Portland Signs Oberto, Waives Pendergraph
Looking for some help for the injury-riddled frontline, the Portland Trail Blazers inked a deal with veteran centre Fabricio Oberto, the team announced on Tuesday.
“We are pleased to welcome Fabricio to Portland, and feel he can help us by providing depth in the frontcourt,” said General Manager Richard Cho. “He’s a veteran centre who has achieved success at both the
NBA and international levels.”
The 6ft 10in veteran centre, who is a native of Las Varillas, Argentina, bagged an NBA ring in his four-year stint with the San Antonio Spurs, before suiting up for the Washington Wizards last season.
The 35-year old center was also a member of the National Basketball Team of Argentina, which bagged the gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and the silver medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
To make room for Oberto, who holds a career NBA averages of 3.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 14.6 minutes in 331 games, Portland waived forward Jeff Pendergraph today.
"We want to thank Jeff for his hard work and professionalism since he arrived here in Portland, and we wish him a fast and successful recovery from his injury," said Cho. "We sometimes have to make difficult
decisions in this business, and this was certainly one of them."
The 23-year old product of Arizona State, who was the 31st overall pick by the Sacramento Kings in the 2009 NBA Draft, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during a pre-season game, which led to the
abrupt end of his stint with the Blazers.
Oberto is expected to boost Portland’s frontline which has been depleted during the past three seasons because of injuries.
Joel Przybilla will likely miss the first half of the season, while the 2007 first-overall pick Greg Oden, who only appeared in 82 games during his first three seasons in the NBA, will still be unavailable
when the Blazers kick off their season against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
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