What is Required for a Team to Sign Jason Williams?

Jammer · Post #1 » by **Jammer** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 2:33 am

On or about September 27,2008

Jason Williams retired from the Los Angeles Clippers,

less than 50 days after signing a veteran minimum contract.

It appears that he is not being paid any salary this year,

probably by mutual agreement,

though I suspect that the Clippers still retain his rights.

If another NBA wanted to sign Jason Williams out of retirement,

could they?

Or, would a team have to send something to the Clippers,

even if only the draft rights to some guy who was drafted 10 years ago

who is never expected to play in the NBA?

FGump · Post #2 » by **FGump** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 5:01 am

Re signing JW
1. He's a free agent. First come first served.
2. Why would you want to? He's done.

Dunkenstein · Post #3 » by **Dunkenstein** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:51 am

FGump wrote:Why would you want to? He's done.

Why do you say "He's done"? He only 33 years old and averaged 8.8 pts and 4.8 assists last season, respectable numbers for a second or third point guard. Is he any more "done" as a player than Kevin Ollie, Michael Ruffin or Jacque Vaughn?

I happen to know a little about why he "retired" from the Clippers. He's basically a simple small-town southern boy and was uncomfortable living in LA. If he could keep his emotional issues under control, I can't see why he wouldn't make a decent third guard for Orlando, where he presently happens to live.

Dunkenstein · Post #4 » by **Dunkenstein** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:03 am

Gump, I'm reminded of two quotes you wrote last fall about Darius Miles.

"Why would a team waste a roster spot on him? And any money at all?"

"But this is a pointless discussion I bet. Even in the odd and supremely small chance that an NBA team would want him, I doubt he could pass an NBA physical, to qualify to play."

I guess Memphis felt otherwise.

Post #5 » by **Three34** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:47 am

Memphis has a vested interest in that. Portland are a cap space rival. It benefits Memphis to scupper that, and given that Antoine Walker is currently sitting on their active list due to a lack of alternatives, it's easy for them to stash Darius for the ten games of his suspension, and then find him 5 minutes a game for a month.

FGump · Post #6 » by **FGump** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:21 pm

Dunk, as for JWill, as you note he was a 8/4 player last year. Cut that down to 2nd-3rd stringer minutes and you have teams considering whether they want to pay a 4-and-2 guy who shoots 38%. That doesn't look very enticing to me.

But heckfire, now that he escaped LA maybe he can sign with one of them thar backwoods teams out in the country, where he don't hafta be all beat down by the big city that messed up his whole game. Ya think??? :lol:

On Miles, those quotes you pulled out of context to try to pick at me were written in the context of this summer's hype machine about Miles, and while Memphis found a reason to sign him (as Sham notes), I am still skeptical of his ability to make an actual contribution to a team. Since you pulled my minor points from the bigger evaluation, let me give my actual take at the time - which I still think looks dead on.

"...the idea he was "impressive" was obvious PR smoke being fueled by his agent. We now know that to be the case, since he couldn't even score any guaranteed money whatsoever."

and

"As i have said multiple times, let's wait and see what REALLY happens. It's better to let the actions of the teams sift fact from hype for us, and yep you are just strewing guesses out there that I think have no touch with reality and buy into hype, but I'm just making my own logical guess [too] as I see it.

We'll see what happens."

Obviously what has happened is, he couldn't stick with Boston. And the best he could find was a non-guaranteed minimum from the Grizz. I think I was pretty solid in my assessment that he was being vastly over-hyped by his agent. We'll see what happens in the long run.