The New Orleans Pelicans have some pieces to work with. Most notably MVP candidate Anthony Davis. But they still need some help if they want to make the Playoffs and have a chance at survival.
So. According to Yahoo! Sports, the Pelicans have signed Dante Cunningham.
”It’s such a relief,” Cunningham told The Associated Press in a phone interview. ”I just knew that with the time and the situation that was going on, I kind of had to wait it out and get the right opportunity.”
Cunningham was charged last April with felony domestic assault after his girlfriend at the time accused him of choking her and slamming her head against a wall. She also accused him of sending her threatening messages, but the charge was dropped in August after an investigation uncovered inconsistencies in her story.
Cunningham was a free agent after his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves expired at the end of the season. But even after Hennepin County authorities dropped the charges, many teams were reluctant to consider signing him after the Ray Rice domestic abuse scandal rocked the NFL.
Cunningham was a great bench piece for the Timberwolves. It’s a shame he had the domestic abuse accusations. Otherwise he would’ve have waited to play this long. He’s a good bench player.
‘I am definitely in shape, but I haven’t been away from the game atmosphere for this long,” Cunningham said. ”I assume it’s just like riding a bike and once I hit that court it’s going to be back to normal.”
”Coach Monty, he was the one that molded me and sculpted me as a rookie with Portland,” Cunningham said. ”He showed me how to be a professional and carry myself as a professional. To come back to him and not necessarily start over again, but have him back in my life again, I definitely need that.”
Guess in that case it’s a win-win situation for everybody involved.
