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Showing posts with label Brooklyn Nets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brooklyn Nets. Show all posts

Kyrie's Hollywood story with Nets became a nightmare on Atlantic Avenue

 


Kyrie Irving was the driving force that brought Kevin Durant to Brooklyn. A Jersey kid that grew up in West Orange and sat in the upper deck of the Meadowlands, formerly known as Continental Airlines Arena. Irving idolized Jason Kidd and vowed to get the Nets to the finals just like the captain did, except he promised that he'd win that elusive Larry O'Brien Trophy.


After nearly four years of drama, disappointment and injuries, Irving came and went without delivering on his promise. 

In fact, Irving demanded a trade at least year's deadline. Apparently, Irving was unhappy with his ongoing negotiations for a long-term contract extension. 

Alas, the Nets and Irving broke their partnership and went their separate ways. Kevin Durant followed in suit and here is Brooklyn without the star power of years past, but with a happy, relatively healthy and younger locker room.

Now, on the eve Irving's first game against his former club, Nets fans are rooting for the hometown kid to come up as short as he did in big moments time and time again in Brooklyn both on and off the court.

NBA's leading scorer doesn't even start for Nets

 


The Brooklyn Nets can proudly boast they have the highest scoring player in the league, albeit after just one game. 

That's right, Cam Thomas with his 36-point outburst off the bench has earned the top scorer designation.

Thomas' 36 is the most points scored in a season opener by a player off the bench in NBA history.

Thomas became the first Net since Cliff T. Robinson scored 45 on March 9, 1980, to score more than 40 points of the bench last year on February 4, 2023 against the Wizards when he dropped 44. 

Thomas' minutes have been a major talking point at the start of the season as head coach Jacque Vaughn refused to play the talented scorer for any significant minutes in last year's playoffs sweep at the hands of the Sixers.

Thomas looks to have a more integral role and now the challenge remains how will Vaughn avoid a second straight loss when Brooklyn visits Kyrie Irving in Dallas on Friday. 



Nets longshot championship odds revealed

 


It should come as a surprise to no one that the Brooklyn Nets are not the betting favorite to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy this season.

But just how unlikely is it the Nets will be the last team standing?

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, a $100 bet would net a winner a whopping $13,000!



While there are exactly nine teams with worse odds and three other teams with identical odds, it basically puts Brooklyn in the bottom third of the league. 

Sean Marks and the Nets would be the first to admit they're not in ring chasing mode.

 Instead, they're trying to find untapped potential in Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton, getting Ben Simmons back to his All-Star self, keep Mikal Bridges on his path to a first All-Star nomination and let veterans Spencer Dinwiddie and Cam Johnson serve as unspoken leaders for the squad. 

While only one team will be truly content at the close of the upcoming season, the Nets have many team and individual goals that could be building blocks toward being in the championship conversation in the seasons ahead. 

Ex-Net standout offers high praise for Ben Simmons

 Kevin Garnett spent parts of two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets and in his short time he left a mark on the franchise.




So, when Garnett speaks, the basketball world listens.

Nets point guard Ben Simmons has been a polarizing figure in the NBA. 

From his unceremonious exit from Philadelphia to his largely injury riddled tenure in Brooklyn, Simmons has caught the brunt of criticism from detractors.

Now appearing to finally be fully healthy and confident, Simmons may be primed for a breakout year according to Garnett. 

Vince Carter's No. 15 not yet retired by Nets, joins YES broadcast booth

Half man, half amazing may have hung up his basketball shoes but he's going to be a big part of the Nets family moving forward. Carter played five of his illustrious 24 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, forming an original big three alongside Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd. Carter will be eligible for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024 and his longevity along with his theatrical dunks and scoring prowess will almost assuredly land him in the hall in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Somehow, the Nets have yet to retire VC's No. 15. The Nets have often been late to the party honoring alumni, but with more former Nets coming into the fold in the broadcast realm, hopefully things are slowly improving. 

Carter will join Jefferson and Devin Harris as former Nets working for the YES Network. The Nets legend turned analyst will be sure to delight fans as a blast from the Jersey past brings his talents to the broadcast booth in Brooklyn.

Former Nets exec reflects on Jersey days, move to Brooklyn

 Join Nets Insider's Rick Laughland and BackSportsPage's Randy Zellea as they welcome former New Jersey Nets and Brooklyn Nets executive Fred Mangione on the show. 

Mangione served in roles ranging from Senior V.P of  Ticket Sales to Chief Marketing Officer to Chief Operating Office with the Nets. He started his career with the Nets Organization in 1999 and stayed with the team until 2017.

   

With nearly two decades of experience including: back-to-back NBA Finals runs, a record-setting 12-70 season, an NBA lockout, a move to Brooklyn and redefining the Nets brand, Mangione has seen the good, the bad and the ugly from both the business side and the basketball side of the team.

Mangione oversaw the business operations at three different arenas and spoke to the challenges of growing and maintaining a fan base with all the dizzying changes swirling around the team over the last twenty years and really throughout franchise history. 

Dražen Petrović would have been 59 today

 


An unthinkable tragedy took place on June 7, 1993, as Dražen Petrović's life was lost in an auto accident on the rain-soaked Autobahn 9 in Bavaria. 

The Croatian sensation left an indelible mark on the Nets franchise and electrify the NBA during an era in which European players were starting to make their mark in the league.

Petrović was just 29 at the time and merely scratching the surface on his superstardom.

The Brooklyn Nets retired Dražen's No. 3 Jersey in the rafters at then -Meadowlands Arena, and it currently hangs at Barclays Center.

Widely regarded as the best shooter and arguably the purest scorer of his era, his memory lives on and continues to inspire a new generation of European born players to carry the torch and make their impact felt in the NBA. 

Ben Simmons shows off $13M Brooklyn home to Esquire Australia

 


Ben Simmons is due to make $35.45 million in 2023 and the Brooklyn Nets point guard is making sure he lives large in the borough. 

In an exclusive interview with Esquire Australia, Simmons gave a sneak peak into his life off the court.

Simmons calls home to the sprawling appartment within the Olympia building, situated in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood. 

With a personal stylist, chef and luxury watch collection that would make even the most carefree person jealous, Simmons is soaking up the New York City lifestyle.


While, it's fun to see Simmons in his element and appearing to be settled into the borough of Brooklyn, many Nets fans think their point guard has quite a bit to prove this season.

Hampered by injuries the past two seasons, Simmons has been a shell of his former self and the butt of many jokes on social media for his inflated salary and inability to stay healthy.

All indications are that Simmons is, at least in part, back to his former All-Star form. 

Clearly, the Nets are committed to Simmons for at least the next two seasons and with a mass Exodus of superstars including James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving the last few years, the fan base is hopeful that Simmons along with Mikal Bridges can ascend and bring star power back to Brooklyn.


Nets in for rude awakening with brutal early schedule

 


The Brooklyn Nets will have a hell of a time navigating a brutal first nine games of the regular season.

Despite Ben Simmons showing signs of his former All-Star form, Cam Thomas seeing his minutes expand under Jacque Vaughn and Nic Claxton continuing to develop into an All-NBA defender, the road ahead isn't exactly pretty.

The Nets open the season with tough opponents including: Cleveland, at Dallas, at Charlotte, at Miami, at Chicago, Boston, Milwaukee, Los Angeles Clippers and at Boston.

If there was ever a more daunting first nine games, I haven't seen it. Brooklyn will likely only be favored against Hornets. 

The Nets shouldn't be a bottom barrel team in the NBA this season with an ascending Mikal Bridges chasing his first All-Star bid, but the caliber of their opponents is undeniable.

Brooklyn's defense looked lackluster for the majority of its first four preseason games, Simmons committed 18 costly turnovers and Vaughn has yet to establish a go-to rotation or offensive system that can generate points for a roster that lacks consistent shot creators and makers.

It might be an steep uphill climb out of the gate, but it Nets can weather an early storm, they may stay relevant in the playoff picture.

This Ben Simmons stat is alarming to Nets fans

 


For all of the flowers Ben Simmons has received for his newfound confidence and explosiveness, there's one department where Nets fans aren't exactly thrilled with their point guard. 

Turnovers have been an issue for Simmons in the preseason. While he dished out 28 assists in parts of four games, he also committed a whopping 15 turnovers, including eight against his old club, Philadelphia. 

Simmons has regained a great deal of his "attack dog" mentality, but there have been more than a few occasions where he's committed careless mistakes. 

Part of the learning curve is acclimating with many new teammates, but Simmons and center Nic Claxton have a net negative -17 when on the court together. 

While physically and mentally Simmons is looking closer to his pre-injury All-Star form than ever, he'll need to familiarize himself with the Nets system and his supporting cast to play a much more efficient and mistake free style of ball in the regular season.

Ben Simmons fails to score from field in Nets win over Heat



Ben Simmons has looked much improved this preseason but that wasn't the case on Wednesday night in Miami.

The Nets point guard went 0 for 4 from the field with just two points and four turnovers but added seven assists and eight rebounds. 

It was Simmons' second game in two nights, as he showed a reluctance to attack the basket with the same fervor and force he showed during the first three preseason games.

 
Brooklyn had five players reach double figures in scoring, including Lonnie Walker IV, who poured in a team high 22.

The Nets prevailed 107-104 in their final tune-up before the regular season opener as they host the Cavaliers next Wednesday, October 25.

Nets host Israeli club Maccabi Ra’anana with extra security expected




 The world is watching in horror as innocent lives are lost with Israeli forces gather nearing the Gaza Strip to counter the violence and atrocities committed by Hamas.

As chaos and war breakout overseas, Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment is doing its part to keep everyone safe at Thursday night's preseason meeting between the Nets and Maccabi Ra’anana of the Israeli League at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  

There are mixed emotions and opinions from fans and players about whether the game should even be played, including Nicholas Claxton, who shared his belief that the game should be cancelled. 

With unrest in the Middle East, the game will go on as planned with extra security measures in place. 

Mikal Bridges named ahead of ex-Net superstar on ESPN top 100 player rankings

According to ESPN's top 100 NBA player rankings, Nets small forward Mikal Bridges hits at No. 33 overall. Bridges, 27, is looking for his first All-Star nomination this upcoming season. Many argue that Bridges should be higher up the list but another Net turned Maverick actually fell behind Brooklyn's good guy. An 8-time All-Star, former Rookie of the Year and NBA champion, Kyrie Irving was named just behind Bridges at No. 34 overall. While it's worth debating if both players should be ranked higher, Bridges' best ability is his availability, as he played in 83 regular season games and all five playoff games last year. While Bridges has been an NBA Ironman, Irving has been quite the opposite. 

Irving missed games for a multitude of reasons ranging from personal to unexcused absences to injuries.

It's clear Brooklyn is in good hands with Bridges leading the charge. 

Former Net great suggests two players Ben Simmons should emulate



Kenyon Martin is a name that lives in Nets' lore. A fiery and gritty competitor that helped lead the Nets to two consecutive, and to date their only,  NBA Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. Martin wasn't shy about imparting his basketball wisdom on Simmons. 

 On the GilberArenaShow, the one-time All-Star with the Nets, Martin, noted Giannis Antetokuonmpo and Russell Westbrook as two players Simmons should model his game after.

 Simmons looked healthy in Monday's preseason opener against the Lakers in Vegas. If he can start to play downhill and put pressure on teams to protect the paint, the Nets could be a sleeper team to keep an eye out for this regular season. 

Full episode below:


https://www.youtube.com/live/Ve3CJTHBfaY?si=w6FwL645e-0qdRWa

Simmons confirms: 'This is the best he's felt in two years'

 Save all the Ben Simmons jokes because he might make you eat your words.

After 14 minutes in preseason section on Monday, it was clear this is not the same Simmons that was laboring his way through the season last year in Brooklyn or disengaged with teammates the way he was two years ago in Philadelphia.

Simmons looked stronger, faster and healthier than ever and he let it be known to all the doubters.


You can never take too much from the preseason, but the explosiveness he showed in the open court and attacking the basket, along with a new found confidence to look at the rim offensively, will make Simmons a major X-Factor for the Nets this season.

Ben Simmons commits laughable turnover amid positive night

 


Ben Simmons looked a heck of a lot closer to his former All-Star self than he did to the shell of himself he was last season with the Nets. 

Appearing healthy and apparently fully recovered from back surgery, Simmons had an extra pep in his step during the first half of his preseason debut.

Simmons was attacking the basket, split four free throws, poured in 10 points and dished out three assists in 14 minutes.

No matter how much progress Simmons has made, he'll always have his detractors.

So when the Nets point guard skipped across half court in what appeared to be a travel, went behind his back and attempted a no look pass to the wing that nearly ended up in the stands, his trolls were out in full force.

 The Nets season opens on October 27 and Simmons will have an opportunity to silence his haters when the games truly count. 

Ben Simmons reaches double digits in scoring in preseason debut

 


Ben Simmons made an early preseason statement, by looking as healthy as he's ever been since he donned a Nets uniform.

Brooklyn's, point guard opened the team's scoring with a smooth hook over LeBron James to set the tone for the night.

 

In 14 minutes, Simmons tallied ten points and three assists on 2 of 4 from the charity stripe. 



The Nets defense was about as casual as having a cup of coffee with an old friend, letting up 75 first half points against a starting five of James, Anthony Davis and DeAngelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Taurean Prince. 

Brooklyn fans anticipated the team being an elite defensive ball club, but the opening half of the preseason has to raise a ton of concerns for Jacque Vaughn and company. 


Simulation determines best Nets team ever

 


Have you ever imagined how the 1976 ABA Champion New York Nets would fare against the 2003 Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Nets?

How about the 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets against the 1975-76 New York Nets?

Well, courtesy of WhatifSports, you can see any team in sports history take on another all-time team, either current or historic. 

Of interest to Nets fans is what team is definitively the best of all-time.

Selecting three of the best Nets teams of all-time, we let the simulation do the work!

The first matchup saw the 2002-03 New Jersey Nets take on the 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets

The results might shock you!


So naturally, the next matchup we'd all pay to see is the 1975-76 New York Nets against the 2020-21 Brooklyn Nets. Those results may shock you, too!


And finally, Dr. J's 1975-76 New York Nets take on Jason Kidd's 2002-03 New Jersey Nets.

Does the winner of this matchup settle once and for all the best Nets team of all-time?

We like to think so! Once again, the results are quite stunning!


The Simulation possibilities are endless, but according to this set of simulations, the 2002-03 Nets rated as the best team in franchise history!





Former Net announces he 'made it out of Israel safely'




Former Seton Hall standout and Brooklyn Nets second round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Isaiah Whitehead, who currently plays for Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, let his fans know via X, that he is safe. 



The Israeli-Palestinian conflict reached code red on Saturday when Hamas mobilized a surprise attack as Gaza militants launched thousands of rockets, resulting in at least 300 casualties.

With Israel 'at war' according to its Prime Minister, the world is hoping for a speedy and peaceful resolution to this violent conflict. 

How Kooky Kyrie, The Bearded One, and Kevin, too, ruined Nets' Superteam

It started with a clean sweep and ended with a clean sweep. Bookended by utter bliss and overwhelming dysfunction, the Nets superteam era was littered with disappointment and sprinkled with highlights. 

 From James Harden's lingering hamstring strain to Kyrie Irving's season-ending ankle injury and finally Kevin Durant's toe in the line in Game 7 of the 2021 NBA playoffs, even the most anticipated season in Nets' history ended in bitter anguish. 

 The offseason to come was filled with optimism that all three superstars would ink long-term extensions, but only Durant made good on his long-term commitment to the franchise, one he would reneg on not just once, but twice.

Irving's unvaccinated status caused him, fairly or unfairly, to be ineligible for home games and eventually the team refused to let him be a part-time road player. Discontent formed in the locker room with Harden growing impatient without Irving and eventually Durant who was sidelined by a knee sprain suffered a few weeks before the All-Star break. 

 Every step of the way, Durant, Irving and Harden had a chance to take a leadership role to keep the organization on the tracks. All three refused to hold each other accountable, culminating in Harden asking out and getting dealt to Philadelphia centered on a package around a physically and mentally damaged Ben Simmons. Irving eventually rejoined the team in time for a late season push, but with a friend turned foe Ime Udoka leading the hottest team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, the Nets couldn't simply flip the switch come playoff time.

 The Nets lost four highly competitive games with Simmons in the series sweep, including falling victim to a Jayson Tatum game winner in the opener. Brooklyn was back to the drawing board and now it was Durant who grew disenfranchised with the direction of the team by demanding a trade that summer, only to rescind it a few weeks later. The Nets, with Durant and Irving leading the charge, raced out again to an impressive start to the 2022-23 campaign, but Irving's off the court antics, including promoting a film with anti-Semitic tropes became a breaking point in his relationship with the team. 

 Owner Joe Tsai gave Irving a punch list of tasks to complete to get reinstated by the club, which he ultimately fulfilled and then returned. For the second straight year, Durant suffered another pre-All-Star break MCL sprain and the locker room, led by Irving, unraveled. 

 Only weeks later, Irving, who was set to become a free agent at season's end, held the Nets feet to the fire to offer him a near max contract extension. The two sides were miles apart, leading Irving to requesting a trade and the Nets obliging, sending him to Dallas for a package centered on Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and picks. 

 With his co-star gone, it wasn't long before Durant revisited his trade request and skipped town like the other two thirds of the superteam. It was a tragic story of misfortune, missteps and a lack of leadership. The front office and ownership deserve their share of the blame for the dysfunction, but the trio stars not only gave up on their teammates and the organization, but the fans and each other.

 Irving, Durant and Harden will remain as not only the biggest What-if in Nets history, but in sports history as well.
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