Clippers Waive Frank Williams

[fordronken]

http://www.nba.com/clippers/news/williams_051005.html

Williams
The Clippers today requested waivers on point guard Frank Williams, it was announced by Vice President of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor.

Williams averaged 2.9 points and 1.9 assists in his first three NBA seasons after being selected by Denver with the 25th overall selection in the 2002 NBA Draft. He spent the first two years of his career with the New York Knicks before being traded to Chicago, where he played during the 2004-05 campaign.

That's a little weird to me. I always liked his game a lot. I wanted him in Phoenix for a while. It'd be a little strange to bring him in at this point, with so many people fighting for spots, but I'm very surprised the team that played Rick Brunson in crunch time last year couldn't use him off the bench.

 

[elindholm]

A career FG% of .352 doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but who knows. I'm confused: Why is he with the Clippers? He's never played for them, and why would they have signed him to a guaranteed contract if they were then going to turn around and waive him a few weeks later.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

frank williams' failure in the nba always baffled me. nice floor vision, good handle. i'd bring him by for a cup o' raja.

 

[KloD]

A career FG% of .352 doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but who knows. I'm confused: Why is he with the Clippers? He's never played for them, and why would they have signed him to a guaranteed contract if they were then going to turn around and waive him a few weeks later.

They signed him 5 days ago Oct. 1st.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/8914974

 

[elindholm]

They signed him 5 days ago Oct. 1st.

So why didn't they just sign him to a non-guaranteed contract? This way they have to pay him all season for having been in training camp less than a week.

 

[Neo]

They signed him 5 days ago Oct. 1st.

So why didn't they just sign him to a non-guaranteed contract?

Your question reminds me of the dad from the movie Heathers who asked "Will someone tell me why I smoke these D**n things?"
Response: "Because you're an idiot."
Dad: "Oh yeah, that's it."

At another point in the movie:
Dad: "Will someone tell me why I read these spy novels?"
Response: "Because you're an idiot."
Dad: "Oh yeah, that's it."

Elgin Baylor was a heck of a basketball player, but runs one of the worst organizations in professional sports. Do you suppose he wakes up in the morning and thanks God that there is an NFL team called the Cardinals? He at least has a shot at calling the Clippers "not the worst pro-sport team ever."

 

[elindholm]

Well, I figured the answer would be, "Because they are the Clippers." But I think there must be something else behind it; it's such an obvious blunder it seems that even an underling would have headed it off somehow.

 

[Chaplin]

Glad to see the thread has turned from entertaining the idea of actually signing this dud.

If he wasn't good enough for the Clippers, why in God's name would you want to bring him in as Nash's backup?

 

[elindholm]

If he wasn't good enough for the Clippers, why in God's name would you want to bring him in as Nash's backup?

Nash's current backup wasn't good enough for the Hawks...

But I agree. 35% career shooting is just downright mfugly. I really don't care what else he might bring to the table.

 

[Chaplin]

If he wasn't good enough for the Clippers, why in God's name would you want to bring him in as Nash's backup?

Nash's current backup wasn't good enough for the Hawks...

I know you're talking about Diaw, but I thought right now Barbosa is still Nash's backup? At least, that's what BC said a few days ago...

Besides, Diaw was included in a huge trade, Williams was let go for nothing, and they STILL have to pay him!

 

[Mainstreet]

They signed him 5 days ago Oct. 1st.

So why didn't they just sign him to a non-guaranteed contract? This way they have to pay him all season for having been in training camp less than a week.

I will freely admit, I know zero about Frank Williams.

Just curious. Is their any indication that the Clippers guaranteed his contact fully (or even partially)? I might have missed it.

Perhaps there is a rule that I am unaware (that if he was signed October 1st it has to be a guaranteed contract). I just couldn't find any reference that Frank Williams was signed by the Clippers to a guaranteed contract. Also perhaps the term "waiver" indicates it was guaranteed contact. However, I didn't think that was necessarily true (couldn't the Clippers just waive a make good contract).

Any clarification would be appreciated. If the Clippers did sign him to a fully guaranteed contract and waived him October 5th, this doesn't make sense, even for the Clippers.

IMO, there would have to be another agenda if the contract was fully guaranteed.

So many questions/ thoughts, so little time.

 

[elindholm]

Also perhaps the term "waiver" indicates it was guaranteed contact. However, I didn't think that was necessarily true (couldn't the Clippers just waive a make good contract).

I think it's true that if someone's contract is not guaranteed, you don't "waive" them, you "cut" them. If the Clippers requested waivers, it means that Williams goes through the process of being on waivers for 15 days, or whatever the time is, during which any team can claim him, and then if no one does he's a free agent. There would be no reason to do that with a non-guaranteed contract.

But I could be wrong.

There may indeed be a rule about contracts after October 1. I don't know all that stuff. In that case, it was stupid for the Clippers not to have signed him a couple of days earlier, but ... say it with me now ... these are the Clippers.

 

[Mainstreet]

Also perhaps the term "waiver" indicates it was guaranteed contact. However, I didn't think that was necessarily true (couldn't the Clippers just waive a make good contract).

I think it's true that if someone's contract is not guaranteed, you don't "waive" them, you "cut" them. If the Clippers requested waivers, it means that Williams goes through the process of being on waivers for 15 days, or whatever the time is, during which any team can claim him, and then if no one does he's a free agent. There would be no reason to do that with a non-guaranteed contract.

But I could be wrong.

There may indeed be a rule about contracts after October 1. I don't know all that stuff. In that case, it was stupid for the Clippers not to have signed him a couple of days earlier, but ... say it with me now ... these are the Clippers.

Thanks for your response.

Maybe the Clippers just gave him some partially guaranteed money when they signed him October 1st. Almost any way a person looks at it, it doesn't make much sense for the Clippers to waive him so quickly.

 

[sunsfn]

Peorian clipped after one practice in L.A.

Frank Williams' latest NBA chance lasts one day

Thursday, October 6, 2005
BY JOURNAL STAR STAFF



LOS ANGELES - Frank Williams' bid to make the Los Angeles Clippers lasted less than one day.



Williams - the all-America point guard from Manual High School who was the 2001 Big Ten Player of the Year at Illinois - was released Tuesday by the Clippers. Williams was one of six free agents signed Friday by Los Angeles to fill out its roster for training camp, which started Monday.

The Los Angeles Times reported Williams missed most of Monday's workouts because of migraine headaches. Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said the cut, highly unusual this early in camp, was necessitated by roster needs.

"The company line was they needed a small forward," said Joe Stevens, who covers the team for the Long Beach Press-Telegram. "But what really happened was he couldn't get up and down the court. He tried to run a couple laps (Monday), then spent the rest of the morning in the bathroom throwing up."

Peoria native Ralph Lawler has done radio and television broadcasts for the Clippers since the team moved to southern California in 1978. The 1957 graduate of Peoria High was at Monday's workout and said Williams stuck out for all the wrong reasons.

"He was just woefully out of shape," said Lawler. "They were doing full-court wind sprints and he was a half-court or more behind. I turned to somebody next to me and said: 'I could beat that guy.'

"For whatever reason, he clearly wasn't in condition to enter an NBA training camp."

This is the latest professional setback for the 1998 Mr. Basketball of Illinois. Taken in the first round by Denver in 2002, Williams was traded on draft night to the New York Knicks. There, he languished on the bench most of his rookie year, but gained some notoriety in a first-round playoff series against the New Jersey Nets.

In his second season with New York, Williams worked his way into the starting lineup and played well during a three-game starting stint in December. But shortly thereafter, new Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas made a trade for All-Star point guard Stephon Marbury, a Coney Island native and New York fan favorite.

Williams was back on the bench, and later traded to Chicago in the deal that sent Jamal Crawford to the Knicks. Williams spent most of last season on Chicago's inactive list and was given his outright release at the end of the season.

Williams could not be reached for comment.

 

[Mainstreet]

Thanks for the information Sunsfn.

I can definitely see why he was waived. What a waste of talent. It sort of reminds me of Oliver Miller. Very sad.

I wonder how much money he cost the Clippers?

 

[George O'Brien]

Even when grossly overweieght, Miller could play because of his position. But an overweight out of condition guard? Ugly.