Where Are They Now, 2009; Part 16
January 19th, 2009
– Semih Erden – recipient of the funniest NBA forum thread title that I’ve ever seen, “Semih Erden is finally in the NBA” – never left Turkey. In his fourth year with Fenerbache, Erden is averaging 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in Turkish league play, along with 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in EuroLeague play. And yes, I’m fully aware that that thread title isn’t actually very funny, if at all. It’s funnier when you’re overtired and have just eaten some very strong continental cheese.
– Ebi Ere is signed in Australia. And perhaps he’ll never leave – he’s a legend there. Playing for the third place Melbourne Tigers, Ere (pronounced ‘Ear’, at least by Rick Kamla) averages 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists, which is one of the highest points per game averages that this list has seen so far. Ere’s teammates include former NBA centre Chris Anstey, and a man by the name of Stephen Hoare, whose mother must have had it tough. (Note: while looking up Ere’s averages, I was looking up the Australian league (the NBL) on Wikipedia, to see how it was that Ere had played only four games. Turns out that he had actually played 23. While I was there, though, I chose to look up the New Zealand Breakers, another NBL team, and try to figure out why there was a New Zealandolian team in the Australian league. It was then that I noticed that the Breakers’s former coach was called Frank Arsego. Best name ever.)
– Evan Bruce Eschmeyer – whose nickname ought really be “Almighty”, given that name of his – gave up basketball many moons ago, in late 2004, due to chronic injury. Since then, he has founded an online recruiting service, gone back to Northwestern and earned further business and law degrees, campaigned a bit for the Democratic Party, and was “heavily involved” in Barack Obama’s successful presidential campaign. What he’s done since then, I’m not sure, but there’s sure to be something.
– Daniel Ewing is playing for Procol Harum (Prokom) in Poland, where he forms a very small backcourt with David Logan. (Also on that team – Ronnie Burrell. Remember him?) Ewing averages 14.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in EuroLeague play, and if ever you wanted to know why so many fringe or former NBA players were signing with this Polish team (Ewing, Logan, Burrell, Koko Archibong, Pat Burke), then now you know why. It’s because they’re in the EuroLeague. And that gets you exposure. And exposure keeps the money coming in.
– Patrick Ewing Jr is with the Reno Bighorns in the D-League, as the Knicks still don’t have a roster spot with which to sign him. Ewing Jr averages 13.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 turnovers a game. Meanwhile, Patrick Ewing Sr is an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic, as is Steve Clifford, whose ability to transform his head into a ripened purple turnip during the sideline of every game continues to baffle and amaze.
– Olu Famutimi is into his second season with Khimik in the Ukraine. The second season isn’t going as well as the first – O-Fam averages 10.7 points and 4.7 in the Ukrainian league, but that drops to 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds (and 32% shooting) in the EuroChallenge.
– Desmon Farmer made the San Antonio Spurs roster out of training camp, but it didn’t last very long, as the Spurs quickly waived him to pounce on Blake Ahearn, who the Wolves had also let go. (Ahearn didn’t last long in San Antonio, either. Don’t know why.) Farmer subsequently went off to Russia, where he averages 15.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Spartak Primorie Vladivostok, the team in last place in the Russian Superleague.
– Nick Fazekas didn’t make the Nuggets roster, went to Belgium to play for Oostende, was released after getting injured, and has since signed in France with ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne. Fazekas has played one game in the French league, scoring 8 points with 12 rebounds in 20 minutes. He should be in the NBA. That is all.
– I like to think of Peter Fehse as being a yardstick for how hardcore into the NBA you are. By this I mean that if you know who Peter Fehse is, you are some kind of seriously hardcore NBA fan. Not even fans of the team that drafted him know who he is, because that team (the Sonics) no longer exist. So, here goes: Peter Fehse is a ginger German with a semi-fro, whom the Sonics drafted with the 49th pick back in 2002. They did this on the assumption that this 18-year-old seven-footer would pan out. But he emphatically hasn’t. A combination of a lack of refined skill and endless injuries has pretty much put his career on hold. Unsigned since September 2007 due to an Achilles tendon injury, Fehse finally signed with Braunschweig this month, the same team that he has tried to play with for about five seasons now. (Them and their second team, at least.) But guess what? He hurt himself again in his second game back, once again the Achilles tendon, and his season is over. His career might be, too. This amusing Google Translate tells the full story, although Peter Fehse himself says it best:
“You can look at only with gallows humor take.”
That you can, Peter Fehse. That you can.
– Noel Felix was playing in the D-League for the Anaheim Arsenal, but was waived due to injury earlier this month. Felix averaged 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks a game, as well as 2.9 turnovers, a strangely huge amount for a man who rarely dribbles in traffic.
– Andrei Fetisov has retired and hasn’t played since February 2007. Can you see a theme here? Go to the unsigned draft picks list, and cross off all those who we have deemed to be retired in these Where Are They Now posts. The list suddenly gets a lot shorter.
– Finally tonight, do you want a 31-year-old athletic but untested-at-the-top-levels power forward? If so, you might want to check out Kimani Ffriend, as the L.A. Clippers did only last year. Ffriend, a late bloomer who didn’t play organised basketball until late, averages 15.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for Mersin in Turkey. Unfortunately, he’s finally getting good only after he’s hurtled past 30. So Europe awaits. Still.
