Nets are signing Donte Greene

Nets are signing Donte Greene

Donte Greene will soon be the latest player to join the Nets, as their massive roster overhaul this summer continues.

The 6-foot-11 forward tweeted, “HELLO BROOKLYN” along with a picture of the Nets logo inside the team’s facility in Brooklyn yesterday. That came shortly after Yahoo! Sports reported the Nets had agreed in principle with Greene. A league source said the deal will be non-guaranteed.

Greene’s agent, Chris Luchey, told The Post it was premature to say a deal had been signed, but that all signs point to Greene officially joining the Nets in the near future.

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Jay Triano named head coach of Canada`s basketball team

As Canada Basketball moves towards an intriguing future, it has turned to its past.

As expected, Jay Triano was named head coach of the senior men’s program on Thursday, his second go-around at the position after previous management bungled his dismissal in 2005.

His replacement, Leo Rautins, resigned last summer and it was quickly clear that Triano was the organization’s top choice to take over, especially if Steve Nash agreed to come on board as well.

In fact, Nash said on Thursday that the hiring of Triano was a requirement of his doing so.

“I know that Jay is the right man for this job” Nash said.

— Reported by Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun

Hornets center Robin Lopez hopes to finally stay healthy

Robin Lopez hopes to finally stay healthy

New Orleans Hornets newly acquired center Robin Lopez is hoping for a fresh start in the Big Easy that hopefully won’t include a repeat of injury problems that has limited him in two of the previous three seasons.

Since 2009, Lopez has had a foot fracture, a bulging disk and knee problems. A week after the Hornets acquired Lopez last month in a trade with the Phoenix Suns, he underwent successful surgery to correct a tear of his medial meniscus in his left knee.

Lopez, however, has been doing his rehabilitation work at the Alario Center and is on schedule to be fully recovered before training camp begins this October, according to the Hornets.

— Reported by John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Heat bring in Josh Harrellson for workout

Looking to fill their final spot on the roster, the Miami Heat hosted a workout for free agent center Josh Harrellson on Thursday morning, a league source told ESPN.com. The 6-foot-10 big man was waived last week by the Houston Rockets in order to make room for newly signed guard Carlos Delfino.

Harrellson averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 33.9 percent from downtown last season as a reserve big man for the Knicks before being traded this offseason to the Rockets in a package for center Marcus Camby.

— Reported by Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com

Michael Jordan`s son Marcus fined $250 for disturbing peace in Omaha

Marcus Jordan, a son of Michael Jordan, was fined $250 and court costs Thursday after pleading no contest to disturbing the peace during an argument with a woman outside a Nebraska hotel last month.

Marcus Jordan, 21, also had been charged with obstructing a police officer, but that was dropped as part of a plea agreement.

He was in Omaha for the U.S. Olympic swim trials July 1 and arrested after police responded to an early-morning call at an Embassy Suites hotel. According to a police report, an off-duty officer working security for the hotel was trying to subdue Jordan as he argued with two women in the driveway. Jordan was “very animated, intoxicated and uncooperative.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Damir Markota signs in Turkey

Besiktas JK Istanbul added to its frontcourt by signing experienced big man Damir Markota to a one-year contract. Markota (2.08 meters, 26 years old) is a veteran of seven Euroleague seasons with three different teams. Last season he averaged 4.7 points and 6 rebounds in seven Euroleague appearances for Union Olimpija. He ranked third in the regular season with his 76.9% two-point shooting percentage and his 15 rebounds pulled against Montepaschi Siena represented the third most of any player in a game all season. He left Olimpija midway through the season and finished the campaign with KK Zagreb in Croatia. Markota made his Euroleague debut – a 20-second appearance with Cibona Zagreb in the 2001-02 season – when he was 16.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

Marcus Slaughter signs in Madrid

One of the best rebounders in last season’s Turkish Airlines Euroleague switched teams with the news that Real Madrid signed Marcus Slaughter. The athletic big man signed a two-year deal with Los Blancos. Slaughter (2.03 meters, 27 years old) arrives from Brose Baskets, where he averaged 11.8 points on 56.4% two-point shooting, 7.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.4 blocks in 10 Euroleague games last season. He ranked sixth in performance index ranking (17.7 per game), third in rebounding, second in blocks and tied for third in steals in the 2011-12 Euroleague regular season.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

Washington Wizards work out Martell Webster

Washington Wizards work out Martell Webster

The Washington Wizards aren’t desperately in need of making any roster additions, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t searching through the remaining free agent pool to find a possible fit – financially and personnel-wise – with the team.

Free agent small forward Martell Webster worked out for the Wizards at Verizon Center this week, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. The former No. 6 pick of the NBA draft in 2005, Webster has averaged 8.4 points and shot 37.4 percent from beyond three-point range throughout his career in Portland and Minnesota.

— Reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post (Blog)

Boston Celtics sign Jeff Green

Boston Celtics sign Jeff Green

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed free agent forward Jeff Green.

“We are thrilled to be able to have Jeff back with the Celtics,” said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “Jeff’s versatility on offense and ability to guard players out on the perimeter is something that we are looking forward to having on the court this season.”

Green, a 6’9” forward, missed all of the 2011-12 season due to an aortic aneurysm that was discovered during his physical prior to the start of the season. Green, the fifth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft,averaged 13.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 32.4 minutes per game during the 2010-11 season split between Boston and Oklahoma City. He was acquired by the Celtics from the Oklahoma City Thunder along with Nenad Krstic and a future first round draft pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson on February 24,2011.

“I cannot wait to get back out onto the court and help this team towards our goal of winning another championship for Boston,” said Green.

Green recorded a double-double in his first start as a Celtic against Washington on April 11 recording 20 points, a career-high-tying 15 rebounds,four assists and two steals. Green improved his field goal percentage after the trade to the Celtics during the 2010-11 season, shooting 48.5 percent from the floor in 26 games with the C’s after shooting 43.7 percent with the Thunder. Green has posted career averages of 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 315 games. Green recorded a career-high 37 points against New Jersey last season on December 1,2010. In his four year career, Green has averaged 13.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game in 315 career games split between Oklahoma City and Boston.

Sixers may like Sam Hinkie for GM job

In their search for a new general manager to replace Rod Thorn, the 76ers, according to SI.com, have turned their attention to Sam Hinkie, the Houston Rockets’ executive vice president of basketball operations.

Hinkie, who has an MBA from Stanford, is considered a leader in the league’s analytics movement and has been the Rockets’ second-in-command behind general manager Daryl Morey for 5 years.

— Reported by Mark Perner of the Philadelphia Daily News