Sometimes what goes around really does come all the way back around.
Less than four weeks after the Wizards waived Lester Hudson to make room for Alonzo Gee’s athletic and energetic presence on the wing, on Monday the Wizards dropped Gee from its growing ranks of forwards to make room for Hudson, who now helps fill a desperate need at guard thanks to the departure of Gilbert Arenas and the extended injury absence of John Wall.
Hudson was the second coming of Vinnie “Microwave” Johnson during Wizards training camp but was always the odd man out behind Wall, Arenas and Kirk Hinrich, playing just 27 minutes, scoring only two points (from the line; he went 0-for-9 from the field) and registering six assists in six games before being released on Nov. 22. Washington hopes that bringing him back makes an instant impact, especially to keep from having to play Hinrich for 48 minutes.
Meanwhile, Gee (3.2 points, 2.2 rebounds) has now had two stints in Washington, but both have ended after 11 games. In March, he had played his way into a pair of starts by the end of a pair of ten-day contracts only to unexpectedly bolt Washington for San Antonio when the Spurs offered him guaranteed money to sign through the end of the year.
This time around, Gee quickly found himself a starter for five games – he had eight points, seven rebounds and four steals in a 100-99 loss to Orlando on Nov. 27. But he played less than ten minutes over the last six games, and the return of veteran Josh Howard from injury last weekend meant his usage was set to dwindle even further.
That said, one never knows what might happen when Wall comes back.
