FanHouse CJ Watson

Bouncin' Around is NBA FanHouse's weekly insider notebook.

A little while back, the Memphis Grizzlies took a lot of heat when word got out that five of their scouts had either left or been let go.

At the time, general manager Chris Wallace downplayed the departures, calling it nothing more than a "restructuring," and adding that he prefers working with "a smaller group."

The Grizzlies, of course, were one of the worst teams in the league last season, which made it very easy to ridicule the move. But the fact of the matter is that the Grizzlies don't appear to be the only team trimming their scouting staffs.

Jason Williams may get his wish after all.

Williams, the veteran point guard who sat out last season after announcing his retirement and then changing his mind, has been trying to work his way back into the league this summer.

He worked out for teams earlier this month in Memphis and New York, and Tuesday he worked out for the Magic in Orlando, which is where he has been making his offseason home.

Despite advancing all the way to the NBA Finals last season, the Orlando Magic have been one of the most active teams of the summer, staring the luxury tax in the face while pulling off a blockbuster trade (Vince Carter) and fearlessly investing in youth (Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat).

On Monday, the team solidified its depth, coming to terms on a two-year deal with the versatile Matt Barnes, who's coming off a career season with the Phoenix Suns. The deal, first reported by ESPN's Marc Stein, hasn't been officially announced but was confirmed by the Orlando Sentinel via a text message from Aaron Goodwin, Barnes' agent.

Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

Improbable result of the night: the Jazz, stellar at home, lose badly to the sub-30 win Warriors in Salt Lake. Improbable assassin: C.J. Watson, a former D-League point guard, who blasted Deron Williams and friends to the tune of 38 points and nine assists.

The reaction?

The last we heard from Gary Payton was late last month when he leaked word to the press that he'd be interested in grabbing hold of Boston's coattails. Now, another team seems to be in the mix. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, there's at least a chance Payton's hometown team might go after him after waiving DJ Mbenga this past weekend.

The Warriors are looking to improve their team's passing and all-around savvy, and one option is signing Oakland native Gary Payton out of retirement to play for his hometown team.

Though questions surround Payton, 39, who hasn't played since last season, sources say there has been enough mutual interest on both sides to merit recent conservations, and Mullin didn't exactly dismiss the possibility.

"I mean, again, there's a lot of different scenarios we're going to look at, probably more guards and bigs than swings," Mullin said when asked directly about Payton.

Even if the Glove fits in Golden State, a deal probably won't happen for the next week and a half: the team just signed D-League point guard CJ Watson (aka, "Quiet Storm") to a 10-day contract. That's not really a road block, though -- considering the 39-year-old point guard hasn't played all season, he might need at least that long to start getting back into game shape to the point that Golden State feels he could contribute immediately, and getting someone who can help reduce Baron Davis' workload now that Troy Hudson is done is a huge priority.

hat-tip: TrueHoop