Wizards cut Pargo, sign Livingston
Check out the old uniform and the guy in the Utah uniform who is now in a Brooklyn uniform. It was that long ago.
In a move that could be interpreted as shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, the Washington Wizards cut backup PG Jannero Pargo and signed backup PG Shaun Livingston, who was recently released by the Houston Rockets.
I'm in favor of this move because I never wanted Pargo on the roster in the first place -- I would have kept Shelvin Mack instead -- and I think a healthy Shaun Livingston does have some value for an NBA team, particularly one as desperate as Washington is right now. Livingston is barely above a replacement player level, but that's considerably better than Pargo, who was mind-boggling awful during his brief-but-not-brief-enough stint with the Wizards. Because he doesn't distribute the ball or penetrate the way you'd like a point guard to do, Pargo is only useful if he's hitting outside shots, which he was not doing. [Pargo shot 25% from the field with the Wizards, 39% for his career.]
You may recall Livingston from his 2009-10 stint with the Wiz:
During those previous 26 games in Washington, Livingston made 18 starts and averaged 9.2 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds. In seven seasons with six squads, the 27-year old holds career averages of 6.8 points, 3.5 assists and 2.6 rebounds. Last season in 58 games with Milwaukee, Livingston averaged 5.5 points, 2.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per contest. He spent the 2012-13 preseason with Houston, appearing in four games and averaging 2.5 points and 3.3 assists in 13.8 minutes.
The question I have is why was this move made now instead of a month ago. The Wizards would have still been a bad team with Livingston on the roster, but they would not be winless -- his presence on the court late in games would have gotten the team at least one win. Pargo has been a disaster off the bench and AJ Price not much better in the starting lineup. Livingston was available and should have been starting all along until John Wall gets back.
This is just the dreadful Ernie Grunfeld doing what he always does -- trying to fix a mistake he made that could have very easily been avoided in the first place. I can't wait for the Wizards press release announcing Grunfeld's release, but I won't hold my breath on that one. Owner Ted Leonsis, as I wrote before, is in some sort of mutually-assured-destruction suicide pact with Grunfeld.
