By Ed Niser
Charlotte Bobcats head coach Larry Brown could not be more excited to sign the 6-foot-7 unrestricted free agent Shaun Livingston to a two-year deal reportedly worth $7 million dollars.
Livingston was the fourth overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2004 and was named Rookie of the Month during April of 2005.
Brown has a thing for tall lanky point guards for their ability to see the floor, distribute the ball and create better shots.
In a brief interview with the associated press Larry Brown simply said when asked about his thoughts on the signing of Livingston, “A good get.”
Livingston has prior history with the Bobcats even though he never played for them. In a game against Charlotte on February 26, 2007, Livingston suffered a career altering knee injury, tearing three out of the four ligaments in his left knee, along with dislocating the patella and tibia-femoral joint.
“It’s probably the most serious injury you can have to the knee,” Clippers physician Dr. Tony Daly said at the time.
The injury bug has drastically limited Livingston’s’ playing time, causing him to sit out 101 out of the 246 games in his first three years in the NBA.
The road back to the NBA following the knee surgery has been a long and arduous journey for the highly talented Livingston.
Livingston, with the advice of his physicians, took the 2007-2008 season off to rehabilitate his badly damaged left knee.
Destined to make a comeback for the 2009-2010 season, Livingston began searching the league for a full-time gig that would allow him to revamp his career.
After a brief four game stint with Miami, he signed on with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s D-League affiliate the Tulsa 66ers. The Thunder appeared to be impressed with his style of play and signed him to a multi-year deal on March 31, 2009.
In December of 2009 Livingston was released on waivers by the Thunder and was left to search for yet another opportunity to prove that he is still able to perform at the NBA level.
Livingston eventually signed on with the Washington Wizards, where he started in 18 out of the teams remaining 26 games, averaging 9.2 points and 4.5 assists per game.
Livingston will give Brown more versatility at the point guard spot with the option of utilizing him as an occasional starter in front of D.J Augustin or as a weapon off the bench, since the knee injury does limit the 24-year-old’s endurance.
The Bobcats are still combing the free agent marking for a playmaker and the possibility of a trade happening still hangs in the balance.
Brown made a subtle hint that the Bobcats are in the process of negotiating another deal and told the Associated Press the team still has a lot of work to do following the trade that landed Tyson Chandler and Alexis Ajinca in Dallas.
It would make a great comeback story if the once highly touted All-American out of Peoria, IL overcame a knee injury he suffered early in his career while playing for Charlotte.