Mark Blount

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Mark Blount (born November 30, 1975 in Yonkers, New York) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Blount played his collegiate basketball at the University of Pittsburgh before being drafted 55th overall in the 1997 NBA Draft.

Blount is a 7'0" (2.13 m) tall center and weighs 250 lb (113 kg). He was first signed by the Boston Celtics as a free agent on August 1, 2000 and led the team with 76 blocks that season, the most by a Celtics rookie since Kevin McHale in 1980-81.

During the 2003-04 NBA season, Blount emerged as a dependable center; putting up 10.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.29 blocks per game in 29.3 minutes per game. He had a 28 point, 21 rebound game vs. the Orlando Magic on March 1, 2004. After being rewarded with a lucrative contract in the following offseason, Blount's performance decreased. His poor defense and rebounding, along with his tendency to turn the ball over led to criticism concerning a perceived "lack of heart" on his part.

On January 26, 2006, it was announced that Blount, Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed, and two conditional second-round draft picks were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, and a conditional first-round draft pick.

Despite playing the center position, Blount is more effective when utilizing his reliable mid-range jump shot than as a true post player.

[edit] External link

• NBA.com Profile - Mark Blount