Summer league round-up: Houston Rockets

View the Rockets summer league roster.

- Hassan Adams: Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo struck gold in 2007 when he signed Jamario Moon right at the start of free agency, after a fine performance in a Raptors mini-camp. In 2008, he went for it again with Hassan Adams...and he struck out. He signed Adams to a guaranteed contract in July, then watched on as Adams (perhaps complacent due to the guaranteed money) showed up out of shape and with as few ball skills as ever. Adams was later salary dumped onto the Clippers, who cut him.

After that, Adams went to Serbia to play for Vojvodina Srbija Gas Novi Sad, a team that badly needs its name abridging if it's to make any catchy jingles. He totalled 11 points in 2 games before leaving in what I believe was acrimonious circumstances. He won't make the Rockets roster; they didn't sign Trevor Ariza, turn down Von Wafer's advances and spend all that money on Jermaine Taylor just to let Saddam take their roster spot. But it's nice to see him again anyway.

- Rodrique Benson: Rod Benson had a great year in 2007-08, starting out in the Nets training camp, then going to the D-League and leading it in rebounds. But 2008-09 was far crapper: Benson went to France and signed with Nancy, but averaged only 2.3/2.3 in 8 games before being released. He returned to the D-League, and averaged 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Dakota Wizards, before being traded to the Reno Bighorns (giggidy) where he averaged a far better 16.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

Rod Benson fact: I accidentally typoed Rod Benson's name while compiling this post, and in doing so I stumbled across a Florida International University female player called Liene Bernsone, who is as Latvian as her name suggests. If you like girls, you might like her.


And here is her team mate, the equally Latvian Lasma Jekabsone:


So that's why Isiah's working at FIU for free; the bevy of Latvian hotties. Fair play to him.

- Chase Budinger: Budinger is but one other on my list of "Players I would totally have rather the Bulls had drafted instead of Taj Gibson at #26," an increasingly long list that's getting a bit extreme and now includes Levance Fields and Byron Eaton. I will get over it eventually, though. (Think of it as a good thing though, Taj. The less I expect of you, the more I'm going to like it when you turn out to be brilliant. And you will. Never forget that. If I have no expectations for you, they can't be dashed. You're like the anti-Eddy Curry. Make me love you.)

- Will Conroy: Conroy put up lots of everything for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in the D-League last year. 49 games, 44.7 mpg (lead the league), 26.5 ppg (also lead the league), 8.0 apg (5th), 4.8 rpg, 2.0 spg, 4.20 topg. He stuffed that CV like a CV stuffing bitch. And it's a shame that it's more than likely only getting him as far as Spain. But still. A good effort. Have some time off, you must be knackered.

- Marcus Cousin: Cousin averaged 10.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game for Houston last year, That's the University of Houston, though, not the Rockets. Those are good numbers. Shame about the crap conference that they came in. Mind you, Robert Loggia got drafted while getting slightly worse numbers in the exact same conference. And he's a lot smaller. So that makes total sense.

- Joey Dorsey: Dorsey's rookie year was pretty crap. He signed late -not before losing a game that he wasn't even in - yet ended up getting a way bigger than usual contract for a second rounder. Then it went downhill; Dorsey played all of 6 minutes for Rockets last year, and spent only 7 games in the D-League,. Down there, he played disinterested and largely sucked, averaging 9.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, which are pretty tame numbers in relative terms. He's also going to turn 26 later this year, which makes him 18 months older than Darko Milicic. And we all know how much potential he has - none. Still, there's some good news; someone wrote a fluff piece, and his contract isn't guaranteed after this season. So that's something.

- Charles Gaines: Gaines got a training camp contract with the Spurs to start the year, and after getting waived he was assigned to their D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros. The D-League is a slightly strange place for a 27 year old to go, and Gaines perhaps unsurprisingly beasted, averaging 14.9 points and 10.3 rebounds a game. He left before the end of the season to sign with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv, for whom he averaged 8.0ppg and 6.4rpg. He won't win a roster spot.

- Mike Green: Green played for the Cavaliers summer league team last year, where he started at point guard, took lots of shots and shot 30%. Can't say I was duly impressed, really. More impressive was his follow-up season in Turkey, where he averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists for Antalya, but he shot only 31% from three point range, again in love with his sub par jumpshot. Hone that, and we'll talk.

- Maarty Leunen: Leunen, a draft pick of the Rockets last year, also spent the season in Turkey, playing for the immortally named Darussafaka C.Tires Istanbul. There, he averaged 31 minutes, 12.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, shooting 44% from two point range and 44% from three point range. And he took a whole lot more threes than twos. If there was ever an outside chance of Leunen making the Rockets roster this year - and there wasn't, really - then the incumbent Brian Cook just took it away from him.

- Brad Newley: Another unsigned Rockets second rounder, this time from 2007, Newley has spent the two years since being drafted in Greece. Last year, he moved from Panionios to Panellinios, although it's plausible that he just boarded the wrong bus or something and no one sought to correct him. Newley averaged 10.4 points and 3.1 assists in 24 minutes a game, but his jumpshot wasn't really with him all year. He, like Adams, has very little chance of making the team this year, partly due to this next guy.

- Jermaine Taylor: The Rockets bought Taylor's rights on draft night for $2.5 million, which is a hell of a lot of money to give up for a second round pick, even a high 30's one. As a result, I think you can pretty much go ahead and assume that he's making the team.

- Garrett Temple: Temple was the tall point guard to Marcus Thornton's undersized shooting guard, and averaged 7.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in his senior season. For some reason, I have a bit of a thing with offensively challenged tall combo guards who want to be point guards - see also, my views on Cedric Bozeman - but the fact that Temple didn't shoot over 40% in any of the four years of his college career means that his NBA prospects don't really exist.

- Darryl Watkins: Darryl Watkins's middle name is "Finesse", but don't read too much into that. Like Gaines, he went to camp with the Spurs last year, but didn't make the cut, and spent the rest of the year in China, averaging roughly 20/14. Good numbers, but it is China.

- James White: White has an unguaranteed contract with the Rockets for next season, and, if they're truly going to go young (and I don't see as though they have a choice), then the arrival of Ariza won't necessarily be the death of White. Nor will Budinger, either.

Views on NBA stuff will come soon. Really.

Where Are They Now, 2009; Part 37

See? Told you it was mended.

- Juan Carlos Navarro is back with Barcelona, and he'll probably never leave again. He is technically still a restricted NBA free agent of the Memphis Grizzlies, but that's kind of meaningless, because he has no rhyme, reason, or (I assume) desire to leave Spain again. Navarro averages 15.4 points and 2.8 assists in the Spanish league, alongside 14.0 points and 3.6 assists in the Euroleague.

- Boniface N'Dong still boasts one of the greatest names in human history. In his second season for Unicaja Malaga, as a starlet on the ultimate "oh yeah, I remember them, whatever happened to them" team (also featuring Omar Cook, Jiri Welsch, Robert Archibald, Marcus Haislip and, until recently, Paul Shirley), Ndong is averaging 11.3 points in less than 20mpg in the Euroleague. That's pretty damn good for anyone, but especially a centre. He also has 5.3 points and 1.5 blocks a game to go along with that, and his Spanish league numbers (18.5 mpg, 9 ppg, 4.5 rg, 1.0 bpg) aren't bad either. Who knew?

- Drew Neitzel is with the Artland Dragons of Quackenbrueck in Germany. Somebody had told me that he was going to leave the team, but apparently that somebody was wrong. Neitzel (whose name sounds like cough syrup that you take before going to bed) averages 6.4 points and 3.2 assists in the German league, alongside 9.6 and 4.0 assists in the Eurocup.

- Matt Nelson is unsigned after playing in France last season.

- Spencer Nelson is playing for Aris in Greece, a team whose recent additions included Bengal cats owner and former Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bracey Wright, as well as seminal British star Andy Betts. Spiceworld. Nelson averages 8.2 points and 7.1 rebounds in the Greek league, alongside 10.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the Eurocup.

- When it came to waiving someone to accommodate the return of Monta Ellis, the Warriors kept undrafted rookie DeMarcus Nelson and his unguaranteed contract over the guaranteed salary of their second round draft pick, Richard Hendrix. They then waived Nelson as well before the league-wide contract guarantee date came into effect. Not sure that I understand this, particularly since Hendrix has since become one of the best rebounders in D-League, and since the Warriors are the league's worst rebounding team. Oh well. Nelson signed later that month with KK Zagreb and scored 2 points in his debut, but was then waived a mere few days later, totalling roughly a 4 day total stay in Croatia. Tough break. Maybe they thought they were getting a scorer.

- Ira Newble is unsigned, and I have no idea what (if any) desire he has to change that at any point.

- Brad Newley is in Greece, averaging 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in the Greek league for Panellinios, alongside 9.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in the Eurocup.

- Jared Newson is playing for Brose Baskets Bamberg in Gerany, averaging 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. The Mavericks need a shooting guard, and have done for a while, but I don't think they'll be looking at Jared Newson again.

- Demetris Nichols spent a good chunk of the year on the Bulls inactive list, getting $350,000 for his trouble (lucky git), before being waived and going to the D-League. Now with the Iowa Energy (via Idaho, strangely), Nichols is averaging 20.0 points and 4.7 rebounds a game.

- David Noel is also in the D-League, averaging 17.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the Albuqerque Thunderbirds. Note: David Noel is not to be confused with Dave Noel, another player also in the D-League averaging 10.2 points for the Reno Bighorns. The David Noel referred to in the opening line of this paragraph (and on this website in general) is the former North Carolina Tar Heel, David Noel. The one who used to be a Milwaukee Buck. The one that you might have heard of. Yeah, that one. Also, for anyone out there who is a fan of basketball players called David Noel, there are two other ways you can go - one David Noel is a Canadian guard formerly from Northern Michigan last spotted in the ABA with the Montreal Royals, and the fourth one (Dave Noel) is a guard formerly of Wheaton College in NCAA Division 3. Gotta catch 'em all.

- Finally, I think Moochie Norris has finally quit. He hadn't last year, when he was in the CBA and averaged 11.7ppg, 5.4rpg and a league leading 8.9apg, but that was last year, and this year he's unsigned. Given that the CBA is about to fold, and that Moochie is about to turn 36.....I'd reckon that that was all she wrote.

Summer signings, round 5

I am going to make these have a stronger pertinence to actual NBA players, and not just really shit players with vague NBA associations. This is partly because of people's perceived lack of interest in these posts, but also because I'm running out of jokes about people that I barely know. If I'm honest, it's mainly this second one.

---

- Mario Austin has signed with Besiktas in Turkey, where he will probably be the finest player in the land bar none, while playing no defense whatsoever. Such is how he rolls.

(Wait, hang on, he's never played in the NBA. Oh well, never mind. He could do, he might still do, I like him, he's on this site, and that's what matters.)

- Houston Rockets draft pick Brad Newley has swapped difficult-to-spell Greek teams, going from Panionios to Panellinios. His brief reign as "The Most Exciting Second Round Pick To Come Out Of Australia" lasted one year before being topped by Nathan Jawai, who, unlike Newley, might actually be quite good. Well, so I'm told.

- C.J. Miles of the Utah Jazz has been signed to an offer sheet by the Oklahoma City Showertraps. The news itself is uninteresting, but it sets some first: the signing is the first in the history of the new Oklahoma City franchise (hooray!), and also the first non-minimum free agency signing that GM Sam Presti has made. The only previous ones were non-guaranteed minimum deals to Mike Wilks (there for 20 days), Eddie Gill (there for 10 days), Jermaine Jackson (there for training camp only), and Ronald Dupree (the last few games of the season). That right there represents no pedigree - no list of basketball players with Mike Wilks as the best player can ever be considered a good list. As for Miles, his offer sheet is for 4 years and $15 millionish, which is clearly way too much for a man who showed little in three years. If Presti's reasoning was to bid enough that Utah would not match, he's certainly gotten that right.

- Carlos Delfino has signed a lucractive contract with Khimky in Russia, whom you will have heard of from reading about the signing of Milt Palacio in Part 2. This article talks about the financial benefits of this move for Delfino, but importantly fails to mention the fact that Delfino would never get paid that much in the NBA because he's not a very good NBA player. And that factors. (Khimky seems to only sign ex-Raptors, with Delfino, Palacio, Jerome Moiso and potentially Jorge Garbajosa on their roster for next season. So maybe there's hope for Juan Dixon.)

- Craig Smith has agreed to re-sign with Minnesota for two years, in what appears to cynical eyes to be an unsubtle bid for unrestricted free agency at the earliest possible opportunity. It's a damn shame that Craig Smith is stuck in Minnesota. I say that not because of some blind hatred for the Timberwolves, but because it means Smith is stuck playing behind Al Jefferson, the one man you wouldn't want to play him alongside. (By the way, are Kevin Love and Al Jefferson really going to work together? Can we get an answer from that from someone named McHale? I'm not saying that they can't, but it's kind of vital, you know? And how the hell did Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins, Calvin Booth and Mark Madsen wind up on the same team? That's a spectacular conflagration of shitness.)

- D'Or Fischer has signed for Maccabi Electra in Israel. I'm not sure that even I care about that one.

- New Jersey have signed both Eduardo Najera and Jarvis Hayes, which is upspetting on a personal leve, because it means that my Andres Nocioni and Cedric Simmons for Keith Van Horn and Stromile Swift trade idea is basically down the crapper now. (Feasibilities from the Nets point of view, be damned. Like this was ever about them.)

- Loren Woods - waived by the Rockets last week - has signed with Zalgiris in Lithuania. I enjoyed his fleeting comeback, though. And Jelani McCoy's.

- Patrick O'Bryant has signed with the Boston Celtics, who appear to have tightened up the pursestrings. With James Posey signed elsewhere and with all their other free agents not expected back, the Celtics now have no bench. This, therefore, seems like a weird signing - with no veteran point guard, no veteran big man and no backup swingman worth a damn, they go out and get Patrick O'Bryant? (Well, OK. Everyone needs a project 7 footer, I suppose. Just as long as they actually remember the other bits too.)

- Toronto signed Roko Ukic to be their new backup point guard, but I can't help but wonder at his NBA.com profile picture.



- The Lakers did not match Golden State's offer sheet to Ronny Turiaf, and for those keeping score at home, the Warriors offseason currently reads like this.

In: Corey Maggette, Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Randolph, Bobby Brown
Out: Baron Davis, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Patrick O'Bryant,
Undetermined: Kelenna Azubuike (possibly going), Monta Ellis (will be staying barring disaster), Andris Biedrins (ditto), Dick Hendrix, C.J. Watson

Given that they've bid on pretty much everybody so far, it isn't going too well. When you have eight players heading for free agency, should your second signing really be a backup big man, when you only have one real guard under contract? And that price (4 years, $17 million)? Strange.

Also, the Warriors are reported as considering making a bid for Philadelphia restricted free agent Louie Williams. (Note: people with the name "Louis" but who don't pronounce the "S" should not be allowed to spell it like that. I'm indignant on this.) This, too, seems odd: aside from Nate Robinson, I can't think of a worse person to pair with Ellis. So the Warriors offseason still has ways to go.

- Finally tonight, in the only real news that matters, the Milwaukee Bucks signed Malik Allen and Tyronn Lue, reuniting Malik with former head coach and profound Malik Allen fan, Scott Skiles. Cute. But, as for the Tyronn Lue signing.....not so sure. What was the point for either party? Lue had other suits, some of whom were offering more money, more minutes, and more wins than the Bucks. So why does he choose Milwaukee? (Readers note: The correct answer is "the lure of Malik Allen.") Also, why does Milwaukee sign Tyronn Lue, when they have Maurice Williams as the incumbent starter, and Ramon Sessions as a promising backup? If they're going to use Lue solely as a third string, then they've got themselves a high quality third string point guard, so well done them. But why not sign a point guard with some good defense? (And no, I'm not advocating the re-signing of Royal Ivey. I said good defense.) Lue replicates a lot of the skill set from those in front of him, except without the passing. In that respect, it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Then again, not a lot has made sense so far this offseason. And at least they didn't overpay.

Where Are They Now? Part 27

Lamond Murray won't quit, and has recently signed up to play for the Los Angeles Lightning in the International Basketball league. Uniquely, they begin their season tomorrow.

Mamadou N'Diaye is playing for Zalgiris in Lithuania, where he averages 11.4 points points per game, 6.6 rebounds, and a damn fine 92% from the free throw line.

Boniface N'Dong averages 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds a game for Unicaja Malaga in Spain.

Lee Nailon is playing for Lokomotiv Novosybirsk in Russia, where he is known as "Li Neylon". (Really.) Neylon averages 22.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, which is quite a lot.

Matt Nelson is in France playing for Toulouges. I don't know what he averages, because their is "en construction". That is French for "under construction".

Spencer Nelson averaged less than 6 points and 4 rebounds for Upim Bologna in Italy, before getting injured.

Brad Newley is playing for Panionios in Greece. I watched him play the other day (I do not know why Panionios versus Panathinaikos was on British television), and suffice to say, Newley's layups were a bit of an adventure. One of those bad adventures you hear about on the news. However, Newley is shooting 65% from two point range this season, so maybe it was just a blip. (Lonny Baxter beasted in this game, by the way. And the attendance was, literally, nil.) Newley averages 11 points and 1 assist.

Jared Newson played this season for the Cairns Taipans in the Australian league, alongside that Nathan Jawai fella that everyone likes. Newson averaged 13.4 points and 5.5 rebounds.

David Noel is currently having a trial with Barcelona, or at least that's what I concluded from this Babelfish translation:

"American eaves David Noel will be gotten up to the training of the DKV Joventut, where it will remain on approval during next the two weeks. The new champion of Glass ULEB has frees a seat of extracommunitarian after Lonny Baxter will let the equipment to average season to file by the Greek Panionios and the club decided not to replace to him immediately."

Moochie Norris spent this season in the CBA, playing for the Yakima Sun Kings. He earned All-CBA First Team honours after averaging 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 8.9 assists a game.

Lukasz Obrzut hardly plays for the Bakersfield Jam of the D-League. He averages only 2.1 points and 2.3 rebounds.

Michael Olowokandi has not played this season. Can you keep a good man down? No. Can you keep Michael Olowokandi down? Yes.