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It’s hard to imagine that the oldest man in the league was once considered fragile. There’s no great secret to longevity, Thomas says. He credits God, luck and yoga—in that order. When he arrived in Portland, Thomas sought out perennially injured top pick Greg Oden, another big man plagued with lower-body injuries. Thomas relates all too well. “I’m pretty sure he’s beat himself up going through it,” he says. “I know I did. But he’ll get another opportunity.” Willamette Week

Portland Trail Blazers, Kurt Thomas, Greg Oden 

Whether Thomas will get another opportunity is anyone’s guess. With a year left on his contract, the veteran faces the possibility of spending an entire season as a mentor without taking off his warm-up pants. He is tight-lipped but clearly troubled by the prospect. “I’ve always played,” he says simply. Willamette Week

Portland Trail Blazers, Kurt Thomas 

Chris Haynes: Kurt Thomas is out with concussion tonight. He says he didn't really come to until the Blazers arrived back home from Denver. Kurt Thomas said he has went through a series of test and passed. Says he's waiting for clearance now. Kurt Thomas said he hasn't never had a concussion before. Says he didn't remember what happened. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Kurt Thomas, Injuries 

If the Kings wanted to look after Cousins' best interests they would find a way to get him to Portland so he could be around Kurt Thomas, the steadying locker-room presence on the ninth stop on his 17-year NBA journey. "This is a business," is what Thomas said he would tell Cousins. "You're not playing for just one team, you're playing for the 29 other teams. You've got to keep playing, keep your head. A lot of guys think it's all show. You've got to keep your head." ESPN.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Trade, DeMarcus Cousins, Kurt Thomas 

Joel Przybilla has been rumored to be an option for the Blazers before they added two veteran big men in Kurt Thomas and Craig Smith. At this time, Buchanan says Przybilla is not a point of focus. He's not an option right now” Buchanan said. “Obviously our stance can change if something comes up at the last minute, but we're not pursuing anything at this moment.” CSNNW.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Craig Smith, Joel Przybilla 

Ben Golliver: Blazers F Kurt Thomas tells me his two year deal is for veteran's minimum and second year is only partially guaranteed. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas 

Marc Stein: Frontcourt enforcer Kurt Thomas, I'm strongly told, headed to Portland on two-year deal. Blazermaniacs deserve some good news Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas 

Kurt Thomas, the oldest player in the NBA, has signed a two-year deal with the Trail Blazers, interim general manager Chad Buchanan said Sunday morning. Thomas, 39, has played 16 NBA seasons, including 52 games last season with Chicago. The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward/center is expected to be the Blazers backup to power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and center Marcus Camby. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas 

Jason Quick: Blazers search for a free agent big man narrowing in on 3 candidates: Reggie Evans, Kurt Thomas or Josh McRoberts. Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Reggie Evans, Josh McRoberts 

Aggrey Sam: Source: Keith Bogans' return may or may not happen (helpful, I know). Kurt Thomas wants to be back, but also fielding POR/MIA/DAL offers Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Keith Bogans 

The Bulls continue to express confidence they'll be able to re-sign veteran big man Kurt Thomas. And NBA.com reported they are one of four finalists for veteran Grant Hill, though Hill is widely expected to re-sign with the Suns. A source close to Hill said beyond the attraction of playing for a title contender in a defensive-minded system, Hill was impressed when Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf called him and his mother last April after a United Center fan cursed and spat at him following a game. Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Jerry Reinsdorf, Grant Hill 

The Post has learned Knicks assistant GM Allan Houston spoke with Kurt Thomas yesterday and had “a good conversation.’’ The Bulls are interested in re-signing Thomas, and the Heat and Celtics are also involved. In the Knicks’ favor with Hill is the Suns are shifting into rebuilding mode, reportedly planning to waive Vince Carter. Hill may instead want the challenge of playing in New York for an Eastern Conference contender. New York Post

New York Knicks, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas 

The Knicks also like center Aaron Gray but feel he’ll likely accept a multi-year offer. The club is concerned Kurt Thomas prefers Chicago because the Bulls are perceived to be closer to winning a championship. New York Post

Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Aaron Gray 

The Knicks would like to add another veteran defensive center to start and are waiting on the likes of Kurt Thomas, Aaron Gray and Jeff Foster. There has been a terrific amount of debate in the organization on Kwame Brown, but an NBA source says they’ve lost interest despite an initial push. New York Post

New York Knicks, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Kwame Brown, Aaron Gray, Jeff Foster 

Warriors sources said they have evaluated all of those centers, but they may not have enough salary-cap space for one of the bigger-name guys. Even if they use the amnesty clause (which allows a team to cut a player without a salary cap hit) on Charlie Bell, they'll have about $10 million to parse between a center and a big guard - the team's top two offseason priorities. Of course, the Warriors would love to get in on the trade sweepstakes for Orlando center Dwight Howard, who is set to become a free agent in 2012. But Magic executives have shown no interest in the Warriors' offers, team sources said. That could leave the Warriors looking at second-tier centers from a second-tier free-agent class. Less than inspiring names like Jarron or Jason Collins, Joel Przybilla or Kurt Thomas might be the most realistic. San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, Free Agency, Trade, Kurt Thomas, Dwight Howard, Jason Collins, Joel Przybilla 

The Bulls continued Wednesday to cast a wide net, contacting representatives for Caron Butler, Grant Hill, Shane Battier, Kurt Thomas, Jamal Crawford, Josh Howard, T.J. Ford, Keith Bogans and several others. Because no deals can be signed until Dec. 9, Wednesday marked a day for all teams to start gauging the market and seeing what options and interest exists. The Bulls appear to be attempting to upgrade at shooting guard while expressing interest in bringing Bogans back with his $1.73 million option, likely in a reserve role. Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Josh Howard, Keith Bogans, Caron Butler, Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill, Shane Battier 

Frank Isola: Knicks reached out to agents for Jeff Foster, Grant Hill, Caron Butler, Kurt Thomas, Jared Jeffries and Shawne Williams...just to name a few Twitter

Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Shawne Williams, Caron Butler, Jeff Foster, Jared Jeffries, Grant Hill 

Kurt Thomas, Kwame Brown, Aaron Gray, Tony Battie and Theo Ratliff also are on the Knicks’ wish list. But in this condensed free-agency period and camp, the club probably will re-sign Jared Jeffries, who knows the system well despite his lack of impact late last season. New York Post

New York Knicks, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Kwame Brown, Aaron Gray, Tony Battie, Theo Ratliff, Jared Jeffries 

Jerry Hicks, representative for free agent center Kurt Thomas, said his client is playing now solely to win a championship and feels the Bulls are closer to that goal than the Knicks. “Kurt thinks Chicago has the pieces to win a championship,’’ Hicks told The Post. “And that’s the only reason Kurt is still playing — to win a championship. The Bulls have those pieces. Are the Knicks there? Do they have all the pieces? I don’t know.’’ New York Post

Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas 

The Knicks have a modest center wish list — considering they only want to offer one-year deals — with Kurt Thomas, Kwame Brown, Tony Battie, Theo Ratliff and Aaron Gray. New York Post

New York Knicks, Free Agency, Kurt Thomas, Kwame Brown, Aaron Gray, Tony Battie, Theo Ratliff