CSKA Moscow adds scoring champ Nicholas

CSKA Moscow keeps loading up for the 2012-13 season with the announcement Friday that former Euroleague champion and scoring king Drew Nicholas will join the Russian champs for at least one season. Nicholas (1.93 meters, 31 years old) arrives from EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, where he spent one season after having won the Euroleague title in 2009 and 2011 with Panathinaikos. Nicholas averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 14 Euroleague games last season, shooting much lower percentages than his numbers over six previous Euroleague seasons with three other teams. Nicholas landed in the competition with fanfare in 2005-06, scoring 18.4 points per game for Benetton Basket of Italy to earn the Alphonso Ford To Scorer Trophy that season. He kept up his scoring prowess the next two years with Efes Pilsen of Turkey, putting up 15 points per game, before moving to Panathinaikos. Although his scoring dropped to 9.5 points over the next three seasons, Nicholas became a two-time champion and a defensive stopper, most notably on the final play at the 2009 Final Four in Berlin, when his one-on-one coverage preserved the victory for Panathinaikos. CSKA and Nicholas have signed a one-year deal with an option to extend it through the 2013-14 season, the club said Friday.