Lindsey Hunter was finally crowbarred off the Bulls roster a couple of weeks ago. This was a good thing; Hunter hasn't been an NBA calibre player for 5 years, yet in all that time teams have believed so much in his off-court attributes that they have caved to his demands and signed him as a player, rather than as a coach. Never mind, it's over now; Hunter was waived a fortnight ago to make room for Chris Richard, and immediately was hired (reclassified) as a player development assistant.
(By the way, for the last week or so, Courtney Sims's name has been awesomely misspelt on Latinbasket.com. They've corrected the mistake now, but for a while there, this is what it said. [Note; very NSFW.] At least they still list Antoine Walker as "Anthony Walker.")
Hunter stuck with the team until the contract guarantee date, playing all of 29 minutes in that time, recording 11 points and 12 rebounds. When waived, he went unsigned for a few weeks before joining the struggling Ilysiakos in Greece, currently last in the A1 with a 4-16 record. In two games for the team, Hunter has record 47 minutes, 17 points and 12 rebounds. One of those two losses was a 41 point defeat at the hands of Olympiakos.
Maryland graduate Ibekwe was having a good summer league for the Toronto Raptors this year, until he hurt his neck on a fall after performing a game saving block on a Goran Dragic layup. Mercifully, it looked worse than it was, and Ibekwe suffered no permanent damage.
Ibekwe initially returned to Turkey to play for Kepez Bld Antalya, but he was waived before the season began. Later on came a tryout with Iranian team Petrochimi, but that also didn't turn into a permanent gig, and Ibekwe remained unsigned. Finally, in mid-January, Ibekwe was able to hook onto another Turkish team called Genc Banvitliler. It's quite the coup for Genc; Ibekwe was one of the best players in Turkey last year, averaging 19/8/2/2 for Mutlu Aku Selcuk Universitesi Konya and being named a Turkish league all star. But strangely, Genc Banvitliler are a Turkish second division team. I am not sure of the reason why Ibekwe has had to (or chosen to) drop down a division. Nevertheless, he is inevitably beasting there, averaging 20.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.1 blocks in only 29 minutes per game.
Former Nets draft pick Ilic spent last year in Spain with Cajasol Sevilla, but averaged only 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in the ACB. He spent the majority of this year unsigned, failing a physical with Crvena Zvezda back in November. However, earlier this month Ilic returned to action with Serbian team Metalac. In his first game with the team, he record 4 minutes and 2 rebounds.
Australian international Ingles went undrafted this past summer, and then attended summer league with the Golden State Warriors. After that he moved to Spain and joined CB Granada, where he is averaging 11.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 rebounds in 29 minutes per game. He is shooting only 34% from three point range and has taken as many threes as twos, which is less than ideal.
Ingles's team mates at Granada include Jimmie Snap Hunter and Richard Hendrix, both recently covered on here. Another one is Icelandic guard Jon Stefansson, the emo one who once signed with the Mavericks. Stefansson had been nothing more than an average player in the German league when Dallas signed him, and since leaving he's bee little more than a bench player in Italy. So why did they sign him and stash him on the injured list for a whole year? Not sure. Either way, Stefansson is averaging 9.1 points for Granada this season, shooting 33% from two point range.
If Stefansson can play in the NBA, then so can Andy Rautins. Then again, Stefansson never actually did.
Bulgarian international and Brooklyn native Ibrahim Jaaber was announced as a surprise inclusion on the Pistons summer league roster this year. Given his successful European career recently, he didn’t seem to need to be here. Apparently he realised this as well, because he didn’t turn up, and stayed with Lottomatica Roma for one more season. Jaaber is averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.5 assists per game in SerieA, and averaged 10.4/4.4/2.2/2.5 in Roma's slightly underwhelming Euroleague campaign this year.
I have heard four versions of how to pronounce his surname; Jab-BAR (as in Kareem Abdul), JAY-ber (as in Katelyn Faber), JAR-burr (as in Tiki Barber) or Jabber (as in the Hut). After some research, apparently the last one is right.
Former NBA journeyman Bobby Jackson retired this past summer after seeing out his final season with the Sacramento Kings. He now works as an ambassador for the team, helping with their fund raising activities and such.
The Kings are holding "Bobby Jackson Night" on April 6th. For only $24, you too can attend an exclusive pregame question and answer session with the man himself, as well as a ticket to the game. The first 10,000 fanswill receive a commemorative Cache Creek Bobby Jackson poster. Be there or.....well, or don't be there.
Former NBA journeyman Jermaine Jackson is doing the Langhi this year. Jackson signed last month with a Mexican team called Durango. I don't really understand Mexican basketball, but as far as I can tell, there appears to be two leagues; the LNBP and the CIBACOPA. The LNBP's season finished just last week, as Halcones Xalapa beat Halcones Rojos 4-1 in the Finals, so now the CIBACOPA has just started. Durango are an LNBP team, so Jackson left the team upon their elimination and moved to Argentina to play for Central Entrerriano, the team currently in last place in Argentina's LigaA with a 6-20 record.
For Durango, Jackson averaged 11.8 points, 6.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds. In his 4 games so far for Entrerriano, he is averaging 9.5 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
Former NBA journeyman Jim Jackson last played in the 2005-06 season with the L.A. Lakers. He is now an analyst for the Big Ten Network.
Jackson still jointly holds the record for most NBA teams played for, tied with Chucky Brown and Tony Massenburg at 12. Drew Gooden is putting on a decent run at it, with 8 in the book before the age of 29; if only he'd played a game with the Wizards in his week there. Bobby Jones and Josh Davis, previously putting on decent runs at the title, appeared to have moved on. (Kevin Ollie is at 11; he's played for 12 different teams, but technically, the Seattle Supersonics and Oklahoma City Thunder appear to count as the same franchise. This seems unfair.)
Former NBA journeyman Luke Jackson has been in the D-League with the Idaho Stampede for at least some of the past three seasons, trying to find his way back to the NBA. However, now 28, Jackson seems to have changed plan slightly, and has moved to Italy. Playing for Carife Ferrara, Jackson is averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game, shooting 46% from the field, 38% from three and 75% from the line.
Former NBA journeyman Marc Jackson was playing in Spain this year with Xacobeo BluSens Obradoiro in the ACB. He was playing well, too, averaging 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In early February however, a couple of weeks after his 35th birthday, Jackson left the team, and retired from the sport to become a cowboy. True story. Or at least, that's what he said he was going to do. I see no reason to doubt him.
Former NBA journeyman Casey Jacobsen has spent quite a lot of time lately in Germany, where he finds himself once again this year. Playing for Brose Baskets Bamberg, Jacobsen is averaging 11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in the German league, alongside 10.5/2.9/2.0 in the German league. His jumpshot - which decided to stay in Germany when Jacobsen returned to the NBA for the 2007-08 season with the Memphis Grizzlies - is right by his side once again. Jacobsen is shooting a combined 38% from three point range in the two competitions, and has a combined true shooting percentage of .596%.
"Journeyman" is not meant as a pejorative, by the way. It means you've put work in.
I wasn't initially going to mention this, not until we got to Marko Tomas's entry at least. But, browbeaten/prompted by Jonathan Givony, I will relent and do it now.
An amusing scandal has broken out in the world of Croatian basketball. A team called Cibona Zagreb are perhaps the best team in the country; they were in the last 16 of the Euroleague just last month, and currently lead the powerhouse Adriatic league with a 19-5 record. Players on that team that you may have heard of include former Bulls centre Dalibor Bagaric (whose name was brutalised into Dalibor Ballagachayridge by inept English commentator Roy Birch last week), former Real Madrid sharpshooter Marko Tomas, Slovenian shooter Samo Udrih (Beno's brother and one time Maverick), and balding former Mississippi State guard Jamont Gordon (covered here earlier this week). It's a deep team that also houses upcoming draft prospect Bojan Bogdanovic (a tall wing player with a fine jumpshot, if not much else) and Leon Radosevic (a 19 year old big man who, in true Croatian style, cannot rebound). Cibona have long had a strong youth movement, and this continues today.
Cibona Zagreb's captain is 27 year old Croatian national team veteran forward Marin Rozic. Rozic is currently injured and has been out of action for the last three months, but this doesn't mean he hasn't been keeping himself busy. News reports out of Croatia claim that, in a homage to former England captain John Terry, Rozic has been knocking off Radosevic's woman on the side, despite the two being teammates. It was Radosevic himself who went to the press, and, via the awkward medium of Google Translate, here's the gist of the story:
- I went to training and left to record their conversation. A day later I am still shocked and listen - told 24 hours Radosevic and briefly recounted the contents of their conversation.
- Euphoric spoke as she went with him into the apartment, but apparently nothing happened because they did not have condoms. Only the love.
.......
When he discovered the affair, called the girl and brought the completed act.
- First denied and then I let her recording of the conversation. Picked up the items and left the flat.
The gist of that, confirmed by this English language version of the story, is that Radosevic's girlfriend told him that a (female) friend of hers was going to come over to their place while he was at practice. This prompted Radosevic to set up a covert recording of their liaison, as he claimed that he 'liked to hear girls talk.' When he returned from practice and replayed the tape, he found that his girlfriend's actual visitor that day was Rozic, with whom she had been making out on the couch. (Although, as you can see above, apparently they avoided bumping uglies due to a lack of penis wraps. So they're not animals.)
The seediness of Radosevic's actions - who seemingly was covertly recording his girlfriend with another woman just to add to his own personal spankbank - has been overlooked by the two reports that instead seem to focus on Rozic's moral disobedience and general douchebaggery, as well as the girlfriend's deviance and slagginess. This is, perhaps, fair enough. Yet I don't believe it should be overlooked that, if what I can gather from the various reports is correct, Radosevic was illicitly recording other people's conversations. If he did so because he suspected she was straying, that's one thing, but it doesn't look like he was. It looks like he was just being a bit of a deviant himself. And that's pretty weird, dude.
Radosevic has asked to be released at the end of the year; fortunately, with Rozic's injury keeping him away from the team, they should be able to avoid any conflict between now and then. If there's any justice, Rozic will be the one released, but he's the better player and that often counts for a lot. So we'll wait and see.
As for the girlfriend in question, this is her. She's 8 years older than Radosevic; in fact, she's even older than Rozic. She seems to be claiming that she and Radosevic had already broken up, and that her and Rozic are just friends. The tape would suggest otherwise. Rozic refuses to comment.
It's funny, yet it isn't.
And now for some red hot Where Are They Now action.
Iowa product and D-League veteran Jeff Horner started the year in Belgium, which is only fitting because he's American. However, he was released by Aalstar after posting 0 points and 1 assist in 47 minutes, while still recovering from a twice-broken foot. He then took up coaching, starting at Des Moines area high school, moving to Grandview University, and has now joined Iowa University's player development program.
Horner was the first player acquired in the history of the Iowa Energy D-League franchise. This was for his local ties more than anything else.
Horry last played two years ago, and he's not coming back now. In retirement, Horry has done a bit of TV work for ESPN, appeared in a reality tv show called "The Superstars" (which sounds like a tacky American imitation of the seminal British classic), and has opened a sports bar in Houston. He'll also appear at your club, for a fee.
The last two years of the Daniel Horton Experience have not gone well. Last year, due to a combination of injuries and Pau Orthez's struggles, Horton played in only 4 games all year, averaging 11.3 points and 4.0 assists. And this year has been even worse; now with a different French team (Hyeres-Toulon), Horton played the first three games of the French league season before getting injured. He missed two months of action and only returned in the new year; since then he's played seven more games. Yet in these ten games, Horton is averaging only 3.4 points and 3.0 assists in 22 minutes per game. He is shooting 10-46 from the field; 8-33 from two point range and 2-13 from three. Toulon have now released Horton, who remains unsigned.
Another Hyeres-Toulon player is Pierre Pierce. Now into his second year with the team, the infamous former Iowa player is averaging 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, albeit shooting only 39% from the field, 28% from three and 56% from the line. (The assists rank fourth in the league.) Pierce is more notorious for his criminal history, which is rather well-sculpted; he was released from prison in September 2006 after serving 11 months for assaulting his girlfriend, serving 332 days after pleading guilty to intent to commit sexual abuse, false imprisonment, third-degree burglary and criminal mischief. Pierce is to stay on probation until October 2010, and has to register as a sex offender wherever he goes, and while he played in summer league for the Warriors in 2007 - and playing rather well at that - in doing so he violated his probation and served 30 more days.
Fresno State product Hosley signed his first ever NBA contract this past October when he joined the Portland Trail Blazers for training camp. However, he was an early cut, never challenging for a roster spot. Rebounding from that didn't take long, as Hosley returned to Turkey and promptly began to beast. On the season for Aliaga Petkim, Hosley is averaging 18.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.9 steals per game. He's 5th in the league in PPG, 2nd in RPG, 1st in SPG, and only just outside the top ten in APG (Emir Preldzic is tenth with 4.0apg). He's arguably the best player in the country. But due to a lack of domestic support, Aliaga are 12th in the league with a 9-13 record.
Houston was never the compelling protagonist of his own amnesty clause, as was erroneously expected by a large contingent of the mainstream media. This is because he didn't need to be; the Knicks knew that they could get a retirement exemption thing on Houston's salary eventually, and they finally did so in October 2005.
Houston wasn't done, however; he launched two comeback attempts, both with the Knicks, who signed him for training camp in both 2007 and 2008. However, Houston made neither roster, and the comeback attempts appeared to be more in hope than expectation. (If he really wanted to get back in the NBA, he wouldn't have signed with the Knicks; the roster situation was always against him. Loyalties were a big factor.) It was, however, a more noble way to go out than before. Houston is now working for the Knicks as an assistant to team president and part time mafioso, Donnie Walsh. He also co-owns the clothing label UNK NBA, and is a prominent charity event organiser.
Valparaiso graduate Howard is again in the D-League, and again he's with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. This is his third consecutive season there, and he has improved every time. His first year, he averaged 11.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, rising to 18.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists last year. He has had training camp contracts after the conclusion of both seasons, first with the Bucks and then last year with the Knicks.
This year, Howard - best on the defensive end - has improved his numbers even further. He is averaging 20.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, shooting 46% from the field and 80% from the free throw line. Better still, he's now shooting threes. In his first two seasons with the team, Howard went 0-16 from three in 95 games and 3,073 minutes, but this year he's shooting 42-109 from out there, a 39% clip. Howard can't improve his age (27) or his height (6'5 small forward), and he hasn't improved his rebounding, but he has improved his jumpshot range. So now he's a 21ppg defensive specialist. Can't be bad.
Worse players than him have been called up before. Stick with it, Ron.
[EDIT; Howard left the Mad Ants two weeks ago to go and play in China.]
Like Howard, Hubbard is in the D-League. Like Howard, Hubbard has had training camp contracts the last two seasons; with the Hawks in 2008 and the Bucks in 2009. But unlike Howard, Hubbard is on the cusp of nothing. In 37 games this season, 17 with the Reno Bighorns and 20 with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, Hubbard is averaging 8.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. But to get those numbers, he's shooting only .376% from the field, with 312 points on 314 shots. And that's a 6'9 forward. Hubbard is athletic, but all he really uses that for is to get elevation to take a lot of long twos. And that's not getting it done.
Hudson last played with the Warriors in the 2007-08 season, when he appeared in only 9 games and shot 29%. He has not signed anywhere since. Hudson was trying to make a comeback as recently as August, when he sponsored and played for a team in the Howard Pulley Summer League. The Howard Pulley Summer League is a summer league (obviously) centred around former and current Minnesotans; also involved were Trenton Hassell, Quincy Lewis, Rich Melzer, Khalid El-Amin, and pretty much every member of the current Gopher squad (including Paul Carter, Al Nolen, Ralph Sampson and Damian Johnson). He also had workouts with multiple NBA teams in the summer, including Detroit. But nothing came of it.
The website for his record label no longer exists, and there's no word on whether his album's sales figures ever cracked the three figure mark. However, Hudson continues to pursue an entrepenurial dream. Hudson still has a website for his own musical endeavours, T-HudOnline.com (although it is remarkably out of date), and Nutty Boyz Entertainment has become Hudson Records, a subsidiary of Hudson's larger company, Troy E. Hudson Enterprises. Included in Hudson Enterprises are the record label, a sports management firm, and Undrafted Pros, a sports recruitment firm of sorts.
In addition to this dream, Hudson is still "in the streets in every city and hood" promoting his music>, and is also writing a book. More on that when it is known. Until such time, would you like to hear a Troy Hudson song? You would? All right. But make sure that you do before you play the following clip.
And if you'd like to see how that musical sensation was created, why not watch this mesmeric behind-the-scenes video?
That looks like my old bedroom. Or the bedroom of one of many thousands of other teenage boys with musical dreams around the world. Good luck though, Troy!
Raptors draft pick DeeAndre Hulett is a veteran of the Central American leagues, yet he had disappeared from the scene in December 2008 when he left his Mexican team, Potros. Over a year passed, but he eventually reappeared last month when he signed with the Domincan Republic team, Cupes De Los Pepines (which I think translates as "Cucumber Coupés"). Statistics are unavailable.
Somewhere, I read that this transaction also marks the end of Hulett's two year ban from Dominican Republic basketball. However, I can't find where I initially read this, and nor do I know what the ban was for. Any details welcomed.......but it seems unlikely that anyone cares enough.
Humphrey is playing for Grupo Begar Leon in Spain's LEB Gold. He's averaging 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in 26 minutes per game, shooting 56& from the field and 62% from the line. The Magic may once have tried to turn him into a small forward/shooting guard, but it hasn't happened. And it's not going to, either.
Brandon Hunter is playing for Hapoel Jerusalem, where it has been my very great privilege to watch him quite a few times this season. For those wondering, he is still really really really strong, still bald, and still an out and out post player that can't (doesn't) shoot outside of the paint. And he's still awesome. On the year Hunter is averaging 7.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in the Israeli league, alongside 8.2 points and a surprisingly low 3.8 rebounds per game in the Eurocup.
Snap has been in Spain since early 2006, and is currently in his second season with CB Granada. He is averaging 12.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in the ACB, but is shooting only 28% from three point range. As the one time CBA Three Point Shootout Champion, this is quite the drop off.
Gonzaga graduate Josh Heytvelt is one of the best players in Turkey. His team (Oyak Renault Bursa) are third last in the Turkish TBL with a 6-16 record, but it's not the fault of Heytvelt, who averages 16.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The scoring ranks 10th in the league, and the rebounds rank second only to Jamar E. O'Davidson. Bursa won a massive game at the weekend when they beat the high flying Turk Telekom; Heytvelt played all 40 minutes and put up 26 points and 13 rebounds. (Ricky Davis had 20 for Turk Telekom in his second game for the team. He scored 8 in the first.)
Providence big man Herbert Hill's professional career has barely gotten going due to knee injuries. He was drafted by the Sixers and stayed with the team all season, but never played in a game for them due to knee surgery, and the rehab from that overlapped into last year. Hill initially tried out for Le Mans in August 2008 but was not sufficiently recovered, and did not return to action until February, when he played the last 15 games of the D-League season with the Bakersfield Jam and Tulsa 66ers. Now healthy again, Hill has spent all of this season in South Korea with the Daegu Orions, a team whose name I keep misreading as the Daegu Onions. (Chuck Swirsky would love them.) Hill is averaging 19.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 32.2 minutes per game.
Hill's American team mate on the Onions is a former Louisiana-Lafayette swingman called Anthony Johnson, which is quickly becoming the most popular name in basketball. Not only is there that Anthony Johnson, but there's also THE Anthony Johnson (the one with no neck that currently doesn't play for the Magic), as well as Montana guard Anthony Johnson who scored 42 points in the Big Sky Conference Championship Game. That last Anthony Johnson scored 42 of his team's 66 total points, 34 in the second half, and his team's last 14. He was able to create off the dribble at will, using all kinds of craft and penache, and his jumpshot looked sweeter than a flambéed cantaloupe. I don't know what the future holds for unathletic 6'3 scoring guards, no matter how good their jumpshot. But I do know that that performance will be remembered for a while.
Hill started the season with Meridian Alicante, playing his second season for the ACB team that he had helped win promotion from the LEB Gold last year. However, he averaged only 5.9 points in 17.0 minutes per game, and left the team when Serkan Erdogan was brought in last month, moving to Serbia to play for Hemofarm. In his 2 games for Hemofarm so far, Hill has totalled 48 minutes, 2 points and 3 fouls.
Hill was drafted out of Eastern Illinois by the Mavericks in 2001 with a pick that they had received in 2000 from the Rockets. Houston traded the rights to Eduardo Najera and a 2001 second (Hill) to Dallas in exchange for the rights to Dan Langhi. Dallas then traded those rights back to Houston in 2001 as a small part of the multi player Glen Rice/Shandon Anderson deal that saw Dallas trading Hill's rights to Houston and Howard Eisley to New York in exchange for Muggsy Bogues, who never played for the team. It was a salary dump of Eisley'a $41 million salary, but why Dallas had taken on that salary only one year before is a mystery.
Arkansas centre Steven Hill started the year in training camp with the Chicago Bulls, but was waived after a week and appeared in no preseason games. He has spent the season in the D-League, bouncing on and off he roster of the Tulsa 66ers. In the 11 games he has managed, Hill has averaged 8.1 minutes, 1.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.7 blocks, 0.6 turnovers and 1.0 fouls. He's still a seven foot athletic shotblocker, so he's still intriguing. But he also still can't play.
Hill last played in December 2003 for the Miami Heat, and is now an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks. He turns 42 years old on Friday. You're now feeling old too.
NC-Greensboro graduate Hines is doing that thing that he does where he puts up a crapload of stats. Playing for Prima Veroli in Italy's LegaDue, Hines is averaging 18.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, shooting 65% from the field and 56% from the line.
Only six players in the history of NCAA basketball have ever recorded more than 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 blocks. Those six are David Robinson (1st overall pick, 1987), Pervis Ellison (1st overall pick, 1989), Derrick Coleman (1st overall pick, 1990), Tim Duncan (1st overall pick, 1997), Alonzo Mourning (2nd overall pick, 1992, behind only Shaquille O'Neal) and Kyle Hines (undrafted, 2008).
Hite was playing with JuveCaserta in Italy's Serie A as recently as last week, but was released this week for reasons not immediately known. He had averaged 12.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 3 games for the team, and in 10 games for Sigma Montegranaro earlier in the year he had averaged 9.3 points and 2.6 rebounds.
Hodge burnt a lot of bridges in Australia last year. He was playing to a LeBron-like standard, outrageously good for a guard without a jumpshot, but then he walked out on the Adelaide 36ers amid a wave of controversy. Various reasons were cited ranging from racial taunting in the crowd to a payment dispute; whatever the reasons, things got acrimonious and then some. Yet apparently Hodge didn't burn every bridge there, because against all odds, he returned to the country (if not the 36ers) to play again this season. In the now-completed NBL regular season, Hodge averaged 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists for the Melbourne Tigers. And in typical Julius Hodge fashion, he shot 49% from the field, 59% from the foul line, and 0% from three point range.
Hoiberg's role in the Timberwolves front office is now officially the Vice President Of Basketball Operations. Job titles tend to carry different meanings for different teams; for example, John Paxson is the Vice President Of Basketball Operations while Gar Forman is the General Manager, but while Gar does all the leg work, Paxson ultimately has final say. In contrast, other Vice Presidents Of Basketball Operations include Tom Penn (Portland), Sam Hinkle (Houston) and Mark Warkentein (Denver); the last one is fully in charge, while the other two aren't. It's not exactly a uniform title, but in Hoiberg's case, it means he is second to President of Basketball Operations, David Kahn. As for the difference between Hoiberg's role and that of General Manager Jim Stack, I couldn't say. And as for what Rob Babcock does as assistant GM, I don't know. Either way, there's no Kevin McHale any more.
Ex-Bulls forward Holcomb was playing in Spain's LEB Gold with Caceres, but left in January. He averaged 10.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17 games, and is currently unsigned.
Holcomb is now a Libyan citizen, turning up randomly on their national team in the summer under the name Raed Farid Elhamali. For a whole load of player nationalities, ranging from the obvious to the random, view this list.
As always, J.R. Holden is with CSKA Moscow. This is his 8th season there now, and he has one more left on his contract after this. On the season he is averaging 11.6 points per game in the Russian league, 10.3 points per game in the Euroleague and 8.5 points per game in the VTB United League. In 8 VTB games Holden has not yet taken a single foul shot; he has only 32 in 37 combined games overall. But never mind.
No J.R. Holden commentary is complete without this clip of his steal and championship winning basket in the dying seconds of Eurobasket 2007. Michael Jordan in the 1998 NBA Finals? Bollocks. J.R. Holden all the way. This is how you do it without a push-off. (Try and overlook how bored the commentator sounds.)
The Ho-Man is the starting power forward for Marousi, Greece's third best team who have put on a damn fine showing in their first Euroleague campaign. As mentioned in the Jamon Gordon entry, Marousi have now been eliminated, but it was a good campaign nonetheless. On the season, Homan is averaging 8.8 points and 6.3 rebounds in less than 20 minutes per game in the Greek league, and averaged 9.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in the Euroleague.
After two years out of the game, Air Force graduate and former Nuggets camp invite Antoine Hood returned to basketball when he signed with the D-League and drafted by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the 6th round of the draft. Hood was released by the Vipers without playing a game for them, but he moved to the Czech Republic at the start of this month to play for BK Nova Hut Ostrava. In the first four games outside of America in his incredibly short career, and in his first professional games for nearly three years, Hood has averaged 21.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals, good numbers all for a 6'4 guard. He's had to go to a bad standard of basketball to do it, but it's a start.
Sham is a miserable and self-effacing little bastard, whose basketball opinions are often riddled with bias, insecurity, and rank immaturity. He has also never played the sport, and the only game he has ever been to see was a Ware Rebels game back in 2001. The night bus didn't show up and he had to walk the 9 miles home. It was after this that his passion for basketball really took off.
He considers himself to be Britain's foremost NBA expert, an arbitrary title that carries with it no basis in fact, or any worldly significance. He also wrote this section of the website in third person narrative, purely for reasons of arrogance.
Copyright ShamSports.com, 2005-2010. Every published word on this website
is copyrighted to the website's owner, including (but not limited to)
the really stupid ones that I wish I'd never written.
- Lindsey Hunter
- Othello Hunter
- Ekene Ibekwe
- Mile Ilic
- Joe Ingles
- Ibby Jaaber
- Bobby Jackson
- Jermaine Jackson
- Jim Jackson
- Luke Jackson
- Marc Jackson
- Casey Jacobsen
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