Frederic Weis

Frederic Weis (15th pick, 1999)

- Up until very recently, Weis was still playing, featuring with French side Limoges, the team with whom he spent the first five seasons of his professional career. He helped them win promotion to the Pro A last season, averaging 3.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. But this season, he had rarely featured, averaging only 10.7 minutes, 1.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. The four time French league all-star is a shell of his former self, and knew it - three weeks ago, Weis retired from the game, citing the ever-deteriorating condition of his knees.

Chances of making the NBA expressed as an arbitrary percentage: 0%

- Frederic Weis

Weis is into the twilight of his career now. In much the same way that salmon return to their place of birth before they die, European basketball players often go back to their first team to finish their careers. This is what Weis has done. He played with French team Limoges between 1995 and 2000 (and was there when he was drafted in the NBA in 1999); now, after 9 years in Spain, Weis has returned to Limoges to end his career.

Limoges are not a strong French team any more; they went bankrupt in 2000 (a precursor to Weis's departure), were relegated because of it, and even though they won promotion back to the ProA almost immediately, they got relegated again in 2004 and simultaneously went bankrupt again, this time resulting in demotion all the way down to the N1 (which is essentially division 3). They are now back into the ProB, and with a little help from Weis, finished second only to the fallen giant Pau Orthez. In the playoffs, they are currently 1-0 up over Nanterre in the semi-final stages, with a Limgoes/Pau match-up looking inevitable.

However, to give you an example of what has become of Weis, he received a DNP-CD in game 1, and has averaged only 4.1 points and 5.6 rebounds on the season while backing up journeyman John Ford. Weis is only 32, but it's an old 32, and he never developed an offensive game. The Rockets still own his draft rights, and could use a big defensive centre, but I don't think Weis will be it.