| Kings sign free-agent point guard Udrih |
The Kings signed Beno Udrih on Thursday, a fourth-year point guard who is much-needed in light of the absence of Mike Bibby.
Udrih, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound Slovenian player who was drafted 28th overall in 2004 by San Antonio, was traded by the Spurs to Minnesota last month and waived by the Timberwolves on Oct. 27. His agent, Marc Cornstein, said he signed a one-year contract and the Kings were only able to offer the minimum salary because they are over the salary cap ($826,046).
After Wednesday night's 104-90 season-opening loss to New Orleans, the Kings waived undrafted rookie Mustafa Shakur to make room for Udrih.
This is just a fantastic opportunity for Beno," Cornstein said. "It's a positional need for the Kings, they have expressed interest in him in the past, and we are just really excited it was able to work out. It's really just a fantastic opportunity for Beno."
Udrih is expected to join the team either Thursday night in San Antonio or Friday, but he Cornstein said he wouldn't be able to play for at least week as he broke a finger on his shooting hand in Spurs training camp. He played his first three seasons in San Antonio, serving at times as a backup to Tony Parker and at other times getting little time behind Nick Van Exel or Jacques Vaughn.
"We're excited about adding Beno to our roster," said Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie in a statement released by the team. "He's a talented player we've had an interest in for some time, a true point guard who brings experience to our team going forward."
Bibby is out after having surgery on a torn ligament in his left thumb, and is expected to miss at least 10 weeks.
Used courtesy of: The Sacramento Bee |
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