OKLAHOMA CITY -- First-round draft picks Hilton Armstrong
and Cedric Simmons officially signed with the New Orleans Hornets
on Wednesday.
Armstrong, the 12th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, and
Simmons, the 15th pick overall, will be part of the team's entry in
the Toshiba Vegas Summer League. The Hornets will play their first
summer-league game on Friday against Sacramento.
Armstrong was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year last
season as a senior at Connecticut and earned All-Big East and NABC
All-Second Team honors. He averaged 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and
3.2 blocks, shooting a career-best .608 from the field per game for
the Huskies.
Armstrong appeared in 131 total games for the Huskies, starting
56, and finished with career averages of 4.7 points and 3.9
rebounds.
Simmons was an honorable mention All-ACC Selection and an
All-ACC Defensive team performer as a sophomore at North Carolina
State last season, averaging 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game
for the Wolfpack. His 115 career blocks ranks seventh best in
school history.
The Hornets also announced Wednesday that they waived guard
Moochie Norris.
Norris was acquired by the Hornets along with cash
considerations from the Houston Rockets in exchange for center
Maciej Lampe on Feb. 13.
He averaged 3.8 points and 1.3 assists in 16 games for the
Hornets.