Sasha Vujacic Signs With Los Angeles Clippers To Provide Veteran Depth
Sasha Vujacic is the latest in a series of veterans to sign a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Head Coach Doc Rivers is serious about providing some experienced, championship level leadership to his team. Is Sasha Vujacic really the guy to provide it?
The Los Angeles Clippers are actually doing quite well in the NBA’s Western Conference, with a 34-17 record they find themselves only five and a half game out of first place. As Sports Illustrated reported, Rivers and the front office have been trying to add veteran depth all season. They are a young team in need of winning experience.
Before signing Vujacic, the Clippers looked at the likes of Stephen Jackson and Hedo Turkoglu. Both are long time veterans in the league with plenty of playoff experience. When Doc Rivers was in Boston, he used the same method as well. He filled in his roster with players who had been on the NBA’s biggest stage and performed well. With a young core in Los Angeles, Doc has everything he needs except that veteran depth. Chris Paul provides the leadership, but even he has not had a deep run into the playoffs yet.
With injuries to Paul and Antawn Jamison, there have been serious gaps exposed for the Clippers as well. Jared Dudley has not lived up to expectations and has left a gap in the sharp shooting forward department. Although it is uncertain how much playing time Sasha Vujacic will get with his 10-day contract, the Clippers did suit him up as early as Monday night.
Sasha Vujacic will meet team in Denver and will be ready to play Monday night against Nuggets, sources.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) February 2, 2014
Most known for his playing days with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Serbian 29-year-old has been recently playing for the Turkish Euroleague team Anadolu Efes. In his eight NBA season, all but half a season with the Lakers, Vujacic was a role player who came off the bench to provide a spark. He received a great deal of playoff experience while with the Lakers, even winning championship rings in 2009 and 2010. In fact, Vujacic will be the only Clipper with a championship ring, besides Doc Rivers.
G R A T E F U L #Clippers #nekotoodgorevidisve http://t.co/5JMydUWa25
— Sasha Vujacic (@SashaVujacic) February 3, 2014
The Clippers are fairly loaded at his position and it will be hard for Vujacic to gain minutes. But that’s what makes the NBA so special. Anyone can show up at anytime and make an impact. Sasha Vujacic and the Los Angeles Clippers are hoping this is a signing that can take them all the way to the NBA Championship.
