Bobcats acquire Rockets' Baxter in exchange for Bogans
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Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - The Charlotte Bobcats, on the heels of their
first three-game winning streak in franchise history, acquired Houston
Rockets' forward/center Lonny Baxter on Thursday in exchange for guard Keith
Bogans.
Baxter has averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 23 games for Houston this season. He posted 18 points and 11 rebounds in a January 25 contest against Charlotte. In his fourth NBA season, the Maryland product has appeared in 144 games and averaged 4.2 points 3.1 rebounds for Chicago, Toronto, Washington, New Orleans and Houston. Injuries to frontcourt standouts Emeka Okafor (ankle), Gerald Wallace (knee) and rookie Sean May (knee) illustrated the Bobcats need for a low post presence. "This move helps balance our roster. We had a lot of talented wing players competing for minutes but were depleted in the frontcourt due to injuries, so we addressed that inequity with this trade," general manager and head coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. Bogans averaged 8.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 39 games for the Bobcats this season. He played in 113 games over two seasons with Charlotte and posted a career-high 28 points in his Bobcats' debut on November 16, 2004 against Utah. The Kentucky product has averaged 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in three NBA seasons, while also playing for Orlando in 2003-04. HOU CHL |