Summer signings, round 3

- Brian "Chevy" Chase has signed for Le Mans in the French league, and anyone who reads all this overseas basketball shit that I write would no doubt get the impression that signing in the French league has bad news for your career written all over it. Whether I'm right or not is another matter, but would it be a bad thing for the NBA if it saw the back of a 5'9 guard who can't pass? Doubt it. (Speaking of, Earl Boykins is still unsigned.)

- Ivan Radenovic's contract with Akasvayu Girona of Spain has been extended. On a different note, Akasvayu looks a little bit like Matisyahu. And Matisyahu is a rabbi rapper. Go and search for him on Youtube, then go and buy his album, and then come back here. Do this, and do this now. (Note: I'm going to start using this blog as a guerilla marketing tool, for the relentless promotion of people and things that I like. While we're at it, buy this. You're likely not going to be English, so some of the references in the album's lyrics will be wasted on you, but bear in mind that this is how we Brits feel about Family Guy, and that shit's great. So that's no excuse for you not buying it.)

- Jared Newson, who played in summer league and training camp with the Mavericks last season, has signed with Brose Baskets, marking his second season in the German league. Last season over there, he won the dunk contest. And he also did this.



So he's good at dunking. That much we know. Send in any further Jared Newson trivia to the usual address.

- Joseph Blair signed with Spartak St Petersburg, which is in Russia and not Florida. Neither of Joseph's websites carried this news. But one of them did carry this amusing blog post type thing, from Jaybl-Air himself:

I think that in life a certain amount of respect has to be given to everything you do. Especially when it comes to something that gives you your livelihood! I have always been able to take pride in the fact that I have always given my best and my all to this sport that I love so much. Not always have things turned out the way that I wanted and I wish that I would have made more free throws and there are a ton of easy shots that I have missed and wished that I could go back and try again but I have always tried my best. Nobody is perfect and I realize that but 100 percent must be given constantly!!

That being said I want to talk about tonights game! I have played basketball since I was 5 years old. Organized basketball, not just playing in the yard!! I have played professional for 11 years now!! And never in my career have I ever tried to blame a referee for a loss!!

But tonight was the most disgraceful and disrespectful attempt at what they want to call refereeing a game that I have ever seen or been a part of. It was truly scandalous!!

Tonight I witnessed a huge disrespect to this game that I love!! It is a sad time!! I am truly heartbroken that anyone could do this to this game that I love so much!! And now we even see this type of problem in the NBA!!

When will it stop? Where will it stop? When did it start? God bless basketball

God bless basketball indeed, and God also bless Joseph Blair. Watch out, Gilbert Arenas.


- If you are wondering whatever happened to Jumaine Jones - and who doesn't think about this at some point every day? - then fear not, impoverished serfs, for Jumaine is doing fine. Unable to crack an NBA rotation any more through no real fault of his own, Jonesy still has a decent bsketball career, recently signing for Armani Jeans Alyssa Milano in Italy, for one year plus an optional second year. I still don't get why he's not in the NBA, given that this is a league in which players like Uros Slokar and Damir Markota keep getting drafted. But whatever. What would I know. I'm a middle aged blogger who has never played the sport and who loves Star Trek and who lives in his mum's basement, wanking about stats and the like. (More on the glaring accuracies of this stereotype - apart from the middle-aged, basement, Star Trek and wanking bits - in a future blog post.)

- Kennedy Winston has been released by Greek champions Panathinaikos, who won the Greek League AND the Greek Cup last season, but who obviously fancy their chances of being able to repeat this feat without K-Win in their team. (By the way, isn't that the perfect starting pitchers nickname? Apart from maybe B.A.A. Whipsave. Which I just invented. And which is shit.)

- Former Spurs wingman Melvin Sanders has signed with Gran Canaria in Spain, after leaving Unicaja Malaga, where he played rather badly last season. You will, of course, remember Malaga from the previous Summer Signings post as being the team that Robert Archibald and Omar Cook are to play for next season, a proposition that excites me greatly. It would excite you too if you'd ever seen Robert Archibald bank home a 21 foot runner while drawing a three point play. I have seen this, and I am not ashamed to admit that I was slightly aroused by it. He looked like Dirk, only he wasn't Dirk, which made it better. Great times. Great times.

- Quinton Hosley has managed to land a rather plush gig with Spanish legends Real Madrid, as the replacement for recently departed (not dead, just departed) Charles Spider Smith. Lucky Quinton.

- Sam O'Udrih - best known for being Beno's brother, partly because he is, and partly because Samo's not really done anything of his own - has signed with Estudiantes. Estudiantes is in Slovenia, not Uruguay as I first thought. Other players that you may have heard of in the Slovenian league include.....no one.

- Sani Becirovic, Denver Nuggets draft choice from 2003, has signed with Roma in Italy for three years. He will be 30 by the time the deal is up, and still with bad knees. This changes his chances of ever joining the NBA from 0.01% percent into precisely zip. But, still, you want to see a 7 minute Sani Becirovic tribute mix anyway, right? Of course you do.


(He's number 7.)

- Willie Deane has signed with Zalgiris in Lithuania, to the amusement of no one.

This post ends weakly.