Summer league round-up: Utah Jazz

All right! Only three weeks late!

View the Jazz summer league roster.

- James Augustine: Augustine was covered in the Bulls round-up from bloody ages ago. He played well for both teams and definitely re-established himself. But neither team has room for him next year.

- Jimmy Baron: Jay Bilas lookalike Baron just played four years at Rhode Island, where his coach was his dad. I've always wondered why players think this is a good thing, but anyhoo. Baron set the school record for made three pointers in a season in his sophomore season, then broke it in his junior season, then broke it again in his senior season. He made 118 of those bad boys last year in only 34 games. So you get the idea of how he plays. 6'3 shooting specialists have to have something extra to make the NBA, and Baron doesn't, but no matter; he has already signed for Mersin in Turkey next season, presumably as Chris Lofton's replacement.

- Cedric Bozeman: I'm a big fan of Cedric Bozeman and I don't know why. As such, it buoyed me to see him play well last year, to the tune of 19.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Even the jumpshot is getting there, shooting 35% from three point range last season. This encourages me. Here's hoping he's doing enough for one more go-around.

- Derrick Brown: Brown is a second round draft pick of the Bobcats who has signed with the team for two years, who played on the Jazz summer league team because his own team was too cheap to run one. Typically, he led the team in scoring, which probably makes the Jazz feel a little weird about their hospitality. Especially since their own second round draft pick this year, Goran Suton, played pretty badly.

- Josh Duncan: Duncan barely played last year, going to France briefly to play for the very bad Pau Orthez but suffering an injury and playing in only 18 games. He had a pretty crazy summer league for the Jazz, shooting 72% from the field, 78% from three point range and 73% from the foul line, but grabbing only 2.2 rebounds per game and fouling 20 times in 83 minutes. Either way, it's irrelevant, as he has already signed with Belgacom Liege for next year. You can guess which country they play in.

- Andre Ingram: Ingram is not good enough to be here. He had three decent but not great seasons at American University - not a big program - and one shocking season. Since then, he's spent two years in the D-League, averaging 6.1 points per game in his first season, and 10.0 points/3.3 rebounds in his second year. The only reason he's here is because the D-League team that he was with was the Utah Flash.

- Kosta Koufos: It may have been a good idea for Koufos to leave Ohio State after one year, or it may not. But considering that he was a first round pick, and ended up being a useful contributor on a playoff calibre team at the tender age of 19, he can't feel too bad about it.

- Kevin Kruger: Kruger started last year with Lukoil Akademik in Bulgaria, a team sponsored by a trainee petrol pump attendant's night school. He averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 assists in two games, before being released when the team was knocked out of the Eurocup and waived all its American players. Kruger then returned to America, and joined the D-League with the Utah Flash (NOW it makes sense). He averaged 13.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and led the D-League with a 51% three point shooting percentage. But, as is the case with all 26 year olds in summer league, I am obliged to tell you that he is 26 years old. It counts for something, whether we want it to or not.

- Kevin Lyde: This is the third straight season that Kevin Lyde has appeared on the Jazz summer league roster. I have no idea what they see in him. Last year, he even got a training camp roster and the opportunity to play in some preseason games. At least they've finally started getting his measurements vaguely closer to the truth, changing his originally listed 6'10 260lbs to a more apt 6'9 294lbs. Dude's got some podge, you may have noticed.

- Wesley Matthews: See this.

- Eric Maynor: I'm not sure how, but a VCU game just came on my telly. And I'm all love Eric Maynor. I love me some floaters, despite the statistically proven inefficiency of the shot. I'm also REALLY all over Larry Sanders, who has it all. The athleticism, the length, the name, everything.

- Goran Suton: If I was court ordered to give a comparison for Goran Suton, I'd probably choose Paul Davis. Such a court order would be frivolous and wasteful, but if it happened, that's where I'd take it. And yes, the facts that they're both white and from Michigan State factor in heavily.

- Dar Tucker: Tucker's first name is short for Darquavis, and not Darth as you may have hoped. He just left DePaul early, a decision which might not have been a great idea. DePaul sucked last year pretty damn badly, but so did Tucker. He took 6.4 three point shots per game, and shot only 28% from out there. He scored big (18.5 points per game), but they came on a piss poor true shooting percentage of 49%. And since he's a one dimension scorer, you can see the problems with this. Stay in school and wait for backup, or transfer to somewhere that might help you more, but don't declare after a bad year like that. There's really no point.

- The People's Champion Larry Turner: Turner is a 26 year old big man who sucked at Oklahoma, transferred to Tennessee State, and sucked there as well. Amazingly, he got a summer league spot in 2007 with the Lakers, which even more amazingly led to a training camp spot. But the normality kicked in and he was waived. Since then, he's played 47 games in the D-League, played in some NBA minicamps, played in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Korea and the PBL. I only have numbers for the D-League stint in 2007-8 = 7.8ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.1bpg, 49.2% FG 54.8% FT. Woop. His summer league numbers were even better - 27% shooting, 18 fouls and 10 turnovers in 63 minutes. Oh yes, you want that. You want that all over your face.

- Gary Wilkinson: Wilkinson's story is unconventional. Last year, he took Utah State to the NCAA tournament, averaging 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds, on the efficient numbers of 58%/31%/83%. Not bad at all from a 6'10 big man. However, he's also 26. And the reason he was 26 years old and in college was because he spent a lot of time not doing much. Wilkinson didn't play high school basketball because he fell out with the coach, who kicked him off the team for his bad attitude. Wilkinson then left high school before graduating, and spent time kicking about aimless, drinking, partying, and doing drugs. Then he found Jesus, straightened himself out, and went on a two year mission to Canada. He came back, put in two years at Salt Lake Community College, and then went to Utah State for two years, where the story culminated with the NCAA Tournament birth and now Wilkinson's pity spot on the Jazz summer league team. It's a lovely story. But he's not Josh Hamilton.

Where Are They Now, 2009; Part 32

- Erazem Lorbek's weird route to the NBA continues with CSKA Moscow. Lorbek is averaging 10.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in only 17 minutes per game in the Russian league, alongside 11.5 points and 5.4 rebounds in 21mpg in the Euroleague. Lorbek is shooting 46/65 combined from the free throw line, for an average of 71%, which shows that he's working on his flaws. He's also a combined 7-14 from three point range, which is a welcome bonus.

- John Lucas III began the season with the Thunder, and actually made the team out of training camp. However, he was waived after about a week so that the team could bring in Steven Hill, unhappy as they were with their other 9 big men. Lucas hasn't signed anywhere since, and didn't get into any games with the Thunder either, thus taking his points total for the year to 0. However, the Rockets are still paying him, and he hasn't been there for donkey's years. So life isn't too bad.

- Kevin Lyde could only be in one place right now, and that place is Estonia. For the seminal starlets known as BC Kalev/Cramo Tallinn, Lyde averaged 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 38% FT in the EuroChallenge, as well as averaging 12.9 pppg, 5.8 rpg and 1.4 bpg in the Baltic League. But the parties must be freakin' wild. (I'm not kidding, either. Tallinn is THE new place for stag weekends, and all manner of holiday debauchery. Naturally, I've never been.)

- George Lynch is currently working for Southern Methodist University in some capacity, as an advisor or something. However, right now, he could feasibly be starting for the Hornets.

- Speaking of former Hornets, they could perhaps use Arvydas Macijauskas back there right now. And they could probably have him, too. Macijauskas is technically a member of the Olympiakos roster, but he hasn't played all season, and he's not about to either. It's hard for me to fully understand what is going on, since I have to rely on crudely translated web pages, but as far as I can tell Macijauskas has been out for three months with a broken foot, sustained while training in Lithuania. However, Olympiakos is trying to have his contract terminated (and all the money he is signed for next season invalidated), claiming that Macijauskas's injury was caused while he was playing silly bugger with his friends. Macijauskas is now healthy to play, and has been practicing with Prokom in Poland while waiting for the Greek courts to rule on his outcome, one which hasn't been decided yet, as far as I know. Tau Ceramica and Lottomatica Roma are both interested in signing him once he becomes available.

- Jonas Maciulis is with Zalgiris Kaunas, as ever, staying with the team he's spent most of his life with in spite of their financial problems. Maciulis averages 13.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the Lithuanian league, as well as 13.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in the Baltic League and 14/5/2 in the Euroleague. This willingness to stay is being tested, however; Maciulis vowed to stay until the end of the season, despite not being paid for two months, but now powerhouse Spanish team Valencia has come in for his services. Zalgiris are demanding 500,000 Euros in a buyout, but Valencia are offering only half of it. If Zalgiris are as broke as it appears they are, then they'll have to take it anyway.

- Tito Maddox still hasn't played for five and a half years. The last time we had heard from him was in May 2008, in a story about the O.J. Mayo booster scandal; Maddox revealed that he had had surgery for a brain tumour, was living extremely modestly with his wife and childre, and gave no direct statement as to whether basketball would be on the cards for him ever again. Nearly one year on, and still no comeback is underway.

- Renaldo Major is another Fresno State player who has had a tough go of it of late, as seems to be the unintentional theme of this list. Major missed all of last season recovering from open heart surgery. However, he's now back to full fitness, and back in the D-League with his old team, the Dakota Wizards, for whom he averages 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Yay! Happy cadence!

- Jackie Manuel is also in the D-League, and he still can't score. In 36 mpg with the expansion Erie BayHawks, Manuel averages 8.5 points and 7.1 rebounds a game, along with 3.9 fouls, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks.

- Aleks Maric went undrafted out of Nebraska, played for 45 teams in summer league, didn't get a training camp spot, and so pissed off to Europe. Maric averages 5.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12 minutes a game while backing up Curtis Borchardt for CB Granada in Spain.

- For Damir Markota news, click this. For his stats, read this: 4.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg in two Eurocup games, 5.8 ppg and 4.0 rpg in 5 Spanish league games.

- Finally, if you missed the previous Rawle Marshall update, then check dis. Since that time, Marshall has been released by Cibona and signed with Lokomotiv Rostov in Russia, where he averages 21.5 points per game in the Russian league. Not a bad alternative, really.

Third Prize Is You're Fired

"Anybody wanna see second prize?"


"Second prize is a set of steak knives."



- Milwaukee signed Ron Howard, T.J. Cummings, Matt Freije and Kevin Kruger for camp. If you're wondering who Ron Howard and T.J. Cummings are......well, you have yourself a valid question, but both are represented by Elfus-Siegel Manegement, an agency quite adept at landing their players places on training camp rosters. (If you were wondering, this is how Garth Joseph rolled up on the Bulls training camp back in 2003, for one beautiful week.) That's basically the only reason that they're there, though, and be very careful when you Google-search T.J. Cummings's name. Freije gives the Bucks a weak-defending jumpshooting power forward, as they only have two right now, which just isn't enough. And Kruger gets to spend a couple of weeks in the NBA, even though he has no chance of making a roster that sees Luke Ridnour, Ramon Sessions and Tyronn Lue ahead of him, whether he likes it or not. Sham's prediction: The Bucks told Damon Jones not to report, and they'll try to trade him, but he will probably be waived if that can't be done. That would open up a roster spot for someone, but what would be the point of any of those four filling it?

- Minnesota made me a happy man this summer. Their camp signings were Kevin Ollie, Blake Ahearn and Rafael Araujo, while Chris Richard accepted his qualifying offer. Blake Ahearn is a nice player. Kevin Ollie is a moustachioed legend with something of a Brunson complex. But....Araujo? That's friggin' perfect, man, on so many levels. There's so much right about that move. Part of it is the way that Rob Babock won't let go, part of it is the fact that it's Rafael Araujo, but also because his signing allows for the existence of this picture:



Only Rafael Araujo could use training camp media day as an excuse to pull an unhateably funny face such as that, while sitting in a brand spanking new home jersey that he's already managed to dribble on. The NBA needs Rafael Araujo.

Sham's prediction: Unfortunately, it probably won't get him. These moves give Minnesota 18 players under contract, 16 of which are at least partially guaranteed (except for maybe Richard. Notice I said maybe). The two that aren't are Ollie and Araujo, which doesn't bode well for Hoffa, as much as we want him to make the team. As things stand, Minnesota has the unrivalled Frontcourt Fivesome Of Shite™, with Araujo, Brian Cardinal, Calvin Booth, Mark Madsen and Jason Collins all on the roster. I want this to continue on forever and ever. But it won't. (Ahearn makes the team, by the way, and Booth gets cut. This is the prediction that I promised you, from the website that occasionally keeps its promises.)

- New Jersey are good sports. With 15 guaranteed contracts already, and with Keith Van Horn still technically a member of their team, the Nets signed four players for camp anyway. One of them - Awvee Van Storey - has already been waived, but Julius Van Hodge, Keith Eddie Van Gill and Keith Van Brian Van Hamilton survive. The Nets could really use a third point guard, and Gill fits that bit. Hodge does, too. Sort of. And one of them may well make it. The Nets still have 19 players on their roster, but one of them is Van Horn, who isn't in camp, and who only survives on the roster should a trade opportunity arise that needs his unguaranteed salary. Hamilton is another easy cut, for his minimal skill level isn't needed on a forward-heavy roster. And Maurice Ager's sole leverage is his guaranteed deal, for his play these first two years has been awful. With the depth chart against him, he too is an easy cut. That leaves a spot free for one of the two, if the Nets choose to add a third point guard. Given that they don't really even have two right now, they should. Sham's prediction: Gill.

- New Orleans has done the bench-with-veteran's-minimums thing that Denver so enjoys, and all but Sean Marks ($200,000) are guaranteed. With 14 players on a largely completed roster, the Hornets' only camp signings were point guard Jared Jordan and centre Courtney Sims. Sims was in the NBA last year at least, as Indiana signed and waived him about 40 times, whereas Jordan spent the year on the continent doing literally nothing. Working in Jordan's favour, though, is the fact that MVP candidate Mike James is the only point guard option behind Chris Paul that the Hornets have. Sham's prediction: Jordan, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was neither. They're not that good, after all.

- New York took pity on Allan Houston, signing him for camp, kind of like how you'd do to a particularly needy tramp. You pass by him on the way to work every morning for several months, but eventually his sheer persistence means that you buy him a cup of coffee one winter morning in exchange for a stream of gratitude, a stream of gratitude which, if not forthcoming, will lead to you never acknowledging his existence ever again. Houston won't make the team, and neither with Dan Grunfeld, but at least they get some free coffee and the attention of passers-by for a few minutes. Even minus those two, the Knicks need to make a cut. They have 16 players, with Patrick Ewing Jr on the outside looking in. The sentimentality factor of him making the team might be nice, but he's the only one without fully guaranteed money ($200,000 guaranteed only), who plays a position where Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Jared Jeffries and Quentin Richardson all play ahead of him. To get Ewing on the team, either Ewing has to play so well that the Knicks are willing to cut Anthony Roberson (despite his guaranteed contract and skillset useful to the team), the Knicks have to hope Stephon Marbury reignites all the bridges he's trying desperately to rebuild, or the Knicks have to cut their losses and pay Jerome James to piss off. Sham's prediction: The latter one is his best hope.

- Oklahoma City need a third point guard, and managed to find one with marginal NBA talent and local ties in former Rocket and fan of trilogies, John Lucas III. They also signed former Sixer and MP for Tyneside North, Derrick Byars, as well as minor league star and former giraffe, Chris Alexander. Sham's prediction: Why they signed Alexander is a mystery. Alexander's a late bloomer with massive bounce-flavouring numbers in the D-League, and so another shot at the league seems fair, but the Thunder don't have any players under 6'9, and adding one more seems unnecessary. Byars doesn't really add anything that Kyle Weaver and Damien Wilkins couldn't sort out between them. Lucas has the best chance to make the roster on depth chart alone, but I wouldn't be surprised or remorseful if they cut all three.

- Orlando's three signings all respresent good value and fringe NBA talent - forward Jeremy Richardson (who the Hawks seem to let walk unchallenged, for some reason), big man Dwayne Jones (who is one of my favourite offense-free centres, if only for the moustache and crooked smile), and Mike Wilks (the point guard version of Zendon Hamilton - an NBA calibre talent who everyone overlooks for some reason, and who bounces around for a few years getting looks with many teams, yet who never gets the multi year guaranteed contract that the law of averages should provide for them). Sham's prediction: Jones and Richardson picked a bad team to sign with, particularly Richardson, who has the ability to play in the NBA, but who is now on a team already heavy with small forwards. Jones offers no improvement over Marcin Gortat, so he won't make it either. Wilks should stick.

- Philadelphia committed like the champions that they are, signing Justin Reed, Maureece Rice, Jared Reiner, Antywane Robinson and Andre Emmett. Reed was then almost instantaneously replaced by minor league journeyman and author Cory Underwood, without a word as to why Reed didn't turn up. Underwood, Emmett and Rice have already been waived. Sham's prediction: An extra small forward wouldn't go amiss in Philly, who have the class of Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young at the position, but who have no emergency third stringer there. However, they could also use a good shooter, and Robinson isn't it. He just thinks he is. Reiner's best hope is for the Sixers to suffer another frontcourt injury, who have already lost J-Smoove Jason Smith for a hundred million years. If that happens, he can play emergency backup to the emergency backup incumbent, Theo Ratliff. Robinson probably has the advantage, but dammit, you need a guard that can shoot. There's plenty out there. Look harder.

- Phoenix brought in Robert Hite and Trey Johnson, to battle Sean Singletary for what will almost certainly be only one spot on the deep bench. This is assuming that the Suns only run with the minimum of 13 players, which history suggests that they will. They also brought in big man Coleman Collins, but I'm not sure what they want from him. Sham's prediction: Singletary will win. He's the slightly better player than Hite, and also the finances are in his favour. Singletary has $200,000 of his $442,114 guaranteed, and Hite is a second year player. So, if Hite were to make the team, it would cost Phoenix roughly $1.8 million (Hite's salary of $711,517, doubled for tax, plus Singletary's $200,000 guarantee also doubled for tax), more than double what it would cost to keep Singletary alone. And also because he's better.

- Portland's 15th and final spot is between rookie point guard and former world heavyweight champion Drederick Tatum, Luke Jackson, Shavlik Randolph and the mountain man Steven Hill. Again, points are to awarded for box ticking - between those four players, the Blazers have managed to cover every position, all manner of standards (ranging from "fringe NBA talent" to "complete project" via "who the hell is that?"), while also bringing in a hometown guy in Jackson. This is how you play the damn game. Sham's prediction: There's not a great deal of point in any of them, to be honest. I would like to see quite where Shavlik Randolph could do after two wasted seasons, but the Blazers don't need him and never will. The depth chart favours Jackson.

- Sacramento signed a random 26 year old Chinese player called Zhang Kai. You've never heard of Zhang Kai before. There's a reason for that. The Kings also signed Bobby Jones (YES! Chalk up another!) and Noel Felix (YES! Chalk up another!), apparently identifying the need for a small forward on the end of the bench. Sham's prediction: Depending on what happens with Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the Kings might have some wiggle room under the tax in the near future. But, if Shareef's contract isn't removed from the books after his recent retirement, then they won't. In that event, the Kings won't be able to afford either Jones or Felix without straying ever so slightly into tax territory. So even if either one of them did make the team, they'd be cut soon enough anyway. Jones is far more likely to make it, though, because he's by far the better player. Felix looked intriguing during his brief stint with the Sonics three years ago, but he hasn't done anything since then. He's now 27, and still with the holes in his game that he's always had. Jamario Moon doesn't strike twice. Also note: Zhang Kai has about as much chance of making the roster as I do of getting a front office job in the NBA. That is to say, no chance whatsoever.

- San Antonio kitted out their inactive list with some class. Salim Stoudamire ($200,000), Desmon Farmer (none), Darryl Watkins ($20,000), Devin Green (nada) and Anthony Tolliver ($200,000) all signed early to various levels of guaranteed money, and the Spurs then added to those with further camp signings in Brian Morrison and their second round draft pick Malik Hairston. (Note: Morrison was waived almost immediately for Charles Gaines.) Those seven players are fighting against each other for two spots, as the Spurs have 13 guaranteed contracts other than they, with only Jacque Vaughn being expendable. Sham's prediction: If only for the level of guaranteed money, Stoudamire and Tolliver are the front runners for the two spots, but Desmon Farmer has NBA talent and a modicum of experience. The Spurs don't need both Green and Hairston, and arguably don't need either. Watkins gives the Spurs some size and shotblocking, but they don't particularly need either right now. What they could use is another shooter, which looks doubly good for Stoudamire. Counting against Salim is his small stature, something which Farmer isn't burdened with. But the level of guaranteed money infers that the Spurs aren't too bothered about that. Gaines hasn't a chance.

- Toronto are a boring bunch of boring bastards, who originally vowed to go into camp with only the 13 players that they already had contract, but whom eventually plumped for a 14th in Jamal Sampson only when rookie centre Nathan Jawai was ruled out with heart trouble. Sham's prediction: The reason they didn't bring anyone in despite having two spots available is that the Raptors have run out of wiggle room below the tax threshold. For this reason, Sampson won't make it, and if he does, it won't be for very long.

- Utah brought in Gerry McNamara, Britton Johnsen (quickly replaced by Gabe Muoneke after Johnsen took an offer in the Ukraine) and Kevin Lyde for training camp. McNamara gets his first shot in the NBA after a decent college career led to a less than decent Euroepan career. Muoneke is a training camp veteran of the best part of a decade who still hasn't managed to make an NBA game. And Lyde is a fat guy who the Jazz had in training camp last year, whom they let go for beign fat, and who has managed to subsequently get even fatter. A strange training regimen. Speaking of fat people, isn't it high time someone at least enquired about Michael Sweetney? Sham's prediction: All three had to have known that there was simply no place for them on the Jazz roster, with 15 guaranteed contracts in place and no one likely to be cut or traded.

- Finally, Washington brought in four players to fight for one spot - Linton Johnson, Juan Dixon ($150,000 guaranteed), DerMarr Johnson and Taj McCullough. McCullough seemingly did enough with his 2.2 points and 2.0 rebounds averages during summer league play to earn a camp invite, but God knows what it was. The two Johnson's (giggidY) and Dixon (giggidy) are basically squaring off for the Wizards final roster spot - Dee Brown is only $125,000 guaranteed, but with so little point guard play in front of him, he has only himself to blame if he doesn't make it. Sham's prediction: Dixon makes it, unless the Wizards are suitably swayed by DerMarr Johnson's height in an otherwise small backcourt.

Where Are They Now? Part 23

Felipe Lopez is seemingly back in the Dominican Republic, although I'm not sure if he's playing any more. Other than second base for the Nationals, obviously. (Ho ho ho. That was so funny.)

Erazem Lorbek is playing for Lomattica Roma in Italy, where his teammates include Allan Ray, Roko Ukic, Gregor Fucka (again, just wanted to type it), and former emo Mavs guard Jon Stefansson. Erazem erases 'em all, averaging nearly 14 points and 6 rebounds. That pun was so crap that Charley Rosen should have written it.

John Lucas III was signed by Benetton Treviso (also of Italy) back in January, but I don't know if he's still there. I don't think he is. He averaged 7 points and 1 assist in his time there.

Kevin Lyde is back with the Dakota Wizards of the D-League, where he averages 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks a game.

George Lynch is missing, presumed alive.

Arvydas Macijauskas went back to Europe, to people more suited to his personality and abilities (i.e. other Europeans). Playing for Olympiakos in Greece, Macijauskas averages 13.8 points and 3.2 assists, on a powerhouse of NBA has-beens (Qyntel Woods, Lynn Greer, Jake Tsakalidis) and NBA never-will-bes (Giorgos Printezis, Loukas Mavrokefalidis, Reinaldas Seibutis, Sofoklis Schortsanitis). This entry took more spell-checking than the rest combined. I wish Marc Jackson was still there. I can spell that name, even if he can't.

Jonas Maciulis was not drafted, and so he never left Zalgiris Kaunas in his native Lithuania, for whome he averages 10.6 points and 2.5 rebounds.

Tito Maddox has not played since he was waived by the Cavaliers, a fact made bizarre by the fact that he was waived on October 12th, 2003, at the tender age of 22. And unlike many players on this list, Maddox actually has NBA experience. So it's hard to explain where he's disappeared to, unless he is:

a) quietly dead
b) crippled
c) incarcerated
d) really, really disinterested in basketball.

If you know the answer, please comment below, because I want to to know too. (Hint: Myspace is a surprisingly successful way to find out information like this.)


Renaldo Major (can you believe there's more than one NBA player called Renaldo? What are the chances of that?), signed with Tissetanta Cantu of Italy to start the season, but left before the first game. Not sure whether it was injury or apathy induced.

Jackie Manuel played for the Iowa Energy of the D-League before their season finished, alongside many other players who also played for the Iowa Energy. But he was waived due to injury. Manuel averaged 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Damir Markota hunkers down with Jonas Maciulis above, for Zalgrinis. Markota averages 13 points and 6.8 rebounds a game.

Rawle Marshall is playing for Hemofarm in Serbia. No idea of his stats.