KEY POINTS:
New Zealand basketballer Kirk Penney has been released by his Lithuanian club Zalgiris and has signed with German league leaders Alba Berlin.
Tall Blacks shooting guard Penney originally signed with Zalgiris to replace injured Brazilian Marcelo Machado and was retained when Machado returned to action.
From that point, they were in direct competition for minutes, and while Penney's form has been solid, he has struggled to find favour with the Zalgiris coaching staff.
Over 35 games with club, covering Euroleague, Baltic league and the Lithuanian national league, he has logged only 19 minutes per game, averaging 9.8 points.
Penney seriously considered taking up an offer from Alba last year but opted for Zalgiris because of their Euroleague status.
With the Lithuanians' elimination after pool play, that attraction was no longer a factor.
Berlin are in desperate need of re-inforcement at the shooting guard position after national team star Demond Greene broke an ankle in December.
Penney is set to debut for his new club against Oldenburg this weekend.
- NZPA
