The Nets’ Point Guard Carousel Continues

The Brooklyn Nets, who are currently extremely thin at point guard, released veteran Greivis Vasquez on Wednesday.  Then they signed Yogi Ferrell from the Long Island Nets of the D-League to take his place on the roster.

Vasquez, 29, has been dealing with ankle issues for the past two years.  He missed most of last season with a recurring ankle injury while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.  He is expected to undergo yet another surgery.  The injury to Vasquez is bad news to all parties involved.  He was supposed to be a key cog off the bench for the Nets and was a positive locker room influence.

“Greivis did everything we asked of him and more to try to get back on the court at full strength,” said Nets general manager Sean Marks, who signed Vasquez to a one-year deal worth $4.35 million over the summer. “The passion, grit and perseverance he has shown since he joined the team have been remarkable. We are thankful to Greivis for all of his efforts and wish him well in the future.”

In three games with the Nets, Vasquez averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 assists in just under 13 minutes per contest.

With the Nets (3-4), without starting point guard Jeremy Lin (strained left hamstring) for the next couple of weeks and possibly beyond, they have been leaning heavily on rookie Isaiah Whitehead for minutes at the position.  He has played well, with Randy Foye and Sean Kilpatrick also facilitating the offense at times.

The 23-year-old Ferrell is also a rookie but unlike Whitehead, he was not drafted.  The Nets signed him to a partially-guaranteed contract over the summer and he was the last player cut by the team during the preseason.  He signed with the Long Island Nets and was expected to start for them as they prepare for their season opener.  Instead, he was called up by the Nets and will be in uniform against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Nets also announced Wednesday that Whitehead will be sidelined indefinitely with a concussion.  Per the NBA’s concussion policy, Whitehead will remain out until he is symptom free and complies with all NBA mandated return-to-play protocols.  He suffered the concussion during Tuesday night’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, when forward Gorgui Dieng stepped on his head in the first quarter.  He left the game early, but returned and played well enough to help the Nets win.  The team thought he was fine until he began developing symptoms on Wednesday morning.

Expect Ferrell to be thrown into the fire right away and play big minutes, just like Whitehead did before his injury.  Kilpatrick, Foye and even Joe Harris are also expected to contribute.