NBA Roster News: New Orleans Pelicans Sign Emeka Okafor For The Remainder Of The Season
Emeka Okafor has finally made a successful comeback to the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The New Orleans Pelicans have announced that they have signed Okafor to a guaranteed deal for the remainder of the season on Monday after his second 10-day contract expired last Sunday.
In seven games this season, Okafor averaged 5.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks while playing in under 17 minutes per contest. He is also shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the free-throw line.
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The veteran center was brought in to replace DeMarcus Cousins in the starting lineup after the All-Star center suffered a ruptured Achilles.
Okafor was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets) with the second overall pick in the 2004 draft, and he would go on to win the Rookie of the Year award for the 2004-2005 season. After five solid seasons with the Bobcats, the former University of Connecticut was traded to the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) in the 2009 offseason.
The Hornets would eventually ship him to Washington in the summer of 2012, and after a season with the Wizards, Okafor was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to suit up for the Suns due to a herniated disc in his neck, and the ailment kept him out of the league for over four seasons.
Now he is back in the league, and he has shown that he still has a lot left in the tank.
"Despite being away from the game for such an extended period, he's still been able to display the rugged shot-blocking presence that once made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft," William Guillory said in his column for the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
"He's also added another defensive presence in the paint for New Orleans after the loss of center DeMarcus Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury. Okafor's ability to defend some of the bulkier big men around the league allows Pelicans star Anthony Davis to focus more on his offensive output," he added.
