Where Are They Now, 2010; Part 32
March 18th, 2010
– Lindsey Hunter
Lindsey Hunter was finally crowbarred off the Bulls roster a couple of weeks ago. This was a good thing; Hunter hasn’t been an NBA calibre player for some years, yet in all that time teams have believed so much in his off-court attributes that they have caved to his demands and signed him as a player, rather than as a coach. Never mind, it’s over now; Hunter was waived a fortnight ago to make room for Chris Richard, and immediately was hired (reclassified) as a player development assistant.
– Othello Hunter
Hunter was one of eight signings made by the Atlanta Hawks for training camp, but he was the only one to win a spot. The Hawks decided to keep two open spots and Hunter in favour of any of Mike Wilks, Juan Dixon, Garret Siler, Mario West (who they later brought back anyway), Aaron Miles, Frank Robinson and Courtney Sims. Such is the current economic climate.
(By the way, for the last week or so, Courtney Sims’s name has been awesomely misspelt on Latinbasket.com. They’ve corrected the mistake now, but for a while there, you can probably work out what it said. [Note; very NSFW.] At least they still list Antoine Walker as “Anthony Walker.”)
Hunter stuck with the team until the contract guarantee date, playing all of 29 minutes in that time, recording 11 points and 12 rebounds. When waived, he went unsigned for a few weeks before joining the struggling Ilysiakos in Greece, currently last in the A1 with a 4-16 record. In two games for the team, Hunter has record 47 minutes, 17 points and 12 rebounds. One of those two losses was a 41-point defeat at the hands of Olympiacos.
– Ekene Ibekwe
Maryland graduate Ibekwe was having a good summer league for the Toronto Raptors this year, until he hurt his neck on a fall after performing a game-saving block on a Goran Dragic layup. Mercifully, it looked worse than it was, and Ibekwe suffered no permanent damage.
Ibekwe initially returned to Turkey to play for Kepez Bld Antalya, but he was waived before the season began. Later on came a tryout with Iranian team Petrochimi, but that also didn’t turn into a permanent gig, and Ibekwe remained unsigned. Finally, in mid-January, Ibekwe was able to hook onto another Turkish team called Genc Banvitliler. It’s quite the coup for Genc; Ibekwe was one of the best players in Turkey last year, averaging 19/8/2/2 for Mutlu Aku Selcuk Universitesi Konya and being named a Turkish league All-Star. But strangely, Genc Banvitliler are a Turkish second division team. I am not sure of the reason why Ibekwe has had to (or chosen to) drop down a division. Nevertheless, he is inevitably beasting there, averaging 20.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.1 blocks in only 29 minutes per game. He is a cut above the competition athletically.
– Mile Ilic
Former Nets draft pick Ilic spent last year in Spain with Cajasol Sevilla, but averaged only 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in the ACB. He spent the majority of this year unsigned, failing a physical with Crvena Zvezda back in November. However, earlier this month, Ilic returned to action with Serbian team Metalac. In his first game with the team, he record four minutes and two rebounds.
– Joe Ingles
Australian international Ingles went undrafted this past summer, and then attended summer league with the Golden State Warriors. After that he moved to Spain and joined CB Granada, where he is averaging 11.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 rebounds in 29 minutes per game. He is shooting only 34% from three-point range and has taken as many threes as twos, which is less than ideal, given his slow release on them.
Ingles’s team mates at Granada include Jimmie Snap Hunter and Richard Hendrix, both recently covered on here. Another one is Icelandic guard Jon Stefansson, the emo one who once signed with the Mavericks. Stefansson had been little more than an average player in the German league when Dallas signed him, and since leaving he’s been little more than a bench player in Italy. So why did they sign him and stash him on the injured list for a whole year? Not sure. Either way, Stefansson is averaging 9.1 points for Granada this season, shooting 33% from two-point range.
If Stefansson can play in the NBA, then so can Andy Rautins. Then again, Stefansson never actually did.
– Ibby Jaaber
Bulgarian international and Brooklyn native Ibrahim Jaaber was announced as a surprise inclusion on the Pistons summer league roster this year. Given his successful European career recently, he didn’t seem to need to be here – apparently he realised this as well, because he didn’t actually play, and stayed with Lottomatica Roma for one more season. Jaaber is averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.5 assists per game in Serie A, and averaged 10.4/4.4/2.2/2.5 in Roma’s slightly underwhelming EuroLeague campaign this year.
I have heard four versions of how to pronounce his surname; Jab-BAR (as in Kareem Abdul), JAY-ber (as in Katelyn Faber), JAR-burr (as in Tiki Barber) or Jabber (as in the Hut). After some research, apparently the last one is right.
– Bobby Jackson
Former NBA journeyman Bobby Jackson retired this past summer after seeing out his final season with the Sacramento Kings. He now works as an ambassador for the team, helping with their fundraising activities and such.
The Kings are holding “Bobby Jackson Night” on April 6th. For only $24, you too can attend an exclusive pregame question and answer session with the man himself, as well as a ticket to the game. The first 10,000 fans will receive a commemorative Cache Creek Bobby Jackson poster. Be there or…..well, or don’t be there.
– Jermaine Jackson
Former NBA journeyman Jermaine Jackson is doing the Langhi this year, and signed last month with a Mexican team called Durango. I don’t really understand Mexican basketball, but as far as I can tell, there appears to be two leagues; the LNBP and the CIBACOPA. The LNBP’s season finished just last week, as Halcones Xalapa beat Halcones Rojos 4-1 in the Finals, so now the CIBACOPA has just started. Durango are an LNBP team, so Jackson left the team upon their elimination and moved to Argentina to play for Central Entrerriano, the team currently in last place in Argentina’s LigaA with a 6-20 record.
For Durango, Jackson averaged 11.8 points, 6.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds. In his four games so far for Entrerriano, he is averaging 9.5 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
– Jim Jackson
Former NBA journeyman Jim Jackson last played in the 2005-06 season with the L.A. Lakers. He is now an analyst for the Big Ten Network.
Jackson still jointly holds the record for most NBA teams played for, tied with Chucky Brown and Tony Massenburg at 12. Drew Gooden is putting on a decent run at it, with eight in the book before the age of 29; if only he’d played a game with the Wizards in his week there. Bobby Jones and Josh Davis, previously putting on decent runs at the title, appeared to have moved on. (Kevin Ollie is at 11; he’s played for 12 different teams, but technically, the Seattle Supersonics and Oklahoma City Thunder appear to count as the same franchise. This seems unfair.)
– Luke Jackson
Former NBA journeyman Luke Jackson has been in the D-League with the Idaho Stampede for at least some of the past three seasons, trying to find his way back to the NBA. However, now 28, Jackson seems to have changed plan slightly, and has moved to Italy. Playing for Carife Ferrara, Jackson is averaging 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game, shooting 46% from the field, 38% from three and 75% from the line.
– Marc Jackson
Former NBA journeyman Marc Jackson was playing in Spain this year with Xacobeo BluSens Obradoiro in the ACB. He was playing well, too, averaging 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. In early February however, a couple of weeks after his 35th birthday, Jackson left the team, and retired from the sport to become a cowboy. True story. Or at least, that’s what he said he was going to do. I see no reason to doubt him.
Finally…..
– Casey Jacobsen
Former NBA journeyman Casey Jacobsen has spent quite a lot of time lately in Germany, where he finds himself once again this year. Playing for Brose Baskets Bamberg, Jacobsen is averaging 11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in the German league, alongside 10.5/2.9/2.0 in the German league. His jump shot – which decided to stay in Germany when Jacobsen returned to the NBA for the 2007-08 season with the Memphis Grizzlies – is right by his side once again; Jacobsen is shooting a combined 38% from three-point range in the two competitions, and has a combined true shooting percentage of .596%.
“Journeyman” is not meant as a pejorative, by the way. It means you’ve put work in.
