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Wizards to Buy Out Atkins

It appears that the Wizards have resided on buying out Chucky Atkins? contract. The six-year veteran is expected to have several suitors once he clears wavers. Teams like New York or Memphis who recently lost their starting point guard Damon Stoudamire for the rest of the season, wouldn?t mind to add an experience point guard to their roster. It is no secret that the Grizzlies have been carefully seeking a deal, preferably a short-term deal, which would allow the right player to fit into the point guard rotation in place of the injured Stoudamire.

The Grizzlies are expecting a full recovery from Stoudamire, and therefore are not pursuing any long-term deals for a point guard. The team does have a desire to sign a veteran.The speedy guard has experience being a floor general, and since the loss of Stoudamire, the Grizzlies have suffered stretches in games where the offense was out of sync, especially when guard Bobby Jackson wasn?t in the game. The addition of a player like Atkins could help to provide coverage, and the fact that he can stretch the defense with his quickness and long-distance shooting doesn?t hurt.

Similar to Stoudamire, Atkins is a scoring point guard that has the ability to defend and knock down the three-pointer. On a team like Memphis, both skills will be required as the team ranks among the best in team defense and also relies heavily on the perimeter shot.