Where Are They Now, 2009; Part 54
March 12th, 2009
I don’t know how to tell you this; there’s also only about three of these Where Are They Now posts left before we reach the human terminus that is Eurelijius Zukauskas. And I’ve already played my joker with the (simply astonishing) Ejike Ugboaja story. And I’m not going to start again. You’re going to promise to keep reading this website once they’ve dried up, right? Don’t go elsewhere. You’ll like it here.
– Former Hornets second-round draft pick Marcus Vinicus has gone back to his native Brazil, where he averages 19.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists
– Minor league veteran Fred Vinson retired this summer aged 37 after a season in the IBL, and became an assistant coach/director of player programs for the Los Angeles Clippers, the team that gave him his final shot at the NBA. Presumably, this new role means that he rebounds a lot of Zach Randolph three-pointers.
– Former Wake Forest centre Kyle Visser is into his second season with the New Yorker Phantoms in Germany. Last season, Visser averaged 9.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on 58% shooting, and this season he’s up to 10.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game on 62% shooting. Visser’s team features nine American players on its roster, which seems like at least five too many, regardless of the team’s name.
– 7’5 former Knicks and Blazers centre Slavko Vranes is averaging 3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in the EuroLeague, alongside 5.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in the Adriatic League, for Partizan Belgrade in his sort-of native Serbia.
– Former Hornet, Sun, Bull etc Jackson Vroman is playing for Saba Mehr for Iran. Iranian numbers are, it seems, unlookupable.
– The future of the Knicks, Milos Vujanic, averages 10.9 points per game in the EuroLeague for Efes Pilsen. That’s a good scoring output, but, when you consider that M-Vuj averaged 25.8 points per game in the EuroLeague back in 2002-03, it kind of puts those numbers into some sort of context. Milhouse also averages 10.0 points and 2.7 assists in the Turkish league.
– Former Cavaliers and Warriors guard Dajuan Wagner is unsigned. After being cut by the Warriors in late 2006 due to more health concerns, Wagner sat out the rest of that season, and then joined Prokom Sopot in Poland last season, where he averaged 11.7 ppg and 2.5 rpg in the Polish league, alongside 8.3 ppg and 2.5 rpg in the EuroLeague. He was waived in February – I don’t know whether it was due to bad play, bad health, or something else – and resumed workouts with Tim Grover to try and make an NBA comeback. But it hasn’t happened, and Wagner remains unsigned.
– Former Heat, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Celtics, Mavericks and Hawks forward Antoine Walker is waiting for the NBA phone to ring. It hasn’t rung. It won’t be ringing, either.
– Former Bucks, Spurs, Pacers, Lakers, Heat, Wizards and Mavericks big man Samaki Walker started the season in Lebanon, but thankfully saw the light and moved to China, unselfishly giving his time for our enjoyment. Good man. Here are his stat lines in his three games, earliest first:
48 minutes, 19 points, 19 rebounds, 1 block, 0 assists, 6-18 shooting.
36 minutes, 11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist, 4-12 shooting.
35 minutes, 35 points, 27 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 assists, 17-24 shooting.
Good times.
– Former Celtics forward Brandon Wallace started the season in Turkey playing for Mersin Buyuksehir Belediyesi, but played in only one game, totalling 6 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks. He then moved to Poland with the incomparable Bank BPS Basket Kwidzyn, where he averages 7.4 points and 5.5 rebounds.
– Summer league perennial Judson Wallace is playing with Benetton Treviso, where I enjoy the luxury of being able to watch him quite regularly. Wallace averages 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals in the Italian league, alongside 8.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game in the EuroCup.
– Finally, former Heat and Nets swingman Matt Walsh is in Belgium playing for Charleroi. He averages only 6.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in the Belgian league, as his jump shot hasn’t turned up yet, shooting only 25% from three in Belgian league competition. But he fairs better in the EuroCup, where he averages 13.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists, shooting 44% from downtown.
