Rowan Kavner
LOS ANGELES – Lester Hudson can let out a sigh of relief knowing his future with the Clippers is secure.
The Clippers signed Hudson to a multi-year agreement, leaving Hudson, whose 10-day contract had expired, “thankful, blessed and ready to go.”
“I worked hard to try to get back in the NBA and let the NBA notice me, so it paid off so far and I’ve just got to go out and play hard,” Hudson said. “Great organization, great teammates, great team. (I’m) just blessed and just got to keep working.”
It’d been a tough couple days for Hudson, whose 10-day contract was up before the Clippers had made their decision. Head coach Doc Rivers said Hudson and Nate Robinson were both options, but he thought Robinson wasn’t 100 percent healthy yet and he liked what Hudson brought on the defensive end.
“I liked his toughness,” Rivers said. “I like his defense. He has a chance to be a really good defensive player in our program.”
As the Clippers pondered their decision about whether or not to keep Hudson, he stayed as close as possible in case he got the call. It was a bit of an emotional roller coaster for Hudson, but it ended on a high note.
“I was actually asking myself what I’d done wrong, but it all paid off,” Hudson said. “I stayed around on my own, they told me to wait a couple days, and I said, ‘I’ll just wait around.’ I worked out a little bit at the hotel yesterday, ran on the treadmill, things like that. I tried to stay in shape.”
Just weeks ago, he was on a plane back home from China, where he was a two-time MVP in the Chinese Basketball Association. At that point, he had no idea he’d be getting another chance in the NBA, let alone getting to stick with an NBA team for an extended period of time.
Hudson averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 steals in three games for the Clippers after signing a 10-day contract March 29. It was the defense that kept Hudson around, and he knows that’s the part of his game the Clippers valued.
“It’s a great group of guys we have, but my mentality was come in and play defense,” Hudson said. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a main scorer like I was overseas, so I wanted to come in and show I can play defense and then you can get into your offense if you get a stop.”
Hudson said he was hoping and praying his chance in the NBA wouldn’t be over. He knew it was possible, but he didn’t know if it would happen.
The Clippers made it a reality for the former Celtics 2009 second-round draft pick, who’s now playing for his fifth different NBA team.
“Lester’s not young, but he’s a good solid guy to have in your locker room,” Rivers said.
