Fred Roberts signs with Cavaliers
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Cavaliers signed veteran forward Fred Roberts to a 10-day contract. Roberts played with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1988-93 and played in the Spanish League last year, averaging 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.Roberts, 34, had his best season with the Bucks in 1990-91, averaging 10.8 points per game. He is an alumnus of Brigham Young University, where his brother Kenneth now plays.
The signing occurred because of surgery to repair a bone chip in the right hand of Tyrone Hill that will keep the Cavaliers' forward out of action for at least a week.
Drs. Thomas Graham and Jack Andrish inserted a small screw into Hill's right ring finger Thursday.
Hill, who also has been bothered by a sprained left middle finger, has missed two games with the right hand injury and probably will miss one or two more weeks.
The Cavaliers have been plagued by injuries this season. Guard Bobby Phills has a strained right shoulder and three other starters are on the injured list: Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and Gerald Wilkins.
Daugherty had hoped to recover from Dec. 5 back surgery in time for the final weeks of the season but recently concluded that he would miss the rest of the season.
"I'm definitely not going to play this year," he said. "I'm hoping to come back next year."