florida
, his hometown college. However, after a couple of years Greene became dissatisfied with his playing time and decided to transfer to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
where he became known in the Sun Belt Conference
for his aggressive play, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award his senior season.
with the 53rd overall pick by the Boston Celtics
.
Greene began his pro career as backup to Delonte West
. His status as the backup point guard was cemented by a season-ending injury to Dan Dickau
and the trade of Marcus Banks
to the Minnesota Timberwolves
.
On March 29, 2006, Greene was suspended by the Boston Celtics for one game after he was charged with driving his sport utility vehicle
at more than 90 mi/h on a street in suburban Boston.
On June 30, 2006, Greene was waived by the Boston Celtics. He was claimed off waivers by the Indiana Pacers
, and played for their 2006-2007 team.
Greene was used very sparingly in his season with the Pacers. He played in only 41 games, averaging 6.2 minutes per game; quite a drop off compared to playing in all but 2 games the previous year with the Celtics and averaging 15.4 minutes per game. The Pacers brought in Darrell Armstrong
(from Dallas) and Keith McLeod
(from Golden State) to compete with Greene for minutes at point guard. With Jamaal Tinsley
holding the starting position, Greene fell to fourth on the depth chart, which resulted in very little playing time. Greene signed with the Sacramento Kings
on August 30, 2007. He was waived by the Kings November 15, 2007 after playing just 7 games.
Greene signed a three-month contract with the Australian National Basketball League's New Zealand Breakers in late November 2007. He was signed to replace Wayne Turner
, who was out for the season.
He later played for the Utah Flash
of the NBA Development League
. On February 1, 2011 Greene re-joined the NBA as he signed a 10-day contract with the New Jersey Nets. Afterwards, he rejoined the Flash.
On November 10, 2011 Orien Greene signed to play basketball for the Halifax Rainmen of the NBL
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Boston
| 80 || 5 || 15.4 || .395 || .225 || .662 || 1.8 || 1.6 || 1.0 || .1 || 3.2
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Indiana
| 41 || 0 || 6.2 || .371 || .182 || .600 || 1.1 || .5 || .4 || .1 || 1.5
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Sacramento
| 7 || 2 || 8.7 || .273 || .000 || .000 || .9 || .4 || .4 || .1 || .9
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | New Jersey
| 3 || 0 || 1.7 || .500 || .000 || .500 || .0 || .3 || .3 || .0 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 131 || 7 || 11.9 || .387 || .212 || .642 || 1.5 || 1.2 || .8 || .1 || 2.5
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player currently playing for the Halifax Rainmen of the National Basketball League of Canada
National Basketball League of Canada
The National Basketball League of Canada is a Canadian professional men's basketball league founded in 2011. For the first season, three teams formerly of the Premier Basketball League have joined, with four expansion teams officially joining to form the NBL's "Original Seven".-Current:These are...
. His first two seasons were spent with the NBA's Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
and Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, respectively. He played briefly with the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
in 2007.
College career
A highly-touted prospect coming out of high school, the 6'4" (1.93 m) point guardPoint guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
originally chose to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, his hometown college. However, after a couple of years Greene became dissatisfied with his playing time and decided to transfer to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
where he became known in the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
for his aggressive play, winning the Defensive Player of the Year award his senior season.
Professional career
Greene was drafted in 2005 NBA Draft2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005 in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues...
with the 53rd overall pick by the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
.
Greene began his pro career as backup to Delonte West
Delonte West
Delonte Maurice West is an American professional basketball player who last played with the Boston Celtics of the NBA.-High school career:...
. His status as the backup point guard was cemented by a season-ending injury to Dan Dickau
Dan Dickau
Daniel David "Dan" Dickau is an American professional basketball player.-Early life and college:Born in Portland, Oregon, Dickau graduated from Prairie High School in Brush Prairie, Washington. He played for the University of Washington Huskies prior to transferring to, and becoming a standout...
and the trade of Marcus Banks
Marcus Banks
Arthur Lemarcus Banks III, commonly known as Marcus Banks , is an American professional basketball player who most recently played with the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA....
to the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
.
On March 29, 2006, Greene was suspended by the Boston Celtics for one game after he was charged with driving his sport utility vehicle
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
at more than 90 mi/h on a street in suburban Boston.
On June 30, 2006, Greene was waived by the Boston Celtics. He was claimed off waivers by the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, and played for their 2006-2007 team.
Greene was used very sparingly in his season with the Pacers. He played in only 41 games, averaging 6.2 minutes per game; quite a drop off compared to playing in all but 2 games the previous year with the Celtics and averaging 15.4 minutes per game. The Pacers brought in Darrell Armstrong
Darrell Armstrong
Darrell Eugene Armstrong is a former American professional basketball player, who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association...
(from Dallas) and Keith McLeod
Keith McLeod
Keith McLeod is an American professional basketball player, who plays point guard for the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League. He is 6' 2" tall...
(from Golden State) to compete with Greene for minutes at point guard. With Jamaal Tinsley
Jamaal Tinsley
Jamaal Lee Tinsley is an American professional basketball player. Tinsley was drafted out of Iowa State University by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the 27th pick of the 2001 NBA Draft, and was immediately dealt to the Atlanta Hawks, and then on to the Indiana Pacers on draft night...
holding the starting position, Greene fell to fourth on the depth chart, which resulted in very little playing time. Greene signed with the Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
on August 30, 2007. He was waived by the Kings November 15, 2007 after playing just 7 games.
Greene signed a three-month contract with the Australian National Basketball League's New Zealand Breakers in late November 2007. He was signed to replace Wayne Turner
Wayne Turner
Wayne Keon Turner is an American professional basketball player. He played high school basketball at Beaver Country Day School in Brookline, Massachusetts...
, who was out for the season.
He later played for the Utah Flash
Utah Flash
The Utah Flash was a team of the NBA Development League that began playing in 2007 and folded in 2011. They played their home games at the UCCU Center on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah...
of the NBA Development League
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
. On February 1, 2011 Greene re-joined the NBA as he signed a 10-day contract with the New Jersey Nets. Afterwards, he rejoined the Flash.
On November 10, 2011 Orien Greene signed to play basketball for the Halifax Rainmen of the NBL
NBL
NBL may refer to:* Any of several basketball leagues named National Basketball League** National Basketball League , the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia** National Basketball League...
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Boston
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
| 80 || 5 || 15.4 || .395 || .225 || .662 || 1.8 || 1.6 || 1.0 || .1 || 3.2
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Indiana
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 41 || 0 || 6.2 || .371 || .182 || .600 || 1.1 || .5 || .4 || .1 || 1.5
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Sacramento
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 7 || 2 || 8.7 || .273 || .000 || .000 || .9 || .4 || .4 || .1 || .9
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left" | New Jersey
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 3 || 0 || 1.7 || .500 || .000 || .500 || .0 || .3 || .3 || .0 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 131 || 7 || 11.9 || .387 || .212 || .642 || 1.5 || 1.2 || .8 || .1 || 2.5