Late Thursday afternoon, John Lucas tweeted his congratulations to Andray Blatche for signing with the Nets. Lucas who's served as Lucas' mentor this off-season tweeted, "Congrats to @drayblatche for signing with the @brooklynnets!" The message was retweeted by Marc Stein, among others.

Fred Kerber had reported earlier in the day that the Nets expected to sign Blatche, the 6'11" center-power forward, to a non-guaranteed, one-year deal later Thursday or Friday. Blatche himself tweeted that he was "departing", apparently a reference to Houston, where he had spent the summer with Lucas. Lucas has specialized in rehabilitating NBA players' careers.

• On a minimum contract, Andray Blatche is worth the risk - Zach Lowe - Sports Illustrated