Where Are They Now, 2010; Part 22

February 24th, 2010

– Luis Flores

Domincan Republic native Flores has moved to the coldest climate of his career. Playing for Samara in Russia, Flores is averaging 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in the Russian Superleague, alongside 19.5/4.5/1.9 in the EuroChallenge. His backcourt teammate is Bosnian national team member, J.R. Bremer. It’s not the tallest backcourt in the world.

– Gary Forbes

Forbes started the season in Serie A, and averaged 13.3 points per game for Vanoli Cremona. He left the team last month, and hooked on with Ironi Kfar Hamaccabia Ramat Gan (better known as Ramat Gan) in the Israeli league last week. Ramat Gan were last in the Israeli league when Forbes joined, but Forbes scored 28 points in his first and only game for them so far to lead them to a victory over Ironi Nahariya. And now Ironi Nahariya are in last place.

– Alton Ford

28-year-old ex-NBA player Alton Ford was in the D-League last year after being out of the game between November 2005 and December 2007. He wasn’t perfect there, averaging 10/7/4 for two different teams, where the “4” represents his fouls per game. Ford didn’t start this year with anyone, but last month he caught on with Bourg in the French second division. In four games, he has totalled 13 points, 13 rebounds, 11 fouls and 1 block.

– Sharrod Ford

Ford started the season in Russia, averaging 7.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in 24 minutes per game for Spartak St Petersburg. He left in November (i.e. before the team fell to 1-11 and last place), and signed in January with Carife Ferrara in Serie A. There, Ford averages 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 25 minutes per game. He had 0 blocks in 92 minutes in Russia; he has 15 in 126 minutes in Italy.

– Joseph Forte

Ex-Celtic and Sonic guard Forte averaged 24.5 points per game for Bologna to begin last season, yet they let him go anyway. He then moved to Snaidero Udine (another Serie A team), where he averaged a further 12.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.5 apg and 2.4 spg, but Udine got relegated and Forte was let go at the season’s end. Like Udine, Forte now finds himself in LegaDue, averaging 21.1 points and 4.0 assists for Edimes Pavia.

Note; even though LegaDue is a second division, it’s still a better league than some country’s first divisions. LegaDue, for example, is a better standard of play than the Belgian league, and roughly comparable with the French league. Just a barometer for you there.

– Danny Fortson

Danny Fortson last played in the NBA in 2007, where he racked up 40 points, 43 rebounds and 38 fouls in 14 games for the Sonics. He did not play anywhere after that. Fortson now lives in Newport, Ohio, where he apparently enjoys an active nightlife.

– Shan Foster

Shan Foster is signed in Turkey with Kepez Bld Antalya. He’s averaging 9.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, shooting three three-pointers for every free throw, and with more threes than twos. He hasn’t expanded his game much, although he also hasn’t lost his jump shot, shooting 39% from three-point range.

Foster is back in America receiving treatment for an injury. He could be seen in the crowd at the Vanderbilt-Tennessee game last month, sporting gold face paint. Nice of him to play along.

Despite the spelling, Shan is pronounce Shane. The same is not true of Sham, though.

– Sweatier Menfolk

Minor league journeyman Tremaine Fowlkes last played with the Fresno Rebels in late 2008. The Fresno Rebels were an ABA team, so you know without even looking that they no longer exist. (Sad, but true. They merged with the Washington Raptors after only three months, and are now known as only that.) I’m not sure what he does now, but unless there’s two guys in California with that name, this might be him.

Fowlkes has more NBA rings than the rest of this list combined.

– Antonis Fotsis

Fotsis is with Panathinaikos for his second straight season and seventh in total. On the stacked defending EuroLeague champions roster, he is averaging 6.5 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24 minutes per game in the EuroLeague, alongside 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 20 minutes per game in the Greek league. He also still holds the EuroLeague record for rebounds in a single game with 24.

Fotsis didn’t work out in his one NBA season – by which I mean, it didn’t go too well, and not that he refused to practice – but he’s nonetheless a straight baller.

– Richie Frahm

Another straight baller is Richie Frahm, who has not lost his jump shot any in his 30s. Frahm is in Turkey, signed with Mersin to be the shooting specialist that replaces Chris Lofton. It was an unenviable task considering how freaking amazingly well Lofton shot the ball for Mersin last year – including hitting 17 threes in a single game – but Frahm gave it a go. On the season, Frahm averaged 8.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in seven games; however, he was released last month in favour of Vincent Grier. And the slashing Vincent Grier, by contrast, can’t shoot. Guess they wanted a different look.

– Steve Francis

Francis last played in the NBA in December 2007. After Portland waived him immediately after acquiring him in the Zach Randolph deal – they decided they would rather have paid Steve $28 million to go away than to have Zach Randolph – Francis signed a two-year deal for slightly over $5 million with the Houston Rockets. He played in only 10 games for the team, however, and shot only 33%. He was then salary-dumped onto Memphis partway through his second season (in turn gaining Memphis the pick later used to draft Sam Young), and was waived, ne’er to return. The last reports come from last summer, which said that Francis was working hard at the IMG Academy, trying to get right for one last go around. But the athletic skills have gone, leaving Francis having to rely on smarts and skills. And, harsh as it sounds, he never had a lot of those.

Finally…..

– Chester Frazier

Former Illinois guard Chester Frazier has not yet begun the coaching career believed to be inevitable, and is instead proceeding with a professional playing career. Playing for Goettingen in Germany, Frazier averages 5.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21 minutes per game in the German league (shooting 33% from three-point range and 53% from the line), alongside 3.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 24 minutes per game in the EuroChallenge (shooting 11% from three-point range and 88% from the foul line).

In other former Illinois player news, Trent Meacham is averaging 15.3 points per game in the Austrian league, Calvin Brock is averaging 15.5/6.8/3.4 in the German second division, and Brian Randle averages 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in Israel.

And in current Illinois player news, Demetri McCamey has really figured it out, hasn’t he? Could be a late second-rounder now.