After spending two seasons with the Celtics , point guard Gabe Pruitt was put on waivers last night.
The Celtics had until today to pick up the option on the final year of his contract, worth approximately $900,000, but declined. Pruitt, a highly skilled point guard out of USC, never managed to crack the Celtics' rotation, in part because coach Doc Rivers often questioned his aggressiveness. ``Gabe wasn't getting a lot of time on the court with us, but we feel he can still be an NBA player,'' Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said.
Pruitt also upset members of management in February when he was arrested in Los Angeles on a drunken-driving charge hours before the team signed veteran point guard Stephon Marbury. But Pruitt impressed coaches with a relatively strong performance in the Orlando Summer League last month.
Pruitt played in 62 games during two seasons with the Celts, averaging 2.0 points.
The decision comes as the Celtics face a numbers crunch to clear roster space for free agent swingman Marquis Daniels.
``Yes, Marquis is coming in and we like him a lot,'' Ainge said, ``but this move was just because there wasn't going to be a lot of opportunity for Gabe in this lineup.''
Pruitt's departure may enhance rookie guard Lester Hudson's chance of making the team. The Celts' second-round pick currently is unsigned and recovering from finger surgery.
``Well this means there is one less player to deal with,'' Ainge said. ``We like Lester and what we've seen from him, but we're still undecided.''
- mrmurphy@bostonherald.com
