Quick Thoughts

1.    Some Summer League Fun:  Here we are nearing the dead zone of the NBA year.  Most of the major NBA free agents are taken care and a few trades may pop up in August and September and the Olympics won’t be coming until that time either.  The only games right now are those wacky summer league games.  I thought I’d go through and throw out some fun names that we haven’t seen for a while: –Hassan Adams: After being abruptly cut by the Nets and Cavs last summer, Adams didn’t catch on with another NBA team but it looks like Toronto wants to keep him.

–Malick Badiane:  Drafted by the Rockets in 2003, Badiane stayed in Europe.  He’s playing for the Grizz now and hasn’t look too good so far.

–Will Bynum:  Played okay in a previous NBA shot with the Warriors in 2005-06 and was very good in Israel but my want to bail the country after he was charged in an odd nightclub fight (the charges were later dropped).

–Ndudi Ebi:  Also spent 2007-08 in Israel, who has been out of the NBA since 2005. 

–Patrick Ewing, Jr.:  Not sure Pat’s kid is NBA timber after being a role player in college but it’ll be interesting to see him try.  Ernie Grunfeld’s son, Don Grunfeld, is in the same boat.

–Matt Freije:  Out of the NBA since 2006.

–Yaroslav Korolev:  Nice to see he hasn’t given up on the NBA since washing out with the Clippers.

–Jelani McCoy: Still not quitting despite the fact that he’s been a 10-day contract guy for five years.

–Olumide Oyedeji:  He was drafted in 2000 as a rebounding specialist and spent time with the Magic and Sonics from 2000 to 2003.  He’s been in Europe ever since.  Oyedeji is still young but I did not think we’d see him in United States again.

–Tamar Slay:  Former Net second rounder has been in the NBA since the Bobcats let him go during their inaugural season.

–Pape Sow:  Nice to see that Sow is recovering from the broken back he suffered last year.

–John Thomas:  Re-emerging again.  Thomas was drafted in the first round by the Knicks in 1997.  His last NBA duty was with the Nets in 2006.

–Robert Traylor:  Nice to see Tractor Traylor back again.  Between his scowl and his girth, Traylor was memorable to watch but was legitimately an effective player most of the time.  A heart problem and some really bad decisions (helping a drug dealer launder money) kept him out of the NBA since 2005 (he actually did some jail time).  A guy of his size might not retain that athleticism now that he’s in his 30s.

–Frank Williams:  The former Illinois point guard was also a Knick draft choice in 2002.  He fell out of the NBA in 2005 after being traded to the Bulls.  He was a legitimate NBA defender but his shooting was just putrid (35% for his NBA career).