2010 Summer League Rosters: Los Angeles Lakers
July 11th, 2010

Derrick Caracter Caracter stayed out of trouble in his time at UTEP, and began developing into the player that he could always have been. He’s lost weight, shaved his stupid hair cut, and doesn’t have to worry about academic problems any more. Now, barring any petulance relapse, Caracter gets to just be a player. He’s becoming a decent one, too. Devin Ebanks Given time, Ebanks will be able to do a decent if slightly lesser impression of Trevor Ariza during his Lakers days. Ebanks can’t dribble or shoot, but he will run the court and defend whomever you want him to. I have been saying this since about February 2009, so the fact that Ebanks is now a Laker is pretty cool. It gives me the opportunity to say it for another seven years. Gerald Green Last year, Gerald Green played in Russia. Playing for Lokomotiv Kuban, Green averaged 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, shooting 44% from the field and 35% from three point range. Unfortunately, there’s no stat for whether he “gets it” yet. Rob Kurz Kurz was a Chicago Bull as of 9 days ago. He never played for them, but got a few grand and great playoff seats for the privilege of spending two months with the greatest team in the world. Kurz is an NBA calibre player with very good rebounding numbers, decent defence and an old-school one handed jump shot, a face-up combo forward with occasional post offence who should be in the NBA somewhere next year. However, I’m not sure it will be with the Lakers. He would be a luxury for them, i.e. a non-rotation player. And they can’t really afford those. Ibrahim Jaaber Jaaber was announced as a member of the Pistons summer league roster last year, but […]

Posted by at 8:21 PM

Where Are They Now, 2010; Part Robinson
April 16th, 2010

– Antywane Robinson Former Temple forward Antywane Robinson was in the NBA as recently as eighteen-ish months ago when he signed with the Sixers for training camp. He did not make the team – obviously, or else you would have heard about it – and moved to France to play for Cholet. He’s been there ever since, and this year A-Rob is averaging 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in the French league.   – Bernard Robinson A few short years ago, Bernard Robinson was receiving clutch minutes in Bobcats games over Adam Morrison. At the very least, it happened once. Yet in 2010, Morrison is almost out of the league, and Robinson very much is. B-Rob has not played since the 2006-07 season, when he appeared in only 21 games for the Bobcats. Charlotte traded him to New Jersey in exchange for Jeff McInnis, where he played ten more regular season games (and one playoff game) down the stretch of the season. That marks the current end of his career; Robinson tore his ACL that summer, and was salary dumped onto the Hornets along with Mile Ilic in exchange for the unguaranteed contract of David Wesley. The Hornets immediately waived him and he has not signed anywhere since.   – Brandon Robinson Brandon Robinson spent much of the year in China, trying to keep the wolf from the door. If you want to know what I’m referring to, then click here.   – Cliff Robinson Uncle Cliffy last played in the NBA in the 2006-07 season with the Nets, on the same team as Bernard. He put up a PER of 5.9 in 57 games, worse than any other season in his career, and realised it was time to stop. What he does professionally now is not clear, but he […]

Posted by at 12:08 PM

Where Are They Now, 2009: Part 44
March 3rd, 2009

The results [result] are [is] in – one person likes these lists, no one said they didn’t, and everyone else absconded. That’s good enough for me, and the risk of alienating folks is minimal given that I seemingly have a readership of about 12 people, so here’s a long list of people called Robinson.   – I don’t mean this in a harsh way, but I’m not sure of what Antywane Robinson has done to earn training camp invites in back-to-back seasons. Robinson briefly made the rosters of both the Hawks in 2007 and the Sixers in 2008, but the season in between saw him average only 9.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg. An athletic and defensive-minded player he may be (and is), but those still aren’t impressive numbers for Antywane, particularly in the not-especially-competitive French league. Nevertheless, Antywane is back in France again this season, where his inability to spell his own name will help him blend in well with the French. A-Rob averages 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds for Cholet.   – Bernard Robinson blew out his knee in training camp with the Nets in October 2007, and hasn’t played since.   – Brandon Robinson is in China. This means that good times will ensue. Brandon was also in China last year, where he averaged 22.7 ppg, 10.8 rpg, and 2.3 apg for the Shaanxi Dongshen Kylins. This year, for the same team again, Robinson has upped the scoring numbers, up to 25.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 2.3 apg. Is Brandon Robinson getting better, or is the Chinese league getting worse? Probably both. Also, for points per shot fans, that’s 1,052 points on 661 shots, for a 1.59 points per shot average. If Bra-Rob could up his three-point percentage from 32%, and his free throw shooting from 68%, he […]

Posted by at 12:38 AM

Second Prize Is A Set Of Steak Knives
October 5th, 2008

I should have written this note before I did. But you’re not the boss of me. Unless you are the boss of me. In which case, hey. Sorry I’m late. Traffic was bad. These are the camp battles that we are to watch with captivated interest. If you’re not even slightly interested, then don’t worry, because I’m intrigued enough for the both of us.   – Atlanta re-signed Mario West, and signed Marcus Hubbard, Frank Robinson and ShamSports.com favourite Olumide Oyedeji, after having earlier signed Thomas Gardner and Othello Hunter. These moves give them three shooting guards to battle for one backup spot, but Gardner has the advantage of 50% guaranteed money. Hubbard and Hunter will fight for the inactive list power forward spot, but Hubbard’s grand total of three NCAA Division i games can’t work in his favour. (If anyone can tell me why he played so little, please do.) Oyedeji has already been waived, which is a damn shame. Sham’s predictions to make it: Gardner and Hunter.   – Boringly, Boston only signed one player for training camp, with the re-signing of Sam Cassell taking their roster to 16 players. Come on now. Even if they haven’t a hope of making the team, play the game and bring in some fringe D-Leaguers. You don’t have to give them any guaranteed money, and you get to look at players that might help you one day. Even if they don’t, you lose nothing but the tiny amount that you have to pay them for the fortnight that they’re there. Signing only Cassell, though, is still enough to give Boston a problem, for they now have 16 players for 15 spots, with no obvious cuts. Maybe the Darius Miles comeback story isn’t going to be quite as fairytale as we had […]

Posted by at 5:04 AM