B'klyn Nets: Flatbush Fails To Claim Share Of Atlantic Division Lead

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS - Houston's James Harden Provided The Insanity At Barclays Center.  Jeremy Lin Did Little.

Nets Fail To Capitalize On Knicks Loss To Toronto Raptors.

Remain One Game Out Of First Place.

 

 

FINAL

Rockets  96

NETS     86

The Nets roster remained in tact, and will move forward as they were.  Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks are still on the team which means Billy King couldn't acquire anyone at the trade deadline to help alleviate Deron Williams' burden, or pain.  The team's overall poor outside shooting went unaddressed as well.  Moving forward, P.J. said Deron Williams will be hobbled by ankle problems the rest of the season.  On Friday night, Joe Johnson was scratched due to an injured heel.


Without Joe Jo on the floor, the Nets shot 49% from the floor in the first half against LINsanity and the visiting Houston Rockets.  After two quarters, Brook Lopez was 7 of 12 with fifteen points.  Deron was 4 of 8, with ten points and four assists.  Only problem, the Rockets shot 58.1% from the field in the first half.  Jeremy Lin had five assists and Chandler Parsons led the Rockets with ten points.  Houston took an eight point, 61-53 lead into the half.


Seven and a half minutes into the third quarter, the Nets tied Houston 64-64.  At 5:38, Brook Lopez tied the game again at 68-68 with a floater in the lane.  With 3:37 left in the third quarter, P.J. called a time out with his team down by a 73-68 margin.  A turnover by Lopez was converted at the other end for a 75-71 Houston lead.  But Lopez came back and dropped a deuce to make it a 75-73 game with 2:00 left.  After Deron Williams lofted a brick, James Harden made it a five point game.  Then Deron heaved another brick, and Harden hit again, making it an 83-75 game.  It was only natural then, James Harden appropriately closed out the quarter hitting one of two shots from the line.  The buzzer sounded with the Rockets holding an 84-75 lead.


A minute into the fourth quarter, the Rockets were up by twelve.  At 10:25, Houston buried their fourteenth three-pointer of the game to cap a 15-0 run.  Houston was 58% from three point land at that point, and shooting 54.7% from within the arch.  Brooklyn's FG% was dropping, and lay at a 43.7% mark.  By 8:10, the Nets had closed within ten points.  Andray Blatche stormed the lane and dunked at 7:54 to make it an eight point game.  He then put up an air ball and came up with a steal.  Brooklyn went on a 9-0 run and closed within 92-87 with 5:00 to go.  At the other end, James Harden pushed the ball hard on Bogans, got a friendly rim, and the foul, to make it a 95-87 game.  Mirza Teletovic nailed a trey from the left corner to get the Nets within three points with 3:37 left.  Teletovic then turned on the ultra-hustle, diving and fighting for a loose ball - and got kicked in the head to boot.  In fact, he was having a fine quarter pulling down defensive rebounds and giving the Nets possessions.  Keith Bogans missed a three point attempt with 2:10 left.  But Houston's Carlos Delfino would knock one down to make it a six point game.  Then Carlos Delfino did it again with another two.  At 0:39, James Harden pushed the stake through Brooklyn's heart.  He buried a three point shot, and got the foul, putting Houston ahead by a 105-96 score.  After he made his free throw, this game ended in a 96-86 final.  The Nets lost by ten.


In the  end, it was James Harden who provided the insanity for Houston; not Jeremy Lin.  Harden finished with twenty two points; fourteen in the second half; and none bigger than his points in the closing two minutes.  Jeremy Lin was limited to nine points, and handed out a team high six assists.  Houston shot 53.2% from the field, and 52.3% from beyond the arch.  They hit 16/30 three pointers.  The Nets only hit 10/30 three point shots for 33.3%, and ended 44% from the field.


Brook Lopez finished with twenty seven points and six rebounds.  Hobbled by both ankles, Deron Williams scored fifteen points and led all players with thirteen assists.  Reggie Evans led all players with thirteen rebounds.  Mirza Teletovic had a nice night off the bench with twelve points and five important rebounds in the fourth quarter.


Friday night offered Brooklyn an opportunity to tie the Knicks for first place in the Atlantic Division.  Up in Toronto, the Knicks had their troubles.  They lost 100-98 to the Raptors.  Instead, the Nets will end the night the way they started, with no new faces on the roster, and one game behind the Knicks for first place in the Atlantic standings.



Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Need Bigger Hook Than Humphries To Catch Josh Smith

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS - May Not Have Enough To Get A Deal Done....With Anybody.

NBA TRADE DEADLINE - 3pm THURSDAY


Nets Sweep Home and Home Versus Milwaukee:
Tuesday Final - The Shots Heard 'Round The Borough
Wednesday Final - Nets Pull Within One Game Of First Place

Let us not kick Billy King on this one.  Last summer, Kris Humphries needed to be signed at the time.  Coming off last season, Humph was looking like a good fit on the Nets.  Problem was, prior to this season, he was a good enough player on a very bad team.  With minutes coming his way and Deron Williams feeding him the ball, he put together an enticing season in Brook Lopez' absence.  As a new free agent, Billy King rewarded him with a two year $24 million dollar contract, mostly out of necessity.  Presently, Kris Humphries is struggling this season to carve out a niche for himself with options such as Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans on the Nets bench.  Now, the GM is trying everything possible to move him, and his contract, before today's 3pm trade deadline.


The Nets need someone who can hit the outside shot with consistency.  Billy King is trying to package Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and perhaps a number one draft pick to anyone who will listen.  That's the best the Brooks can do without disrupting the greater team.  The biggest rumor surrounds Atlanta's Josh Smith.  Apparently, the Hawks are motivated to part with Smith.  Problem is, the Hawk's GM is said to want nothing to do with Kris Humphries.  Both players are in the last year of their respective deals, and make similar money.  They both play the forward position.  But the Hawks perhaps seem to be looking for someone they can retain, and not Humph, with phantom numbers and his expiring contract.  In his ninth season, Josh Smith averages a career 15.2 points per game.  In his last seven seasons, he is averaging 16.7 ppg.  He is a career 46% shooter as well, which is precisely what the Nets need.  Smith will not turn twenty-eight years old until December.


Kris Humphries just turned twenty-eight years old this month.  Prior to signing his current deal, he averaged a double-double in two previous seasons.  In 2011-2012, he averaged 13.8 ppg, and eleven rebounds.  Kris is mentioned in a second trade rumor involving Boston's Paul Pierce.  Similarly, Boston is interested in Atlanta's Josh Smith with Paul Pierce as the hook.


Unless any team is willing to accept Kris Humphries as part of a trade, and barring anything relatively minor, it appears as if the Nets will be standing pat this afternoon.  The Dwight Howard to Brooklyn rumors seems all but dead now.  However, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith continues to say the deal could still go down.



Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Pull Within One Game Of First Place

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS - Sweep Home and Home from Bucks.

FIRST PLACE IS JUST A GAME AWAY

Like night and day - or in this case, from night to night, or like I said the other day - from quarter to quarter, the Brooklyn Nets were stricken for portions of the game by a bad case of poor shooting percentage, out in cold Milwaukee.  Then like flicking a switch, they turn it on.


Half way through the third quarter, the Nets were behind by ten points.  They were trailing 64-54, and shooting 33% from the floor.  Brook Lopez was only 3/13 shooting.  Deron Williams and C.J Watson were keeping things respectable.  Deron had twelve points and five assists to that point.  And C.J. Watson had eleven points off the bench.  Meanwhile, Milwaukee was launching shots with a 58% rate of success.  The Bucks were out-scoring the Nets in fast break points by a 21-6 margin, and out-scoring Brooklyn 30-16 in the paint.  The Nets were getting out-rebounded, and the Bucks handed out more assists.  For a second consecutive night, Brandon Jennings was leading all scorers.


Brooklyn made a series of defensive stops, and Crash actually scored a pair on transition during a 9-2 Brooklyn run, which closed the Nets gap to five points, in a 66-61 game and 3:40 to play in the third quarter.  At 3:07, Brandon Jennings buried his twenty sixth point of the evening making the score 71-61, and giving Milwaukee a ten point lead again.  From that point, Brandon Jennings would not score again until there were less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter.  The third quarter ended with the Nets behind by a 76-68 score.


At 10:46 of the fourth quarter, Marshon Brooks nailed a big three which brought the Nets within one point.  At the 10:00 mark, Brooklyn enjoyed its first lead; 77-76; since very early in the first quarter.  A pair of Marshon Brooks free throws made the score 79-76 Nets.  The Nets shooting improved to 42% in the second half.  And the Nets started to flex themselves on the defensive boards.  By the seven minute mark, the Nets were up to 52% shooting from the floor.


After Milwaukee tied the game at 81-81 all, Kieth Bogans nailed a huge three-pointer at the 5:40 mark.  Kris Humphries soon followed with a mid-range jumper, drew a foul, and converted the three point play to put Brooklyn ahead by an 87-81 score.  The Nets had played the previous three and a half minutes with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez on the bench.  And speaking of the bench, by the 2:50 mark of the fourth quarter, they had amassed forty five on their forty seven points of the night.  As Brooklyn kept up their defensive rebounding, Andray Blatche Blatche was busy putting the Nets ahead by an 89-81 mark.


Deron returned to the floor and hit a trey at the 1:50 mark, making the score 94-83 Nets.  A couple of turnovers and lapses in defense made P.J. Carlesimo call for a time out.  With 0:32 seconds left, the Nets were still clinging to a 94-92 lead.  C.J. Watson drove the lane with 15.5 seconds left and scored two huge points for a 96-92 lead.


With 4.4 seconds left, the Nets nearly blew an in-bounds pass to Deron Williams.  The Nets maintained possession, and with 3.4 seconds left, Milwaukee fouled and sent Williams to the line.  But Deron only made one of two free throws, leaving the door open for the Bucks in what was then a 97-94 game.  Incredulously, Deron Williams was called for a questionable foul on a three point attempt.  But Milwaukee's Monta Ellis missed all three free throws, and Brooklyn rebounded the last shot to secure a three point win.


In the end, it was Milwaukee's shooters that went cold in the fourth quarter.  At one point, they were 2 of 16 from the field.  The Nets pulled themselves together, and finished shooting an even 40% for the game.  The Nets swept both games of the home and home.


Deron Williams led the Nets with twenty three points and eight assists.  He was 7/16 from the field.  C.J. Watson was big off the bench with seventeen points.  Andray Blatche posted a double-double with twelve points and twelve rebounds.  On the night after toasting the Bucks, not once, but twice, with last second shots, Joe Johnson was limited to eight points on this night.


The Nets are winners of their last four in a row.  They now sport a 33-22 record this season.  The Brooklyn Nets are now just one game behind the Knicks for first place of the Atlantic Division.  The Knicks by the way, got crushed by the Indiana Pacers by a 125-91 score.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Half Way Through Borough's Inaugural NBA Season

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS - First Half Report:

Forty One Games Of Sizzle, Sputter, Streaks and Struggles

Game Summary: Flatbush Knots Season Series Against Knicks

That's it.  That's all you get.  The 2012-2013 intra-city rivalry against the Knicks is over.  Let's hear it for the schedule makers.  If the deities of basketball will it, perhaps the Nets and Knicks will meet up in the playoffs.


Year one in the Battle of the Boroughs goes to.....  It's a tie.  Not only was the first ever meeting between Brooklyn and Manhattan supposed to take place on November 1st, their game was also  supposed to open up the 2012-2013 regular season.  But Hurricane Sandy had other ideas.  The first showdown would have to wait.  Eventually they did meet, on November 26th at Barclays Center.  In the first meeting between the two, Brooklyn came out victorious in a 96-89 overtime thriller.  When they met again on December 11th for the second time at Barclays, it was the Knicks who came away winning on a last second shot in a 100-97 chiller.  Just eight days later, in Brooklyn's first game at Madison Square Garden, Manhattan flexed.  The establishment came down on the Nets with a heavy hand during a lop-sided 100-86 lesson.  Then on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Nets evened the series by defeating the Knicks 88-85, in their second visit to the Garden.


The Nets are now half way into their inaugural season in the Borough of Kings.  Forty one games have been played.  They own a 25-16 record, good for second place and just one game behind the first place Knicks in the Atlantic Division standings.  The Nets also have a division best 9-3 record against their Atlantic foes.  They are one of five Eastern Conference teams playing above a .600 win percentage.  The Brooks currently rank fourth in the conference.  They are tied with the Bulls for most conference wins.  In twenty three games at Barclays Center, the Nets own a 16-7 mark.  They are playing .500 on the road, with a 9-9 record.


Brooklyn's inaugural season in the NBA commenced with an 11-4 record in November.  The month was highlighted by two wins over the Celtics, a win over the Clippers, and Brooklyn's first victory in the Battle of the Boroughs over the Knicks.


But that didn't translate into good times in December.  An injury to Brook Lopez, an overall lack of cohesion, bowing down to stiffer competition, and a pink slip for Avery Johnson marred the month, and even soured the mood around downtown Brooklyn.  In a reversal of fortunes, the Nets struggled to a 5-11 record in December.  Speculation started running rampant accusing the Nets of not being able to beat teams with winning records.  The numbers were starting to bear that out.  Through two full months, the Nets only compiled a 4-13 record versus teams playing above the .500 level.  Meanwhile, twelve of their sixteen wins to this point came against sub .500 teams.  The list of good teams to defeat the Nets grew by the day - Heat, Thunder, Warriors, Bucks, Knicks, Bulls, Jazz, Celtics, and Spurs.


On Christmas Day, the Nets put forth four brutal quarters in their third encounter versus Boston.  The Celtics handed Brooklyn a most embarrassing defeat - one that inspired changes.  When the Nets followed up the Celtics loss with yet another pitiful effort against the Milwaukee Bucks, those changes came post haste.  Because November's start became a distant memory, and the loss against the Bucks dropped the Nets to 14-14, the Nets owner felt compelled to make a change himself.  After twenty eight games into Brooklyn's inaugural season, Mikhail Prokhorov dismissed Avery Johnson as head coach.  It was reported GM Billy King tried lobbying on Avery Johnson's behalf, but to no avail.  P.J. Carlesimo was promoted from the staff, and named interim coach of the Nets.


Since then, the Brooklyn Nets have been on fire.  The Nets won their first two games under P.J. but dropped game three in San Antonio to end the 2012 calendar year.


So far, it has been a Happy New Year on Flatbush Avenue.  The Nets opened 2013 with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Then proceeded to win their next six games, marked by additional victories over the Pacers, Hawks, and the New York Knicks.  The Nets have lost once in January, and are now 11-2 under coach P.J. Carlesimo.


With a very noticeable improvement in their overall play under P.J., it has become clear to many the Nets stopped responding to former coach Avery Johnson.  The most notable differences have come from Deron Williams and Kris Humphries.  Coach Johnson's dismissal came uncomfortably soon after Williams expressed his issues with Avery Johnson's system to the media.  However, Deron Williams did not escape some mild criticism, as he was also widely rumored to have been at the root of Jerry Sloan's firing in Utah as well.  Kris Humphries was nursing a sprained ankle in December.  But even more troubling to his performance was his inability to escape Avery Johnson's dog house.  But he is out now.  And against the Knicks Monday afternoon, he flourished.


Overall, the ageless one Jerry Stackhouse, Marshon Brooks, C.J. Watson, and Keith Bogans have been very good off the bench.  But extra mention should be made for Andray Blatch and Reggie Evans.  Despite being questioned involving a hotel incident, Blatch has been making the most of a second chance after being jettisoned by the Wizards.  By the end of the season, he could conceivably play himself into contention for the NBA's 6th Man award.  Reggie Evans has been tremendous on the boards this season.


If you're asking me, this most recent win over the Knicks was Joe Johnson's signature game since joining the Brooklyn Nets.  He is averaging 17.4 points per game, and seems to be just getting started.  He is exerting himself more, as he and Deron Williams continue working together.  If you remember, there was much hype surrounding Billy King's newly formed, Brooklyn Backcourt.  But Deron Williams continues to be a very interesting case study.  He has been streaky, and is not quite playing up to the level he exhibited in Utah with the Jazz.


The biggest difference maker on the Nets has no doubt been a healthy Brook Lopez.  Almost two years of having to deal with Dwight Howard rumors would have broken a lesser man.  But Brook Lopez responded this season by, so far, becoming the NBA's top scoring center.


Every player brings something different to the court.  That's why I left Crash for last.  Gerald Wallace is the backbone of this team.  This guy is indefatigable.  His nickname is well earned.


With regards to the battle for the city, the Knicks have had problems on the court, off the court, and along side the court.  But have the battle lines really been drawn?  Yes, kind of.  But a fierce playoff series between the two should expedite the process.  There's the second half of the season to play first.  Then, who knows?




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Knots Season Series Against Knicks

From the desks of:

THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH  &  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
SHOWDOWN

 

BATTLE of the BOROUGHS - V

Nets and Knicks End Series 2-2

I - Hurricane Sandy

II - BK 96; NY 89 *

III - NY 100; BK 97

IV - NY 100; BK 86

* overtime

GAME FIVE FINAL
Brooklyn     88
Manhattan  85

GAME SUMMARY - Nineteen Turnovers Prevent Nets From Cruising To An Easier Victory.  Without Ray Felton On Floor, Carmelo Anthony Could Not Beat Brooklyn By Himself.


The Brooklyn Nets made things significantly more difficult for themselves by turning the ball over nineteen times.  Otherwise, this afternoon they rode Deron Williams' ball distribution, Kris Humphries' and Brook Lopez' strong rebounding, and Joe Johnson's clutch buckets to victory over the New York Knicks before a festive Martin Luther King Jr. Day crowd inside Madison Square Garden. The Flatbush Hoops owned a 26-24 lead after the first quarter, and took a 47-41 advantage into the break.


Even though Melo dropped his obligatory eighteen first half points, offensively the Knicks remain a team out of sync.  A compare and contrast will bare that out.  After Pablo Prigioni got wiped out on a pick and left the game, Melo was forced to play the fourth quarter as a point/forward.  But that only compounded the Knicks greater problems without Ray Felton on the floor.


First lets talk points.  After Melo's eighteen, Chris Copeland and Jason Kidd were the Knicks next high scorers with five and six points respectively.  Amare Stoudemire did not factor into the game until the second half.  For the Nets, scoring was more balanced.  Joe Johnson scored thirteen points, Brook Lopez eleven, and Kris Humphries dropped nine first half points.  Lets talk assists now.  Melo was also Knicks high man with three first half assists.  Chris Chandler and Ronnie Brewer had one apiece.  Deron Williams had seven first half assists for the Nets alone.  Now lets talk rebounds.  The Nets really excelled on the glass.  They held a 27-16 advantage after two quarters.  Twenty one of the Nets boards came on the defensive end.  And that has nothing to do with Ray Felton being injured.  Tyson Chandler led the Knicks with six first half boards.  Kris Humphries pulled down eight.  Reggie Evans and Brook Lopez pulled down five apiece.  For the Knicks, all that adds up to a six point deficit at the half.  All didn't go perfectly for Brooklyn however.  The Nets turned the ball over eleven times in the first half versus just two times by the Knicks.


Brook Lopez opened the third quarter with a jumper.  Crash Wallace then gave Brooklyn a nine point lead by nailing a three-pointer, and shortly followed with another layup to make it a 54-45 game.  Midway through the third quarter, Tyson Chandler ripped through the lane for a dunk to get the Knicks within three.  Deron Williams responded with a pair of three's.  But with 3:32 left in the quarter, J.R. Smith helped reduce a 60-55 Brooklyn lead to one point with consecutive buckets.  The Knicks completed a 10-0 run with 2:20 left, and owned a 63-60 lead.  With 0:52 on the clock, Joe Johnson hit two free throws to tie the game at sixty three all.  By this time, the Nets had committed fifteen turnovers and were paying a price for repeated miscues and losing the defensive bearing they adhered to in the first half.  A Melo three-pointer, and Amare Stoudemire's closing dunk gave the Knicks a 68-65 lead after three quarters.


To open the fourth quarter, and to the chagrin of Brooklyn fans, Marshon Brooks and Kris Humphries joined forces to execute and score on a fast break.  The Nets scored exactly zero fast break points in the first half, and only two all game.  Keith Bogans helped Flatbush regain their lead with a trey to make it a 70-68 game.  But Amare's dunk at 10:23 tied the game again at seventy all.


Fresh off two more Brooklyn turnovers (#16 and #17), J.R. Smith nailed a three pointer to give the Knicks a 75-72 lead, then headed back the other way while he mimicked spinning his still smokin' six-shooters back into their holsters.


With 8:09 left in the fourth, C.J. Watson came off Brooklyn's bench and tied the game again at 75-75 with a three.  Then Joe Johnson took over.  A three pointer at 7:20 gave Brooklyn a 78-75 lead.  After a J.R. Smith basket, another Joe Johnson three pointer gave Brooklyn an 81-77 lead.  And yet another Joe Johnson jumper gave the Nets an 83-77 lead, and completed an 11-2 Flatbush run.


The Nets continued turning over the ball until they reached number nineteen halfway through the quarter.  Brooklyn was leading 83-77 with 5:30 left in the game.  And then their scoring stopped.  A series of key blocked shots by Brook Lopez and continued tenacious rebounding kept the Nets going until the clock read 0:52 seconds, with the score reading 83-82 Nets.  After a foul, Melo completed two free throws to complete a 7-0 Knicks run, giving Manhattan an 84-83 lead again.


Later with 22.3 seconds left, Joe Johnson popped from outside again.  At the other end, Brook Lopez pulled down another huge rebound off a Melo miss.  After Deron Williams nailed two free throws, the Nets were up by an 87-84 score with 8.3 seconds to go.  P.J.Carlesimo perhaps made the call of the night in deciding to foul Jason Kidd, putting him at the line with 7.5 seconds.  Kidd hit his first shot, then fouled Deron Williams with 5.7 seconds left after the Nets guard drew the rebound and tried heading the other way off the miss.  Deron hit one of two.  After J.R. Smith's last attempt at a three pointer missed, Brooklyn walked off the MSG floor with an 88-85 victory.


Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with twenty nine points.  Next high man on the Knicks was J.R. Smith with sixteen points off the bench.  Amare Stoudemire scored fifteen mostly second half points.  Jason Kidd kicked in eleven, and Tyson Chandler contributed seven points in the Knicks losing effort.


The Knicks shot 40.5% from the floor.  That's not the Knicks main matter as the Nets shot at a 41.9% clip.  Brooklyn wound up beating the Knicks at their own game, outscoring them 36-18 from three point land.  The Nets shot 50%, hitting twelve of twenty four from behind the three-point line.  The Knicks only shot 28.6% from behind the arch, making only six of twenty one shots.


Joe Johnson was the Nets high man with twenty five points.  Deron Williams and Brook Lopez each dropped fourteen.  Off the bench, Kris Humphries kicked in eleven points, and Keith Bogans added eight.  Deron Williams led all players with twelve assists.  As a team, the Knicks totalled fourteen.  Seven assists came from Melo.


Brooklyn dominated the boards.  Brook Lopez (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Kris Humphries (11 points, 13 rebounds) are the Nets double-doubles.  For the game, Brooklyn out-rebounded Manhattan by a wide 52-37 margin.  Both teams were actually sub-par from the free throw line.


The 2012-2013 inaugural battle for the city ends in a tie.  Both teams won a game apiece.  Unless these teams meet again in the playoffs, they will not play each other again this season.  But with regard to the Atlantic Division standings, the Nets and Knicks now have an equal number of wins.  Brooklyn improved to 25-16, while the team from Manhattan sports a 25-14 record.  With Monday's win, Brooklyn moves to within one game of the first place New York Knicks.  The Nets also improved their road record to a 9-9 mark.  This was the Knicks sixth loss at Madison Square Garden.


This game marked the mid-point in Brooklyn's inaugural season.  Forty one games are in the books.  Forty one more games to go.




Mike.BTB

BKN Nets: Flatbush Kicks Off Weekend With Friday Night Win

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH


BROOKLYN NETS - The P.J. Era Keeps Rolling Along.  The Flatbush Hoops Are 7-1 Under Their New Head Coach.

 

Friday Night Final:

Phoenix Suns   79

BROOKLYN    99

So far so good right?  All is proceeding smoothly under interim coach P.J. Carlesimo.  Under him, the Nets are 7-1 since the firing of Avery Johnson.  Prior to their Friday night contest against the Phoenix Suns at Barclays Center, several outlets were reporting a Nets source as saying P.J. would be able to finish out the season.  And why not?  That only makes sense.  Three coaches in one season would be absurd.  And besides, P.J. is well equipped to handle the head coaching position, as well as Brooklyn, N.Y. itself.  He is a long time resident of the metro area.  Whether you like him or not is a matter of preference, and something for next off season.  For now, there is an appreciable difference in Deron Williams' game, and that of the overall team.  If this success is coming against the lesser teams of the league, so be it.  You can only play who is on the schedule.


There is no doubt a different atmosphere around the team.  Avery Johnson was always very intense.  Two things about Coach Avery - he was forever going to exert his will, and he would forever be pushing, pushing, pushing.  In a subtle manner, P.J. has given the team a little less structure, and a little more playing time and discretion.


The Phoenix Suns, in the midst of an awful 12-25 season, and sporting a 2-16 road record, gave the Nets more troubles than the home crowd in Brooklyn cared to mind.  After jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead, the Nets were behind 19-17 with 1:42 left in the opening quarter.  Midway through the first, Gerald Wallace had to leave the game after receiving a hard foul by Shannon Brown which was ruled a flagrant.  Brown caught Wallace in mid-air as he drove to the basket.  In attempting to close the angle and block, he sent Wallace spiraling feet over head to the floor.  Gerald's right shoulder and arm took the full impact of the fall.  It was later reported Crash suffered bruised ribs.  The Nets had a chance to tie the game at 21-21 with under 0:30 left in the first, but a travelling violation called on Andray Blatche turned the ball over.  The first quarter ended with Phoenix staked to a 25-21 lead.


With 3:40 left in the half and the Suns holding on to a 40-37 lead, I watched C.J. Watson, Marshon Brooks, and Reggie Evans, run a fast break that made Spain's running of the bulls look artful.  With less than two minutes left in the half, Phoenix opened up a double digit 52-42 lead against the Brooks.  The teams went into the break with the Suns ahead by a 53-46 score.


To begin the second half, the home crowd watched Deron Williams drop to the floor after knocking knees, or perhaps his thigh, with Phoenix guard Goran Dragic at the high elbow.  D-Will limped off the court in very obvious discomfort, but did not leave the game.


Three minutes into the second half, the Nets closed to within 55-54, then went ahead 56-55 on a Brook Lopez rebound and put back after Joe Johnson's drive failed to drop.  Halfway through the third quarter, Phoenix went ahead by four again, 60-54, as Brooklyn started settling for lazy perimeter shots.


Unlike in the second quarter, C.J. Watson and Blatche actually converted on a fast break after a Phoenix turnover, and looked smooth doing it.  Blatche finished with a slam at the other end to bring the Brooks within two.  C.J. Watson factored again on the next possession when he tied the game at 60-60 with a high arching jumper from the left corner.  The teams muddled through scoreless possessions until Andray Blatche broke the deadlock with 2:30 to go.  But Phoenix responded on their next possession with a trey for a 63-62 lead.  But Andray Blatche struck again, driving, scoring, and drawing a foul.  A free throw later, the score was 65-63 Brooklyn.  Then it was Blatche yet again with two more points on a scoop lay-up to make it 67-64 Nets.  Marshon Brooks nailed a three before the period expired.  And the Nets finally won their first quarter of the night.  They held a 74-66 lead heading into the final session.


After the Suns shot 55% from the floor in the first half, the Nets were clearly much more committed to defense in the second half.  They had a series of defensive stops to start the fourth quarter.  Brook Lopez finally scored the first points of the fourth, and gave the Nets a ten point 76-66 lead.  Deron Williams' own scoop layup gave Brooklyn a 78-66 lead, making Phoenix call time out.  After the break, back-to-back three pointers by Joe Johnson opened up an eighteen point 84-66 lead for Brooklyn with 7:30 still left on the clock.  With two minutes left, the Nets were staked to a 93-75 lead.


Finally in the end, Tornike Shengelia, who hadn't seen action all night, made his way on the court and gave the Nets their first twenty point lead of the evening.  The buzzer then sounded making official the Nets defeat of the Suns by a 99-79 final.  The win was Brooklyn's fifth consecutive victory, and sixth in seven games under P.J. Carlesimo.


Joe Johnson led all scorers with nineteen points.  Five Nets scored in double digits.  Marshon Brooks and Andray Blatche contributed handsomely off the bench.  Marshon was next high man with seventeen points.  Andray Blatche dropped another fifteen.  Deron Williams, although somewhat hobbled in the second half also finished with fifteen points.  Brook Lopez dropped thirteen points and came up with several key rebounds.


But Friday night, rebounds were Reggie Evans' department.  He led all players in rebounds with fifteen.  Ten of those boards came on the defensive end.  Brook Lopez pulled down eight rebounds, as did Andray Blatche.  Overall, the Nets out rebounded the Suns by a 44-39 margin.


With only six assists, Deron Williams still managed the game high.  In the second half, the Nets cut down their turnovers, and only lost the ball eleven times for the night.  Phoenix turned the ball over eighteen times.  The Nets pounded Phoenix from the line.  They got to the stripe twice as many times as Phoenix.  The Suns shot ten for sixteen, while Brooklyn buried twenty five of thirty two free throws, good for 78% shooting.


Phoenix shot the ball considerably worse from the field during the second half, and ended the evening shooting 39% from the floor versus a consistent 45% by the Brooks.  Again, credit the Nets' second half defensive effort which clamped down on Phoenix, and limited the Suns to thirteen points in each of the third and fourth quarters.


The Nets next opponents are the Indiana Pacers, who will visit Barclays Center for the first time this Sunday afternoon.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Discord In Hollywood Rekindles Trade Talk

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH


BROOKLYN NETS: There Goes That Dwight Howard Trade Talk Again.


Dwight Howard of the Lakers sat out Monday's action with a torn labrum in his right shoulder.  Initial reports suggest he will be out at least a week before being re-evaluated.  Why should we here in Brooklyn care about that?  Because Monday, Stefan Bondy of the N.Y. Daily News reported Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant are not exactly getting along out in La La Land.  The two Lakers stars were reportedly involved in a post-game New Year's Day dispute.  Kobe Bryant took to Twitter to douse the story.  Subsequent media coverage questioned the validity of Bondy's source, whether the altercation did indeed happen, and why such a report came out one week later.  That's not for me to decipher though.  But what the story also did was kick up the Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets talk again.


Is Dwight Howard still a fit in Brooklyn?  He keeps supplying me with reasons which indicate no.  Let me not mince words here.  Dwight Howard was too wishy-washy in Orlando.  He did not conduct his business with any conviction and it cost him an extra season of being a nomad.  So far, his resulting stay in Los Angeles hasn't exactly been a trip to Disney World.  Howard wasn't too complimentary of his team mates or their effort on the floor recently.  Clashing with Kobe will only get you so far.  Criticising team chemistry to the media isn't always advisable either.  It must be remembered that Dwight Howard is coming off back surgery, and is now saddled with an extended injury.  The twenty-seven year old center is averaging 17.4 points this season with twelve boards.  He will be a free agent after this season.  So if he is to become a Nets player, he must be traded for as the Nets are maxed out.  Then a new pact must be struck.


Minus a week long scare after slightly twisting his ankle, Brook Lopez is showing no lingering effects from his foot surgery.  The twenty-four year old is averaging 18.9 points per game, with seven boards.  Not coincidentally, per the CBA and his new contract, Brook Lopez can be made available for a trade again January 15th.  So it seems natural for these  rumors to resurface.  Of course Brook Lopez would have to be traded.  But if the Nets can't move Kris Humphries, I don't think a deal gets done.  Before the season, I argued by keeping points and rebounds separated, Lopez and Humphries would be a good way to hedge against Howard's potential back issues, and avoid having two huge aspects of the Nets game go down with the loss of one body.  Feeling the Nets were sure to get twenty points from Lopez, I was hopeful Kris Humphries would continue progressing into a dominant rebounder.  Scratch that!  Kris Humphries is far far away from what he could be.  Avery Johnson isn't here anymore, so he's out of the proverbial dog house.  Now Humph is nursing a sprained ankle.  And that was the good news.  Truth is, with a completely different cast around him this season, Kris Humphries is a totally different dynamic now.  Throwing pity parties in the VIP of the Lonely Man's Club doesn't exactly endear one to the greater fan base either.  Not after his very brief marital history.  Whether that has hampered him on the court or not, with the exception of maybe two games his ineffectiveness just might warrant a trade for Howard, if...Billy King can push him.  Kris Humphries, while signed for the max still has a favorable, movable short term contract.


The Nets offered the Orlando Magic Brook Lopez, Marshawn Brooks, Kris Humphries, and picks for Dwight Howard.  The Magic didn't bite.  Although a trade is very doubtful, if L.A. will take Humphries off the Nets hands, maybe Billy King should try.  We'll worry how Dwight Howard fits in Brooklyn later.





Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Team Wins Historic Kings County Opener

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS

 

 

"The Hoops of Flatbush"

 

 

GAME ONE

 

Toronto Raptors

vs.

BROOKLYN NETS

From

BARCLAYS CENTER
Flatbush Avenue, Kings County

 

 

FINAL

Raptors  100

NETS     107

 

 

They're here!  They saw!  They conquered!  Fuhgeddaboudit!

 

 

The Brooklyn Nets have arrived.  Commissioner David Stern made the initial introduction to fans attending Barcalys Center for the first ever Brooklyn Nets basketball game and welcomed the Borough to the National Basketball Association.  Members of the team were welcomed to town by former Bedford Avenue Bums players, Joe Pignatano, Ralph Branca, and a special appearance by Gil Hodges Jr.  Brooklyn Dodgers jerseys and Brooklyn Nets jerseys were exchanged between old heroes and new.  Deron Williams then addressed the home crowd.  Both the Commissioner and Deron Williams made sure to make particular mention of all the area citizens who have undergone great hardships brought on by Hurricane Sandy.

 

 

The home crowd was also introduced to their new mascot, the Brooklyn Knight, defender of the court and all things Nets.  Then after player intro's, it was game time.  As expected, the Nets starting five consisted of Joe Johnson and Deron Williams in the back court.  Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace, and Kris Humphries were the starting forwards.  The Nets, sporting their home whites for the first time, took to their new hearing-bone patterned court.  And once Brook Lopez won the opening tip, the Hoops of Flatbush had begun.

 

 

Appropriately, Deron Williams scored the first two points of the night.  When Brook Lopez grabbed an early offensive rebound, drew a foul, and scored the bucket, the crowd erupted.  However, the Nets got off to a somewhat slow start in the first quarter.  Toronto jumped out to an early eight point lead.  After a quarter, the Nets were behind by a 35-27 score.

 

 

The Nets evened things up 38-38 on a pair of MarShon Brooks free-throws midway through the second quarter, then pulled away.  C.J. Watson closed out the half by nailing a three-pointer at the buzzer to put Brooklyn ahead by eight points.  Brooklyn led 60-52 at halftime.

 

 

Coach Avery might have been peeved over the initial defensive effort in which they allowed thirty five points.  But the Nets tightened up in the second quarter and limited the Raptors to seventeen points.

 

 

Brook Lopez led the Nets with fourteen first half points.  C.J. Watson scored thirteen off the bench.  Deron Williams led the team with six assists, and scored six points.  Reggie Evans came off the bench and led all players with five rebounds.  Kris Humphries, Lopez, and Joe Johnson pulled down three apiece.  Brooklyn's bench had a strong half with twenty three points.

 

 

*   *   *   *

 

 

The Nets opened the third quarter by extending their lead to ten points on a sweet layup by Brook Lopez off a Gerald Wallace feed.  Midway through the quarter, the Nets were still cruising with a 75-66 lead.

 

 

Toronto made a run towards the end of the third quarter and at 79-74, closed within five points of Brooklyn.  Getting quality minutes in the third quarter, Andray Blatche had eight points in ten minutes played.  However, he missed one of two free throws, and turned over the ball within a minute of each other.  After three complete sessions, Brooklyn's lead was down to four as the Raptors closed with 82-78 of the Nets.  Then at eighty-four points, the Nets went cold.  When Toronto scored at 8:46 to make it a 84-83 game, Coach Avery called time out.

 

 

MarShon Brooks brought the Nets to ninety points.  Halfway through the quarter, Toronto was still close as they trailed by a mere three points.  Kris Humphries started exerting himself under the boards, and on the other end, MarShon scored again.

 

 

Brook Lopez was the only Nets player to get to the line with any kind of consistency.  And he visited the stripe for the twelfth time with less than five minutes left.  He nailed both shots to make it a 94-89 game with 4:45 to go.  The Nets went cold again, failing to score for over two minutes allowing Toronto to pull within two.  At 94-92, and with possession at 2:14, Coach Avery called another timeout.

 

 

C.J. Watson hit a big shot out of the break.  That was his fourteenth and fifteenth points of the night.  Gerald Wallace then took his turn playing strong on the boards.  He gave the Nets a five point lead hitting one of two free throws.  But Toronto came back with a three-pointer.  With a minute left, Wallace fed Brook Lopez, who hit for two and buried another shot from the line to give the Nets a 100-95 lead with fifty nine seconds left.

 

 

Gerald Wallace then went down hard after blocking a shot with 27.7 left.  He rolled his ankle and temporarily stayed in the game.  Coach Avery called a full time out after Toronto converted at the line, to make it a 101-97 game.  Gerald Wallace's strong night was over however, as he left the floor after the timeout.

 

 

Joe Johnson made the score 103-97 with 26.1 left.  But Toronto responded with another three-pointer.  With twenty seconds left and Humphries and Brook Lopez on the bench, Deron Williams sank two shots from the line to make it a 105-100 game.  Toronto launched a three point attempt that careened out of bounds.  The Nets then drew a foul on the possession with ten seconds left.   Deron Williams buried another two shots.

 

 

A change of possession, and then..., Game!  The Brooklyn Nets win their first ever professional basketball game as a member club of the National Basketball Association.  As Ralph Cramden would say - How Sweet It Is!

 

 

*    *    *    *

 

 

Brook Lopez led Nets scorers with twenty seven points.  He pulled down five rebounds.  Reggie Evans was key off the bench pulling down a game high thirteen rebounds.  The Nets out-rebounded Toronto 41-37 with five players contributing at least five apiece.

 

 

Five Nets players also scored in double digits.  After Brook Lopez, Deron Williams dropped nineteen points, and led the team with nine assists.  C.J. Watson was tremendous off the bench.  He scored fifteen points.  Joe Johnson scored fourteen points and Gerald Wallace added ten before leaving.

 

 

Brook Lopez ended the night 11/15 from the line.  Deron Williams buried late free throws to put the Raptors to bed.  He finished 6/8 from the stripe.

 

 

Rookies Mirza Teletovic, Tyshawn Taylor, and Tornike Shengelia did not play.

 

 

It took a few days.  But the crowd was electric all the same.  Let's Go Nets was the chant, but Broook - Lynnn! was the anthem of the night.  This what home sounds like fellas.  It's been a long wait.  But you're finally here.

 

 

The Borough of Kings has a team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: 2012-2013 Inaugural Season Preview

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS: Know Your Team - #5

 

2012 - 2013

Regular Season Preview:

 

#1- Know Your Team; 1967-1968

#2 - Know Your Team; 1969-1972

#3 - Know Your Team; The "Doctor J" Era

#4 - Know Your Team; The Eighties

Finally, after many years of delay, Brooklyn's First, is only days away.  With their pre-season schedule complete, the next time we see Kings County's new cagers will be Thursday evening when they inaugurate the 2012-2013 NBA regular season, and play in the Borough's first major sporting match in fifty five years.


Game One will be against the New York Knickerbockers, and will be played inside the Nets new arena at Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue.  Barclays Center is home now.  In five more days, the clock starts ticking on the Brooklyn Nets basketball club.  Once they tip-off, the rest as they say will be history.

The new home town cheer is set.  The anthem of the fans will be...

Brooook - Lyn!
 

These aren't necessarily the Nets everyone is used to.  These aren't even the Nets of the 2011-2012 season.  Gone from the Nets who played last season in New Jersey, and didn't make it to Brooklyn are Anthony Morrow, Gerald Green, Jordan Farmar, Sundiata Gaines, Johan Petro, Jordan Williams, Sheldon Williams, and DeShawn Stevenson along with a few others.


The Nets currently have seventeen players on the roster, and will have to slim down to fifteen by Thursday's opener.  Six players are returning from last season and six players are new veteran faces.  The Nets also currently sport five rookies in camp.  A sixth rookie, Stephen Dennis, was cut earlier in the week.  Word is free agent rookies James Mays and Carleton Scott may be next.  That would effectively get the Nets down to fifteen.  Remaining rookies, Tyshawn Taylor, Mirza Teletovis, Tornike Shengelia stand to make the team.


With his rookie season, New Jersey, and the winds of trade behind him, MarShon Brooks returns for a second campaign.  The twenty three year old guard/forward averaged twelve points per game last season.  In his senior year at Providence, MarShon averaged twenty four points, seven rebounds, and two assists per game.  The youngster will prove valuable off the bench.  Despite only five games played with the Nets last season, ninth year guard/forward Keith Bogans will also return to bolster the bench.


In March of 2012, the Nets traded Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams, and a #1 draft pick in exchange for Portland's Gerald Wallace.  The 25th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, Wallace will not turn thirty one years old until July.  General Manager Billy King signed him to a four year pact which keeps Wallace in Brooklyn through the 2015-2016 season.  The Nets may rue that fourth season, but over the short term, the acquisition seems savvy.


Gerald Wallace has a chance to score his 10,000th point as a pro this upcoming season.  Last year with Portland, he was in the middle of posting his lowest points per game average since the 2004-2005 season.  In 2005-2006 he averaged 15.2 points ppg, then averaged 16.8 points for the next seven years.  His best season came at age twenty five with Charlotte, when he averaged nineteen points per.  At the time of last season's trade, Gerald Wallace had dropped to a suspect thirteen points per.  In sixteen games with the Nets after the trade, Gerald Wallace rebounded and averaged fifteen points in his usual thirty five minutes a night.


Kris Humphries returns to the Nets for his fourth season.  He signed a lucrative, albeit two year deal to stay and play in Brooklyn.  Entering his fifth season, Brook Lopez also returns after signing a brand new four year max deal.  And I say welcome back.  Ever since the Dwight Howard dramatics began, I've long maintained the Nets would be better off with Lopez and Humphries, than with one Dwight Howard.  The Magic center handled himself with indecision and engaged in double-speak during Orlando's ongoing deliberations to trade, or not trade him.  Perception wise, the episode may have been insight into why Howard may not be the best fit to play in Kings County.  And when you consider his history with injuries, if he goes down, there goes your primary source of both rebounds and points. With Humphries and Lopez, the threat of losing both points and boards are separated, and minimized.


Kris Humphries is a proven rebounder, and Brook Lopez is a proven twenty point scorer.  Before Brook Lopez got injured, he averaged twenty points per game during the 2010-2011 regular season, and eighteen points the season before that.  He'll turn twenty five years old next April and seems to be suffering no ill effects of his foot injury.  Standing seven feet tall, weighing 260lbs, and with a few years under his belt now, the Nets want and need Lopez to improve on his career 7.5 rebounds per game.


That's where Kris Humphries comes in.  Since Kris Humphries became a starter with the Nets (or was, his role with Gerald Wallace around is still to be decided upon by Coach Avery), he has become a double-double man the last two seasons running.  He has averaged 11.9 points, and 10.7 rebounds per game.  With Deron Williams on the floor, high double-double nights occurred more frequently.  With Williams, Kris enjoyed an overall career year last season.  Brook Lopez still hasn't realized the full benefit of playing with Deron Williams.  But he will.  In addition to the on-court effects Humphries and Lopez will have, both their contracts are relatively short term, and won't hamper the franchise nearly as adversely as a deal for Howard would have.  And that is why Dwight Howard is free to play elsewhere as far as I am concerned.


Hello Joe Johnson.  He comprises part 1A of the already much hyped Brooklyn Backcourt.  The thirty one year old guard cost the Nets a hefty sum in players, draft picks, and cash.  Joe has four years remaining on a six year max deal he signed while in Atlanta.  In addition to surrendering a 2013 #1 draft pick, and a 2017 #2 pick, the list of players sent to the Hawks is long.  Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Williams, DeShawn Stevenson, and Johan Petro all were traded to Atlanta. Why?  Because Brooklyn now has one of the most formidable back courts in the League.  Entering his twelfth NBA season, Joe Johnson has been a scoring stud on pedestrian Atlanta teams.  Spanning five years from 2005 through 2010, Joe maintained a 21.9 points per game average.  He averaged 18.5 ppg over the last two seasons prior to the trade.

  ....This is my house.  - Deron Williams.
 

It certainly is.  And it wouldn't have been the same without him.  Thanks for staying Deron.  And thank you Mark Cuban for dropping the ball.  Brooklyn showed more of a want for Deron's services than the Mavericks did.  Despite reports, I wonder if the star guard would have really left, considering all Billy King's maneuverings right up to the day Deron Williams sat in the press room on signing day and politely spoke, "Hello Brooklyn."


Had the Knicks known Deron Williams was available, they probably would have never traded for Carmelo Anthony.  After majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov effectively ended the Nets pursuit of Denver's forward, to the great delight of a dejected fan base, the Nets pried Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz under the cover of night.  On a February morning in 2011, locals woke up to news the Nets acquired the star point guard in exchange for a package including Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, two #1 draft picks, and cash.


After one and a half seasons playing in New Jersey and losing a preponderance of their games, Deron Williams and the Brooklyn Nets agreed to a five year deal in July of this year.  Biding his time before being able to opt out of his previous pact and declare himself a free agent was no easy endeavour.  At times, the team's consistent losing outwardly wore on Williams.  However, he always maintained the high road, and always insisted the Nets were in the running.  I do not believe he was ever misleading regarding his intentions.  He came here and was quite the leader and ever the professional despite rumors which followed him out of Utah insinuating Deron may have forced Jerry Sloan's firing.  But the Nets effectively gambled the future of the franchise on Williams anyway.  Today, the franchise stands to benefit immensely for having him.

 

 

 

The Nets have secured Deron Williams in his prime.  He is twenty eight years old and eight seasons smart.  He has size, skill, savvy, and rates as one of the elite point guards in the league.  This is his team to lead.  Last season he posted a career high with a twenty one points per game average.  It is the second consecutive season he averaged twenty or more.  He additionally averaged 8.7 assists per game.


Deron's assists were down because with Brook Lopez out, he turned into the Nets primary scoring  option.  But with Billy King's roster overhaul, that changes significantly this season.  In any given moment of any given game, with Williams, Lopez, Johnson, and Wallace, the Nets will have a legitimate scorer on the floor.  Gerald Wallace is averaging 13.5ppg over his career.  The other three have averaged over seventeen ppg over their careers.


MarShon Brooks and Keith Bogans will join forces with Andray Blatche off the bench.  Given the amnesty treatment by the Washington Wizards, Blatche, the upstate New York native has apparently found a home in Brooklyn.  He put together a fine string of pre-season games.  Over a seven year career, he is a nine point, five rebound forward who doesn't shoot free throws very well.


Guard/forward Josh Childress, who averaged eleven points per game and pulled down the occasional rebound while playing with Joe Johnson in Atlanta, will also come off Coach Avery's bench.  He spent two inconsequential seasons with the Suns before arriving in Brooklyn.  Despite being a career role player, the Nets are banking the Childress from his Atlanta years re-emerges.


Tenth year Reggie Evans is here to spell the forwards.  C.J. Watson comes to the Nets via Golden State and Chicago.  He is a twenty eight year old guard who has shown a knack for scoring in limited minutes.  And last, but certainly not least, age has its privilege.  The thirty seven year old, seventeen year NBA veteran, Jerry Stackhouse joins the Nets.


As the new Nets gain familiarity with each other, overall team scoring should be more than adequate.  There are little worries in that regard.  Based on their pre-season performance however, the team left me with a few matters to ponder.


Defensively, the team played no where near Coach Johnson's standards.  Despite a 3-2 record in five pre-season games, the Nets allowed more points than they scored.  They allowed over one hundred points three times.


Secondly, the Nets stand to get out-rebounded.  How often remains to be seen.  Kris Humphries is obviously the team's best rebounder.  I'm looking for even more improvement in his overall game.  But as stated previously, Brook Lopez is being counted on to do more, which invariably means getting more physical underneath.  He is historically good for seven boards a night.  He now needs to make the jump and join Kris Humphries in double digits this season.  Gerald Wallace is known to be good for five or six rebounds per game.  And off the bench, Andray Blatche will be asked to pull down his customary six boards.  After that, the Nets will be lacking.


Billy King deserves credit for assembling a quality team in such short order.  Not too long ago, the Nets situation wasn't looking too promising.  He initially caught a lot of heat for trading away so much young talent.  He also dispersed a cache of first round draft picks around the league, and effectively maxed out the salary cap.  I do not hear too many people complaining now though.  Instead, many believe Billy King has put together an Eastern Conference contender for Brooklyn's inaugural season.


Lastly, I will simply say, I believe the Nets have the right coach as well.  Avery Johnson is alright by me.

PREVIOUS SERIES: BARCLAYS CENTER GRAND OPENING;

THIRTY PICTURES IN THIRTY DAYS

#30 - Thirty More Days Till Jay-Z Blows The Doors Wide Open

#29 - Barclays Center; T-Minus Twenty-Nine Days

#28 - Barclays Center - Crossbeams and Concrete

#27 - Barclays Center - They Came Out In The Tens And Tens

#26 - Barclays Center - Thank You For Your Labor

#25 - Sidewalk Closed. Use Other Side

#24 - Barclays Center - Untitled, Just Because

#23 - Valentine's Day 2011

#22 - Year One A.G. - After Groundbreaking

#21 - Barclays Center - Ya Gotta Start Somewhere

#20 - Barclays Center - Where's the Doorbell?

#19 - Barclays Center - Howdy Neighbor!

#18 - NETS UNVEIL NEW FLOOR PATTERN

#17 - September Is Just The Beginning

#16 - Last Call For Some, Is Not Last Call For Others

#15 - Barclays Center - Dude, Where's My Seat?

#14 - A Sign Of Things to Come

#13 - Growing Season Starts In December

#12 - Next Stop, Barclays Center. Watch For The Closing Doors

#11- "Keep Off The Grass!"

#10 - Barclays Center - Brrrrr!

#9 - Where's The Remote?

RIBBON CUTTING DAY ~ BARCLAYS CENTER SNEAK PEEK

*

#6 - Lets Raise It Up The Flagpole

#5 - Barclays Center - Who Needs Tickets?

#4 - Walk Towards The Light

#3 - All Trains Lead To Brooklyn

#2 - The First Lady Of Barclays Center?

#1 - JAY-Z OPENS THE DOORS

Mike.BTB

BKN Nets ~ Billy King Taking a Bullish Approach

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

 

BROOKLYN NETS:  Billy King Bringing Moxy Back to Flatbush Avenue.


2012 NBA Draft - Billy King's Deals Left Brooklyn Quiet in the Night


My first impression of Billy King's recent transactions - The Nets are taking on an onerous $90 million dollars.  So let it be written.  So let it be done.  I told you Billy King makes Nets' draft picks disappear, and that the salary cap would be next.  And sure enough... POOF!  Bye-bye draft picks from now till 2050, and so long salary cap flexibility.


Boy am I in trouble.  I'm not a big Billy King fan to begin with, and now, unfortunately, I'm forced to reveal I'm not a big Joe Johnson fan either.  And with Dwight Howard being so wishy-washy, the Nets perhaps feel obliged to put a representative product on the court this Fall.  So decisions like this get made.  And well, the bodies leaving the Nets in the deal to acquire Johnson are inconsequential.  Jordan Farmar, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson, and a lottery protected 2013 first round pick.  But more importantly to me, we can kiss all those expiring contracts good-bye.  That's what the Nets are really losing.


Are they better for making this deal?  That remains to be seen.  This much is certain, Joe Johnson can score.  But as far as I'm concerned, he does little else.  And I really can't see Coach Avery being demanding of him, and Joe Johnson responding.  At first, the Johnson deal was contingent on Deron Williams staying with the Nets.  But later Monday evening, that changed, and it was reported the Nets were going through with the trade regardless of Deron Williams' decision to stay with Brooklyn or move on to Dallas.  Should Deron elect to resign with Brooklyn, the Nets' back court of Williams, Johnson, and MarShon Brooks coming off the bench, seems pretty damn formidable though...doesn't it?


Dwight Howard is responsible for Billy King initiating this trade, and creating this quasi-mess, as much as anyone.  If he wasn't so damn non-committal about his own situation in Orlando, this episode might have been resolved already.  Now with the acquisition of Joe Johnson, there's no chance in hell of fitting Howard under the cap.


Or at least that's what we thought until today.  The Dwight Howard trade apparently can still happen.  The Nets would be giving up every player they have left from last season to get him.  But the trade still seems to have legs.  Involved in a still rumored possibility would be Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, and even more future draft picks.


Should all these moves, and/or proposed moves, pan out, the Nets indeed would be a vastly improved, if not contenting team, post-haste.  There is still small forward Gerald Wallace to consider, and the recent acquisition of Tyshawn Taylor.  Otherwise, Billy King is taking an awful lot of risks for a GM who doesn't have Deron Williams under contract yet.  And should his plan crumble, this organization is in deep trouble.  The Nets' General Manager is already facing salary cap hell, with only half his roster filled...., if that.

Mike.BTB

BKN Nets ~ Billy King's Deals Left Brooklyn Quiet in the Night

From the desk of:   THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BROOKLYN NETS:  Borough of Kings Wanders Silently  Through The NBA Draft.


Dwight Howard Demands a Trade to Brooklyn Nets Before the Draft

Sources: Deron Williams Only Interested in Signing With Brooklyn Nets or Dallas Mavericks


It doesn't really hit home, until it hits home.  And I'm not talking about the Barclays Center either.  Lack of a number one pick in Thursday's NBA Draft left a major void in the Brooklyn night.  It's a predicament I wasn't at all pleased the team created for themselves upon consummating that foolish deal for Gerald Wallace which eventually came back to kick Billy King in the ass.  I guess you can tell I'm no fan of that deal.  Nor am I big fan of GM Billy King.  I think I made that clear on day one.  I rue the day Rod Thorne ceased being this organization's overseer.  Worse, is the taste left in my mouth over Billy King and Thorne effectively flip-flopping positions and cities.  But I digress.


The Nets didn't pick until the second round, and number fifty-seven overall, because Billy King traded away what would have been the sixth overall pick to Portland.  Their number thirty-five overall pick was surrendered in 2010 to Golden State in the Troy Murphy deal.  Don't even talk to me about picking at number forty one either, or whatever.  And just for effect, don't forget the pick involved in the Derrick Favors deal.  Finally, with Brooklyn's first ever NBA draft opportunity, at 11:48pm they selected a Turkish forward named Ilkan Karaman.  There ya go.  Pop open the champagne and insert cheers here.  The Nets followed a rush on overseas players late in the second round.  And what else could they do?


I remember not too long ago, the Nets had a plethora of high picks, and vast amounts of salary cap space to work with.  So far, in the hands of Billy King, things go Poof!  He made a basket of picks disappear.  Now it's look out budget time.  With just five players under contract, Billy King needs to give Deron Williams his, should he decide to stay, then figure out the rest.  That now includes having to bring Gerald Wallace back at a higher price which is ponderous!  Jordan Farmar hasn't committed on his option yet, and Kris Humphries will also become a free agent.


Upon final agreement, the Nets will have Brook Lopez under contract.  He will join Marshon Brooks, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Williams, and Johan Petro.


The fact is, nothing in Brooklyn comes easy.  And I guess that goes for building NBA franchises now as well.  The trade Dwight Howard was demanding, then not demanding, then demanding again prior to the draft, never happened.  But the Magic are still in a bind, and are probably better served trading their center.  But what good is having Dwight Howard in a Nets uniform if Deron Williams isn't here to orchestrate the offense?  Deron has already exercised his right to opt out of his contract and  become a free agent.  That time is finally upon the Nets.  Their grace time is over.  Deron Williams, in a very quiet yet firm sort of way, has made it unofficially clear, Brooklyn will be where he stays, or Dallas will be where he goes.  Where that leaves Brooklyn right now, only D-Will knows.


To be fair, everything still lies ahead for Billy King.  His record here, is yet to be written.


And no, I'm not entertaining any Jason Kidd talk.

Barclays Center ~ June 2012

Mike.BTB