SEATTLE -- David Thompson, the skywalking guard brought down by cocaine and alcohol abuse, signed Friday with the Seattle SuperSonics for the rest of the NBA season and the 1984-85 campaign.
'I'm just glad to get the whole deal over with and have a second chance,' Thompson said. 'I'm real pleased with the way things turned out. Now I can concentrate on just playing basketball.'
Thompson told a news conference he was 'clean' of his drug and drink problems and eager to return to the court.
The Sonics said Thompson, 29, a free agent who has been involved in negotiations with the club since August, was expected to be in uniform for Sunday's game at Los Angeles.
Seattle placed seldom-used guard Clay Johnson on the injured reserve list to make room for Thompson on the roster.
Thompson, a former All-Star guard, played erratically last season after he was obtained by the SuperSonics from the Denver Nuggets. After the season, he went into treatment for cocaine and alcohol abuse.
Neither Thompson nor the club would reveal the terms of his contract, although the Sonics said he signed a standard NBA agreement.
The Sonics originally offered him a base salary of $200,000 per year with a possible $200,000 in incentives. Last year, Thompson finished the final year of a five-year contract signed with Denver that paid him $800,000 a season.
Coach Lenny Wilkens said Thompson would start practice with the club on Saturday.
'For a while, at least, he'll have to come off the bench,' Wilkens said. 'He'll add defense, add offense and bring in experience.'
Thompson, who has been in the Seattle area with his wife and two daughters since the holidays, said he has been working out with former Sonics players John Johnson, Slick Watts, John Greig and Mark Radford.
General manager Les Habegger said he had conducted checks with sources in Denver last week that indicated Thompson's rehabilitation has been successful so far.
'The fact that David can play, if he is clean, is established,' Habegger said earlier this week. 'The fact that the Sonics could use help in the backcourt is also established.'
The SuperSonics had a 17-17 record going into Friday night's game against Phoenix.
