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Chris Andersen playing well for Heat

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel on colorful Heat big-man Chris Andersen, who in his supporting role is stepping up these days:

There has been a spring in his step recently, which could particularly come in handy this spring.

Much as he was during last season’s postseason run to the franchise’s second NBA championship, center Chris Andersen again has turned into somewhat of a can’t-miss proposition for the Miami Heat.

Since missing three games with a bruised right knee, the player nicknamed Birdman has shot 40 of 56 over his last 14 appearances. There also have been six games with multiple blocked shots over that span, including Sunday’s victory against the Chicago Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena.

“I’m still young. I’m definitely two years younger, meaning my body is two years younger than what my age actually is at,” the animated 35-year-old said, having been forced out of the league for two seasons due to the NBA’s substance-abuse policy. “So I’ve got basically three, four years.”

Lamar Odom set to play in Spain

Here’s the Los Angeles Times blog with another report on Lamar Odom, who recently agreed on an overseas basketball deal, in Spain:

Former Lakers and Clippers forward Lamar Odom recently signed to play overseas for Spanish team Laboral Kutxa (also known as Saski Baskonia).

On Friday, the team held a news conference welcoming the two-time NBA champion.

“A new beginning,” said Odom of his motivation to joining the Spanish franchise. “A new environment was important for me.”

Odom averaged 13.3 points, 8.4 rebound and 3.7 assists through 14 NBA seasons (six with the Lakers). He played for the Clippers last season, the franchise that originally drafted him in 1999.

“I got to play in the incredible city of L.A. and win championships and play with players like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, coached by Phil Jackson and Pat Riley [in Miami],” said Odom. “Then sometimes you get to a point in your life where less is more.”

Nene out six weeks with knee injury

Wizards forward/center Nene underwent an MRI exam today that revealed an MCL sprain in his left knee. The injury occurred in the third quarter of last night’s 96-83 win at Cleveland. He will miss approximately six weeks.

Nene has appeared in 49 games for Washington this season, averaging 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.24 steals in 30.1 minutes.

The Wizards this season are led in scoring by John Wall (19.7 ppg) and Bradley Beal (16.8 ppg), followed by Nene and Trevor Ariza, who both average 14.2 ppg. The team is 28-28 this season, and both 14-14 at home and 14-14 on the road.

Knicks waive Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih

New York Knicks President and General Manager Steve Mills announced today that the team has waived guard Beno Udrih and forward Metta World Peace. We’ll post additional details here on this page later today.

“We are disappointed that it did not work out for Beno and Metta here in New York,” Mills said. “We thank them for their contributions this season and wish them well.”

Udrih, 6-3, 210-pounds, averaged 5.6 points and 3.5 assists over 19.0 minutes in 31 games (12 starts) for the Knicks this season after signing as a free agent on Aug. 8, 2013. The Slovenia native holds career averages of 8.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 659 games (255 starts) over 10 seasons with San Antonio, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Orlando and New York.

World Peace, 6-7, 250-pounds, averaged 4.8 points and 2.0 rebounds over 13.4 minutes in 29 games (one start) for the Knicks this season after signing as a free agent on Jul. 16, 2013. The Long Island City native holds career averages of 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.81 steals in 931 games (833 starts) over 15 seasons with Chicago, Indiana, Sacramento, Houston, L.A. Lakers and New York.

Dee Bost named D-League Performer of Week

The Idaho Stampede’s Dee Bost today was named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, Feb. 17 – Sunday, Feb. 23. The honor is the first for Bost this season.

Bost, a 6-2, 176-pound guard from Mississippi State, led Idaho to a 2-0 week, including wins over the Maine Red Claws and Los Angeles D-Fenders. Bost averaged a 20.5-point, 14.5-assist, 11.5-rebound triple-double last week while shooting 36 percent from the floor.

On Feb. 19, Bost, who leads the NBA D-League in minutes (42.0 mpg), played wire-to-wire against the Red Claws, scoring 29 points to go with 14 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a block. He came back three days later to record his fifth triple-double of the season when he finished with 12 points, 16 rebounds, 15 assists and four steals at Los Angeles.

On the season, Bost is averaging an NBA D-League best 8.9 assists, to go with 16.2 points and 6.4 rebounds.

Other top performers considered include Austin’s Courtney Fells, Rio Grande Valley’s Robert Covington, playing on assignment from the Houston Rockets, Santa Cruz Warriors’ Ognjen Kuzmic, playing on assignment from the Golden State Warriors, Sioux Falls’ Justin Hamilton, Springfield’s Willie Reed and Tulsa’s Grant Jerrett.

Kemba Walker, Kevin Love named NBA Players of Week through February 23

Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Tuesday, Feb. 18, through Sunday, Feb. 23.

Walker led the Bobcats to a 4-0 week behind averages of 22.5 points (tied for seventh in the conference), 8.8 assists (second in the conference) and 5.5 rebounds. His 40.5 minutes per game ranked third in the East. Walker tallied 20-plus points three times and eclipsed the 30-point plateau once. He scored 24 points, handed out a career-high 16 assists and added five rebounds on Feb. 19, during a 116-98 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Love helped the Timberwolves to a 2-1 behind a league-best 36.7 ppg and 12.7 rpg (fourth in the league). He recorded a point-rebound double-double in all three contests, and notched one triple-double with 37 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists on Feb. 22, during a 121-104 win over the Utah Jazz. Love leads the NBA with 47 double-doubles on the season.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Charlotte’s Al Jefferson, Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Indiana’s Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers’ Jamal Crawford and Blake Griffin, Miami’s Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Sacramento’s Isaiah Thomas, Toronto’s Kyle Lowry and Washington’s John Wall.

Clippers sign Glen Davis

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed free agent forward Glen Davis. Davis will be available to play in the Clippers game vs. New Orleans tonight and will wear uniform number 12.

Davis, 28, appeared in 45 games (43 starts) this season with the Orlando Magic averaging 12.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30.1 minutes per game. A native of Baton Rouge, LA, Davis is reunited with Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, who coached him for four seasons in Boston and together were a part of the 2008 NBA Championship Celtics team.

A seven-year NBA veteran, Davis has appeared in 417 career games (120 starts) with both Orlando and Boston, averaging 8.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 23.1 minutes per game.

Originally drafted by Seattle with the 35th overall selection in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Davis was traded to Boston along with Ray Allen as part of a Draft Day trade. After four years with the Celtics, Davis joined the Magic on Dec. 12, 2011 along with Von Wafer in exchange for Brandon Bass.

The power forward has made 69 career Playoff appearances, averaging 8.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 21.9 minutes. Last season, Davis averaged a postseason-best 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds for the Magic in five playoff games (all starts).

Davis enjoyed a successful college career, playing three seasons at Louisiana State University. He averaged 16.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.16 blocks in 95 games (93 starts) at LSU, with his best year coming in 2006 when he led the Tigers to the Final Four and was named the SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American, leading the SEC in scoring (18.6) and rebounds (9.7).

Nets sign Jason Collins to 10-day contract

The Brooklyn Nets have signed center Jason Collins to a 10-day contract, General Manager Billy King announced today.

“The decision to sign Jason was a basketball decision,” said King. ” We needed to increase our depth inside, and with his experience and size, we felt he was the right choice for a 10-day contract.”

Collins is an openly gay player, and this is the first time in NBA history that an openly gay player has been active in the league. That’s a much bigger story than his basketball ability at this point, which has always been mostly limited to defense, hustling and being a big body.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement today regarding the Collins signing: “Jason told us that his goal was to earn another contract with an NBA team. Today, I want to commend him on achieving his goal. I know everyone in the NBA family is excited for him and proud that our league fosters an inclusive and respectful environment.”

A 12-year NBA veteran, Collins rejoins the Nets after spending the first six and a half seasons of his NBA career with the franchise. Selected with the 18th pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, the Stanford product was acquired by the Nets as part of a multi-player draft night trade. In 510 games, including 404 starts, with the Nets from 2001-08, Collins averaged 4.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game. He also appeared in 75 playoff games with the Nets, amassing playoff averages of 3.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game and helping the Nets reach back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. Collins is tied for third in Nets history in games played (510), ranks eighth in minutes played (12,493), ninth in offensive rebounds (782) and is tied for 10th in total rebounds (2,304). He holds NBA career averages of 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game through 713 contests, including 476 starts, after spending time with the Memphis Grizzlies (2008), Minnesota Timberwolves (2008-09), Atlanta Hawks (2009-12), Boston Celtics (2012-13) and Washington Wizards (2013).

Collins will be available for tonight’s game versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jason Collins to join Nets

Here’s ESPN New York reporting that veteran center Jason Collins will soon sign a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets:

Jason Collins will become the first openly gay athlete in North America’s four major professional sports when he signs a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets and plays against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday evening at Staples Center, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN

The Nets moved quickly to make the historic signing of the 35-year-old free agent center to have another big body available against the Lakers. Brooklyn had been contemplating signing Collins for the past week and the need for Collins became greater after the Nets dealt rebounding specialist Reggie Evans to the Sacramento Kings last week.

ESPN.com reported that the Nets quietly auditioned Collins last week in Los Angeles, paving the way from him to rejoin the franchise he spent his first six-plus seasons in the league.

The Nets were in the running to land Glen Davis but Davis opted to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and informed teams of his decision. Davis is set to officially become an unrestricted free agent Sunday at 5 p.m. ET if, as expected, he is not claimed off waivers by another team.

Glen Davis will likely join Clippers

Here’s ESPN Los Angeles reporting that free agent power forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis will likely soon join the Clippers:

Glen Davis will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers when he clears waivers and becomes a free agent at 5 p.m. ET, sources told ESPN.

Davis, 28, reached a buyout with the Orlando Magic on Friday and was waived. The Brooklyn Nets had also shown interest in Davis, but sources tell ESPN that they have decided to sign Jason Collins, feeling that they are out of the running on Davis.

Davis, averaging 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 45 games this season, was making $6 million this season and was due to make about $6.6 million next season.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers was hoping to sign Davis, who negotiated a buyout with Orlando. Davis played for Rivers with the Boston Celtics from 2007 to 2011, winning a championship in 2008. Davis would be the only player on the Clippers roster to have won an NBA title.