Maine Red Claws Trade For Almond, Cummings

By KC Downey in News, Red Claws ⋅ February 16, 2010 at 4:18pm ⋅ Post a comment

Maybe the Maine Red Claws can inspire their NBA affiliate, the Boston Celtics, to make a deal before the trade deadline. Why, do you ask? Well, the Maine Red Claws completed a stunning trade on Tuesday, sending guard Tony Bobbitt (12.2 ppg) and forward Noel Felix (9.2 ppg) to the Springfield Armor for guard Morris Almond and forward TJ Cummings. So, who did they actually acquire?

Morris Almond

Almond leads the D-League with 26.8 points per game in 22 games this season. The former 2007 first round pick (No. 26, Utah Jazz) is the all-time leading scorer for Rice. A veteran of 34 NBA games, Almond played in the 2010 D-League All-Star Game.

TJ Cummings

Cummings, at 28, has played parts of five seasons in the D-League and across the globe in Puerto Rico, China, Belgium, etc. He brings the Claws a nice presence on the boards, as he’s averaging 15.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

GM’s Thoughts

“It was a difficult decision to part with players who have been with us for most of the season, but whenever you have the opportunity to acquire the league’s leading scorer, it’s a move you have to consider,” said Red Claws President and GM Jon Jennings. “Almond gives us a proven scorer and go-to player while Cummings’ 8.9 rebounds a game makes us a stronger team heading into the second half of the season.”

The two players will join the Red Claws for the Feb. 18 game against Tulsa.