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Showing posts with label Anthony Davis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anthony Davis. Show all posts

Bogdanovic, Croatian National team to play game honoring Petrovic


Bojan Bogdanovic, Dario Saric and Ivan Suban will be among the Croatian-born NBA players to play a game honoring the late-great Dražen Petrovic's 60th birthday. 

The former Net passed away tragically in a car crash on the rain soaked Autobahn on June 3, 1993 , in the middle of his brilliant NBA career.

The game with feature the trio of NBA players born in Croatia, along with members of the Croatian National team taking on a selection of European players on September 5 at Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia. 

Former Croatian NBA players are expected to be in attendance and it will be a touching tribute honoring one of the game's great European-born stars that was gone too soon. 

Did Brooklyn Nets social team troll Durant?



 Kevin Durant and Dennis Schröder have been trading barbs on X/Twitter since Team USA captured the Gold Medal in France. 

Durant hinted that U.S. born NBA players exude both skill and entertainment on the court to take a shot at Schröder intimating that NBA basketball is just entertainment and European basketball is more team oriented. 

Now, the Brooklyn Nets social team is promoting its current point guard but is it taking a subtle shot at its former franchise cornerstone? 


 Now at first glance the tweet may seem innocent enough, but if you read between the lines, the troll job perhaps becomes a bit more obvious.

Durant's signature style featured a beanie hat that he wore on the streets, during pre and post game interviews, practices and I'm sure if the NBA allowed he'd wear it in games, too!

So with Schröder and Durant embroiled in a public feud, it seems curious in the least, but perhaps intentional, to stir up a little drama. 

The Nets are expected to be a lottery team this year, so in the dog days of the NBA off-season, it looks like the social team is doing just about anything for engagement. 

Brunson-Kyrie swap was possible for Bklyn according to one basketball pundit



Jalen Brunson is currently the New York Knicks savior. 

 But according to  ESPN basketball expert and Mavericks reporter Tim MacMahon, Brunson was close to playing across the East River. 

During the summer of 2022 when Brunson became a free agent, his intentions were clear to sign with his father's former club in the Knicks. 

 Before he became a free agent, the Mavericks failed to lock down Brunson on a four-year, $55 million extension during his final season there. Speaking on the Knicks Film School Podcast, MacMahon indicates that there was a 'strong likelihood' that Brunson is part of a Kyrie Irving trade with Brooklyn if an extension is signed in Dallas.

 We'll never know what the pairing of Brunson and Kevin Durant would look like, but things would have likely ended better than they did with the Nets the last two seasons. 

Will Nets regret not hiring championship winning coach?



The Brooklyn Nets had an opportunity this off-season to bring in a head coach with C
championship winning experience. In fact, a coach that perhaps took a ring away from the 2020-21 Nets squad. That man, Mike Budenholzer, was ultimately not hired and remains a head coaching free agent. 

According to Shams Charania, Budenholzer, Phoenix assistant Kevin Young, and Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez were among the finalists for Brooklyn's head coaching gig. 

It's unclear why this Nets regime opted for a neophyte head coach in Fernandez as opposed to a well-respected veteran in Budenholzer.

It's likely that Budenholzer commanded a longer term and more lucrative contract that Joe Tsai and Sean Marks were willing to dole out. 

The Nets were actually paying three head coaches this year in Jacque Vaughn, Steve Nash and then ultimately hiring a new candidate to replace the interim Kevin Ollie.

Budenholzer is clearly the ready made option for a roster that has immediate pressure to win and maximize the prime windows of Mikal Bridges and his running mate Cam Johnson. 

The majority of the Nets fan base is in a wait and see mode with Fernandez. It's very likely that the entire coaching philosophy will be vastly different from the past few years. Ultimately, Fernandez's tenure is only going to be measured by wins and losses.

Anytime an organization makes a bold move and passes up on a championship winning coach, they better have shrewd plans in mind to find the next diamond in the rough along the sidelines. 

The NBA is ultimately a players league, and superstars win come playoff time. But the Nets were often at a talent deficit and coaching deficit the past few years after trading. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. 

With out their own picks in the next few drafts, Marks is going to have to do the same creative maneuvering he did when he took over the Nets in 2016 in a similar position.

As for Hernandez, he's going to need to find a way to unlock Bridges and Cam Thomas to get this Brooklyn team back into the playoffs. 





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Trading for a Knick killer could swing pendulum back in Nets' favor



The New York Knicks are playing like superheroes in the 2024 playoffs. After knocking off the 76ers in the opening round, New York will rest upb and prepare to take on Indiana at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of the semi-finals.

While one New York basketball team prepares for a deep playoff run, the other will pick up the broken pieces from its lost season.

The Brooklyn Nets are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They don't own a draft pick in 2024 and general manager Sean Marks has reportedly passed on several opportunities to hit the hard reset button by refusing multiple first round draft picks for Mikal Bridges as well as for Dorian Finney-Smith. 

So with Brooklyn in a retooling phase, adding a marque player via trade may be the most logical route back to contention.

A player often connected to wanting out of his current situation is a noted coach killer and Knicks killer.

That player, none other than Trae Young, may be just what the doctor ordered for Brooklyn.

While Dennis Schröder was a pleasant surprise after adding him at the trade deadline in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn is in dire need of a franchise point guard.

Young fits that bill. Having ousted the Knicks out of the playoffs in 2022, the Atlanta point guard in public enemy number one for New York. 

Young has also developed a reputation as a difficult player to coach, having run Lloyd Pierce and Nate McMillan out of Atlanta.

With Young wearing out his welcome down South, a Nets-Hawks swap might just propel Brooklyn back to relevancy and close the talent gap in the New York City basketball rivalry. 

Why Nets fans should root for the Knicks

 

On May 3rd, starting at 6:00 p.m., the author of: A History of the Nets- from Teaneck to Brooklyn, Rick Laughland, will be signing copies of his book at the Paramus, NJ Barnes and Noble. 

Sometimes you have to root for the lesser of two evils. In this case, Brooklyn Nets fans have to choose between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks. 

That's a product of the landscape in the East shifting away from Brooklyn as a powerhouse In light of trading away, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

So when Nets fans look at the clear-cut favor to come out of the East, the Boston Celtics, that is also the least desirable outcome. 

Brooklyn will be inextricably linked to Boston following the 2013 trade that sent out unprotected picks for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry. 

One of those pics, Jayson Tatum, is evolving into a superstar and face of the league. The last few seasons, the Celtics have been knocking on the door of a championship. 

The pick the Celtics used to select Tatum, was acquired from Brooklyn. So at the end of the day, mission number one becomes knocking out the Celtics. 

When looking across the East, there's no clear-cut option other than possibly the Sixers or Knicks. 

While rooting for either team is like selling your soul to the devil, having Boston hoist them. Larry O'Brien trophy would be a nightmarish scenario. 

With that being said, Nets fan should root for the Knicks to not only beat the Philadelphia team that broke up Brooklyn's big three, but root for the Knicks to knock off the team that owned their draft picks for many years following the first big three trade, in the Boston Celtics. 

Brooklyn races by Sixers squad without Embiid, Maxey




 The Nets bounced back in a big way from a miserable loss to the Grizzlies on Monday night with an impressive win over a shorthanded Sixers squad.

Without Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, Brooklyn still found itself down by double digits. The Nets did not quit and kept fighting back when they could have easily folded and saw their play-in chances sink further into oblivion. 

Five nets reached double figures including Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroeder with 20 apiece. 

The Nets, which they seldomly do, out rebounded their opponent- in this case the sixers- 44 to 38. 

Ollie went deep into his bench due to the team playing its second game in two nights. Ten players saw the floor with each of them getting in the scoring column and making their presence felt. 

Brooklyn will have an off night after the back-to-back and we'll take on a reeling Detroit Pistons squad on Thursday night. 


Nets get mauled by undermanned Grizzlies

 


The Brooklyn Nets may have just suffered their worst loss than the season.

 Against a Memphis Grizzlies squad that was missing five of its best players, the Nets found a way to squander a chance for a third consecutive victory. 

Only Nick Claxton topped the 20 point plateau with 21 points, while Luke kennard notched to season high 25 points. Brooklyn missed 13 free throws and was out rebounded 50 to 33.

Kevin Ollie and company have no one blame but themselves But for a borderline embarrassing loss to a G-league Memphis squad. 

Nets beat Hawks again to inch closer to final play-in spot

 


Behind Mikal Bridges' 38 points and a scorching hot 15 or 32 from downtown, the Nets won their second consecutive game. 

Brooklyn is now two games behind Atlanta for the number 10 seed and the final play-in spot. 

Cam Johnson went for 23 while Nick Claxton scored 12 points and ripped down 13 rebounds. 

Without Cam Thomas and Ben Simmons in the lineup due to injuries, Brooklyn put on a show in front of the home crowd.

The Nets season has been in turmoil, but with a softer schedule coming up and two wins under the belts against the Hawks, life has been breathed backed into this often. Listless nets squad. 

Brooklyn hosts Memphis on Monday looking for its third straight win. 

Short-handed Nets romp Hawks by 27



 Brooklyn sent a message to the team its chasing for the final play-in spot on Thursday night by handing Atlanta a 27-point defeat. 

The Nets played arguably the most complete game of the season. Cam Johnson went for a game high 29, while Dennis Schroeder chipped in 23. 

Brooklyn shot a sizzling 22 /46 from three point range while committing just nine turnovers. 

It's been a rollercoaster ride under interim head coach Kevin Ollie. Brooklyn suffered blowout losses to Toronto and Minnesota to open his tenure followed by a blowout win of the Grizzlies. This week the Nets were dismantled in Orlando, only to return home and destroy the Hawks. 

Brooklyn will have a familiar opponent in town on Saturday as they welcome in Atlanta.

Another win over the half and the Nets will be a mere two games back of the play-in race. 

Nets look like a Mickey Mouse organization in Orlando



 The Brooklyn Nets are not only a bad basketball team, they're just flat out gutless. 

Trailing by 29 points after three quarters to Orlando is just inexcusable. 

Kevin Ollie was supposed to tap into the inner hunter within each of his players. Ollie insisted that only those that had a hunting mentality would play. 

Well the effort and flat out performance was just unacceptable. 

On a night without Cam Thomas due to an ankle injury and Ben Simmons due to an inability to play back to backs, Mikal Bridges performance was absolutely atrocious. 

Ollie is not pushing any of the right buttons and the floundering Nets wasted an opportunity to close ground in the play – in race. 

The effort, the enthusiasm and pride are just lacking from this team. While Ollie is only in his third game as interim head coach, the Nets will likely be on a coaching hunt this summer with Mike Budenholzer as one of the top names on the market. 

Brooklyn goes out with a wimper against top flight Wolves


 

The Nets battled, but in the end lost a fourth consecutive game-the latest setback to a dominant Minnesota squad.

Brooklyn shot a measley 33.7 percent from the field and 17.1 from 3-point range in the loss.

The Nets were tied with the TWolves at 78 with just under 10 minutes left. Minnesota finished on a 23-8 run to pull away. 

The Nets were competitive but the result was the same. 

Dennis Schroeder took exception to Mike Conley's 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds left to add insult to injury. 

Nets less than Dino-mite in Raptor land

 


New coach, same problems. The Nets fell behind by double digits in the first quarter and were never able to climb back into contention.

The starting five of Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton was less than stellar.

Claxton only had six points, Simmons two points, Finney- Smith three points while Thomas added 19 and Bridges led the way with 21. 

Brooklyn gave up a whopping 46 fast break points, an NBA record since the stat was first tracked back in 1996- 97. 

Kevin Ollie's flawed offensive lineup was less than impressive and will need to be altered quickly. 

Jalen Wilson played just 4 minutes in garbage time and needs to see his workload increase if the Nets hope to even be competitive. 

Brooklyn takes on Minnesota on Saturday night looking for the first win in the Ollie era. 

With Vaughn gone, Ollie is new top dog in charge

 


Kevin Ollie is a grinder. A former 13-year NBA journeyman that's seen it all. He doesn't mince words when he talks, which will be a fresh perspective for a Nets club searching for an identity.

As Ollie put it himself, he's searching for "hunters" and those that fit that mold will play. The Nets have looked like a lifeless and joyless team since the 13-10 start. Anytime a coaching change takes place, it infuses energy into a struggling club.

Ollie and Brooklyn have a chance to put a stamp on his first game in Toronto on Thursday.

The Nets have the easiest remaining schedule, but the way things have gone in Brooklyn, not a single opponent should be overlooked.

Ollie has been named the interim head man and general manager Sean Marks told reporters on Tuesday that the organization will "cast a wide net" in search of a full-time coach. Ollie will certainly be in the mix, depending on how things pan out over the final 28 games. 

Marks won't make the same mistake he did with Vaughn by removing an interim tag prematurely and extending Ollie before the Nets GM looks at all coaching options. 

Dream scenario for Brooklyn Nets revealed

 


The Brooklyn Nets made a major move on Monday following the All-Star break, relieving head coach Jacque Vaughn of his duties. 

The Nets( 21-33) were underachieving in the first half of the year and closed out the first 54 games with a 50-point drubbing at the hands of the Boston Celtics at TD Garden Arena.

That game was the straw that broke the camel's back. Sean Marks and Joe Tsai, in consultation with team leaders, including Mikal Bridges, decided to make a coaching change.

Vaughn unsuccessfully tried to carry over Steve Nash's freelance and free-flowing offense that worked so beautifully with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Now, without superstar talent, the offense was inexplicably built around Ben Simmons, who could never stay healthy. 

The Nets should have been a top flight defensive team, but Vaughn decided to employ a drop defense that had catastrophic results. 

Bridges and other players were looking for clearly defined roles as Vaughn constantly tinkered with starting rotations. 

Now, as the Nets look to the remaining 28 games of the year, it appears as if assistant coach, Kevin Ollie, who joined Vaughn stuff this year, will be name the interim coach. 

Brooklyn will likely cast a wide net this summer in an exhaustive coaching search. Expect Mike Budenholzer to be atop that list. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo's former coach could be the biggest recruiting tool for prospective free agents or superstar trade targets. Things haven't been exactly sunny in paradise in Milwaukee, as Doc Rivers taking over for Adrian Griffin has seen some growing pains. 

The dream scenario for Brooklyn Nets fans is for Antetokounmpo to return this time as a hero in the borough and not public enemy number one. Perhaps the Greek freak will see that life without Bud isn't exactly all it's cut out to be. 

Mikal Bridges fails to defend Nets fans on Knicks podcast

 


Mikal Bridges is a good guy. Always smiling and with an upbeat attitude. He's low-key, but knocking on the door of All-Star status. 

But when the Nets best player went on a podcast this week with former Villanova teammates and now New York Knicks, Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, it became difficult for Nets fans to watch. 

While it appears the ribbing is good natured, Bridges doesn't exactly stand tall against the criticism of Nets fans and the lack thereof at Barclay Center when the Knicks came to Brooklyn earlier this year.

 

Knicks fans have jokingly referred to Barclays Center as MSG South. 

Just another dig at what they consider their little brother- even though the Nets have been the better franchise over the last quarter century. 

It's clear the tide is turning in New York and the Knicks are coming together as a championship hopeful squad. Meanwhile, Brooklyn is sinking into an abyss and failing to find an identity. 

With all this happening in this intercity rivalry, Bridges' inability to at least push back on that narrative has caused a lot of unrest and Nets World. 

Nets late comeback falls short against Celtics

 


In the front end of a home and home, Brooklyn came up on the short end of the stick.

Ben Simmons jump shots were as ugly as the muddy, melted streets throughout the Northeast.

Nic Claxton followed up one of his best performances against the Spurs on Saturday with a terrible outing on Tuesday against Boston.

The Nets had no answers for Jayson Tatum, who dropped 41, while Mikal Bridges had 27 and Cam Thomas 26.

The Nets get another crack at Boston in part of the home and home at TD Garden on Wednesday night. 



Nets make two trades on deadline day



 The Brooklyn Nets completed a trade with the Toronto Raptors acquiring point guard Dennis Schröder and forward Thaddeus Young in exchange for guard Spencer Dinwiddie

The Raptors subsequently bought out Dinwiddie and he is expected to be a coveted piece on the buyout market by several contenders, including: the Lakers and Mavericks.

Dinwiddie played in 348 games as a Net, in two separate stints, and is one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. 

In a separate deal, the Nets sent out another expiring contract in Royce O'Neale, reuniting him with Kevin Durant, now in Phoenix. As part of the deal, the Nets acquire three future second round picks and Keita Bates-Diop and Jordan Goodwin. 

And a corresponding move, the Nets cut forward. Harry Giles.  Brooklyn still has a log jam on their roster and will need to release one more player. 

While the trade deadline was not the splashy type that many Nets fans had hope for, the weren't that many marquee players available. Brooklyn now has the flexibility to revisit trades over the summer, especially a player they had on their radar and Dejounte Murray. 

Kyrie dismantles Nets again, this time in return with Mavs



 Kyrie Irving knows how to tear apart the Brooklyn Nets, whether he's with the team or in another uniform. On Tuesday night, Irving put on a show to a chorus of Brooklyn boo birds mixed with Dallas faithful.

The former Net point guard turned Dallas' problem dropped 36 and had 5 assists while Luka Doncic had 36 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists.

Mikal Bridges had 28, Royce O'Neal 18 and Cam Thomas 16. Dallas jumped out to an 18 point halftime lead and led by that same number after three quarters.

The Nets closed to within six points with 5:22 remaining but couldn't draw any closer.

Brooklyn is now ten games under .500 and welcomes a red hot Cavaliers team into Barclays Center on Thursday. 

The team could look quite different after Thursday's deadline as changes are not only welcomed but sorely needed with this Nets team. 

Curry takes over Brooklyn as Warriors down lackluster Nets

 


Not since the final two seasons at the IZOD Center in the Meadowlands and the two seasons to follow at The Prudential Center in Newark, have opposing fans taken over a home arena the way they have at Barclays Center this season.

Last month, it was Knicks fans chanting Jalen Brunson for MVP in a comeback win and now it was Steph Curry stans soaking up his 29 points.

Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges combined to go 9 of 36 from the field for just 31 points. The Nets shot just 38.2 percent from the field and 31 percent from deep.

Nic Claxton was ejected with a flagrant foul 2, Lonnie Walker IV left with hamstring tightness and Jacque Vaughn refused to use Trendon Watford or Harry Giles off the bench. 

It was all around ugly for Brooklyn. While the stands in Brooklyn are filled with fans, the enthusiasm for the Nets is pailing in comparison to the roars for opposing players.

The deadline is fast approaching and with unrest in Nets World, fans are clamoring for Sean Marks to bring some excitement into an arena that has been comatose due to an inferior product on the court.