Showing posts with label Featured. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Featured. Show all posts

CP3's next stop might not be where you'd expect



 Chris Paul is still chasing that elusive first NBA title and after his future is being discussed on Wednesday, he'll likely be searching for a new home next year. It was initially reported Phoenix informed Paul they are planning to waive him, but recent reports indicate the Suns are exploring all options including: waiving and re-signing as well as trade avenues.

The 38-year-old veteran point guard is in the twilight of his eventual Hall of Fame career's landing spot not might be the place you think. 

That's right, Broooooklyn. Reuniting Paul with ex -Suns teammates Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson makes too much sense. In fact, the trio made an NBA Finals in 2021 and in fact led the Bucks 2-0 before dropping four straight and the series. 

The Nets have been lacking a true point guard send distributor since James Harden quit on the squad.

It's unclear what Paul's contract demands will be and his willingness to play on the east coast, but basketball-wise it's an absolutely no brainer.

If the Nets, who are rumored to be in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, pull the trigger on that deal, Paul could be a finishing piece for a contending team. 

Lillard lists Nets, Heat as 'obvious' landing spots

 


Damian Lillard is likely on the move this offseason. While all of NBA Twitter speculates on his next destination, Lillard spoke with Showtime about his preferred places to play. 

While the Celtics, Knicks, Heat and Nets have all be rumored to be in on the "Dame Time" Sweepstakes, Lillard set the record straight once and for all. 


It shouldn't come as a shock to Nets or Heat fans, but it definitely confirms prior suspicions that Lillard will be on the move from the Pacific Northwest. Lillard's close relationship with Bam Adebajo in South Beach and Mikal Bridges in Brooklyn will definitely be a factor this summer. 

At the end of the day, the Trailblazers won't simply move Lillard to his preferred destination without getting a haul of picks and young assets for him. Another team to keep an eye on his Philadelphia as James Harden looks to have one foot in the door and one foot moving towards a reunion with Houston as a free agent. 

Should Harden bolt, a package centered on Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and picks might be enough to entice Portland to move their franchise cornerstone. The Sixers will need to scramble to keep Joel Emiid happy and bringing in a costar to potentially replace Harden is a good start.

This will be a very intriguing offseason for the Nets, who are caught in limbo between being a rebuilding team and a true contender. While Lillard can push them toward contending status, he alone won't put them over the top and Sean Marks will need to make additional moves if Brooklyn hopes to rise to the top of the Eastern Conference. 

Two Ex-Nets need to rejoin Brooklyn in FA




 The Brooklyn Nets have turned the page from yet another dysfunctional and disappointing Big three era, but that hasn't stopped Brooklyn fans from keeping tabs on three former Nets'  free agency status. 

Believe it or not, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and DeAngelo Russell are all available to the right suitor.

Harden has been linked to rejoin the Rockets, who hired former Nets assistant and Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. 

 Irving spent the second half of the 2022-23 season with the Dallas Mavericks. While Irving rejoining the Mavericks is a likely scenario, both the Suns and Lakers have been listed a possible destinations for the maestros who orchestrated the destruction of Brooklyn's superstar era. 

Finally, Brooklyn's starting point prior to Irving, Russell enjoyed a superb year in his return to the Lakers for a run to the Western Conference Finals before his production took a major hit at the hands of Nicola Jokic and the Nuggets.

The most likely Nets reunion is Russell as the Nets have a glaring hole at point guard with fans not exactly onboard with Spencer Dinwiddie playing the role as the everyday starter.

Another former Net fan favorite becomes a free agent this summer: Caris LeVert. If Sean Marks were to reassemble the "Good Guy Nets," save Kenny Atkinson and Jarrett Allen, it would create a lot of goodwill with fans.

The front office would need to make some roster maneuvering to make this a reality.

While it's clear neither Irving or Harden would be welcomed to return or have any desire to come back to Brooklyn, bringing back Russell and LeVert may be the answer Marks has been searching for after the Big Three era fell apart at his feet this season. 

 Adding experienced but still ascending pieces around Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, who the team has interest in extending, could make Brooklyn an intriguing team next year.


Is it Time for Nets to bail on the Ben Simmons experiment?

 


Ben Simmons' NBA career isn't over, but his time with the Brooklyn Nets might be just about up.

Fresh off off-season back surgery, Simmons was a shell of his former self in 2022-23. While the former Sixer showed flashes of promise, before his debut season for the Nets gathered virtually any steam, knee and back problems sidelined him for large portions of the season.

Simmons has never been a shooting savant, but his lack of confidence and willingness to attack the paint were clearly evident this past season.

Steve Nash and eventually Jacque Vaughn did little to unlock the All-star talent that is buried somewhere within this broken player.

If the Nets are hoping to be relevant next season, Vaughn and his staff's number one priority has to be tapping into Simmons' psyche and maximum his contributions by getting him mentally and physically right.

The Nets championship window with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving has officially closed and ushered in a new youth moment led by Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson who will more than likely re-sign this summer.

Brooklyn has cap flexibility to add a superstar, but they have a former star who has been languishing on the injury report the better part of the last two seasons.

The onus is on Simmons to attack his rehab this summer and for Vaughn's retooled coaching staff to make the point forward whole again. Simmons can be part of the Nets youth movement of the future, but unless he starts showing some strides, Sean Marks may send him out of town for whatever return package he can net come the trade deadline.



Kevin Durant has yet to thank Nets fans for time in Brooklyn

Kevin Durant is awfully active when he's conversing with randoms on Twitter or defending his legacy against former NBA greats like Shaq, but the former Net has yet to bid farewell to the place he called home since 2019. 

 Durant was traded in the wee hours of the night just prior to the morning of the NBA's trade deadline day on February 7. After his partner in crime, Kyrie Irving, requested and was granted a trade to the Dallas Mavericks, following failed contract extension talks, Durant followed in suit.
NBA.com
The 7-footer, known for his Twitter fingers and skipping town when things get difficult, hopped ship again to Phoenix to join his second super team after choosing Golden State back in 2016. 

 Durant only furthered the narrative that he can't be the bus driver for a championship team and his lack of a tribute to the hard working fans who cheered for him and paid their hard earned money to see him is nothing short of classless. 

 Durant's running mate, Irving, had nothing but a contentious relationship with the media, rocky rapport with the front office and was a major reason for James Harden's trade demand a season ago. 

 Regardless of Durant's feelings towards ownership or the front office, Durant owed a debt of gratitude to the fans for their loyal support. The Nets even traded him to his preferred destination in Phoenix and did the same for James Harden last year when he requested a move to Philadelphia. 

 Durant's partner, Rick Kleinman, of 35 ventures, also tweeted a subtle jab in the aftermath of the former Nets trade request. Durant leaves the organization without delivering a single title, NBA Finals appearance, conference finals appearance, divisional banner or any noteworthy accomplishment. 

 Nets fans deserve better. If Durant couldn't deliver a single banner, the least he could do is acknowledge Nets fans as he slips out the backdoor overnight.

This stat reveals Nets as most clutch NBA team

Players and coaches lie, but stats don't. So while the Nets are 10-1 over their last 11 games and Kevin Durant is playing at an MVP-level, Brooklyn has been most impressive when the stakes are highest. The Nets are tops in the league in clutch winning percentage, which is defined as games that are within 5 points inside of five minutes. 

Brooklyn's last two wins came in comeback fashion over Toronto and Detroit by overcoming double digit deficits in each contest. l  


The Nets are winning, not whining. It's a sharp departure from all of the noise, hoopla, controversy and dysfunction that has plaugued the team the last few seasons.

 Brooklyn welcomes the defending champs into Barclays Center on Wednesday where the club can secure its 20th win of the season.

 They are within striking distance of both Boston and Milwaukee atop the Eastern Conference.

Durant, Curry are in a similar predicament

 

 
  Photo by Doug Bearak

So far both Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are building strong cases to garner MVP consideration.

The Nets and Warriors have vastly underwhelmed so far this year despite their respective stars doing everything in their power to turn the tide.



Brooklyn already parted ways with head coach Steve Nash, suspended Kyrie Irving for promoting a film with anti-semitic tropes, while enduring a summer that include a Durant trade the was ultimately rescinded. 

Throw in offseason back surgery to Ben Simmons and ankle surgeries to sharpshooters Joe Harris and Seth Curry and the Nets have dealt with a world of obstacles.

The defending champs, on the other hand, celebrated a triumphant six game series win over the Celtics, but are showing major signs of a championship hangover.

 The core of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have won four rings together, but at their advanced ages, the championship window is closing fast.

The same can be said for a Nets squad that hasn't been able to get their act together despite Durant's greatness.

There were rumblings this off-season that Durant could rejoin the Warriors squad he spearheaded to two titles, and perhaps both he, the Nets and the Warriors may have been better off if that type of transaction took place this summer.

Fifteen games into the season, the Nets look more like a lottery team than a playoff contender, while the Warriors are one road loss away from setting a new franchise record for consecutive road defeats to start a season. 

For now, enjoy both Curry's and Durant's greatness because the rest of their teammates are not necessarily pulling their weight.

Kyrie Irving's latest tweet reveals hope for his Nets' future




For the first time since tweeting an apology for promoting an anti-semitic film, Kyrie Irving's latest tweet is letting fans know that he'll likely be back on the court sooner than later. Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai set forth six steps that Irving needed to take to be reinstated with the club. Assuming Irving satisfied those requirements, he will be eligible to play after serving his five game suspension.

While the tweet doesn't provide complete clarity, it is the clearest indication to date that there is a path forward for Irving with the Nets.

Even Nets fans don't like the Brooklyn Nets

 

Doug Bearak


The Brooklyn Nets are making it impossible for even their own fan base to tolerate their complete chaos.

Steve Nash and the club mutually agreed to part ways on Tuesday, while former assistant Ime Udoka has been reportedly finalizing a deal with the team.

This comes on the heels of the bombshell report two months ago from the Celtics that Udoka had an consensual relationship with a female employee in Boston. Not many details have emerged from the report, but many believe it's a lot messier and uglier than it looks.

Before the Nets could complete damage control with Kyrie Irving, who took to Twitter and Instagram to promote a film based on a book with anti-semitic tropes, a coaching change was made.

Nash is out, Udoka is reportedly in and Irving is so far off scott free after double down on his support for a film that promotes hate speech.

It's the latest in a Brooklyn fiasco with Irving at the center of it all. In the interim, Jacque Vaughn has been named the interim head coach starting when the Nets host the Bulls Tuesday night.

To make matters worse, Ben Simmons will miss his second straight game after suffering an apparent knee injury. Since Irving and Durant's arrival, the Nets have been without a title and filled with drama, causing more headaches than triumphant moments for fans.

Things have been an on unmitigated disaster since 2019, so can you even blame Nets fans for turning their backs on this laughing stock of a franchise?

Ben Simmons tweaks back in loss to Milwaukee

 Ben Simmons started off Wednesday night in Milwaukee with an aggressive mindset, but things tapered off in the second half as Giannis Antetokounmpo took matters into his own hands. The Bucks handled the Nets 110-99 behind the Greek Freak's 43 points.

Simmons' lack of offensive aggressiveness and defensive presence was abundantly clear in the contest

In speaking with reporters post game, Simmons revealed a possible reason for why he lost a bit of a physical and mental edge.


 The former Sixer is in his first games back in nearly two years after offseason back surgery. The Nets host the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. 

The injury appear to take place in the second quarter as Simmons landed awkwardly, but he stayed in the game and played through the setback. 

It's unclear if the injury is related to his surgically repaired back and while he indicates he plans to play on Thursday night against Dallas, it might behoove the Nets to be extra conservative with him in the early season.

 

Ben Simmons owns this embarrassing NBA distinction




 So far, Ben Simmons looks like a player who hasn't played regular season basketball for over a year.

 

The Nets point guard wasn't acquired for his scoring prowess, but his offensive numbers are downright ugly.

Brooklyn was hoping that Simmons' defense, rebounding and playmaking would be a major asset, but on Wednesday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo played bully ball to the tune of 43 points and 14 rebounds as the Nets lost by 11 in Milwaukee.

Head coach Steve Nash was ejected in the third quarter after arguing a defensive foul call on Patty Mills. Simmons' rust and the Nets lack of overall offensive and defensive continuity have them sitting at the bottom of the Eastern conference at 1-3 to start the year.

Ben Simmons' airball video goes viral

photo by Doug Bearak 



 The Nets had a successful Practice-in-the-Park session on Monday with a record of over 8,000 fans looking to catch a glimpse or a free t-shirt from their favorite player.


While the festivities appeared to be enjoyed by all, one fan video went viral as it caught Ben Simmons jacking up a haphazard jump shot that failed to catch iron.



 This drew more than a few snickers from Nets detractors and Simmons haters as Brooklyn's point guard looks to refine his less than stellar shooting stroke.

Head coach Steve Nash already told reporters this preseason that he won't need Simmons to shoot jumpers as his primary roles will be defending, rebounding and facilitating to Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the team's prolific scorers.

While Simmons' shooting deficiencies will draw laughs from the masses, the real concern after two preseason games is his lack of explosiveness after off-season back surgery and his mounting turnovers as he tries to get acclimated with his new teammates.


Another downright ugly preseason loss causes unrest in Nets World

Photo by Doug Bearak


Nets fans aren't panicking just yet, but maybe they should be. 

After committing 26 turnovers and looking disjointed for a second straight outing in the preseason, Brooklyn looks to have more than a few kinks to work out ahead of the start of the regular season. 

 The Nets were outplayed in every facet by a Miami club that brought defensive physicality and sharp execution to the tune of a 109-80  drubbing.

Kevin Durant finished with 22 points and 4 rebounds, Ben Simmons 4 points, 4 assists, 10 rebounds and 6 careless turnovers. 

 Kyrie Irving sat out Thursday's contest, so Brooklyn was basically noncompetitive from the opening tip. Steve Nash has shifted away from isolation basketball to a more team centric approach predicated on ball movement and man movement. 

 Theoretically, this is the best adjustment the Nets can make, but through two preseason games a lot more has gone wrong than has gone right with the regular season opener less than two weeks away.

With NBA's planned expansion to Seattle, Las Vegas, will New Jersey get a team back?

 

Photo by Andrew Bernstein

Photo by Andrew Bernstein

Some interesting news has been trickling out of the NBA commoner's office this week as the league may consider expanding into additional cities in the near future.

The Supersonics, who were stationed in Seattle from 1967-2008, could see a revival along with adding a club in the hottest growing market in the country in Las Vegas. 


With both cities being located in the Western market, a realignment of divisions would be in order to create even teams in both conferences.

LeBron James has thrown his hat in the ring and called for dibs on a potential Vegas club, while Adam Silver insists that the expansion still is years away.

The question many fans are wondering that followed the Nets in the Garden State is: what about New Jersey?

The Nets, who were founded in 1967 as the New Jersey Americans and played at the Teaneck Armory, spent one season there before moving to Long Island as the rebranded Nets starting in 1968.



The Nets then returned to Jersey in 1977, where they remained for the next 35 years until the move to Brooklyn in 2012.

The Nets had trouble drawing fans when stationed at the Meadowlands due to a lack of public transportation and area attractions in the swamp. The now -defunct Xanadu project lost funding during the Nets stay at the then-IZOD Center as it sat for years half-developed as an eyesore.

Now, the American Dream mall has been built with countless activities, along with a transit line to send fans to and from Secaucus Junction. All the infrastructure and amenities the Nets were hoping for during their stay in East Rutherford are now up and running.

The IZOD Center is still standing, even though it's not used for concerts or sporting events, just merely, filming for television and movies.

The reality is all the pieces are in place for New Jersey to make a bid for another team in the future. 

The question will remain if the politicians in office, lobbyists and pubic at large will make enough waves and show enough support to get the NBA and Silver's attention. A return of NBA basketball to the Garden State is viable, and a renaissance in the swamp is what many basketball diehards are rooting for and hoping for in the near future.



Nets best ability needs to be availability this season

 


Without making any excuses for Steve Nash, who is entering his third year as Nets head coach, injuries, vaccine compliance and players in and out of the lineup have all been commonplace in Brooklyn since his arrival.

Brooklyn will need to find a happy medium  where it can manage its stars minutes, but build enough cohesion as an overall unit to form a powerful team.

Durant was overtaxed last season without Kyrie Irving for large chunks of the year and then James Harden after he jetted out of town.

The 34 year old Durant will need enough run with new teammates, but enough rest to stay fresh for a playoff push.

 Irving has also shown to be an injury prone player and was a shell of his former self in the playoffs when conditioning and fatigue impacted his performance beyond the play-in game and Game 1 against the Celtics.

The delicate balance will be a challenge for Nash as he'll also have a trio of veterans rehabbing their respective injuries in Joe Harris, Seth Curry and T.J. Warren.

Brooklyn may need to play deep into their bench in the early season until the big guns are fully healthy.

So while Nets fans want to see the fully healthy and committed version of this club playing day in and day out, Nash and Marks will certainly keep an eye on the biggest picture, that being keeping his stars healthy, but conditioned enough to compete for a championship come playoff time.



Nets preseason clunker raises more questions than answers

Photo by Doug Bearak


 Not much can be gleaned from NBA preseason action, unless of course certain things are completely egregious.

Tuesday night's 127-108 loss against the majority of Philadelphia's backups falls into the latter category.

With James Harden and Joel Embiid watching in street clothes, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and a cast of reserves severely outplayed Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Joe Harris and Nic Claxton in the first quarter.



After going down 42-26 at the end of the first frame, Brooklyn showed some life in the second quarter, but a disjointed offense and lack of close-outs on defense put the Nets in a massive early hole they couldn't overcome.

The only flashes on brilliance came during the times the Nets were able to get defensive stops to produce easy transition points. 

But as far as half court offense and defensive rotations are concerned, Steve Nash's fingerprints were absent from the on-court product.

There have already been rumblings about Nash's job security this season and if the team continues this trend in the preseason and into the regular season, changes could be coming sooner than later in Brooklyn.

Durant's trade request this past June was made in part based on Nash's decision-making last season, Sean Marks' roster maneuvering and the overall trajectory of the franchise. Things cannot continue to go down this course because if they do, either Nash will be on the chopping block or Durant may ask out yet again.


Ben Simmons' Nets' debut totals revealed

Ben Simmons looked like a guy who hadn't played in an NBA game since June 20, 2021, when he took the floor on Monday night opposing his old squad, Philadelphia. With no Harden or Embid on the floor, the Sixers outscored the Nets 42-26 in opening quarter. Simmons was active on the boards and a willing passer, but misfired on both his free throw attempts and missed all his shot attempts outside the paint. The results were pretty much as expected for a player who has struggled to hit shots consistently from the field, but makes plays for others. 

 All told, the Nets were outplayed by Sixers reserves, but Simmons was able to shake off the rust as Brooklyn narrowed the gap to three points by halftime. 

 Head coach Steve Nash indicated that he won't need Simmons to shoot from the perimeter or do anything outside his comfort zone as the Nets have several prolific scorers on the roster to power their offense.

KD fires back at critics questioning his legendary status

 Be careful what you tweet about Kevin Durant because he might just reply and roast you in front of a massive audience.

The Nets superstar took aim at a few random Twitter accounts nitpicking his place among NBA greats.


The chatter didn't stop there as Durant made a point of putting mere mortals in their rightful place yet again.


Durant is notorious for mixing it up with trolling fans on Twitter and while the Nets' leader is a surefire Hall of Famer, he's not all that thin-skinned when it comes to criticism.

As a public figure in the most esteemed basketball league in the planet, criticism is part of the job description. 


Durant can push back on all the casuals as much as he wants, but his play and the Nets' performance this year is the only thing that will ultimately impact his legacy.

 

These three things should scare Nets fans to death

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Optimism is swirling in Brooklyn with Kevin Durant's trade request in the rearview, Kyrie Irving reaffirming his commitment to the franchise and Steve Nash patching his rocky relationship with the star duo. Perhaps you've followed the team since the move to Brooklyn in 2012? Maybe you go back to the early 1980's at Brendan Byrne Arena? Dare I say its inaugural year in 1967 at the Teaneck Armory? Whatever the case may be, Nets fans young and old, near and far, share these three fears this upcoming season. 

Durant will bolt when things get tough

 If the Nets start slow the griping and disenchantment with the franchise from its superstar player will rear its ugly head once again. Brooklyn faces a bevy of top playoff caliber opponents over its first 20 games and if things get off to a clunky started, the supposedly repaired rift between Steve Nash and Durant will see the light of day again. Durant will once again give Joe Tsai an ultimatum: "fire the coach or trade me."

  Kyrie will march to the beat of his own drum


 There always seems to be some kind of excuse for why Irving isn't on the court: nagging injuries, vaccine compliance issues, personal reasons or simply going AWOL without informing the team. It's a tired act for those around him and who root for him, and despite the Nets'point guard insisting he's aiming to play MVP caliber ball, most will only believe it when they see him play game in and game out. 

  Steve Nash's nonsensical coaching decisions 

 Whether it's refusing to play LaMarcus Alridge and largely benching Blake Griffin in the Nets'sweep at the hands of Boston, Nash doesn't have his players' or the fans' trust. Nash will be entering the third year at the helm in Brooklyn and while he's been dealt a chaotic hand with a rotating carousel of players due to trade requests, injuries and ineligibility, he has done little to instill any confidence in his handling of the roster.

 As the Nets embark on a quest for a title, these three ongoing fears and possible scenarios could very well derail a potential championship parade for the Nets and their fans.

Kevin Durant ranked No. 8 in ESPN's top 10 NBA players list

 Kevin Durant is undoubtedly an all-time NBA great. So how could arguably the league's best player be ranked outside the top five players in the league?

That's the question that many were asking themselves when ESPN ranked the top 10 players in the NBA. 



 

Citing the two months he missed last season and the trade request he ultimately rescinded this off season as the main culprits for Durant plummeting down the list, even the most unreasonable Durant haters can't defend this ranking.

Yes, he's turning 34 and there has absolutely been turmoil in Brooklyn this summer, but his peak talents are undeniable.

With Ben Simmons now in the fold to distribute and create easy scoring opportunities both in the half court and transition for Durant, his scoring prowess will be on full display.

You can be sure that Durant will be keeping receipts on those who have doubted him and knocked him off the top 5 list.

Preseason play is two weeks away, but until the regular season gets underway, Durant win just need to let this criticism fuel him for the upcoming campaign.

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