The Blazers have signed Jazz shooting guard Wesley Matthews to a five-year, $34 million, according to a league source.

Utah now has seven days to match. Matthews played in all 82 games last season as a rookie, when he made the team as an unrestricted free agent.

He started 48 games and averaged 9.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists. The Blazers have been relatively quiet during free-agency but the addition of Matthews gives them more defensive weapons and I’m sure Matthews will fit in nicely under Nate McMillian’s system.

But $34 mill is a bit much!

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After Kyle Korver agreed to a three-year, $15 million deal on Friday the Bulls signed Redick to a $20 million, three-year offer sheet, but the Magic have 7 days to match, and it appears they will.

The additions of twoperimeter players indicates that they will be launching from deep at a rapid rate.

New head coach Tom Thibodeau is defensive minded, but his most recent stint as assistant coach in Boston has made him accustomed to three point shooting as a constant offensive tactic. Hopefully Orlando won’t

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Brendan Haywood resigned with the Mavericks. The deal is for six years and $55 million. Sources said that because the sixth year is not fully guaranteed, the deal averages roughly $7 million to $8 million annually in guaranteed money, depending on incentives. In other words, Haywood got a raise from his $6 million salary last season, but not a huge one.
The Mavs bringing Haywood back will end the battle over who starts between him and Erik Dampier. Haywood has yet to average a double-double in his 9 years in the NBA.

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The Nets have agreed to sign restricted free agent Anthony Morrow to a three-year, $12 million offer sheet. The Warriors probably won’t match due to the signing and paying of David Lee. In New Jersey, Morrow may at last have the chance to showcase his three-point prowess.

The creator of “Ball Don’t Lie” and the infamous “Both Teams Played Hard, My Man,” Rasheed Wallace was a fan favorite, if he was on the team you rooted for. Opposing fans could find a multitude of reasons to boo Rasheed form his temperment, to his bald spot. But what made Rasheed truly stand out was the mentality in which he played basketball. His words and actions would dig deep into the opposition psyche, forcing them to lose focus on the game and turn their focus to Rasheed. Of course he will be remembered for the absurd amount of technical fouls he achieved, many of which are attributed to the stigma put on Rasheed early in his career. That stigma followed him from Washington to Portland, Detroit then eventually Boston. In the NBA once you are seen a certain way, the chances of you changing that viewpoint are next to nothing-ask Ron Artest. Aside from his temperament Rasheed was an excellent teammate and ambassador for basketball. Here are some highlights of Sheed’s career:

Rasheed scored 15,860 points and grabbed 7,321 boards

On 2/23/94, Notre Dame, Ind., North Carolina 80, Notre Dame 71, received first technical foul as a Tar Heel.

Wallace helped the Pistons win an unexpected NBA title, beating the heavily favored Lakers 4 games to 1. After the championship season, he paid for replica WWE World Heavyweight Championship belts to be made for each of his teammates and presented them as gifts when the 2004–05 regular season started.

Wallace was also suspended by the NBA for seven games for threatening then referee Tim Donaghy on an arena loading dock after a home game in 2003. That was the league’s longest suspension for something that did not involve violence or substance abuse.

The relics of the 95′ Draft are nearly all gone. Only Kevin Garnett, Michael Finley, Kurt Thomas, Antonio McDyess, and somewhat Jerry Stackhouse remain.

It’s incredibly difficult to find the words to convey just how lucky and grateful I am to have experienced what I have for the past seven years with the Portland Trail Blazers, but I felt it was important to try.

First and foremost, I want to thank and salute Paul Allen. He is being unfairly characterized as a bad guy in all of this and that is completely inaccurate and totally unfair. We do not have Luke Babbitt, Elliot Williams, Armon Johnson and Ryan Gomes without an owner like Paul, just as we wouldn’t have Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Batum, Rudy Fernandez, Andre Miller or Greg Oden. He is a Blazers fan in every sense of the word and his only mission is to bring another title to Portland. Like any relationship ours has had a few bumps and bruises, but I would not be where I am today without Paul and for that I am eternally grateful and forever indebted to him.

Parting ways is not the end of the world. Ultimately, it may not be a bad thing at all, but right now I know the emotions are pretty raw. But it doesn’t serve anyone to bash the Trail Blazers or Paul. It is after all a business of tough decisions. So, for the sake of the players, coaches and everyone who believes in Trail Blazers basketball, let’s turn the page, move on and keep our eye on the prize.

None of this is to be taken too seriously. It is just basketball. And, as strange as it may sound, none of the highlights from the past seven years had to do with anything on the court; it was everything off the court that meant the most to me. The little jibs and jabs with my co-workers and the media or enjoying dinner with great NBA friends and counterparts or talking with a passionate fan in the grocery store. In the end, it’s all about sticking together and helping each other out.

Portlanders take great pride in their basketball team and it’s great to see that love and passion back. I’m glad I was able to play a small part in making that happen, but understand our comeback was a total team effort led by our owner and not me.

Speaking of Portlanders, I want to thank our great fans. Everywhere I went for the past seven years I received nothing but the most positive feedback about how much this city loves its team. I knew every night that we stepped on the court at the Rose Garden that our fans would make the difference and without question having the best fans in the NBA is a huge advantage.

I’ll always look back fondly on Portland and the many great memories and all the lasting relationships I made here. Yes, ultimately, I’m tearfully sad to be leaving Portland and incredibly disappointed that I won’t be able to help see this thing through to the end. But rest-assured wherever I end up I’ll be keeping a close eye on Portland and cheering the team on because I will always consider myself a Trail Blazer.

Thank you, Portland. You’re the best. You have a great owner, great players, a great coach, a great team president, a great president emeritus and a great front office. In other words, you have a great team and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

Keep the faith.

Go Blazers!

Sincerely,
Kevin Pritchard

Twenty-two NBA teams, including 11 that appeared in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, will compete in this year’s NBA Summer League. For the second consecutive year, a team of NBA Development League Select players will also participate in the action taking place at the Thomas & Mack Center and the COX Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Marketing partners included in the event are adidas, EA SPORTS, Gatorade and T-Mobile.

This year’s event will feature the Washington Wizards, who won the top overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Other participating teams with top five selections in this year’s draft include the Minnesota Timberwolves(fourth overall pick) and the Sacramento Kings (fifth overall).

Additionally, 10 of the top 14 picks are expected to participate in Las Vegas this summer.

Joining the above-mentioned teams scheduled to appear in Vegas this summer are the Dallas Mavericks,Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers,Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.

Tickets for the 2010 NBA Summer League are on sale and can be purchased by calling 702-739-FANS, through UNLVtickets.com or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office and UNLV Ticket Outlets. All general admission tickets are $25 for the day; seniors and children (3-12) are $15 for the day; and children two years and under are admitted free of charge.

A complete broadcast schedule will be released at a later date.

Schedule after the jump.

2010 NBA Summer League Game Schedule:

Friday July 9

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Denver vs. Dallas

3 PM – Houston vs. Phoenix

5 PM – Detroit vs. LA Lakers

7 PM – Golden State vs. New Orleans

Saturday July 10

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Toronto vs. Phoenix

3 PM – LA Lakers vs. Denver

5 PM – Detroit vs. Golden State

7 PM – Dallas vs. Houston

Sunday July 11

COX Pavilion

1 PM – New York vs. Denver

3 PM – Portland vs. Houston

5 PM – Washington vs. Golden State

7 PM – Miami vs. New Orleans

Monday July 12

COX Pavilion

1 PM – LA Lakers vs. New York

3 PM – Sacramento vs. Detroit

5 PM – Dallas vs. Milwaukee

7 PM – Washington vs. LA Clippers

Thomas & Mack

3:30 PM – San Antonio vs. Minnesota

5:30 PM – Phoenix vs. NBA D-League

7:30 PM – Memphis vs. Atlanta

Tuesday July 13

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Denver vs. Chicago

3 PM – Cleveland vs. NBA D-League

5 PM – Milwaukee vs. Memphis

7 PM – Portland vs. New Orleans

Thomas & Mack

3:30 PM – Houston vs. Toronto

5:30 PM – Sacramento vs. LA Lakers

7:30 PM – Golden State vs. Miami

Wednesday July 14

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Denver vs. Houston

3 PM – New York vs. Toronto

5 PM – LA Clippers vs. Chicago

7 PM – Sacramento vs. Minnesota

Thomas & Mack

3:30 PM – Atlanta vs. San Antonio

5:30 PM – Cleveland vs. Phoenix

7:30 PM – Detroit vs. Miami

Thursday July 15

COX Pavilion

1 PM – LA Lakers vs. San Antonio

3 PM – Golden State vs. Phoenix

5 PM – Washington vs. Dallas

7 PM – LA Clippers vs. Portland

Thomas & Mack

5:30 PM – Atlanta vs. Milwaukee

7:30 PM – NBA D-League vs. Memphis

Friday July 16

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Detroit vs. New York

3 PM – Toronto vs. Sacramento

5 PM – Washington vs. New Orleans

7 PM – Memphis vs. Minnesota

Thomas & Mack

5:30 PM – Cleveland vs. Chicago

7:30 PM – Milwaukee vs. Miami

Saturday July 17

COX Pavilion

1 PM – New York vs. Washington

3 PM – Miami vs. Cleveland

5 PM – LA Clippers vs. San Antonio

7 PM – Minnesota vs. Portland

Thomas & Mack

3:30 PM – Toronto vs. New Orleans

5:30 PM – Sacramento vs. Chicago

7:30 PM – NBA D-League vs. Atlanta

Sunday July 18

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Cleveland vs. Milwaukee

3 PM – Chicago vs. Portland

5 PM – Dallas vs. Sacramento

Thomas & Mack

1:30 PM – San Antonio vs. Memphis

3:30 PM – Atlanta vs. Minnesota

5:30 PM – LA Clippers vs. NBA D-League

SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

All Times listed are local Las Vegas time.

Down and Out..Again! (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Before the trade-deadline the Mavericks made a big trade getting Brendan Haywood, and Caron Butler costing owner Mark Cuban an extra $30 million. Two players that were brought in to add toughness, and the pieces they needed to defeat the Lakers. Unfortunately the Mavs might have been looking to far in the future and not concentrating on the team in front of them. Dirk was Dirk, 13 of 21 for 33 points. Butler had 25 points and rookie Rodrigue Beaubois was the only other player in double figures with 16 points. Mark Cuban once again has a long summer ahead of him. Mavs have had 10 seasons of at least 50 wins and only one trip to the Finals to show for it. In many ways the Mavs havent been the same since the Heat came back to beat them in the Finals 4 years ago.

(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

If I told you that the Phoenix Suns got 10 points, 6 assists and 7 turnovers from Steve Nash, and won the game you wouldn’t believe me. Well in Game 6 on Thursday night thats just what happened. The Suns got 28 points from jason Richardson and 22 from Amare Stoudemire in a series clinching win 99-90. Phoenix is 32-4 this season when Richardson scores at least 20 points. Both Phoenix and Portland attempted 23 threes, while the Suns(12) made just one more then the Blazers(11). Now two old playoff rivals face each other once against the Spurs and Suns face off in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Portland has never won a series that they have trailed 3-2. Portland scared the Sns in Game 1, but was unable to recapture the magic that help them win that game. Brandon Roy had 14 points for the Blazers in his first start of the series. Martell Webster had 19 points for Portland, which failed to advance out of the first round for the second straight year. C Greg Oden was at Portland’s shootaround earlier Thursday. The 7-foot former No. 1 draft pick broke his left kneecap and required season-ending surgery early in December. Oden addressed reporters during Thursday’s shootaround, saying he was not yet doing any court-related workouts

Photo by Brian A. Westerholt/Getty Images)

As disappointing as these Playoffs have been for the Bobcats the future is bright. Michael Jordan is the owner, they have a nice amount of cap space to get a needed point guard and Larry Brown said that he’ll only coach for Bobcats owner Michael Jordan. “I’m not coaching anywhere but Charlotte,” Brown said. “Now am I going to go home and talk to my wife and kids? I’ll be 70 years old with two young kids. Am I going to talk to them and find out what I need to do and am I going to talk to Michael? Yeah, absolutely.”

The Hawks and Bucks are giving each other fits, and rewarding the Orlando Magic tons of rest. The Hawks are the Eastern Conferences version of the Denver Nuggets, only they don’t have the coach excuse. “It’s very frustrating, man,” Johnson said. “We just don’t have the toughness. They are getting all the loose balls, all the big rebounds. We can’t get stops when we need to and it’s killing us.” Joe Johnson scored 29 points, Jamal Crawford had 21, and Smith had 20 points and nine rebounds. Winning at home is not going to be enough to beat Orlando in the next round…if they make it.

(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

When Carlos Delfino goes 6 for 8 from 3-point range, John Salmons, and Brandon Jennings go 15-15 from the free throw line, and score a combined 45 points, the other team loses. Milwaukee was 28 of 32 from the line after attempting 17 free throws or fewer in each of the first three games of the series.“I still feel like there’s no pressure on us,” Jennings said. “At the end of the day, everybody still expects us to lose the series.” The Bucks as good as they look at home have to carry this momentum to Atlanta where they have to win to advance. Series tied 2-2

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Suns-Blazers series is one that should never end. They should keep playing till Greg Oden, Joel Pryzbilla, and Robin Lopez all come back from injuries. Blazers were out rebounded 41-29, that includes 15 offensive rebounds from the Suns. Jared Dudley and Channing Frye combined for 8-14 shooting from deep. 55 bench points was also key in the Suns win. The Suns head to win Game 5 back at home, now a return to the Rose Garden where wins aren’t guaranteed.

The Blazers stared 9-0 then down 18-9, finishing way behind 107-88. The Blazers played the Suns’ game of quick jumpers and poor defense leading to 29 of 32 shooting from the free throw line for the Suns. Once again the Rose Garden will be amped up for Game 6 and will need a much better output from Nicolas Batum who had 3 points in Game 5.  Suns 3-2

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

The Bobcats are disappointing Michael Jordan and making him look bad in front of his girlfriend. The Magic on the other hand are impressing everyone.

In Game 3, the Magic once again played the majority of the game without their Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard. For some reason Dwight continues to set-up in the post with his arms high, ramming them into poor Tyson Chandlers face, and drawing offensive fouls. For the third straight game and two days after Orlando was assessed $70,000 in fines for complaining about the officiating, Howard played about half the game, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. The Magic haven’t looked shaken by the lose of Howard and instead have gotten amazing performances from Jameer Nelson, who finished with 32 points.

The only good news for Charlotte is the crowd of 19,596 was the largest to see the Bobcats in their 5-year-old arena.Magic 3-0

(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Big emotional boost for the Blazers from the return of Brandon Roy who had surgery eight days ago. He scored 10 points, including a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, and the Portland Trail Blazers evened their playoff series with the Phoenix Suns at two games apiece with a 96-87 victory on Saturday. “I just didn’t feel right sitting in the training room knowing that I could contribute — so I just had to keep begging coach,” Roy said afterward. McMillan said it was a “long, sleepless night” in deciding to play Roy, the team’s unquestioned leader. He even brought owner Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, in on the discussion.”All kinds of things went through my head, thinking about the risk of him reinjuring himself,” McMillan said. “But our doctors didn’t feel like Brandon could hurt himself.”

LaMarcus Aldridge was key with 31 points and 11 rebounds. I wish he and Amare Stoudemire who had 26 points, could just play one-on-one for the series. Back to Phoenix for Game 5! Series Tied 2-2

The Atlanta Hawks continue to play poorly on the road in the Playoffs. They rolled into the Bradley Center to face the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3, but left all the intensity back in Atlanta in the Highlight Factory. Josh Smith, who mentioned there was “nothing to do” in Milwaukee earlier this week, was mostly quiet with seven points and 12 rebounds.

The Bucks shot 68 percent in the first quarter and 51 percent for the game following a three-day layoff and were never seriously threatened after building a 19-point, first-half lead. Milwaukee led by as many as 28 in the fourth as the Hawks shot 39 percent for the game. Salmons had 22 points and 37 year-old Kurt Thomas led everyone in rebounds with 13. Hawks 2-1

(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 showed that they shed all the fear that was noticeable in the first three games. In the first 3 games the Thunder had averaged 17.7 points in the first quarter, that ballooned to 29 points. There field goal percentage went from 30% to 52.6%. The Thunder out rebounded the Lakers 50 to 43 and shot 42-48 free throws compared to 17-28 for the Lakers. Durant and Westbrook together had  40 points, outscoring Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum combined!

Kobe Bryant spent the majority of the first half trying to get his teammates going. He attempted his first shot with 9:06 in the 2nd quarter. The Thunder lead the Lakers in every stat category other then field goal percentage 41.5% to 40.8%. Game 5 is Tuesday back at the Staples Center, and the Lakers are once again letting the underdog shine, reminiscent of last years Rockets series. The team with the most bench points has won each game. Series tied 2-2

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

• No KG for the Celtics, no problem. Ray Allen shoots 7-9 from long range finishing with 25. The “Ticket Stub” Glen Davis fumbled to the rim for 23 points.
• Celtics have won the last three games they played against the Heat without Garnett.
• The Heat aren’t making a good case to keep Dwayne Wade in Miami. Every Heat player not named Dwayne shot 18-59! Wade finished with 29 points on 11-18 shooting.
• Boston outrebounded Miami 60-37
• In the first half the Heat had just one offensive rebound and took just four free throws while Boston tried 16. Celtics 2-0

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

• Grant Hill and Jason Richardson combined for 21-27 shooting for 49 points. They are a combined 66 in age.
• Steve Nash ad 13 points and 16 assists, 12 at the half.
• Suns have not lost two in a row since Jan. 26
• Blazers need a good dose of the Rose Garden to reclaim the magic from the first game. Marcus Camby blew easy layups and Andre Miller finished with 16 points after getting 31 in Game 1. Suns-1/Blazers-1

• Kobe seemed determine to put on a show, maybe it was the critics or his Dad sitting court side. Kobe had 39 points in a game the Lakers were trying to lose.
• Ron Artest’s defense on Kevin Durant was stellar once again, but he has to start making open jumpers, going 2-10 from the field with 5 points.
• Pau Gasol was nearly unstoppable with 25 points and 12 assists.
• Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 32 points and Russell Westbrook added 19, making all eight of his free throws.
• Thunder squandered points early on missed dunks, and layups. Heading home will be comforting but alas, the end is near for the Thunder. Lakers 2-0

• Phoenix and Portland came down to the last seconds in a game the Suns should have won, but played like it wasn’t the Playoffs. Andre Miller was too much for Steve Nash and the Portland defense was mightier then the 11 threes Phoenix made. Portland leads 1-0
• Phoenix needs Robin Lopez in a major way

My Main Man!! (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

• The Bobcats are a fun team to watch, mainly due to the personalities mixed together to make this team. Gerald Wallace had 10 more rebounds then Dwight Howard.
• Speaking of Dwight Howard, 5 points is UNACCEPTABLE! Howard did have 9 blocks, and Jameer Nelson’s 32 points was enough to get the Magic the win. Orlando leads 1-0

37! (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

• The Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki went 12-14 from the field and 12-12 FT  for 36 points.  Thats ridiculous, and sure Coach PoP wont let that happen again. Spurs are old, but are going to be the toughest out of any team in this years playoffs.
• For some reason George Hill started and finished with a big “0″. Tony Parker came off the bench with 18. Mavs lead 1-0

• Lakers too tall, and too veteran for Thunder. Artest did what he was brought to LA to do, and thats stop the best player on the opposing team. The question is can he continue to do that against Carmelo, then Dirk, then LeBron.
• Russell Westbrook purchased the casket for Derek Fishers career. Lakers lead 1-0

2010 NBA Playoffs Bracket