TUESDAY, 12:44pm: Hamilton’s ankle is better than expected, a source told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
7:49pm: Bolch further clarifies his previous update, explaining that the Clippers may in fact re-sign Hamilton if his ankle injury doesn’t prove to be too severe. Los Angeles will be keeping a close eye on him and will explore other options if his recovery is expected to take too long (Twitter links).
MONDAY, 7:34pm: The Clippers are reversing course on their plan to re-sign Hamilton for the remainder of the season, reports Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). It’s possible that the decision is result of the team’s apparent interest in Eric Griffin.
SUNDAY, 6:14pm: Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters that he plans on keeping guard Jordan Hamilton for the remainder of the season, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) . Hamilton’s second (and final allowable) 10-day contract is set to expire at night’s end.
Hamilton was forced to leave Sunday’s game against the Rockets with a sprained right ankle, but Rivers said that injury won’t affect the team’s decision to retain him the rest of the way. Hamilton, 24, has averaged 3.4 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 9.3 minutes per contest for the Clippers during his late season run.
The former No. 26 overall pick, who’s spent most of his NBA career with the Nuggets, has bounced around quite a bit this season. After some quick stints with the Jazz and Raptors, he initially landed with the affiliate of the Grizzlies after signing with the D-League, but that club traded him to the Kings affiliate in December. His numbers were more impressive since the swap that sent him to the up-tempo Reno Bighorns, as he averaged 18.1 points and 7.6 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game.