Maccabi Tel Aviv announced Malcolm Thomas

As first reported by Sportando's David Pick, Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv fortified its frontline with the signing of big man Malcolm Thomas to a one-year contract. The club keeps an option to extend his deal until the end of the 2013-14 season. Thomas (2.06 meters, 23 years old) has bounced around plenty during his basketball career, but has managed to produce at every spot. He suited up for five different teams last season after playing for three different college or junior college basketball teams between 2007 and 2011. He played his last two seasons of college ball at San Diego State University, which he left ranked second on the Aztec's career shot-blocking list with 127. He was named to the All-Mountain West Conference Second Team twice and the conference’s All-Defensive Team once. Thomas began his professional career in South Korea, where he amassed 20.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks for Mobis Phoebus in 17 games. He later spent time with Los Angeles, Austin and Rio Grande Valley in the NBA D-League and played for San Antonio in the NBA. Thomas also impressed many at the 2012 NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas by averaging 11.4 points and 12.4 rebounds in five games with Chicago. Thomas has basketball in his genes; his father was a star player at the University of Missouri in the 1980s. The athletic big man takes the roster spot that was vacated when Pops Mensah-Bonsu did not pass his physical.