The following post will features as many Head puns as I can think of, with varying degrees of subtlety.

Earlier this month, free agent Indiana Pacers guard Luther Head came to terms with the New Orleans Hornets on a two year contract. A mere couple of days after this news was reported came the news that Head's job offer was gone; he had failed his physical examination with the team, and that the signing had been called off. Head is now available for everyone.

Controversy surrounded the decision. Head's agent, Mark Bartelstein, slammed the Hornets's decision. Bartelstein claimed there was ulterior motives behind the veto, and that the Hornets had claimed Head had failed the physical just to get out of the signing, when in actuality they'd just had a re-think. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports took that angle further, calling the decision a "slimy trick", and loudly calling out Hornets executive Hugh Weber.

That said, there's always controversy when a player fails a physical. In all the time I have been following the NBA, the team trading away the player - or, in Head's case, the free agent's agent - have cited some kind of failure of the due diligence on the part of the recipient team as being the only reason for the vetoing of the transaction. On a case-by-case basis, that may be entirely correct; for all I know, the Hornets DID do what Barts and Woj suggest, and veto the deal on flimsy grounds because they'd simply changed their minds. Or maybe the Hornets were genuine about their claims on Head's health. I don't know. It's not my place to know. And I don't really want to know.

But what it did stir within me was a desire to investigate failed physicals over the years, and what they actually represent. If someone fails a physical because a team sees a possible long-term health problem down the road, how accurate have those assessments been? Armed with the benefit of hindsight, I was intrigued to find out.

There follows a list of all failed physicals in the NBA since the advent of the 1993-94 season; as the very least, it's as accurate of a list as I could compile. If any failed physicals in that time span have been overlooked, let me know.

- Robert Traylor

As you have probably already heard about, Robert Traylor owes a lot of money to the IRS. And he has a repayment plan to adhere to to give it back. But this has proven difficult. Traylor was the Turkish league All-Star Game MVP in 2008/09, averaging 14.3ppg, 8.4rpg, 2.1apg and 1.6bpg per game for Kepez BLD Antalya. Yet this summer's move to the better standard (and better paid) Serie A did not work out. This is because Traylor joined Napoli, and, as regular readers will know by now, Napoli had the worst season in the history of sports. The bankrupt team weren't exactly the ideal match for the indebted Traylor.

- Lucas Tischer was recently waived by his Israeli team, Altshuler Saham Galil Gilboa, presumably for poor performance. Tischer averaged a stonking 3.6 points, 2.3 fouls and 2.1 rebounds in the Israeli league

- Anthony Tolliver bounced back and forth between the NBA and the D-League this season, first going to camp with the Spurs, then making the team, chucking a load of threes, missing them, being assigned to the Austin Toros, being recalled, being waived, being acquired by the Iowa Energy, getting a 10 day contract from the Hornets, not playing a game for them, and then returning to the Energy. However, he's since given up, and left the Energy to sign with Galatasaray. Tolliver put up 12 points and 8 rebounds on his Galatasaray debut, averaged 12.4 points and 8.5 rebounds with the Energy, averaged 17.8 points ad 7.8 rebounds for the Toros, and 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds for the Spurs.

- Marko Tomas is still with Real Madrid, where he's been on and off now for about 4 years. Tomas averages 7.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in the Euroleague, alongside 5.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in the Spanish league.

- Jazz draft pick Ante Tomic is with KK Zagreb, where he's been now for 6 years. Tomic averages 14.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in the EuroChallenge, alongside 15.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the Adriatic league. Perhaps worryingly, though, this 7'1 player has 26 total blocks in 30 combined games. It's not a Sundov, but it's not great either.

- Ali Traore is averaging 12.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in the Eurocup, and 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in the powerhouse French league, for ASVEL. And my decision to add him to this website was probably a tad overzealous.

- Robert Traylor is still trying to rebuild a career that completely fell apart on him. After injuries, heart problems and legal trouble ruined his NBA career back in 2005, Traylor has had to start all over again. 20 months out of the game followed, and Traylor only reappeared on the scene in March 2007, when he played the final 6 games of the Spanish LEB 2 (the third division) season with Gestiberica Vigo. Traylor then spent two seasons in the Puerto Rican league (which, you'll remember, starts when most other leagues are finishing), and averaged a double double with almost 3 blocks both times. Traylor then persuaded the Cavaliers to give him a spot in this year's Vegas Summer League, where he averaged only 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.0 fouls per game, not a getting a roster spot for his efforts. Since then, Traylor has moved to Turkey, where he is playing for Kepez Bld Antalya, and actually playing really well. Tractor averages 14.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, and not only was he voted a Turkish league all star; he won the MVP award for the game, too.

- Cezary Trybanski's season has gone far less well. He hasn't played or signed anywhere all year, after leading the Greek second division in blocks last season.

- Jake Tsakalidis is also currently unsigned after spending last year with Olympiakos. Not sure why.

- Question: is Nikoloz Tskitishvili good yet? Answer: not exactly. Skita averages 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds for Fuenlabrada Madrid in the Spanish league, being used primarily (and secondarily) as a spot-up shooter. Skita has shot 61 three pointers on the year to only 10 free throws, but he is hitting them at 46% (the three pointers, not the free throws).

- P.J. Tucker is averaging 19.7 points and 6.4 rebounds for BC Donetsk in the Ukraine, in only 12 games. Tucker missed three months of the season through injury, and has averaged only 15 ppg since his return. Although saying "only" 15 ppg sounds a bit disingenuous.

- Finally, Clay Tucker started the season with BC Kyiv, and averaged 15.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in the Ukrainian league, but he was waived when the team cut all its foreign players to save money. Tucker has since signed with Cajasol in Spain, where he has averaged 17 points through two games.

Yeehaw!



I looooove summer league. Looooooooove it. (Note: the extra O's mean that I really looooooooooove it.) It's great. It's like training camp, only better. There's more players that you've never heard of, and more players that yu have heard of but had completely forgotten about. The best type of player, that one. Good times.

This year's summer league roster are lovingly listed on this website, and, if you're anything like me (and hopefully you aren't), you'll read them every morning. Some rosters are yet to be announced, which means there's even more hardcore excitement to come. Hooray!


Highlights this year include:

- Romeo Travis playing on Cleveland's summer league team for the second straight year, still longing to hook up with former Akron high school teammate LeBron James, but this year joined by another Akron starlet, their mutual friend Dru Joyce, as Cleveland continues to surround LeBron with the talent needed to get them over the top.

- Josh Davis adding two new teams to the ever-glorious "NBA Teams That Josh Davis Has Spent Time With In A Non Sexual Way" list, by playing for both Portland and Indiana's summer league teams.

- The surprise return of the utterly skint Robert Traylor, and the slightly less auspicious but far more welcome return of journeyman centre John Thomas, whose name still gets to me.

- The discovery that there's a player called Longar Longar.

- ShamSports.com favourite Olumide Oyedeji playing on the Milwaukee Bucks team, alongside Roderick Riley, an awesome blast from the past who is also the heaviest player in any summer league by about 45 pounds, and who also is playing alongside someone else called Roderick for probably the first time in his life.

- Yuta Tabuse's comeback trail beginning anew.

- Koko Archibong. Koko Archibong!

- Knicks guard Antione Johnson single handedly raising the bar in the Antawn Jamison/Antywane Robinson "Who Can Spell Antoine In The Most Fucked-Up Way Possible" tribute game, and

- Indiana signing MC Hammer.


Good times. These are the things that I care about. Here's to training camp.