If you, like I, are kind of besotted by the movements of fringe NBA players, then it may be of interest to you to know what happened to all the players that formed the Bulls summer league team.
If you, like I, are kind of besotted by the movements of fringe NBA players, then you also need better hobbies.
Still, until we find some, let's embrace our inner nerd. There follows a list of the whereabouts of the entire 17 man roster, plus some bad jokes and mindless trivia.
- James Augustine: Augustine played well for the Bulls, averaging 9.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, and scoring 48 points on 31 shots. Augustine also played for the Jazz's SL team in the Orlando Summer Pro League, averaging a further 7/6. Nonetheless, despite all that good play, Augustine is staying in Spain to play a second season for Gran Canaria.
- Tyrell Biggs: Biggs signed in Greece with AS Trikalla, where he'll pair up with former Texas star A.J. Abrams and long time fringe NBA player (and former Bull) Kasib Powell.
- Brandon Costner: Costner has signed in Belgium with Eurocup team Dexia Mons-Hainaut. There are 9 Americans on the team, which is a bit strange, although due to the wonders of nationalisation at least three of them have European passports. (Including Kent State's very own Nate Reinking, one of Britain's best guards. Which is like being one of Operation Barbarossa's best tacticians.)
- Chris Davis: I have absolutely nothing to report. Partly because he hasn't signed anywhere, and partly because it's hard to search for information on someone with such a common name. Davis didn't play for the Bulls summer league team in the end, either.
- Taj Gibson: Gibson is signed with the Bulls for next year, ready to wow us all and be about 55 times better than DeJuan Blair. The last time a Bulls fanbase was so unanimously down on a draft pick, that player was Kirk Hinrich. And that worked out all right, so maybe there's hope for Taj yet. Also, in a bid to liven my Gibson-based spirits, I recently watched USC versus Boston College, when Gibson passed like Vlade Divac and didn't miss a shot in a 24 point outing. I feel a bit better about him now. But more on that later.
- Taurean Green: Green has signed with AEK Athens in Greece. However, the team is said to be close to bankruptcy, so he might not stay long. Green's father Sidney Green is now a Bulls assistant coach, which may partly explain Taurean's presence on the summer league roster.
- Julius Hodge: Hodge didn't play for the Bulls after all, and he remains unsigned. Julius Hodge fact: Julius Hodge was named after Julius Erving by his older brother. It's kind of got that Denis Law/Dennis Bergkamp thing going on. Except in that second example, both of them were legends.
- James Johnson: So far in his time with the Bulls, Johnson has added to his kickboxing prowess with an awesome dancing ability. If he turns out to be any good at basketball as well, we'll have ourselves a new number to retire.
- Linton Johnson: Johnson was under contract to the Bulls during summer league, signing unguaranteed through 2010 towards the end of last season. He was waived after summer league, though, and has since caught on with the Orlando Magic. However, despite the Bulls waiving him three weeks previously, Linton still represented the Bulls at a recent charity golf outing, since no one else could be bothered to turn up. Which was nice of him.
- Nick Lewis: Lewis has spent the last two and a half years in the D-League. He's done well there, averaging roughly a double double, but the D-League pays badly, so he's had to go to France to get this dollar and stack that paper. He's signed with Roanne to replace former Oklahoma big man Taj Gray.
- Lorenzo Mata-Real: Unsigned. Here's a great quote about, though:
Even if he grew up in California, Lorenzo feels himself 100% Mexican.
If that's not worth a giggidy, then nothing is.
- Bryan Mullins: Southern Illinois's very own Bryan Mullins has signed with JL Bourg Basket, a team in France's second division. Going from the French second division to the NBA is only really possible if you're an athletic 18 year old French forward, so we may not hear from Mullins again. It turns out that Mullins has an Irish passport, though, whichwill help his European career greatly.
- DeMarcus Nelson: The Bulls waived Nelson when they waived Johnson, and he has since caught on with Air Avellino in Italy.
- Anthony Roberson: Roberson was a third player signed unguaranteed through 2010 who was waived after summer league concluded. He has not yet caught on elsewhere. Doug tells the amusing story of how Gar Forman was so visibly offended at how bad Roberson was in summer league, that he couldn't help but swear publicly about it, which kind of hinted at the inevitability of Roberson's waiving. Good times. Also, he's a sexpest. (Anthony Roberson, that is. Not Gar Forman.)
- Josh Shipp: Shipp is signed in Turkey with Bornova Bld, alongside former Celtic swingman Kedrick Brown and athletic Drexel big man Frank Elegar. They'll probably have fun highlight reels.
- A.D. Vassallo: Vassallo didn't play with the Bulls summer league team in the end as he'd already signed in France with Paris-Levallois. This hasn't changed.
- Luke Zeller: Zeller has signed in Japan with a team called the Shiga Lakestars in the BJ League. (Giggidy.) If you're wondering if signing in Japan is anything like signing in China or Korea, it isn't. The standard is far lower, and the prestige far less prodigious. Japan doesn't even know which league is its primary league: the BJ League and the JBL both strive to be regarded as the best, in a PDC/BDO type of situation. (A darts reference for you there.) The BJ League is currently losing the power struggle, though, and even though the season is about to start, a list of all participating teams is not even finalised yet. So Zeller may not have the best job security right now.
As for former Bulls on other summer league teams;
- Michael Sweetney (Boston) does not seem to have procured a training camp invite.
- Darius Washington (Boston) has signed with Galatasaray in Turkey.
- Cedric Simmons (Denver) signed with Peristeri in Greece, but is rumoured to be about to be released.
- Ronald Dupree (Denver/Orlando) is going to training camp with the Utah Jazz.
- Jared Homan (Indiana) is signed with Costa Cafe Marousi in Greece.
- Luke Schenscher (L.A. Lakers) has re-signed in his native Australia with the Perth Wildcats.
- Kasib Powell (Orlando) is signed with Trikalla in Greece, as mentioned earlier.
- Thomas Gardner (Portland) is unsigned.
- Demetris Nichols (Toronto) is also unsigned.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: A.D. Vassallo, Anthony Roberson, Brandon Costner, Bryan Mullins, chicago bulls, Chris Davis, DeMarcus Nelson, James Augustine, james johnson, Josh Shipp, Julius Hodge, Linton Johnson, Lorenzo Mata-Real, Luke Zeller, Nick Lewis, Summer League, Taj Gibson, Taurean Green, Transactions, Tyrell Biggs
Yes. No other teams passed on him. At all.
Update: Thomas Gardner is going to camp with the Grizzlies.
Thanks for the SL info, too bad that Augustine did get a chance to compete with Gray and No-Shot Noah.
The Gibson review was encouraging and lets hope that the rookie Johnson hustles.