Scola excited about chance with Phoenix

Luis Scola played five years for the Houston Rockets. ASSOCIATED PRESS

Luis Scola wasn’t particularly surprised when the Houston Rockets designated him as their amnesty player. He already knew they were going to go in a different direction.

What did catch him off-guard was the team that had the winning bid for his services.

While numerous teams were interested in Scola, the Phoenix Suns came from seemingly nowhere and snatched up the rugged forward, adding to their increasingly crowded frontcourt.

“I kind of knew I was going to be playing somewhere else,” Scola said Tuesday. “And when I found out it was Phoenix, I was a little surprised because there was a lot of talking with a lot of other teams that were supposedly going to bid. I didn’t really expect anything from Phoenix, and when they called me, I was a little bit surprised.”

Scola originally was drafted by the Spurs, who later traded his rights to the Rockets. He was a steady player in five seasons in Houston, providing solid scoring, good rebounding and plenty of scrappiness. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 15.5 points and 6.4 rebounds last season, but Houston used its amnesty clause to clear salary cap space.

Wizards waive Blatche: Washington waived Andray Blatche, designating him as the team’s amnesty player.

The move enables the Wizards to remove the $23 million remaining on Blatche’s contract from their salary cap after he failed to live up to expectations and dealt with a series of off-court incidents.

Nets re-sign Humphries: Brooklyn continued its offseason barrage of signings, agreeing to a new, two-year deal with power forward Kris Humphries.

Humphries, 27, averaged 13.8 points and 11.0 rebounds for the team in New Jersey last season.

NBA free agent sweepstakes begin

The NBA’s free agent sweepstakes have begun, and we already have proof why, no matter what restrictions and penalties it puts in place, the league will never be able to complete protect owners from themselves:

Minnesota has – the same Batum who averaged 13.9 points per game last season for the Trail Blazers and has never showed signs of being more than a good role player – a four-year deal that would roughly quintuple his annual salary north of $10 million.

And so it went on opening day, with teams wasting little time in rushing to spend – or, some cases, squander – their hard-earned cap space.

As it was with the draft, it would appear to be a relatively uneventful period for the Spurs.

Franchise legend Tim Duncan is a formality to re-sign, role players Daniel Green and Patty Mills are both restricted, and Boris Diaw has lost enough battles with croissants over the years to make any team leery about throwing major dollars his way despite his solid contributions to the Spurs after his late-season addition.

Any additions will likely be of the nickel-and-dime variety, as has been the Spurs’ penchant over the years. Various reports have identified past-their-primers like Utah small forward Josh Howard and Toronto point guard Jose Calderon as potential targets.

With the perimeter seemingly in solid shape, reserve bigs like Greg Stiemsma (Boston, restricted), Marcus Camby (Houston, unrestricted) or Reggie Evans (L.A. Clippers, unrestricted) could be economical pickups worth exploring.

A handy list of all the available players can be found .

Elsewhere around the league:

* Indiana All-Star center and restricted free agent Roy Hibbert has reportedly (4 years, $58 million) from Portland and at least one other team.

* Toronto will reportedly at longtime Phoenix cornerstone Steve Nash in an attempt to lure him back home to Canada.

* With for multiple years, Boston will try to for the services of aging sharp shooter Ray Allen.

* Los Angeles Clipper forward Blake Griffin is , while teammate Chris Paul turned one down in the hopes of landing a richer deal next year.

* to deal the grossly overpaid Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets, where he could join Dwight Howard, who – predictably – has renewed his trade demands.

Potent picks past No. 50

Owning only the No. 59 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft, the Spurs aren’t expecting to add an immediate impact rookie. In reality, odds are good whoever’s name deputy commissioner Adam Silver calls second-to-last in Newark, N.J., will struggle simply to make the Spurs’ roster.

Yet the late second round is not always fallow ground, and the Spurs need only to look at their own draft history for proof. In 1999, they drafted an unknown Argentine guard named Emanuel Ginobili at No. 57. Express-News staff writer Jeff McDonald combs the archives for other “50-and-over” players who might offer the Spurs a bit of draft-night hope:

Anthony Mason

Selected: 53rd overall (third round) by Portland in 1988

The payoff: Bruising forward eventually developed into a key component of playoff teams in New York, Charlotte and Miami, winning NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1993-94, making the All-Star team in 2001 and being named third-team All-NBA in 1996-97.

Michael Adams

Selected: 66th overall (third round) by Sacramento in 1985

The payoff: Diminutive guard went on to become one of NBA’s most lethal scorers in Denver, averaging a career high of 26.5 points in 1990-91. Twice led the NBA in 3-pointers and made one All-Star team in 1992.

Mark Eaton

Selected: 72nd overall (fourth round) by Utah in 1982

The payoff: The 7-foot-4 center led the league in blocked shots in four of his 10 seasons, won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and made one All-Star appearance.

Drazen Petrovic

Selected: 60th overall (third round) by Portland in 1986

The payoff: In a prelude to the overseas invasion to come, Petrovic enjoyed his best years in New Jersey, where he averaged 20-plus points in back-to-back seasons and earned All-NBA recognition in 1992-93 before his death in a car accident.

Steve Kerr

Selected: 50th overall by Phoenix in 1988

The payoff: The NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter in history had a hand in five championships, including two with the Spurs.

Mario Elie

Selected: 160th overall (seventh round) by Milwaukee in 1985

The payoff: Pugnacious swingman lasted 11 NBA seasons and won three NBA titles, two with Houston and one with the Spurs.

Luis Scola

Selected: 55th overall by Spurs in 2002

The payoff: Long considered the one who got away for Spurs fans, Ginobili’s teammate on the Argentine national team developed into a steady starter in Houston. In 2010-11, averaged 20.2 points and nine rebounds.

Marcin Gortat

Selected: 57th by Phoenix in 2005

The payoff: Traded on draft day to Orlando, where he spent three seasons backing up Dwight Howard. Broke out after return to Suns in 2010, averaging a double-double (15.4 points, 10 rebounds) this past season.

Isaiah Thomas

Selected: 60th by Sacramento in 2011

The payoff: Last year’s Mr. Irrelevant was anything but, averaging 14.2 points and 5.2 assists for the Kings after the All-Star break to garner a second-team All-Rookie mention.

Sarunas Marciulionis

Selected: 127th overall (sixth round) by Golden State in 1987

The payoff: Became sixth man for high-scoring Warriors teams of the early 1990s, averaging a career high of 18.9 points in 1991-92.

Sam Mitchell

Selected: 54th overall (third round) by Houston in 1985

The payoff: Forward spent 10 of 13 NBA seasons with the Timberwolves, averaging 14.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 1990-91.

Spud Webb

Selected: 87th overall (fourth round) by Detroit in 1985

The payoff: The 5-6 Lilliputian lasted 13 seasons, averaging a high of 16 points with Sacramento in 1991-92. Memorably won 1986 slam dunk contest while with the Hawks.

Kyle Korver

Selected: 51st overall by New Jersey in 2003

The payoff: Has long been one of league’s deadliest 3-point shooters, leading NBA in long balls made in 2004-05 and percentage in 2009-10.

Patty Mills

Selected: 55th overall by Portland in 2009

The payoff: Still to come, perhaps. Hooked on with Spurs as backup point guard late in 2011-12 and finished with 61 points in final two regular-season games.