James, Crittenton arrive; Daniels, Brown depart
Mired in last place in the NBA East, the Wizards have shaken up their backcourt, acquiring guards Mike James from New Orleans and Javaris Crittenton from Memphis.
In the three-team deal, the Wizards (4-15) sent veteran guard Antonio Daniels to New Orleans, and a conditional first-round draft choice to Memphis. The pick was acquired from the Grizzlies in August 2007 for Juan Carlos Navarro, who never played in Washington. To make room on the roster, the Wizards waived guard Dee Brown.
“This is gonna upgrade our backcourt with a solid veteran in Mike James, and a very talented young player in Javaris,” said Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld. “Any time you can improve your team in the short term and the long term, it’s the kind of thing you look at.”
The 33-year-old James is the short-term fix. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder won a championship ring with the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons and has career averages of 10.6 points, and 3.6 assists, in 24.8 minutes per game. Described as a “slasher,” by Grunfeld, James’ best season came in 2005-06 when he averaged 20.3 ppg and 5.8 apg as a starter for Toronto.
Crittenton, who turns 21 on Dec. 31, is 6-5, 200 pounds. After one year at Georgia Tech, he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 19 pick overall in the 2007 draft.
Crittenton was traded to Memphis at mid-season last year as part of a blockbuster package deal for Pau Gasol. He has career averages of 5.2 points, 1.0 assists, and 12.7 minutes per game. He was buried on the Grizzlies bench behind young point guards Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley.
“He’s got great size, athleticism,” said Grunfeld, who said he considered drafting Crittenton in 2007, but opted for Nick Young at No. 16. “He’s a competitive, serious kid.”
The deal was completed around noon Wednesday. The players were expected to arrive in Washington last night and be available for tonight’s game at Verizon Center against defending NBA champion Boston (20-2).
“You’re always looking to improve your ball club. It’s still very early in the season,” said Grunfeld. “You want to look at the big picture — the present and the future.”
