Where Are They Now, 2010; Part 30
March 16th, 2010

– Josh Heytvelt Gonzaga graduate Josh Heytvelt is one of the best players in Turkey. His team (Oyak Renault Bursa) are third-last in the Turkish TBL with a 6-16 record, but it’s not the fault of Heytvelt, who averages 16.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The scoring ranks tenth in the league, and the rebounds rank second only to Jamar E. O’Davidson. Bursa won a massive game at the weekend when they beat the high-flying Turk Telekom; Heytvelt played all 40 minutes and put up 26 points and 13 rebounds. (Ricky Davis had 20 for Turk Telekom in his second game for the team. He scored 8 in the first.)   – Herbert Hill Providence big man Herbert Hill’s professional career has barely gotten going due to knee injuries. He was drafted by the Sixers in 2007 and stayed with the team all season, but never played in a game for them due to knee surgery, and the rehab from that overlapped into last year. Hill initially tried out for Le Mans in August 2008 but was not sufficiently recovered, and did not return to action until February, when he played the last 15 games of the D-League season with the Bakersfield Jam and Tulsa 66ers. Now healthy again, Hill has spent all of this season in South Korea with the Daegu Orions, a team whose name I keep misreading as the Daegu Onions. (Chuck Swirsky would love them.) Hill is averaging 19.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 32.2 minutes per game. Hill’s American team mate on the Onions is a former Louisiana-Lafayette swingman called Anthony Johnson, which is quickly becoming the most popular name in basketball. Not only is there that Anthony Johnson, but there’s also THE Anthony Johnson (the one with no neck that currently […]

Posted by at 10:02 AM

2009 NBA Summer League round-up: Indiana Pacers
July 10th, 2009

– Will Blalock: The Pacers have been said to be looking for a point guard all summer long now. They kept Jamaal Tinsley inactive for all of last season, despite him being able and willing to play. Jarrett Jack is a restricted free agent, and even though he’s expected back, he isn’t really a point guard anyway. Neither is Travis Diener, and they seem to hate T.J. Ford more than it seems as though they should. But while Will Blalock is very much a point guard, I don’t think the answer to the Pacers’ point guard problem lies in a man who averaged 4.5 points and 2.1 assists in the German league last season.   – Derrick Byars: Byars was briefly covered in the Nuggets round-up, but here’s a bonus fact about him. Byars’ three point percentage by month, last season: November – 0% December – 56% January – 28% February – 50% March – 26% April – 0% Overall – 38% It might be a coincidence that the two months he shot the most threes in were December and February. Or it might not.   – Tyler Hansbrough: Us Bulls fans discussed at length whether it would be a good idea to pick Tyler Hansbrough at #26. We eventually decided on “yes”. As draft day approached, we moved on to discussing whether it’d be justifiable to pick Hansbrough as high as #16. Opinion was split, but the majority said “no”. Turns out it was irrelevant anyway, as Indiana went for him at #13. And, since it’s the 2009 draft we’re talking about, I think they can get away with that.   – Roy Hibbert: Frank admission – Roy Hibbert is better than I thought he would be. He can score at the NBA level. Just can. He’d be better […]

Posted by at 1:45 AM

Where Are They Now, 2009; Part 24
January 31st, 2009

– Richard Hendrix is in the D-League, after being waived by the Warriors earlier this season, despite signing a guaranteed contract in the summer. I don’t really understand why, considering that they waived him while preferring to keep Rob Kurz and DeMarcus Nelson, whom they then waived three weeks later to avoid guaranteeing his contract, but whatever. Hendrix is still there if the Warriors want him, and apparently they don’t. Hendrix averages 13.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocks in 32 minutes a game for the Dakota Wizz. – Axel Hervelle is still with Real Madrid in Spain, and will be for at least two more years after this one. I got in trouble last time we talked about him, when I said that he hadn’t really gotten very far, so I’ll instead cop out this time and just give you his numbers: 6.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.7 bpg in the Spanish league, and 5.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.4 bpg in the EuroLeague. He’s a defensive role player. – Tyrone Hill is now an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks. – Kyle Hill is playing for Lucentum Alicante Costablanca in Spanish second division, alongside Taylor Coppenrath. Hill averages 12.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 1.6 apg, and is also about to turn 30; I don’t think the NBA beckons any more. – Herbert Hill is unsigned, after a tryout with Le Mans in August showed only that he hasn’t recovered from his knee surgery yet. – Steven Hill is back with Tulsa in the D-League after being waived by the Thunder. Hill averages 7.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in total, but here’s the thing; as intriguing as Hill is as a prospect (and he is […]

Posted by at 2:03 PM