Shammond Williams signed...

Nobody's posted this yet... right? I guess Shammond is no longer an option to backup Franchise. C'mon, Mooch. Sign already!


Sonics re-sign Shammond Williams

SEATTLE -- The Seattle SuperSonics re-signed free agent guard Shammond Williams to a multi-year contract Tuesday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Williams' agent, Eric Fleisher in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., said it was important for Williams to be in training camp on time. Fleisher declined to say how much money Williams will make.

"As long as it's enough to get my mom some new shoes," Williams said with a smile.

He practiced with the Sonics on Tuesday as twice daily workouts began.

"I don't think negotiations are ever easy," Fleisher said. "This is one that took from the middle of July until today to get finished. It was lengthy."

Williams is expected to be the backup to All-Star point guard Gary Payton this season. But he's hoping for a more significant role.

"I'm not trying to be nobody's backup," he said. "I want a position."

Williams, 26, started in six of the 69 games in which he appeared last season. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.8 assists per game. He scored in double figures in 16 games and led Seattle in assists seven times.

The addition of Williams gives Seattle 19 players on its training camp roster. Williams spent the summer working out in Chapel Hill, N.C., with a trainer.

Seattle coach Nate McMillan said it is good to have Williams signed to avoid potential distractions during the preseason.

"I'm happy he's here," McMillan said. "I'm glad he's able to be in camp on time and be with the guys."

Williams, 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds, was a second-round draft pick by the Chicago Bulls in 1998 out of North Carolina, and was immediately traded to the Atlanta Hawks. He signed with the Sonics as a free agent on Aug. 12, 1999. That season, he averaged 5.2 points in 43 games.

"We knew Shammond would be back," Payton said.

The Sonics open the exhibition season Oct. 10 at home against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The free agents who signed Monday were Eddie Elisma, Eddie Gill, Antonio Harvey, Anthony Johnson, Jamal Kendrick, Art Long and JaRon Rush.

Watson, a 6-1 guard from UCLA, had 607 career assists for the Bruins and 235 steals. He was All Pacific-10 as a senior, averaging 14.7 points, 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals.