Spurs Sign New Zealand's Penney
Kirk Penney, a former-Wisconsin Badger standout, has signed a deal to compete in training camp for a roster spot with the San Antonio Spurs. The 6'5" guard from New Zealand burst onto team's radars after a recent scoring spree at the 2010 FIBA World Championships earlier this month; he averaged 24.7 points per game, while pouring in 37 against Lithuania despite struggling from the field. He has deep range on his perimeter jump shot, but when its not falling, Penney showed the ability to get into the paint and score at the rim or draw contact and get to the foul line. In the Tall Blacks six FIBA contests, he shot better than 9 free throw attempts per game.
For a Spurs team that has been decimated by injuries to its backcourt the past two seasons, Penney would be a nice fit. The San Antonio organization drafted guard James Anderson from Oklahoma State in June's NBA Draft and recently signed Curtis Jerrells, Alonzo Gee and Garrett Temple to full guaranteed contracts, leaving Penney to compete with former second-rounder James Gist for the potential 15th spot on the roster.
By President Corey Ruff - 9-23-10
