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Showing posts with label Ben Simmons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ben Simmons. Show all posts

Nets suffer another crushing last second loss to Minnesota

 


Mikal Bridges had two free throws to tie the game with 2.4 seconds remaining, but couldn't deliver.

The Nets top scorer missed the first attempt and intentionally missed the second with Brooklyn down 96-94. A lane violation by Dorian Finney-Smith and failure to foul on the ensuing position was all she wrote. 

Brooklyn showed grit and fight by coming back from double digits and taking haymaker after haymaker from the Timberwolves. Karl Anthony Towns led all scorers with 27, Anthony Edwards had 24 while Cam Thomas paced the Nets with 25 and Bridges added 21. 

Minnesota poured in 50 points in the paint and Brooklyn had difficulty dealing with the size and physicality the Timberwolves brought. 

Despite a spirited effort and comeback attempt, the Nets are now 4-17 in their last 21 games.

Brooklyn travels to Houston on Saturday night to face the Rockets looking to end a three-game skid.

Nets are a rudderless ship with no captain in sight

 



Who is the leader of the 2023-24 Brooklyn Nets?

It isn't Spencer Dinwiddie, whose minutes have been shrinking, and body language is showing signs of frustration with limited playing time. 

The same can be said for Cam Thomas, whose answers with the media are becoming shorter by the day as he gets frustrated with losses piling up and his minutes shrinking.

Jacque Vaughn is alienating veteran players and young guys alike as the locker room has been tuning out the coach that is already under siege. 

Sean Marks has not made public comments since before the season started and while owner Joe Tsai has been present a handful of times this season, he's given no clear direction for the franchise. 

All signs point to this being selling season ahead of February's trade deadline for the Nets, but with Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson as centerpieces, a complete rebuild isn't exactly in the cards.

So, will Marks be able to pick up the pieces from this season, add draft capital, while adding impact rotation players at the same time?

It's proposition and Nets fans have shown they're not exactly the most patient type. Serious doubt has been cast on Vaughn's coaching future with the club, adding to the uncertainty to where exactly this team is headed not only this year but in the seasons to follow.

Marks was in a difficult position when he took over as general manager in 2016 and successfully built an enviable culture that had been destroyed by Brooklyn's first failed Big 3 project. 

While Marks had two superstars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant dropped into his lap, and a third force his way out to join Brooklyn in James Harden, none of those pieces remain, just the rubble. 

Many fans have even been clamoring for the team to relocate again and return to New Jersey since the product they're putting on the court is not up to snuff. 

There is no magic sauce or formula that Marks can cook up to fix all these problems, but the first step will be to identify a direction, whether that is retooling, rebuilding, or trying to go big game hunting after available superstars. 

The Nets are currently in NBA purgatory, not holding their own draft picks and they're an afterthought in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Things have been bad for the Nets before and even bad since the move to Brooklyn, but this season may be a new low for a franchise that has experienced its share of them. 

 

Nets do unthinkable, blow 18-point lead to Clippers

 


The Brooklyn Nets were in full control of the Los Angeles Clippers until they weren't. 

After building a 18-point lead with seconds left in the third quarter, Brooklyn watched that advantage not not only evaporate, but eventually turned it into an 11-point Los Angeles win. 

Mikal Bridges led the way with 26, Cam Thomas had 20, while James Harden paced the Clippers with 24 and 10, while Kawhi Leonard added 21.

Ty Lue coached circles around Jacque Vaughn, who allowed the Clippers to stage a 22-0 run to end the game.

It's inexplicable some of the lineup changes that Vaughn made as well as his lack of commanding the huddle and coordinating a semblance of an organized offense.

The Nets have now squandered three winnable games over the last week-plus by losing to Portland, Miami and now the Los Angeles Clippers with a Thunder win preceding that stretch and Laker win on Friday night.

Had the Nets made a few lineup adjustments and different play calls, but they may be riding a six game win streak instead of 4-14 record over the last 18 games. 

Aside from Ben Simmons, Brooklyn is relatively healthy and injuries are no longer an excuse but poor coaching decisions are preventing an underdog Nets squad from staying out of the loss column and in the playoff race. 


Nets make franchise history with stunning win over Lakers



The Nets looked to be on their way to a 15th loss in 18 games early on at Crypto.com Arena, but they flipped the script on the Hollywood Lakers and turned a slow start into an explosive second half.

Brooklyn outscored Los Angeles 38-22 in the third quarter with Cam Thomas pacing the Nets with 33, Spencer Dinwiddie coming alive for 19 and Nic Claxton notching an impressive 22 point, 14 rebound double-double in the contest.

LeBron James had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Anthony Davis had 26 and 12 boards, while DeAngelo Russell poured in 20.

For Brooklyn, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Smith Jr. had spirited efforts off the bench with 15 and 11, respectively, to go along with a great deal of hustle plays.

The Nets earned their biggest win in franchise history at the Lakers home court with a 130-112 triumph.

Brooklyn will be back in the same arena on Sunday to take on the Clippers as it looks for a Los Angeles sweep. 

The Nets have a great coach on staff, but it's not Jacque Vaughn




Jacque Vaughn may have signed a multi-year extension less than a year ago on February 21, 2023, but early returns for his tenure as head coach have been less than promising. 

Yes, Vaughn was head man when the Nets won 12 straight games last season , including an 18 -2 stretch with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leading the way. However, everything went south from that point on with Vaughn. 

The Nets stumbled into the sixth seed in the conference in the aftermath of the Irving and Durant trades.  Brooklyn was swept with relative ease by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.  

Vaughn also took over as the interim Nets head coach back in 2020, during the NBA bubble season with the team being swept out of the first round by the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors. 

Vaughn has an 0-8 playoff record and has been reluctant to play young budding star Cam Thomas, whose offensive prowess is unmatched, but his defense needs some improvement. 

Even veteran point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has spent critical moments on the bench and looks visibly discontent with his role on the team. 

The Brooklyn Nets started the season as one of the surprise stories in the NBA at 13-10, but have gone 3-14 since that point. 

The assistant coach that the team has seemed to respond to and has a great understanding of opponents is none other than Kevin Ollie. Ollie won the 2014 NCAA National Championship with his alma mater, UConn.

Ollie was investigated by the NCAA for compliance issues and ultimately was relieved of his duties as head coach. 

A long-time NBA veteran, Ollie joined Vaughn's staff this season. With the Nets experiencing a talent deficit and coaching deficit, a change might be needed in a leadership position and Ollie can more than fill those shoes. 

Nets suffer ugly loss on foreign soil to Cavs in Paris


 

Donovan Mitchell stole the show in the NBA's Paris Game 2024 with 45 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the Cavaliers cruised to a 111-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. 

Once again, the Nets were lackluster offensively with careless turnovers, poor shot selection and lack of ball movement among their many problems. 

Mikal Bridges tallied 26 points, Cam Thomas 26 and Lonnie Walker IV 20. The Nets surrendered 43 free throw attempts to Cleveland and provided little resistance on the defensive side of the ball. 

Former Nets Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen tallied 21 and 12 points, respectively. The Nets had a fun trip overseas in an international showcase via social media, but chock up another one in the loss column. 

With Paris Fashion Week around the corner, no player was happier to up his Instagram game than Simmons. 

Simmons told reporters this week that he was 'close' to returning but when pressed on when he replied simply with: 'no timetable.' 

Simmons' agent, Bernard Lee, detailed his client's ongoing progress and recovery from this back ailment and while offering a reason for optimism,  fans are skeptical of the Nets' point guard's prospect of returning healthy. 

Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics and while Simmons plans to play with Team Australia, Nets fans are hoping that's not the next time you'll see him fully healthy on the basketball court. 

As for the Nets, the head scratching rotations from Jacque Vaughn continued as he waited until the team was buried by 20-plus points early to insert Thomas and Walker IV into the lineup. 

The Nets are in a world of trouble with a tough schedule ahead ready to bury the already 16-22 struggling club. 

It's clear that the Nets should look to sell off any win-now assets unless Sean Marks can pull a rabbit out of a hat and acquire a game-changing talent like Dejounte Murray to give Brooklyn a much needed shot in the arm. 

The Nets travel to Miami on January 15 to play the Heat. 

Nets loss to lowly Blazers signals selling season is upon us



 The Brooklyn Nets lost yet another game to an NBA bottom feeder in the Portland Trailblazers on Friday night. 

Mikal Bridges came up clutch with a game tying basket with just seconds remaining in the fourth quarter but Malcolm Brogdon drained a pair of threes that put Portland ahead for good in overtime. 

Bridges went for 42-points but the Nets could not best a young Blazers squad led by Afernee Simons who dropped 38. 

Cam Thomas played only 18 minutes and was not relied upon down the stretch as Jacque Vaughn went with a defensive-oriented lineup by becoming Thomas and Spencer Dinwiddie. 

The Nets now sit at a measly record of 16-21 and are sinking in a crowded Eastern Conference.

With a murderous schedule ahead, it begs the question, will the Nets be sellers ahead of the deadline?

It's pretty clear with how things have transpired over the last month in Brooklyn that the Nets and Sean Marks will be in selling mode. 

Look for pieces like Royce, O'Neale, Dinwiddie, Dorian Finnie-Smith and possibly Nic Claxton to be on the move. 

The Nets will be in Paris on an international stage to match up with the Cleveland Cavaliers starting on Thursday. 

The Nets face a daunting schedule over the next 17 games before the All-Star break and it might be time to start floating out rotation players to be on the move in order for Marks to recoup some draft picks for the future. 




Nets snap five-game losing streak with shocking win over Thunder



 The Brooklyn Nets led by as many as 32 points on Friday night at Barclays Center against Oklahoma City before surviving with a 9-point victory. 

The Nets losing streak ended at five games as Nic Claxton and Spencer Dinwiddie added 23 apiece. Cam Thomas chipped in 19 and Mikal Bridges 17. 

Brooklyn got off to a strong start in the first half but stumbled to the finish line in the second half.

Sloppy execution down the stretch saw Brooklyn's lead shrink to only six points, but It held on for a 124- 115 win.

The Nets are ecstatic to be back in the win column and head coach Jacque Vaughn can loosen his collar a bit. 

Brooklyn welcomes in the Portland Trailblazers to Barclays Center on Sunday looking for its second consecutive victory. 


NBA cracks down on Nets for resting healthy players against Bucks

 


The NBA handed down a $100K fine to the Brooklyn Nets for resting four rotational players in a narrow loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on December 29.

Brooklyn rested Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nic Claxton, while Mikal Bridges played just 12 minutes to extend his consecutive games streak. 

The NBA has a load management problem and made the Nets an example by levying the fine against Brooklyn. A second offense would result in a $250K fine and each additional offense will produce an additional $1M fine on top of it. 

A league investigation revealed there were no injuries that precluded the players from participating.

While Bridges' absence could be excused, the notion of resting multiple healthy players goes against everything the new CBA intends to avoid. 

The real losers in this equation are the hard working fans who paid money to see their favorite players. 

Hopefully, the Nets and the other 29 teams are all on notice that these type of deceitful tactics to rest healthy players won't be tolerated. 


Nets in danger of falling out of playoff race after fifth straight loss

 


The Brooklyn Nets are falling fast. Jacque Vaughn is pushing all the wrong buttons as leading scorers Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges are both mired in shooting slumps.

Brooklyn's 3-point shooting has gone down the tubes and its perimeter defense is nowhere to be found.

The answers may not be on this roster although the absence of Lonnie Walker IV and Ben Simmons has not helped the team's cause.

To make matters worse, the team the Nets lost to 112-101 on Wednesday night, the Houston Rockets, will hold the Nets lottery pick if Brooklyn continues on this downward spiral.

Sean Marks is at a franchise crossroads. Does he make a fifth coaching change of his tenure that started in 2016?

Does he build around Bridges and Thomas or decide to blow up the current core and build from the ground up?

All the answers will come into view later this month as the trade deadline draws near.

For the time being, the Nets are playing an unwatchable brand of basketball over the past two weeks and if things don't change in a hurry, there could be massive changes coming to Brooklyn. 

Nets lose by season-high 37 to Pelicans

 


There's no sleep in Brooklyn for Jacque Vaughn as his seat is getting hotter with each passing day and as the losses pile up.

The Nets are now 3-10 over their last 13 games and another heartless effort on Tuesday created more turmoil in Nets World.

Brooklyn had an off shooting night at 25.6 percent from 3-point range and 35.7 percent from the field.

Cam Thomas was scoreless twenty minutes, which is astonishing for such a good bucket getter. Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, and Day'Ron Sharpe were the only players in double figures. 

The Nets play Houston on Wednesday night and look to right a sinking ship. 

Nets reach new low point after loss to lowly Wizards



 Jacque Vaughn made some tweaks to the Nets starting lineup on Friday night by sending Cam Thomas to the bench and Dorian Finney-Smith to the first five.

That move backfired as Brooklyn lost 110-104 to Washington (6-25). 

It's been a tumultuous week for Brooklyn as it rested its starters on Wednesday against Milwaukee only to lose to one of the NBA's worst teams in the Washington Wizards on Friday night. 

It's almost as though the basketball gods were looking down on the Nets in contempt for resting young and healthy players. 

Mikal Bridges was not exactly pleased with the decision by the coaching staff in front office to rest him as it only allowed him to play the first 12 minutes of Wednesday night's contest. 


Now, Cam Thomas has been relegated to the bench, which could continue to create a divide between him, Vaughn and the organization.

The Nets are not exactly sitting pretty in the East and they are falling fast. 

With a trip to the Midwest including stops in: Oklahoma City, New Orleans, and Houston. The road from here won't get any easier.

Vaughn may want to consider reshuffling his starting lineup once again, as sending Thomas to the bench didn't exactly have the positive impact the coach intended. 


Nets snap losing streak by keeping Pistons historic skid intact




 The Brooklyn Nets breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday night at Barclays Center as they outlasted a reeling Detroit Pistons squad 126-115.

The Nets had lost five straight heading in to last night's contest while Detroit had lost 25 straight and was looking to avoid tying the longest losing streak in one season in NBA history.

Brooklyn dealt Detroit its 26 straight defeat, tying the 2010-11 Cavaliers and 2013-14 76ers.

Mikal Bridges led the Nets with 29 and Cam Thomas added 20.  Jaden Ivey paced the Pistons with 23 and Cade Cunningham had 22.

The Nets and Pistons tangle again on Tuesday in the second half of a back to back. Another loss would set the record for Detroit and the Nets are hoping they can keep their winning streak and in turn the Pistons losing streak alive. 

Nets late game blunder dooms upset bid of defending champ Nuggets




Cam Thomas giveth and Cam Thomas taketh away. That was the story in Brooklyn as the 22-year old youngster showed just how promising he can be. But his inexperience showed in the worst way down the stretch.

After Thomas hit a miraculous 4-point play inside of 20 seconds to narrow the Nuggets lead to 115-114, all hell broke loose. 

Jamal Murray hit the front end of his free throws on the ensuing Denver possession, then he clanged the second attempt off the iron, but Thomas didn't block out the shooter and Murray snagged the rebound.

The Nets waived goodbye to a potential game winning scenario as Thomas' mistake cost his team dearly.
 
Mikal Bridges had another rough night as he shot 7 of 16 for 14 points, but missed all three of his 3-point attempts.

Thomas led the way with 23, but
Brooklyn has now lost five straight and will welcome Detroit in for a back to back starting Saturday at Barclays.

The Pistons are currently mired in a 25-game losing streak and are only three losses from tying a league record. The Nets need a win in the worst way and they don't want to be on the wrong side of history when they take on Detroit. 

Durant's boneheaded foul seals Nets win in Suns Big 3 debut

 




The Brooklyn Nets got the revenge that many fans are hoping for on Wednesday night against Kevin Durant and his new team the Phoenix Suns. 

Much Durant's ime in Brooklyn, Phoenix has been unable to stay healthy with Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal  finally all seeing the court together. 

Spencer Dinwiddie was clutched down the stretch as he scored eight fourth quarter points and Cam. Thomas connected on two free throws to seal a 4-point win at Footprint Center. 

Thomas led the way for Brooklyn with 24, while Mikal Bridges chipped in 21 and Dinwiddie 16.

Booker dropped in 34 points and Durant 27, but Durant committed a bone-headed foul on Cam Johnson with just 3 seconds remaining on the shot clock where a stop would have given the Suns the ball down only two points with less than 10 seconds remaining.

Durant was adamant about asking out of Brooklyn at last year's trade deadline and with the Nets on the rise he can't ask his way back in now. 


Nets electric scorer mired in shooting slump since return from injury

 


Cam Thomas is a walking bucket. So when the Nets second year guard is struggling finding his stroke, it begs the question: what's wrong?

In his four games since returning from an ankle sprain, Thomas has shot 7 of 23 for 20 points, 3 of 10 for 7 points, 7 of 19 for 17 points and 7 of 20 for 19 points.

That's a combined 24 of 72 from the field and 15.8 points per game. The struggle is real for Thomas. 

It's likely a simple case of catching his rhythm, but certainly something to keep an eye on as the Nets travel to the Valley of the Sun on Wednesday night to take on Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. 

Former Net escapes scary injury with minimal damage

Mention Kyrie Irving and foot injury to a Brooklyn Nets fan and they will immediately hang their head in frustration. 

Of course, their thoughts will immediately go to the Game 4 in the second round of the 2021 NBA playoffs  injury when Giannis Antetokuonmpo slide under Irving on a layup attempt and caused the then-Nets point guard to severely turn his ankle. 

Irving was lost for the remainder of the playoffs and Brooklyn lost a devastating Game 7 with Kevin Durant's toe touching the line on a potential game winning three.

Flash forward 2 and 1/2 years and Irving is on Dallas after demanding a trade from the Nets. 

Now with his new club, Irving suffered what looked like it could be a horrific foot injury on Friday night against the Portland Trailblazers.

Luckily, Dallas' point guard avoided a worst case scenario. 



Nets have a buying or selling conundrum ahead of the deadline



 The Brooklyn Nets currently sit at a record of 9-8 and in tenth place in a crowded Eastern Conference. The team is exceeding expectations and will be getting leading scorer Cam Thomas back in the lineup on Thursday night after he missed the last nine games because he suffered an ankle injury. 

The Nets are not quite ready to compete with the heavyweights in Boston, Milwaukee or Philadelphia, but find themselves in a mix with about a half dozen other teams looking to make the next jump in the conference. 

So as Sean Marks looks to maintain roster flexibility with one eye on building a contender and the other on stockpiling young assets, he's faced with a bit of a crossroads for this Brooklyn squad.

The Nets have four key players who will become free agents after this season including: Nic Claxton, Royce O'Neale, Lonnie Walker IV, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dennis Smith Jr. and Harry Giles. Marks has bird rights for Dinwiddie, Claxton and O'Neale and each can play a critical role for a true contender this year. The return for any of those respective players would also be significant with first round picks not being out of the question.

Even Dorian Finney-Smith, with years remaining on his contract has been rumored to be a player multiple teams are interested in for a first round pick.  

Marks will need to evaluate which of those names are candidates to remain with the core of the team as they develop the young player and build a contender for the future. Since Marks doesn't want players to walk after the year without receiving anything in return, he'll need to walk the GM tightrope. 

Could the Nets get a top 5 seed in the East and pull an upset against Cleveland, New York, Indiana, Orlando or even Miami? 

It's absolutely possible, but how much would the prospect of a potential first round playoff upset and likely second round exit change the calculus for Marks to hold on to multiple pending unrestricted free agents? 

On the flipside, should the Nets go big game hunting at the deadline or in the offseason?

 Brooklyn is only 17 games into the season, but as it draws near the midway point of the year, fans and the front office will have a better indication of where this team is headed, what pieces to keep, what pieces to send out and what additional talent they can bring on the roster to get the Nets back into contending status. 

Key player on Nets injury report won't be back anytime soon

 


A look up and down the Nets injury report and you'd strain your neck and eyes trying to read all the names.

From Cam Thomas' sprained ankle to Ben Simmons's nerve impingement in his lower back, Brooklyn has been banged up this early season. t

While it looks like the teams leading scorer will be back sooner than later, the team's  leading assist man won't be back as fast.

Thomas has resumed basketball activities and isn't scheduled for any further MRIs or imaging on his injured ankle.

Simmons, however, will still need to rehab his injured back, and is not cleared to practice.

Given Simmons injury history and specifically his surgically repaired back, the Nets could be without their starting point guard for the foreseeable future.

Nets star has jersey retired at storied college basketball program

 


Mikal Bridges may be Brooklyn's very own, but his heart will always be in Philly. The former Villanova Wildcat and Philadelphia native had his jersey retired at the Pavilion on Friday night.

Bridges is approaching the prime years of his NBA career, but he was honored as one of the all-time greats under a legendary coach in Jay Wright.

Bridges won the National Championship as a freshman in 2016 (program's first since 1985) and again as a junior in 2018.

Coincidentally, Brooklyn will take on Philadelphia on Sunday night at Barclays Center.

Come Sunday, Bridges will surely cast aside his Philadelphia loyalty and try to deal the Nets Atlantic Division foe only it's fourth loss of the season after a scorching hot 9-3 start. 

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