Mar. 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Josh Harrellson (55) controls the ball as Milwaukee Bucks power forward Ekpe Udoh (13) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-80. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
Y! Sports reported late Tuesday night that the Detroit Pistons and free agent Center Josh Harrellson, have reached an agreement on the frame work of a deal. The deal, according to Woj, is over 2 years. Year one is partially guaranteed, while year two is a team option, giving Detroit an escape route if Harrellson fails to meet expectations.
General Manager of the Detroit Pistons Joe Dumars and his staff have had quite the exciting offseason, and were one move away from polishing up their summer retooling. Detroit has been looking at signing a backup big man to help take the place of former Piston Slava Kravtsov. Slava was involved in the multi-player deal that sent Brandon Knight to the Bucks for now Piston point guard Brandon Jennings.
Detroit plans on using starting power forward Greg Monroe as Andre Drummond’s backup at the center spot, but are looking for an extra big to play spot minutes and provide insurance regarding an injury to a member of their “Twin Towers.”
During the 2012-2013 campaign former Piston Viacheslav Kravtsov averaged 3.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, playing an average of 9 minutes in his 25 apperances. With that said, the Pistons are not going to look for a big name big to fill that spot like most have wanted (including myself). Signing a young big, with a chip on his shoulder at a cheap price is something Detroit is doing by signing former Kentucky Wildcat Josh Harrellson.
Josh Harrellson played all four years of college basketball at the University of Kentucky, before being drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft in 2011. After being selected by the New Orleans Hornets at No. 45, Harrellson was then traded to the New York Knicks. There, he played a full season (lockout season) under Mike Woodson and his staff.
Josh played in 64 of the possible 66 games during the regular season. he was seen starting 4 games for the Knicks, when the injury bug caught up with New York. Harrellson played an average of 14.6 minutes as a Knick, and averaged 4.4 points, close to 4 boards, and shot 39% from deep on the season.
After his one stint with New York, Harrellson was traded by the Knicks, and sent to Houston as part of the Toney Douglas deal. Houston waived Josh a month after the trade was finalized, where he then signed with the reigning NBA Champion Miami Heat for the 2012-2013 season, but his time in Miami was short lived. He signed with Miami in September of 2012, but was then waived later in the year by the Heat. He would then go on to play overseas for the remainder of the 2012-2013 season. He played for a team in Puerto Rico, as well as China internationally.
Harrelson is listed as a 6’10” Center, weighing in at 275 pounds. A big bodied big man that can play spot minutes for Monroe and Drummond in Mo Cheeks rotation. With the addition of his huge stature, Harrellson is a stretch big, with the ability to stretch the defense with his ability to shoot from the perimeter.
Don’t expect Josh to be a big or even moderate role player in Cheeks’ rotation, but he will be a serviceable big off the pine for the Detroit Pistons.