10:19am: The deal is official, the Bucks announced. Milwaukee makes no reference to a corresponding move in its statement, so it appears that they indeed moved Sanders to the suspended list to create room to carry 16 players.
WEDNESDAY, 9:43am: Milwaukee will take Gutierrez into a roster vacancy the team can create by moving Sanders to the suspended list, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (All Twitter links). Sanders served the fifth game of his league-imposed suspension Tuesday, so the Bucks are allowed to move him to the suspended list.
TUESDAY, 11:53pm: The Bucks intend to sign Jorge Gutierrez to a 10-day contract in the near future, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reports. The Bucks currently have 15 players on their roster, including Kenyon Martin, whose second 10-day contract is set to expire this week. Martin is expected to be signed by Milwaukee to a deal that covers remainder of the season by the end of this week. If the veteran is signed as expected, this will require the team to waive or release a player in order to add Gutierrez to its roster.
The need for a point guard arose when Kendall Marshall was lost for the remainder of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Their sudden shortage at the one spot could potentially make the Bucks regret their decision to waive Nate Wolters in order to add Martin to the team. Wolters has signed two consecutive 10-day deals with New Orleans since being released by the Bucks. Center Larry Sanders is also currently serving a drug-related suspension that will last a minimum of 10 games, further adding to Milwaukee’s roster woes.
Gutierrez has been playing in the D-League for the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ affiliate. He opted to enter the D-League after being waived by the Sixers earlier in the season. This was shortly after Philadelphia had acquired him from the Nets in the deal for Andrei Kirilenko. In 10 NBA appearances with Brooklyn this season, Gutierrez has averaged 1.6 points in 4.4 minutes per game.
In six D-League appearances with Canton this season, Gutierrez has averaged 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 35.6 minutes per contest. His slash line is .456/.143/.621.
Did they get disabled player exemptions for Parker, and Inglis? They were both out for the season long before the deadline. Plus Marshall and Sanders they are at 11 to start. Ilyasova and Henson have both missed a lot of time also.
They can’t get DPEs since they’re under the cap. They could slip Larry Sanders onto the Suspended List and create a roster spot that way, depending on his status when the rumored Gutierrez signing took place.
–Chuck