Andray Blatche Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Blatche, Pacers, Allen, Nelson

October 3rd, 2012 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic were ripped by fans and pundits alike when they dealt Dwight Howard and failed to receive a true impact player like Andrew Bynum in the trade. However, as Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel writes today, the team's decision not to take on Bynum and his balky knees is looking better now than it did at the time. The former Laker, who has been ruled out for three weeks, may end up being fine, but it's something of an ominous start for the Bynum era in Philadelphia, says Bianchi. Here are the rest of the morning's notes out of the Eastern Conference:

Former NBA head coach John Lucas believes the Nets' signing of Andray Blatche could be the "steal of the summer," as Howard Beck of the New York Times writes. Of course, Lucas may be a little biased — Blatche spent three months this offseason working out in Houston under Lucas' tutelage.
The Pacers are keeping an "open mind" about whether to carry 15 players into the regular season or whether to keep an open roster spot, according to GM Kevin Pritchard. Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star says he would be "shocked" if Sam Young didn't earn a place on Indiana's roster.
Ray Allen spoke on the Dan LeBatard Show in Miami about how Pat Riley influenced his decision to sign with the Heat, and Eric Schmoldt of Sports Radio Interviews has the transcript.
Raymond Felton will get the first shot to start at point guard for the Knicks, and fellow free agent signee Jason Kidd doesn't mind assuming the backup role, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (Sulia link) explains why the Magic re-signed Jameer Nelson this summer and looks at whether they'd consider trading him later in the season.
The Bulls' bench may include plenty of new faces, but Taj Gibson doesn't want to retire the "bench mob" moniker. Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Tribune writes that the team's new additions are looking to be just as productive as last year's second unit.

Nets Sign Andray Blatche

September 12th, 2012 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 3:19pm: The Nets have officially announced the signing in a press release.

TUESDAY, 10:30pm: The Nets and Blatche have finalized the deal, Josh Newman of SNY.tv reports.

SUNDAY, 12:18pm: Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports that Blatche "has other business that needs to be addressed first" before he finalizes his deal with the Nets, according to Miller. While it appears there are other options for Blatche, he's still likely to sign with the Nets this week, Kerber says. Rumors have linked him to the Heat and the Spurs since the Wizards used the amnesty clause to waive him in July.

FRIDAY, 1:40pm: Agent Andy Miller confirmed to Michael Lee of the Washington Post that Blatche has agreed to sign with the Nets and will finalize the deal sometime next week.

THURSDAY, 5:55pm: For most of the offseason, Blatche has been working out in Houston, Texas under the guidance of former NBA player John Lucas in hopes of landing an NBA deal for the upcoming season. According to Lucas, via Twitter, the forward has signed a contract with the Nets.

8:02am: Two sources close to Blatche tell Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the former Wizard has yet to make a decision, and that he's still considering an offer from the Heat. It's clear that Blatche hasn't signed anything yet, but based on the number of reports suggesting that at least a verbal agreement with the Nets is in place, I'd be surprised if he didn't end up with Brooklyn within the next few days.

WEDNESDAY, 8:51pm: Blatche's deal will be non-guaranteed, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter).

7:52pm: The Nets have agreed to terms with Andray Blatche on a contract, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The deal is for one year and is worth the minimum salary, according to Spears, who adds that Blatche and the Nets are expected to finalize the agreement early next week (Twitter link).

Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com reported last week that if the Nets signed Blatche, it was unlikely to be a guaranteed deal. ESPN.com's Marc Stein echoed that sentiment today, indicating that the Nets, who have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, prefer to fill their last two roster spots with non-guaranteed deals. So we'll have to wait and see how much, if any, of Blatche's deal includes guaranteed money.

Blatche is coming off a tremendously disappointing season in Washington, but has the upside to make the deal a worthwhile investment for the Nets. In the two seasons prior to 2011/12, Blatche averaged a very solid 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds with a 17.2 PER in 30.5 minutes per game. However, those averages fell off to 8.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 10.6 PER, and 24.1 MPG in a '11/12 season plagued by conditioning issues.

Because the Wizards amnestied Blatche this summer, he'll continue to receive a salary well above the veteran's minimum from Washington for the next three years. For the Nets, assuming he earns a place on the regular-season roster, he'll come off the bench as a power forward and perhaps earn some minutes backing up Brook Lopez at center.

New York Rumors: Brewer, Shumpert, Blatche

September 11th, 2012 at 7:56pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork provides updates on a pair of Knicks recovering from left knee surgery who attended a Wall Street fundraiser today in remembrance of the September 11th attacks. Ronnie Brewer says he'll be back by opening night from surgery to correct a medial meniscus tear, while Iman Shumpert, who tore his ACL in the playoffs, won't be back until December at the earliest. The Knicks, finalized four signings today, appear to have plenty of options in the meantime, and we've got more on them and their crosstown rivals here:

The four players the Knicks signed, along with Chris Smith, are all likely to wind up with the team's D-League affiliate, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com says (Twitter link). The team is still combing the free agent market for someone to fill their 15th roster spot in the regular season, and it's likely to be a big man, according to Zwerling. A report last week said the Knicks were considering Sean Williams, though Zwerling says there's nothing new on that front.
Andray Blatche and Josh Childress are on non-guaranteed deals, but they're both expected to make the Nets, reports Howard Beck of The New York Times. That would bring Brooklyn's roster to the 15-player limit, but they'll likely sign more players for training camp, Beck adds, since teams can carry up to 20 in the preseason.
Former Nets small forward Damion James and the Hawks agreed to terms today, but was gracious in his exit from Brooklyn, thanking the Nets and their fans via Twitter (hat tip to Ben Couch).

Eastern Notes: Nets, Heat, Dyson, Pistons

September 6th, 2012 at 10:54pm CST by Luke Adams

There have been plenty of newsworthy items out of the Eastern Conference today, with the Knicks unveiling new uniforms, the Nets possibly having signed Andray Blatche, and the league's most popular 12th man landing a TV gig with the Celtics. Here are a few more Eastern-related links we've yet to cover:

The Nets plan to hold a free agent workout with forwards Josh Childress and Dominic McGuire early next week, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo (via Twitter).
SI.com's Zach Lowe believes that, on a minimum-salary contract, Blatche would be worth the gamble for either the Nets or Heat.
While we've heard that Mehmet Okur will probably require more than a minimum-salary commitment, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel still thinks he could be a possibility for the Heat.
Jerome Dyson is the latest player to audition at the Heat's pre-camp tryouts, reports Winderman (Sulia link).
The Pistons' depth at small forward could mean that a trade is in the team's future, writes David Mayo of MLive.com.
Former George Washington point guard Tony Taylor Jr. will work out with the Knicks for a second time next week, according to Keith Schlosser of KnicksJournal.com.
Amare Stoudemire appeared on FOX Sports Radio to discuss a number of topics, including former Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, Jeremy Lin, and the infamous fire extinguisher incident. Sports Radio Interviews rounds up a few of Stoudemire's noteworthy quotes.
NBA.com's Sekou Smith takes a look at the Bobcats' future after the team set a record for futility in 2011/12.

Odds & Ends: Warriors, Jazz, Rockets, Iverson

September 6th, 2012 at 10:41pm CST by Zachary Links

We've seen a sharp rise in the size of overseas contracts in recent years, and it seems that the Chinese Basketball Association has had about enough. Several CBA clubs are calling for an NBA-style salary cap to be instituted post-haste as the season gets underway in two months, writes Alastair Himmer of Reuters. The league has had a salary cap in years past, but with no luxury tax system in place, there was no real way to enforce it. Last year, Kenyon Martin signed a $2.7MM deal with the Xinjian Flying Tigers before leaving midway through the season. Here's tonight's look around the Association..

Warriors coach Mark Jackson has promoted Darren Erman to the No. 3 assistant coach after the departure of Wes Unseld Jr., sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Unseld Jr. recently left Golden State to join Jacque Vaughn's staff in Orlando.
The Jazz are still working to complete a buyout agreement with Raja Bell and sign second-round pick Kevin Murphy, but Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter) would be surprised if both situations aren't resolved before camp starts.
The Jazz announced that Michael Sanders has been promoted to an assistant coach on Tyrone Corbin’s staff. Utah also agreed in principle with D-League coach and former Jazz scout Brad Jones to take over Sanders’ previous position as assistant coach in charge of player development.
The Rockets have elevated Gersson Rosas to executive vice president of basketball operations, according to Mark Berman of FOX Houston. Rosas, who previously served as the club's vice president player personnel, was a finalist to become the next assistant GM of the Spurs.
Former MVP Allen Iverson is reportedly thinking about playing if China if he cannot land an NBA deal, but Neil Hartman of CSNPhilly.com would like to see him call it a career. Iverson last appeared in an NBA game in February 2010 and turned down offers in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic last season.
Robert Pera, the prospective new owner of the Grizzlies, is recruiting singer/actor Justin Timberlake to be a minority owner of his club, sources have told Marc Stein of ESPN.com. One source added that Timberlake is making "a meaningful investment into the team" and "plans to be active" with the club. A recent piece by Will Leitch of New York Magazine revealed that rapper Jay-Z owns just a fraction of one percent of the Nets.
Kevin Willis celebrated his 50th birthday today and the former NBA center told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) that he could still play 15-20 minutes a night and would return if a team was serious. Willis would easily eclipse Kurt Thomas and Grant Hill (both turn 40 in October) as the NBA's oldest player. With that said, it's extremely difficult to imagine a comeback for Willis at this stage.
In an interview with HoopsWorld, free agent Sean Williams said that he isn't sure where his next NBA opportunity might come from and hasn't spoken with his agent recently. Late last week it was reported that the Knicks are considering the former first-round pick.
Former University of Florida standout Taurean Green has signed with Italian team Sigma Barcellona, according to a report from Amnotizie.it passed along by Sportando. Green averaged 9.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG for Turkish team Tofas Bursa last season.

Nets In Lead To Sign Andray Blatche

September 5th, 2012 at 7:01pm CST by Luke Adams

7:01pm: The Nets are confident about completing a deal for Blatche this week, Stein adds in a tweet.

6:44pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein hears that the Nets are the team "in pole position" to sign Blatche (Twitter link).

4:39pm: Andray Blatche has been on the free agent market since being amnestied by the Wizards in mid-July, having been linked to the Spurs and Heat, among other teams. Most recently, the Nets were said to have interest in Blatche, working him out in Houston this weekend. Speaking to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, the 26-year-old big man said he felt good about how the workout went.

"It went well," Blatche said. "It was me and one of the coaches, and we worked out. I thought I did great. But I'm still going to continue to work out with John [Lucas] until I'm on a team, so I can continue to get my body in better shape, and continue fine-tuning my game."

Blatche, who is working out with Lucas in Houston, added that "hopefully within the next couple of days I can be on an NBA roster." While it may not happen quite that quickly, it appears the former Wizard is aiming to join a team in time for training camp. As for the Wizards' decision to amnesty him, Blatche told Ingram that the experience was humbling, but that it didn't catch him off guard.

"It was a mutual feeling," Blatche said. "I wasn't so much surprised as a lot of other people were because it was something that was talked about, and it was something that I'd pretty much seen coming after how the season went."

Blatche, whose production fell off a cliff last year, in large part due to conditioning issues, still has a 15.5 career PER in seven NBA seasons. He also shouldn't require a significant financial commitment, since he'll still earn north of $23MM from Washington over the next three years.

Winderman On Heat, Blatche, Draft, Free Agents

September 1st, 2012 at 2:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

The success of the small-ball lineup during the Heat's run through the playoffs last season has changed the organization's philosophy toward big men, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. They're still likely to add a big man to the roster before training camp, but they don't feel obligated to give heavy minutes to a traditional center. Instead, they'll look for post-up opportunities from others on the floor, as former All-Star center and current Heat front office executive Alonzo Mourning says. Winderman believes they can make up for not having a 7-footer close to the boards by gang rebounding and having LeBron James and Dwyane Wade rebound at better rates than you would expect at their positions. Here's the rest of Winderman's South Beach chronicles:

While Andray Blatche may be reluctant to sign with the Heat, who wouldn't guarantee him the playing time he'd need to show whether he's improved from last season, Winderman believes the 6'11" former Wizards big man "certainly would make some sense" for Miami (Twitter link). We heard earlier today the Nets are meeting with Blatche this weekend, while the Heat, Spurs and Timberwolves have also been linked to him.
The value of the first-round draft pick the Sixers owe the Heat took a hit when Philadelphia acquired Andrew Bynum, Winderman notes. The Sixers were barely a playoff team and drafted 15th this June, but if Bynum helps lift the Sixers' record higher this season, it could push the pick that goes to the Heat into the 20s. The Heat traded the 27th pick this June for the lottery-protected 2013 first-rounder, as well as the 45th pick this year, which Miami used to take Croatia-bound Justin Hamilton.
Winderman is surprised that Matt Barnes, Kenyon Martin and Josh Childress remain on the market, and expects them to sign soon after Labor Day (Sulia link). Last night we heard Barnes is talking to multiple teams.

Nets Interested In Andray Blatche

September 1st, 2012 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

2:30pm: If the Nets sign Blatche, the contract probably wouldn't include a guarantee, a source told Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. The team is unlikely to sign anyone else to a guaranteed deal for the rest of the offseason, Mazzeo hears. Nets coach Avery Johnson will be at the meeting with Blatche.

12:39pm: The Nets are set to meet with free agent Andray Blatche in Houston, Texas this weekend, two sources tell Howard Beck of the New York Times. The forward has been working out with a number of other NBA players under the guidance of John Lucas.

The Wizards cut the troubled big man earlier this summer and will be on the hook for the $23.4MM he is owed over the course of the next three years. Given the time he has spent on the open market combined with his up-and-down history, Blatche is widely expected to sign for the veteran minimum where ever he goes.

D.J. White Visiting Teams, Hopes To Sign Soon

August 31st, 2012 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

Unrestricted free agent D.J. White had planned to visit "a couple teams" this week, and hopes to decide on a new club soon, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). It's not clear which specific teams might be in on White, but the 26-year-old expects to sign somewhere before camps begin.

"I have a couple options," White said (Twitter link). "I just want to be in a position to succeed. Hopefully I know my future in a couple weeks."

White spent the 2011/12 season with the Bobcats after the club acquired him in a trade with the Thunder at the 2011 trade deadline. He earned 11 starts for Charlotte, and in 58 overall contests, averaged 6.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. The 6'9" forward has seen limited action in his first four NBA seasons, but has shown some promise, recording a 14.5 career PER. Still, it wasn't enough to earn a qualifying offer from the Bobcats, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

As Zwerling notes (on Twitter), White isn't the only power forward expected to land with an NBA team in the coming weeks. Louis Amundson, Andray Blatche, and Chris Andersen are among the other bigs talking to teams, in search of a new contract.

Wolves Rumors: Tolliver, Blatche, Okur, Andersen

August 29th, 2012 at 9:40am CST by Chuck Myron

We've heard a few dispatches about Wolves GM David Kahn's pursuit of an additional big man in recent days, and Darren Wolfson provides further detail on 1500ESPN.com. We've got the highlights here:

Though earlier reports seemed to indicate the Wolves weren't seeking to trade for a big man, Wolfson hears the team has asked Anthony Tolliver to be patient as the team seeks a trade to free up more cap room. Tolliver's agent has said his client is not interested in the minimum salary, which is all the Minnesota has to offer free agents. Even though Tolliver has been with the Wolves the past two seasons, the team renounced his Early Bird rights earlier in the summer to clear room for Nicolas Batum's offer sheet. Tolliver is reportedly in "constant contact" with a handful of teams, including the Wolves.
We heard yesterday that Andray Blatche and Hassan Whiteside worked out in front of a Wolves scout, and according to Wolfson, Blatche is "said to be open" to signing for the veteran's minimum.
Mehmet Okur is a "long shot" to sign with Minnesota, a source close to Okur tells Wolfson. The 6'11" outside marksman is seeking more than the minimum.
Wolfson reported last week that Josh Harrellson isn't in the Wolves' plans because the 6'10" former Knick doesn't possess the requisite length. Chris Andersen, who's the same height, apparently possesses a wingspan that fits what Kahn and company are looking for, but the Wolves aren't considering him, either.