Charles Smith sat on the bench wearing a jersey, but it was strictly for style. Though he never left the bench, he jumped with the occasional fist-pump and congratulated his teammates just the same.

This late in the summer, with NBA training camps just around the corner, Smith stops playing on a summer rec team with former Dunbar teammates to avoid injury.

But being on the sidelines is something Smith has gotten used to. After what he thought was a breakout year with the Spurs two seasons ago, Smith has seen his NBA world fall apart.

He has bounced around with teams as good as the Spurs, as bad as the Clippers, and as ugly as the Trail Blazers. And as fall training camps approach, Smith has been left on the outside looking in. He has drawn interest, but not offers, from the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat.

Timing, he has learned, is everything in the NBA.

"It's frustrating," said Smith, during a recent visit to a men's summer league at Texas Wesleyan. "Just as I thought I was about to break it wide open, I took a step back. This job can definitely frustrate you. You have to remember this is a business and try and keep your game right."