Local Basketball: Mac TA signs guard Carlos Arroyo from Orlando

Arroyo scored 25 points and passed seven assists in the biggest victory in Porto Rican basketball history.

By ALLON SINAI
Carlos Arroyo 224.88 (photo credit: carlosarroyo.com)
Carlos Arroyo 224.88
(photo credit: carlosarroyo.com)
Maccabi Tel Aviv's search for a playmaker ended on Sunday night with the impressive signing of Puerto Rican Carlos Arroyo. The 29-year-old will be leaving the NBA after seven relatively successful seasons. Arroyo, who played collegiate basketball at Florida International, averaged 7.0 points, 3.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 433 NBA games at five different franchises. "I'm very happy we've completed this signing," Maccabi coach Effi Birenboim told the club's official Web site. "Arroyo is a player of the highest standard and has been our top priority for a while. "Luckily for me, Maccabi's management agreed to sign him despite the huge costs. This is exactly the player we need. He's a great basketball player as well as being a great leader." Besides being a legitimate NBA player, Arroyo is also the star of the Puerto Rican national team, which registered a stunning 92-73 victory over the US at the Athens Olympics four years ago. Arroyo scored 25 points and passed seven assists in the biggest victory in Porto Rican basketball history and was also on top form for the side at the 2006 World Championships, averaging 21.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. The guard began his NBA career at the Toronto Raptors in the 2001/02 season and later on in the campaign moved on to the Denver Nuggets. He first made a real impact in the NBA at the Utah Jazz, which he joined the following season. Arroyo played three seasons for the Jazz and was the team's starting point guard in the 2003/04 campaign, averaging 12.6 points and 5.0 assists. Midway through the 2004/05 season, Arroyo left Utah for the Detroit Pistons, where he struggled to find his place as a back-up to All-Star Chauncey Billups. Arroyo's career began to flourish once more after he joined the Orlando Magic in the 2005/06 season. In two-and-a-half seasons in Florida, Arroyo averaged 8.0 points and 3.1 assists and last season played 62 games for the club, averaging 6.9 points and 3.5 assists in 20.5 minutes on court.