Clippers get some help in the backcourt
Attempting to fill a sudden, and big, void in the backcourt, the Clippers went to Springfield (Mass.) of the D-League, signing guard JamesOnCurry on Friday to a 10-day contract.
To accommodate that roster move, the Clippers waived the injured Kareem Rush, who suffered a season-ending torn knee ligament on Nov. 17 and required surgery.
They needed to make a quick decision -- coming after the first game of a seven-game trip -- because of injuries to shooting guard Eric Gordon (sprained big toe on his left foot) and backup point guard Sebastian Telfair (groin).
Telfair returned to Los Angeles and saw a specialist Friday. He was diagnosed as having a torn right adductor longus muscle, according to Dr. Craig Smith, and is expected to miss a minimum of four to six weeks.
“With both Gordon and Telfair out, we felt it was important to add a player with the versatility and skill set to give us minutes at both the [point guard] and [shooting guard] positions,” Clippers assistant general manager Neil Olshey said.
“JamesOn has been a proven scorer at the college and NBDL levels and has shown consistent improvement in his ability to run a team.”
Curry, who is 6 feet 3, was expected to join the Clippers on Friday in Washington. The team will visit the White House today and play the Wizards on Sunday afternoon.
That would be Curry’s NBA debut if all goes according to plan. Though he was drafted by Chicago in 2007, he hasn’t played in the NBA.
In college, he played at Oklahoma State after having had his scholarship pulled back from North Carolina by Coach Roy Williams. Curry, in high school, had been arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession with intent to sell.
This season, he has played 19 games with the Springfield Armor of the NBA’s Development League, averaging 16.1 points and 7.5 assists.
Gordon is considered day to day, but he said on Thursday in Denver that he is concerned the pain could linger. It would then be a matter of pain management and range of motion.
His absence has been keenly felt by the Clippers, who are 3-7 without him in the lineup.
“That’s another scorer, another threat, another person that stretches the defense,” Baron Davis said of Gordon. “It’s just like every time we gear up to get ready to make a push, two or three people get hurt.
“Not having Sebastian really hurt and I was forced to play a lot. They were putting a lot of double teams on me.”
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