Nets Insider Videos


Tsai, Marks poor man's version of Steinbrenner, Cashman

 




The Brooklyn Nets and New York Yankees have more similarities than you think. 

The obvious one that comes immediately to mind is that their games are carried by the YES Network and streamed on DAZN. 

Peel back the layers and you'll see each team with an owner and general manager joined at the hip. 

Brian Cashman joined the Yankees organization in 1995 and has served as the GM since 1998. 

He first served under George Steinbrenner and is now reporting to the late owner's son, Hal. 

The Bronx Bombers currently have a 26-year championship drought. 

That dryspell has spanned three managers: Joe Torre, Joe Girardi, and now Aaron Boone.

During New York's post mortem press conference, Hal reinforced his belief in the GM and in fact doubled down with an extension. 

The Yankees are a perennial playoff team with lofty expectations from a fan base that expects a championship or bust mentality. 

The Brooklyn Nets, on the other hand, are an organization that is constantly searching for an identity and stability. When Sean Marks took over the franchise's front office in 2016, the organization was bereft of draft picks and in payroll hell. 

Marks was able to through some creative maneuvering to purchase draft picks, and build a culture that ultimately attracted superstars Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden to the borough. 

That superstar era fizzed out before even realizing the benefits as the team failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs. 

Aside from Pat Riley with the Miami Heat, and Sam Presti with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Marks is the next longest-tenured GM. 

The other front office executives have decorated careers, while Marks has yet to prove his philosophy and team building will result in championships. 

Joe Tsai inked Marks to an extension in 2022, despite a superstar era falling apart at his feet. The terms of the extension were not made publicly available, but it doesn't appear that he is on hot seat, despite no playoff appearances since 2023 and a largely failed tanking attempt the past two seasons. 

So while organizational stability is what created some of the best dynasties of the last hundred years, one has to wonder what kind of blind trust Yankee and Net ownership has in GMs that are flat out not getting the job done.  

Nets fall flat 110-103 in home opener to shorthanded Hornets

 Photo courtesy of ESPN


 It might be a long year for the Brooklyn Nets. 

Putting up a little resistance in the paint or at the rim in Wednesday's home opener, Charlotte had its way with a Brooklyn squad that was supposedly reaching a turning point in it's rebuild. 

The vibes appeared to be high at Barclays Center, as they celebrated 60 seasons of Nets basketball with a throwback tri-color court and retro red, white, and blue uniforms with "Nets" emblazoned across the front.  

The Nets came out flat and allowed Charlotte to dictate pace and physicality. 

Rookie Mikel Brown Jr. play 20 minutes and went 2-of-8 from the field, 1-of-3 from 3-point range, and tallied three assists and three rebounds. 

The Nets allowed 44 points in the paint, while committing 22 turnovers.

Charlotte committed 21 of its own.

Julius Randle led the way for Brooklyn with 33 points, on 11-of-18 shooting with eight rebounds, and seven assists. 

Michael Porter Jr. dumped in 26 points, while Egor Demin put forth a lackluster effort, on 2-of-10 from the field and 0-of-5 from 3-point range. 

The Nets travel to Cleveland on Saturday to take on the Cavs in search of their first win of the season. 


Nets can't let this pick swap derail rebuild

 


In June 2024, the Brooklyn Nets made two franchise-altering trades with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets that reshaped the organization's direction and allowed them to fully commit to a long-term rebuild.

Now, two years into that rebuild, one of the last remaining obligations from the 2021 James Harden trade has raised questions about how the organization should approach the 26–27 season:

The Houston Rockets' right to swap first-round picks with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2027 NBA Draft.

With the memory of the Rockets using the Nets' pick to land the third overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft still fresh, a portion of the fan base believes Brooklyn should take a more aggressive approach to improving the roster in hopes of minimizing the damage of a potential swap.

Of course, swapping draft positions with Houston would hurt, but the Nets can't afford to let another organization dictate their long-term vision because of a decision made five years ago.

That trade is a sunk cost, and the Nets need to treat it that way.

The Nets should absolutely want to win basketball games, but not at the expense of the bigger picture. The focal point of this season has to be the development of their lottery pick backcourt of Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. (both under 21 years old), while identifying which of their young players can be part of the team's next competitive core. 

Let's play devil's advocate here.

The Nets are projected to enter next offseason with an NBA-leading $79.5 million in cap space (via Spotrac), a treasure chest of future draft assets, and no trade limitations since they are under the tax apron. They have every thing they need to acquire a star. It's frustrating to watch the Nets continue to pass on making a move in exchange for "flexibility". I get it.

But let's be realistic here.

The Nets are coming off a 20-win season and have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA, they arn't ready to make the type of move that gives them a short-term boost at the expense of their long-term flexibility.

Let's say Brooklyn makes a trade for a 30-year-old player making over $35 million per season for the next four years. To acquire him, they give up salary fillers, a young player, and three first-round picks.

Is committing over 20% of your cap space for the next four seasons and three first-round picks really worth it if all you're doing is going from a 25-win team to a 30-win team? 

And for what? To soften the blow of a potential pick swap for team not even in the eastern conference?

The Nets have spent the last two years putting themselves in a position to build something sustainable. They have young talent, future draft capital, and the flexibility to make a significant move when the time is right.

My advice to Nets fans is simple: continue being patient, let these young players develop, and see this rebuild through.

I will say this, though: When the Nets finally do make their move, it better be a big one.


Ben Simmons reveals serious back issues upon trade to Nets




 Sean Marks didn't do his due diligence. 

Whether it was James Harden's trade request or hasty decision making, the Nets GM traded for damaged goods. 

Ben Simmons himself admits that he was not his healthy self when the Nets acquired him.

 


Simmons didn't play the second half of the regular season or the playoffs in 2023 and underwent back surgery that offseason. 


The Nets were swept by the Celtics and that campaign was the last for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving together in Brooklyn. 


Simmons was never the same player he was in Philly. 

Now that the point guard suffered a season ending Achilles injury during practice with the Kings, fans can't help but wonder if retirement is around the corner. 



Nets 3-1 preseason record masking team's clear deficiencies

 



Bill Parcells once said, "you are what your record says you are."

So while the Brooklyn Nets won three out of four during the preseason, a Maddenism comes to mind that rings true for this squad. 

"Winning is the greatest deodorant". 

Clearly, win/loss records are not an indicator of success in the preseason where starters play limited minutes while coaches have the opportunity to evaluate the roster top to bottom.

The Nets had great contributions from Mikel Brown Jr., Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and a plethora of guys on an individual basis. 

The most disconcerting trend of the preseason was Brooklyn's abysmal transition defense and lack of a paint and rim protector. 

The Nets were among the lowest scoring offenses last season and are banking on the addition of Julius Randle and Brown Jr. to bolster that weak point. 

Brooklyn has volume scorers, but they'll need to outscore teams this season if there's any hope of reaching or exceeding the .500 mark. 

Sean Marks will need to look outside the organization to find big men to complement Day'Ron Sharpe and Mo Wagner. 

Based on the Nets brutal early season schedule and the warts on defense that have shown up this preseason, it could be a long season for Brooklyn. 


First Annual 'Nets Fest' features alum from all eras

Photo courtesy of Dan Rodriguez 


 The Brooklyn Nets may have just started a yearly tradition for fans of all ages. 

The Owens Community Center in Brooklyn was the site of the first ever "Nets Fest" with fans getting an opportunity to get autographs and sit in on panels with former players, including: Buck Williams, Albert King, Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles and more. 

Photo courtesy of Dan Rodriguez

Current Nets, Egor Demin, Mikel Brown Jr., Julius Randle, Ben Humrichous, Jordi Fernandez, and others were in attendance as well.

 

Many took part in a youth clinic with the next gen of players and fans learning from the pros. 


Photo courtesy of Dan Rodriguez

A good time was had by all reminiscing about yesteryear and honoring the franchise's history. 

It was a monumental night for the Nets and one that many hope will continue for years to come. 


Photo courtesy of Dan Rodriguez

Perhaps next year a bigger venue will be required to accommodate more fans and staying away from a Football Sunday in a time slot when the Jets and Giants are playing will only increase the fan engagement. 

'Nets Fest' this Sunday will feature appearances by NJ Nets greats




 It took 14 seasons in the borough of Brooklyn to honor and acknowledge the Nets history prior to the move, but better late than never. 

The Nets will be holding "Nets Fest" this Sunday and it will certainly have some New Jersey Nets flare. 



The Nets are partly honoring their history due to the Knicks taking over the New York City market. 

With watch parties during the NBA Finals being held in the shadow of Barclays Center, it became clear to the Nets public relations staff and marketing department that they needed to go back and cater to their loyal fans in both New Jersey and Long Island.



The Nets missed a major opportunity to become a regional team with roots in Long Island and New Jersey, but now on the heels of the Knicks championship, this harkening back to earlier eras may be a blessing in disguise for a franchise still struggling for an identity. 
on October 01, 2026 by -Rick Laughland | Nets Insider  | Leave a comment 
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)