Povilas Cukinas bulks Zalgiris frontline 0

Zalgiris Kaunas further bolstered its frontcourt on Tuesday by adding big man Povilas Cukinas to the mix. His signing comes days after center Mirza Begic was added. Power forward Travis Watson also signed this summer and Tadas Klimavicius resigned with the club, giving head coach Gintaras Krapikas many options up front for the coming season. Cukinas (209, 26) signed a one-year deal with a team option for a second season. He arrives from Kiev Budivelnik, which was the runner up in the Ukrainian league last season. Cukinas averaged 11.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in just 23 minutes last season. He brings past Euroleague experience in the form of one season with Lietuvos Rytas. Cukinas has also played for Puntukas Anyksciai and Alita Alytus in his native Lithuania, EnBW Ludwigsburg in Germany Pallacanestro Cantu in Italy and Barons/LMT in Latvia during his career.

"I am delighted to join Zalgiris," Cukinas said. "Over the past few years, I played overseas, so I know what an honored name Zalgiris has in Europe. I look forward to joining the team and trying to help it achieve more victories. The last three years, when fans did not see me playing, I feel I strengthened my game and gained experience. I know my shortcomings and I will work hard to correct them. In any case, I will give 100% to Zalgiris."