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Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed swingman Alonzo Gee to a second 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
Gee originally signed with Washington on March 7. In five games for the Wizards, Gee has averaged 7.6 points (.609 fg%) and 4.2 assists in 13.2 minutes per game.
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The NBA career of Gilbert Arenas hasn’t gone well in recent seasons. He played just 13 games in 2007-08, only two in 2008-09, and while this season he was averaging 22.6 points (41.1% FG) and 7.2 assists in 32 games, the Washington Wizards were doing nothing but losing, and then came along the season-long suspension due to toying with firearms in the locker room.
So, Arenas is reportedly going to make a change. Perhaps merely symbolic. But the way things have gone lately, any change is probably a good thing.
According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, Arenas has submitted paperwork to the league to change from jersey #0 and become #6.
This likely means the end of his nickname, Agent Zero. Perhaps a new nickname will come with future success.
The Washington Post reports: “The No. 6 is significant because Arenas’s birthday is Jan. 6 – which is also the day that the NBA gave Arenas an indefinite suspension for his behavior after it was revealed that he brought guns to the locker room at Verizon Center in a dispute with teammate Javaris Crittenton.”
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Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard Shaun Livingston to a second 10-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
Livingston originally signed with Washington on February 26. In four games for the Wizards, Livingston has averaged 3.0 points and 1.5 assists in 9.3 minutes per game.
So far, there’s no firm reason to believe Livingston will ever make it back into the NBA permanently. It’s an uphill battle for him due to past injuries.
On Sunday, the Boston Celtics edged the Washington Wizards, 86-83. But a bigger story is Boston’s Kevin Garnett (0-of-7, 8 points off free throws) frustrating the heck out of Andray Blatche (10-of-20, 23 points, 9 rebounds):
Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports:
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Blatche was noticeably upset and appeared to hold back tears as he explained his encounter with Garnett, which nearly got heated when Garnett approached Blatche and tried to wrestle the ball away from him. Blatche appeared to throw an elbow as Garnett continued to taunt him. Blatche later flung Garnett into a cameraman and sent him to the foul line for two free throws. Garnett smiled as he was helped off the ground. Reserve forward James Singleton said Garnett used his “veteran senses” to needle Blatche and get under his skin.
“I see myself as defending myself as a player. I’m a man, just like they a man. If a man is talking to me this close to my face,” Blatche said, moving his hand toward his cheek. “I’m going to say something back. He has to respect me just like I respect him. I just, ‘Get up out of my face.’ He was this close in my face – I can feel his lips touching my cheek – I wasn’t bragging saying ‘Ah we winning.’ It was ‘Back up.’ “
Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard/forward Alonzo Gee to a ten-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
Gee, 6-6, 220-pounds, has appeared in 35 games, all starts, for the Toros this season, averaging 21.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 38.2 minutes. He scored in double figures in 34 games, including a career-high 34 points in a 127-94 victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Jan. 6 in Austin, and recorded four double-doubles.
A member of the San Antonio Spurs at the 2009 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Gee was selected sixth overall in the 2009 NBA D-League Draft by the Toros. Last month, Gee played in the 2010 NBA D-League All-Star game and participated in the 2010 NBA D-League Slam Dunk Competition in Dallas.
A four-year contributor at Alabama, Gee averaged 15.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists during his senior season for the Crimson Tide and earned All-SEC Second Team recognition that year.
Gee will be in uniform tonight in Boston (8:00 pm on CSN-HD, ESPN, 106.7 The Fan, and 1370 Sports Radio in Baltimore) and will wear uniform #24.
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Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived guard Mike James after coming to a mutual agreement on a contract buyout.
James appeared in four games for the Wizards this season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.3 assists. Overall, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in 57 games with the Wizards after being acquired from New Orleans in a three-team deal that sent Antonio Daniels (from Washington) to New Orleans, a conditional draft pick (from Washington) to Memphis and Javaris Crittenton (from Memphis) to Washington on Dec. 10, 2008.
The AP reports:
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Andray Blatche is starting to give Washington Wizards’ fans something to be excited about in a season of turmoil highlighted by the gun-related suspension of Gilbert Arenas and a couple of high-profile trades.
The 23-year Blatche continued to thrive being the new leader of the Wizards, scoring a career-high 36 points and adding 15 rebounds in an 89-85 comeback victory over the New Jersey Nets on Sunday night.
Newark native Randy Foye provided the winning margin with two jumpers in the final 44 seconds but Blatche, who has averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds over his last seven games, almost single-handedly carried Washington in this one.
Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed guard Shaun Livingston to a ten-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
A former “Mr. Basketball” in Illinois (2003-04), Livingston led Peoria Central High (Peoria, IL) to Class AA state titles in 2003 and 2004 before jumping straight to the NBA as the L.A. Clippers’ first-round pick (fourth overall) in the 2004 NBA Draft. Livingston has appeared in 167 games (61 starts) in parts of five seasons in the NBA, compiling career averages of 6.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He most recently appeared in 10 games this season for the Oklahoma City Thunder and also played briefly for the NBA D-League’s Tulsa 66ers in 2008-09. Livingston was enjoying his best professional season as a member of the Clippers in 2006-07 (9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.1 apg, .463 fg% in 29.8 mpg) before sustaining a season-ending knee injury on February 26 that kept him out of action for the duration of the 2007-08 season.
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Washington Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has waived center Zydrunas Ilgauskas after coming to a mutual agreement on a contract buyout.
According to the Washington Post, “according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, the 7-foot-3 agreed to surrender $1.5 million in a buyout agreement with the Washington Wizards. The two sides agreed on the terms late Wednesday night, the paperwork was finalized this morning and now Ilguaskas is free to go where he pleases. Ilgauskas was acquired from Cleveland as part of a three-team trade that sent Antawn Jamison to the Cavaliers. The Wizards owed Ilgauskas nearly $3.5 million on the remainder of his $11.5 million contract and Ilgauskas also received a $600,000 trade kicker as part of the deal. But Ilgauskas spent more than one-third of that money in order to play for the team of his choice.”
“We agreed to terms with Zydrunas on a contract buyout, giving us further financial flexibility and allowing our young big men to continue to develop over the remainder of the season,” said Grunfeld.
It is widely expected that Ilgauskas may wind up re-signing with his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the coming weeks.
Ilgauskas was originally acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers along with a 2010 first round pick and the rights to Emir Preldzic as part of a three-team deal in which they also acquired Al Thornton from the Los Angeles Clippers while sending Antawn Jamison to Cleveland and Drew Gooden to Los Angeles (the Clippers sent Sebastian Telfair to Cleveland to complete the trade).
Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Mike Harris to a ten-day contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not announced.
Harris (6-6, 235 lbs.) averaged 26.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in 28 games (25 starts) for the NBA D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers prior to becoming the 15th call-up this season. This is Harris’ second call-up of 2009-10, as he previously averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in two games played with the Houston Rockets. Harris has averaged 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 19 career NBA games (all with Houston).
After leaving Rice University as the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,014 points) and rebounder (1,111 rebounds), Harris has also played professionally for BC Kyiv of the Ukrainian Super League (2005-06), the Colorado 14ers of the NBA D-League (2006-07), and the Dongguan New Century Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (2007-08).
Harris’ signing brings Washington’s roster to 16.