Where Are They Now, 2009; Part 8
January 8th, 2009
A lot of people are called Brown, I’ve noticed. How fascinating.
– Dee Brown started the year with the Wizards, but was then waived when it emerged that he wasn’t the answer to Washington’s pretty severe outside shooting problems. He then went to a Suns mini-camp, where he beat out Eddie Gill, Damon Stoudamire, Darrell Armstrong, Walker Russell and Troy Hudson to win Phoenix’s mandatory 13th roster spot. He’s since been waived again this week, due to the mandatory contract guarantee date of January 10th. The Suns, seemingly, are going to do what they so love doing – keeping the bare minimum of players at all times, going to twelve as and when they can, to avoid paying out as little money as possible. This from the team that traded away Rudy Fernandez and Rajon Rondo just to save money, and who then gave Goran Dragic more than either of them. Even the Jason Richardson trade saved them money, It kind of makes you squirm, doesn’t it?
– I’ve been literally inundated with one request for news on Elton Brown. Oddly, that request comes from someone who already knows the answer. But let’s play along anyway. After spending the preseason with the Chicago Bulls, and having trouble getting a shot away without it being blocked by a defender and/or the rim, Elton went to Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel-Aviv, hoping to be good again. However, Elton appeared in only one game, scoring two points with two rebounds, before it was announced in late December that Maccabi were releasing him, supposedly because they were disappointed with his conditioning. Whether he has actually left yet, I’m not sure, but he’s not playing with the team, and any remaining chance of some dramatic turnaround with the team is going to be made even less likely once Marcus Fizer makes his return from long term injury lay-off, which will happen in the near future. So, the D-League it is then.
– Andre Brown started the season with the Charlotte Bobcats, after surprisingly making the team out of training camp. (Their quest for a big man started with Brown, then included Linton Johnson, saw a brief sojourn with Dwayne Jones, and eventually they settled on Juwan Howard. Somewhere in that cycle, they waived Jermareo Davidson. In case you didn’t know, Larry Brown now coaches the Charlotte Bobcats.) Waived soon afterwards, Andre Brown now plays in the D-League with the Austin Toros, thereby guaranteeing himself a contract from the San Antonio Spurs at some point. Brown averages 16.1 points and 10.0 rebounds whilst remaining the worst free throw shooter alive today.
– Eric Daniel Brunson is still the Director of Men’s Basketball Operations at the University of Virginia, where he presumably extolls the virtues of being all heart.
– Rodney Buford is currently unsigned, which, in a sense, isn’t a bad thing. I think he’s found the solution to his endless suspensions. If he’s not under contract, he can’t be suspended, can he?
– Pat Burke is playing with Prokom in Poland, where he averages 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. He also just had a 20-rebound performance in the EuroLeague, which is nigh-on impossible to do, but which will guarantee him work for a while.
– Antonio Burks is no longer suspended, after being forced to sit out all of last season after reportedly walking out on a team that wasn’t paying him. Seemed like an unfair suspension when so simplified, but, whatever. Burks signed a few days ago with Slupsk in Poland, if only for the name alone, and he has not played a game for them yet.
– Kevin Burleson is unsigned, and not even the Bobcats want him right now.
– Steve Burtt Jr is playing in Israel, where he averages 21.0 points and 3.4 rebounds for a team called Ashkelon. Fun Steve Burtt Fact, If Fun Is The Right Word For It: Steve Burtt Jr returned from his Christmas trip back to America a day late, after his mother reportedly forbade him from returning to the country until living arrangements were made for him in the middle of the country, out of the way of all that current Gaza business. Nasty business, that.
– I have no idea where Jackie Butler is. None whatsoever. The Rockets waived him last preseason, after only accepting him as the price for getting Luis Scola for free. He then sat out the whole of last season. Butler was then supposed to join the Charlotte Bobcats for summer league, but didn’t, and he hasn’t been signed anywhere this season either. Keith Glass, if you’re reading this, then let me know. (Also note, re: the Bobcats summer league team – how stacked was that line-up? How the hell did it go 2-3?)
– Jamar Butler signed with Eldo Caserta in Italy, but left after only two games after reported disagreements with the coach, and has not played since. It’s been said that he’ll sign in Turkey, and it’s been said that he’ll sign in Germany, but at the time of writing he hasn’t signed with either.
– Derrick Byars is with the Jam in the D-League, where he averages 16.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
– Finally, fabled basketball vagabond Rashid Byrd is also in the D-League, where he averages 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds. His free throw shooting percentage (44.4%) is higher than his field goal percentage (39.3%). It’s also enough to make him a better free throw shooter than Andre Brown.
