Nets sign Earl Clark to a 10-day contract

Just days after finding out Thaddeus Young–who hurt himself during the Nets’ win on Wednesday over the Hornets–would miss tonight’s game at Barclays against the Cavaliers and be questionable for Sunday’s matinee with the Lakers, the Nets have signed forward Earl Clark to a 10-day contract.

Clark, a native of Rahway, New Jersey, was drafted in 2009 by the Suns with the 14th pick of the first round but never played up to his lottery status, averaging around three points in 60 games for Phoenix before being sent to the Magic in the deal that sent Vince Carter and Marcin Gortat from Orlando to Phoenix.

#Nets have signed forward Earl Clark to a 10-day contract. He’ll wear No. 55 — Rod Boone (@rodboone) March 27, 2015

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This started his rapid bouncing around the NBA, which saw him play for the Lakers (traded in the Dwight Howard deal), Cavaliers and Knicks. This doesn’t even count the 76ers, Grizzlies and Rockets, who all either traded for Clark or picked him up on waivers without actually suiting up for a game.

After his latest release–from Houston this past October–he played for the Rockets’ D-League affiliate–the Rio Grande Valley Vipers–for around a month before heading over to China to play for the Shandong Lions. With the Lions, he averaged 26.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in just 19 games before his contract expired.

At 6’10”, Clark provides some much-needed bench size for the Nets, who will need as much as they can get against Cleveland and down the stretch of the regular season. He has shown flashes of being a competent NBA player–in the 2012-13 season with the Lakers, he averaged 23.1 minutes with 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 59 games–but has never been able to be consistent enough to stick around with one team for awhile. The Nets are hoping that can change.

One interesting note about Clark is that he was drafted just three picks below Louisville teammate Terrence Williams–who was selected by the Nets–in the 2009 Draft. Williams was traded by the Nets after just two seasons and eventually flamed out of the NBA. Clark would probably want to have a different basketball fate.