Free agent small forward Scott Padgett plans to rejoin the Houston Rockets in a one-year contract, according to a Houston television KRIV broadcast report.

The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent guard Jay Williams, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today.  As per club policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Originally drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Williams averaged 9.5 points, 4.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.15 steals in 75 contests during the 2002-03 season.  Following his rookie campaign, in which he was named to the NBA?s All-Rookie Second Team, Williams sustained severe leg and hip injuries in a motorcycle accident and has not appeared in an NBA contest since.

The 6-2 Williams spent three seasons at Duke (?00-?02) where he helped lead the Blue Devils to a NCAA men?s basketball championship in 2001 and was named the Wooden award winner in 2002.

The New Jersey Nets have signed Arizona guard Hassan Adams, the team?s second round draft pick (54th overall) in the recent 2006 NBA Draft, Nets President Rod Thorn announced today.  As per club policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

?Hassan is an aggressive player who runs the floor well,? said Thorn. ?He will provide needed athleticism and versatility off the bench."

The Nets have instructed Jeff McInnis not to report to camp, but the Heat have inquired about the point guard, according to the Miami Herald.

It appears as though he would only be brought into Miami if he was released.

The Nets are heading to Times Square; not literally, but in the form of a 70-by-45-foot billboard featuring Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson will hang from the side of a movie multiplex and face Eighth Avenue, just off West 42nd Street, by Friday.

The billboard?s slogan reads ?The Hottest Show in Town ... Just 15 Minutes Off Broadway.?

Whenever Vince Carter wants to discuss his contract, the New Jersey Nets are ready to listen.

While under contract for the next two seasons, Carter can opt out of his current deal after the upcoming season. Should he decide to stay, the All-Star guard will be paid $16 million for the 2007-08 season.

"Any conversation I've had with him, he's been very consistent that he doesn't think about it," team president Rod Thorn said Tuesday, a week before the opening of training camp. "He doesn't want it to be an issue this year. When the appropriate time comes, we'll address it."

Since July, Jay Williams has been working out every day at the Nets practice facility. His routine includes a mixture of martial arts training and running exercises to improve his speed and movement in the morning. The afternoon is spent with Head Coach Lawrence Frank and his coaching staff on shooting and basketball drills.

?He has an unbelievable drive, determination and will to succeed,? Coach Frank said about Williams. ?Guys like that you want to see succeed because they deserve it. Physically and mentally, he can still play in the NBA.?

Bill Cartwright, Williams? former head coach in Chicago and current Nets assistant coach, has seen major improvements in his game since his rookie season.

?We had him when he first came out of college and he was still learning the subtleties of changing speeds and playing against bigger and faster guys,? Cartwright said. ?Where he has really improved is his shooting. His shooting is much better, his decision-making is better. He is a smarter player now.?

When training camp opens for the Nets on October 3rd, Williams is expected to be one of handful of non-roster invitees. With New Jersey already having 15 players under contract ? the maximum number allowed by the NBA ? Williams faces an uphill battle.

Despite expecting to be in a new arena in Brooklyn, N.Y., for the 2009-10 season, the Nets agreed to extend their lease at the Continental Airlines Arena for five years.

The extension would allow the Nets to continue playing at the Meadowlands arena through the 2012-13 season, Nets chief executive Brett Yourmark said Monday.

Nenad Krstic wants to help Mile Ilic, be a mentor to him the way Zoran Planinic was to Krstic when he first arrived with the Nets. Planinic helped Krstic get accustomed to America and the NBA, helped him understand what Lawrence Frank was saying in practice. Krstic was a quick learner. Maybe Ilic, 22, will be too, with Krstic's help.

"I'm here," Krstic said. "I can translate for him during a practice. I know how I felt. When I came here, I didn't understand anything. I had Z here. When I look at him, I look at me three years ago."

GM Ed Stefanski called Ilic a "stone-cold" center. The No. 43 pick in 2005 draft is a better shot blocker than Krstic. Ilic is good inside, has a jump hook that the Nets like and can pass. But physically, the Nets don't believe Ilic is ready to pound with the NBA centers.

"When we drafted Mile, we saw a kid who obviously has the size, his body wasn't there and it still isn't there, but we're very encouraged," Stefanski said. "Since we drafted him he put 20 pounds on. So he's weighing in at 252 from 232."

But that's not enough.

"He will only make it in the league," Stefanski said, "if he works real hard getting his body in better shape."

Hassan Adams will likely be the final player signed by the Nets, as his contract will probably be completed sometime next week -- or as soon as his foot problem allows him to take a physical.