Sydney Kings welcome much needed NBA vet Al Harrington
The Sydney Kings have once again looked to superstar import Josh Childress to help their club regain some importance and fluidity in the competition. However, with Childress now sidelined for a period of time thanks to a hand fracture, it has been his off-court recruiting which has saluted.
Childress has called upon once NBA teammate Al Harrington to fill the void left by his absence in hope to turn the struggling Kings into one of the NBL's brut forces.
The signing was announced by Josh Childress via Instagram:
A photo posted by J Childress (@jchillington) on Oct 27, 2015 at 2:42pm PDT
Harrington, was subject to rumours towards the back end of last season when Childress was ruled out for the remainder of the season through injury. This never came to fruition in early 2015, however the time (and price) was obviously right this time around as the NBA veteran of over 1,000 games makes his way down under.
Harrington is expected to be ready to suit up for this weekend's matches, and currently stands on the roster as Josh Childress' replacement. However, the Kings front office have not yet made a decision on whether his stay in Australia is for an extended period of time.
Sydney Kings CEO & Director Craig Meagher is evidently pleased about their latest signing.
"The Sydney Kings are pleased to be able to bring Al Harrington to Australia and to have him represent our club on and off the court,"
"We hope all basketball fans take the opportunity to get to a Sydney Kings game and cheer on our newest addition to the Sydney Kings line up." - Mr Meagher.
While at the conclusion of last season Al Harrington's name popped up, it is now evident that Childress is having an ongoing effect of bringing star American talent to our shores. In an article that was published at the end of the 2014/15 season, naming seven ex-teammates of Josh Childress that could play in the NBL, two of those are now on rosters (Hakim Warrick & Harrington).
Harrington has already had some sort of international experience, having played a handful of games in China for Fujian Sturgeons. A highlight clip of his time in China can be seen below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEKn5vEMHSk
Harrington last teamed up with Childress back in the 2004/05 NBA season playing for the Atlanta Hawks.
At 1-4, the Kings currently sit on the bottom of the NBL ladder - Sydney hoping the arrival of Harrington can quickly make amends.