In an effort to add depth at the point guard position, Charlotte has signed former NBA first-round draft pick Cory Alexander. In conjunction with that move, the Bobcats waived center Jahidi White and placed Bernard Robinson on the injured list with a left foot sprain.
“Cory will improve our depth at the point guard position," said Bobcats General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff. “It will also give Jason Hart an opportunity to play both the point guard and shooting guard positions.”
Alexander, a 6-1, 185-pound point guard, topped the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) with 8.3 assists and 2.2 steals in 32 games for Roanoke this season. He was tied for fourth in the league with 16.4 points and among the league leaders with 34.6 minutes. He also shot .828 percent from the free-throw line (154-186) and posted 11 double-doubles, including his 29-point, 14-assist effort against Florida on January 14. In 82 career NBDL games, all with Roanoke, he averaged 16.5 points, 6.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds. His 306 assists during the 2002-03 season is an NBDL single-season record.
A six-year NBA player, Alexander has appeared in 291 career games, averaging 5.6 points, 2.7 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 16.0 minutes with San Antonio, Denver and Orlando. Originally drafted by the Spurs in the first round (29th overall) of the 1995 NBA Draft, Alexander enjoyed his best NBA season in 1996-97 when he appeared in 80 games, averaging 7.2 points and 3.2 assists for the Spurs. He also spent time in Italy with Virtus Roma, appearing in 13 games and averaging 11.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists during the early part of the 2003-04 season.
White appeared in 18 games this season and averaged 2.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 7.9 minutes. The 6-9, 290-pound center suffered a right shoulder injury on November 30 at New Jersey and will undergo surgery to repair the injury. A seven-year NBA veteran, White was chosen by the Bobcats in the Charlotte Expansion Selection.
Robinson has appeared in 19 games this season and averaged 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.8 minutes. This is his third stint on the injured list, having missed 25 games due to left knee tendinitis from November 16 to January 7 and five games from February 1-9 with the same injury. Robinson was selected by the Bobcats with the 45th overall selection in the 2004 NBA Draft.