Alonzo Gee hasn’t put on a Wizards jersey this season. But a stack of pictures of him, in a Washington uniform, already were waiting for his autograph after his first practice of the year at Verizon Center. Of all the players that the Wizards (4-8) severed ties with last season, Gee was the one guy they wanted to hang on to. He made such an impressive showing over the length of a pair of 10-day contracts last March that by the time his three-week, 11-appearance stint in Washington was over, the 6-foot-6 swingman had played his way into the starting lineup, putting up 19 points on the road at Charlotte.
But his performances also enticed San Antonio to lure him with a lucrative deal that he couldn’t pass up.
When the Spurs waived him last week, the Wizards wasted little time in scooping him up.
| Up next |
| 76ers at Wizards |
| When » Tuesday, 7 p.m. |
| Where » Verizon Center |
| TV » Comcast SportsNet |
| Wizards guard John Wall has missed Washington’s last four games but could make his return against Philadelphia on Tuesday. “John practiced today,” Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. “He went through the whole practice, did some live scrimmaging, did some good things. He said it was a little sore so we’ll have to wait and see how he reacts after playing today and how it feels tomorrow.” |
“We like what he did, his ability to get out in the open floor, really run, help defend,” Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. “So I think he’s a good match with the people that we have. He gives us something that we really don’t have.”
Even though he didn’t win a single game with the Wizards last spring, it wasn’t easy for Gee to leave D.C. for Texas.
“I thought about it, because, going to the Spurs, they was going to the playoffs,” Gee said. “It was giving up playing time and sitting. I had to think about it. It was a big decision.”
Saunders said the acquisition was not related to the projected return of Josh Howard from a knee injury, instead that the 23-year-old Gee was simply a player the team liked and could be productive in the short term and as a building block for the future.
“It’s good to be back in the system,” Gee said. “It’s a young team and I feel like we can grow as a group.”
To make room on the roster for Gee, the Wizards parted ways with guard Lester Hudson, who had impressed during training camp but fell victim to an already crowded backcourt of John Wall, Gilbert Arenas and Kirk Hinrich.
