J.R. Giddens

J.R. Giddens

It's been five years since Giddens was drafted into the NBA, and three years since he last played in it. His career has had to go backwards to come forwards again - last year, he found himself down in Italy's LegaDue, playing for Brescia. Giddens played well, though, averaging 16.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. His combination of size and athleticism still impacts a game, even if his ball skills are sub-par.

J.R. Giddens - Giddens also signed with Kings, yet too didn't make it to the regular season roster. He instead found some Euroleague ball when he joined Polish champions Gdynia. However, Gdynia failed to make it out of the Euroleague group stages last month, and have thus released several of their imports to save money, one of whom was Giddens. Giddens averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in 24 minutes per game in Gdynia's unsuccessful Euroleague run, and he took advantage of the shorter three point line to go 9-19 from downtown. That bodes well for a man whose biggest weakness has always been foul shooting. However, Giddens turns 26 next month, and needs to make his moves quickly. As of this moment, he hasn't done much.

Giddens also spent last year with the Knicks and Celtics; he was a part of the same Nate Robinson trade that Landry was, only he went the other way. Since the rules were changed that meant only two seasons of a rookie scale contract were guaranteed, Giddens has become one of only 7 players all time to not have their third year option exercised. That unfortunate claim to fame is a testament to Giddens's career thus far - not much has happened for him. He has spent much of his time in the D-League, and in the opportunities Doc Rivers gave him early last season to be a defense and rebounding specialist from the wing - 21 games, including one start - Giddens responded only with very little production. The same was true of his 149 minutes with the Knicks; improved, but sub-par. Giddens came into the league needing to either develop an outside jumpshot or turn into Bonzi Wells, but after two seasons, neither of these have happened.

- J.R. Giddens * - They hadn't done it initially, but the Knicks have now renounced Giddens. It doesn't really change anything - he was an unrestricted free agent regardless. But there it is anyway.

J.R. Giddens - The Knicks have not renounced J.R. Giddens, even though he played on the Mavericks summer league roster and not theirs. Strange times. Giddens started last year with the Celtics, and with the news that he wasn't having the third year option on his rookie contract exercised. This made him only the 7th player all time to have this happen to him; the other six were Patrick O'Bryant, Yaroslav Korolev, Julius Hodge, Shannon Brown, Morris Almond and Joe Alexander. He played only 99 minutes for the Celtics, spending 4 games on assignment in the D-League, and then was traded to New York as a part of the Nate Robinson deal. Giggidens then got a few more minutes, playing 140 minutes in 11 games and recording a PER of 10.5. Charged with the tasks of improve his shooting and ball handling coming out of college, Giddens didn't; his best talent remains his ability to run around a lot. He wins possessions in this manner, but his offense in the NBA is still limited to the opportunities born out of athleticism. At 6'5, that doesn't get it done.