Lorenzen Wright was found dead outside of Memphis, according to Wright’s family. The former Clipper had been missing since July 19.
Wright was considered one of the league’s good guys, as J.A. Adande recounts at ESPN.com:
The NBA world is so warped, the values so skewed, that sometimes the simplest acts can seem extraordinary. That was the case when Lorenzen Wright offered to drive his friend and colleague around.
From Clippers.com:
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo announced today that Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Gordon has been named a finalist for the 2010 USA World Championship Team, following four days of training and an intra-squad exhibition game that were held July 19-24 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Joining Gordon as finalists for the USA World Championship Team were Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).
Agent Sam Porter tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress that the Clippers have signed the forward from the University of Vermont to a 2-year, partially guaranteed contract.
I like this deal for two reasons:
The Clippers have brought back small forward Rasual Butler on a one-year deal. Financial terms of the contract have yet to be released.
Butler was sort of the forgotten man this offseason. He was drawing interest from teams around the league, and most expected him to bolt to a contender, so this signing comes as a bit of a surprise. Butler will serve the role of stop-gap at the three again this season while Al-Farouq Aminu adapts his skills to the NBA setting. Despite not shooting a terribly high percentage from beyond the arc, Butler did set the Clippers record for most three pointers made in a single season.
From my column over at ESPNLosAngeles.com:
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
An aging, injury-plagued, former All-Star is looking for a new home. He’s tailed off considerably over the past few years, and because of some character issues and the unwillingness to accept a new role, he’s worn out his welcome with coaching staffs around the league. Instead of hanging up his sneakers or latching on with a team that can compete for a title, he’s looking to play in a place where he can still be considered “the man.”