When Sean May signed on with the Sacramento Kings last summer, he was convinced it was the first step on his comeback trail.A year later and on the opposite coast, he's hoping that's the case once again.
A confirmed Yahoo! Sports report said that May will sign a one-year deal with New Jersey for the veteran's minimum of $992,680. The deal is expected to be signed Monday.
"I like (the fit) a lot," May, who was also talking to Utah, wrote to FanHouse via text message. "I think it's a perfect opportunity."
May just might have a chance at some significant playing time on the team that finished a league and franchise worst 12-70 last season, so long as he can impress new coach Avery Johnson and outplay fellow undersized-power forward Kris Humphries. He said he has no past relationship with Johnson, but offered a hearty "LOL" when told that the former Dallas coach wasn't dubbed "The Little General" for nothing.
May wasn't laughing much last season, a campaign that began with him starting at center over incumbent Spencer Hawes and ended with only 37 games played and an average of 8.9 minutes-per-game. Yet even that was an upgrade from 2007-08, when he missed the entire season after having microfracture surgery during his three-year stay in Charlotte.
May was the 13th pick of the 2005 draft out of the University of North Carolina. In 2005, May led the Tar Heels to the NCAA Division I Championship. But since entering the league, he has had difficulty staying healthy and keeping off the pounds.
After his dealing with weight issues in his recovery (he tipped 300 pounds and drew the ire of coach Larry Brown) and eventually agreeing to a weight clause with the Kings, May has proven in the last year that he's dedicated to keeping his weight down even when the playing time isn't in abundance. Now, of course, he's hoping to prove even more.
E-mail Sam at amick.sam@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @samickFanHouse.
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