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Showing posts with label NETS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NETS. Show all posts

New Jersey may get an NBA team again, but it's not the one you think



When the New Jersey Nets left for Brooklyn after the 2011-12 season, the state, and specifically Governor Chris Christie, wished good riddance to its pro basketball franchise. 

The IZOD Center in East Rutherford has  remained merely as a relic of the past. It's been utilized by studios for workspace and the filming sets to the highest bidder including the zombie classic series, The Walking Dead, among others. 

Now, an existing NBA franchise may look to relocate across state lines and into the Garden State. 

That team, the Philadelphia 76ers, already has its training facility located in Camden, New Jersey. 

With strong opposition to build a arena in Center City Philadelphia, the state of New Jersey is making a major push for a proposed 1.3 billion arena project to call New Jersey home. 

There's no clear indication that a move is imminent, but New Jersey becoming an NBA city again would be a major development. 

 The Internet, and specifically X(formerly Twitter), have run wild if there's a potential name change. Among them: The Jersey Sixers, Philadelphia Jerseys and perhaps the best of the bench-the Philadelphia 76ers of New Jersey.

This is certainly a story for many in the tristate to keep a close eye on. 

Brooklyn needs to build a bridge and get over Mikal

 


Mikal Bridges is a New York Knick. The supposed centerpiece of a Nets post-Big Three era is now a distant memory. 

Sean Marks built a warchest of picks and capitalized on the Knicks overpaying for a zero-time All-Star. 

The Nets will be in the Cooper Flag sweepstakes. That means plenty of losing and therein lottery balls hopefully bouncing their way. 

In the meantime, the Knicks will be looking to dethrone a Celtics team that just inked Jayson Tatum to the richest contract in league history and has all of it's starters and key reserves locked up for at least the next few years. 

The Sixers added Paul George, Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond to a core of a rising Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Kelly Oubre. 

The Bucks and Pacers will look to be a factor, while Miami can never be discounted with Jimmy Butler and Erik Spoelstra.

The Knicks have a pathway to the finals, but after losing Isaiah Harkenstein, there's a glaring need for them at backup center. 

The Bridges trade will be a constant talking point in the Big Apple, but while the Knicks will have the pressure of being winners in the short-term, the Nets can patiently wait for draft picks, the right free agents and trade opportunities to come across Marks' desk.



Nets trail only this one team in future draft assets

 


The Brooklyn Nets have an embarrassment of future first round picks. In fact, they have 13 first rounders between the 2025 and 2031 NBA Drafts.

And guess what? More could be on the way.

Dorian Finney-Smith is a highly coveted player across the league and he might possibly net Brooklyn at least another future first rounder.

Cam Johnson is a valuable 6-foot -8 wing with accuracy from long range. Teams may look to attached a future first round pick to any deal where he's included.

Don't forget expiring contracts in Ben Simmons and Dennis Schröder. Teams that are looking to clear salary cap space next summer to make a play for a big free agent, will find those two players'contracts useful. 

When all is said and done, Brooklyn may come close to Sam Presti and Oklahoma City's ridiculous draft stock.

Nets fans are fully embracing the rebuild and Sean Marks is now well armed to build a long-term contender in Brooklyn. 

Knicks player trolls Haliburton with meme about maligned Net

 


Donte DiVincenzo didn't pull any punches in Game 5 and he is not pulling any punches in his meme game. 

Following the 121-91 win in Game 5 over Indiana at MSG, DiVincenzo took to Instagram to caught a stray via Instagram. 

New York can close out the series on Friday in Indiana. Haliburton had a down game with just 13 points and five rebounds. 

Clearly, the Pacers star has bulletin board material that he'll need to use as inspiration when he returns to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. 

 

Nets make NBA history with latest head coaching hiring




 When the Brooklyn Nets hired former Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez to take over their head coaching duties, I'm not sure even they knew history was being made. 

As a respected coach across the league, Fernandez was voted the best assistant coach in a league GM survey. He's also the fifth ever European-born coach and the fifth youngest NBA coach ever to be hired. 

But all those facts pale in comparison to the fact that Fernandez is the first Spanish-born coach in NBA History.

There are only three Spanish-born players currently in the NBA and eleven total from Spanish speaking countries. 

Fernandez is adored and praised by his peers in the NBA and from Team Canada. The Nets are hoping that his worldly experience will help develop a roster that vastly underachieved in 2023-24.

Only time will tell, but Brooklyn can hold claim to setting league history by appointing Fernandez as the main man in charge.

Nets beat down decimated Grizzlies for Ollie's first win



 The Brooklyn Nets snapped a four game skid with a 111-86 win over Memphis on Monday night. 

The Nets fixed many of their defensive issues and kept the Grizzlies at bay as seven players reached double figures in scoring.

Even on a night the Nets came out on top, Cam Thomas turned his ankle and was not putting weight on his foot. Thomas told reporters after the game that he doesn't think the injury is as serious as the injury he suffered earlier this year, but it's not great news nonetheless 

It's almost certain that Thomas will not be available on Tuesday night in a back to back against Orlando and the team already ruled out Simmons for playing for a second consecutive night.

It's been a feel good night for Brooklyn, but the Nets will need more than one win to catapult them back into the playoffs conversation. 

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. 

Claxton outplays Wembanyama as Nets cruise past Spurs



 Nic Claxton had a chip on his shoulder on Saturday night against the likely Rookie of the Year award winner, Victor Wembanyama. The Nets center went for 20 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks on 10 of 15 from the field.  

Wembanyama went for 21 points, but managed just 4 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, committed four turnovers and shot 7 of 16 from the field. 

Claxton and Schröder showed an impressive level of chemistry in just their first game together as the point guard had 15 points and 12 assists.

Brooklyn shot a sizzling 50 percent from deep and 56.3 percent overall. 

While the outing was a great team win for the Nets, San Antonio is just 10-43 on the season. After taking care of business against San Antonio, the Nets will face the Boston Celtics in a home and home starting Tuesday at Barclays Center. 

The Nets will look to grab at least one victory out of the back-to-back and close out the pre-All-Star break on a high note. 

Ben Simmons scoreless in return to Philly, Nets steamroll Sixers



 The Nets built a 16-point first quarter lead and never looked back. Ben Simmons, who was scoreless and didn't attempt a shot in the game, made his impact felt in other areas with nine rebounds and five assists in 14 minutes. 

Brooklyn's offense was humming with Simmons pushing the pace and finding open shooters. Cam Thomas went for 40, Mikal Bridges 23 and Lonnie Walker IV 20. 

The splashed through 20 threes and dished out 35 assists. It's clear that a healthy Simmons has the Nets playing at a different level, but given his injury history it's hard for the team to put any faith in the point forward staying healthy.

Brooklyn plays again on Monday in a nationally televised game against Golden State.

KD sticks it to Nets one more time, this time in return to Brooklyn

 


Kevin Durant always loved the rims at Barclays Center and he barely needed them on Wednesday as he dropped 33 to go along with eight assists and five rebounds.

The Nets, led by Cam Thomas with 25 and Mikal Bridges with 21 for the game, hung tough in the first half, trailing by just three points.

Once the third quarter hit, Phoenix blew the doors off Brooklyn with a 42-26 frame, including a stretch where the Suns went 14 of 16 from the field.

The Nets allowed the Suns to shoot 62 percent for the game and despite a late charge to cut the lead to just ten points inside 5 minutes remaining, the Nets couldn't get any closer.

Prior to the game, the Nets showed a tribute video to Durant, one that was rumored, and Durant indicated on X that he neither wanted nor deserved due to his short stint with the team.

The Nets are sinking into oblivion while the Suns seem to be finding their footing. Anything short of a Phoenix championship will be an utter failure during Durant's contract, which runs through the 2025-26 season. 

The Nets, meanwhile, are mired in a brutal stretch of basketball. With the trade deadline seven days away, Sean Marks' future with the club may depend on how he positions this roster for both short-term and long-term success.

Ben Simmons makes a big statement in return from injury



 Playing in his first game since November 6th against Milwaukee, Ben Simmons looked even better than Nets fans could have imagined.

In 18 minutes of play, Simmons registered 10 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, while going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field. 

Brooklyn steamrolled Utah 147-114 behind Mikal Bridges' 33, while Cam Thomas added 25.

It will be fascinating to see how Brooklyn handles Simmons' minutes with a game Wednesday against Kevin Durant and Phoenix.

Simmons' nerve impingement has been characterized as a potentially chronic issue that could reoccur anytime.

It's unclear whether extra rest days and a lighter workload will minimize the risk of reaggravating the condition or have no impact. 

That part of the equation will have to be a wait and see experiment. It's something to monitor, but Nets fans at least can be somewhat encouraged by Simmons impact on the floor in his limited playing time on Monday. 

No Sleep in Brooklyn: Nets are becoming the butt of every joke



There aren't many smiles right now in Nets World, but the outsiders are laughing at Brooklyn's futility. A record of 4-17 over the last 21 games is not just bad, it's downright embarrassing. 

Not since the 0-18 start to the 2009-10 season where the franchise was playing the string out in New Jersey have things looked this bad. 

Yes, there was a rebuild under Kenny Atkinson in Brooklyn, not one but two failed Big Three star experiments. But at those three junctures the Nets defined a direction, no matter how misguided it was. 

All-in for three aging stars, all-in for three prime stars with supersized egos and break it all down to reset the organization and the culture. 

Brooklyn now find itself in NBA purgatory. With Houston owning the Nets picks and swaps through the 2027 NBA Draft, there is no incentive for the Nets to tank. 

If you look up and down the roster, it's hard to fathom how this team could be a whopping ten games under .500 just after the midway point of the year. The Nets don't have overwhelming superstar talent like they've had in years past, but this roster should be good enough to be around or above the .500 mark and avoiding a play-in type scenario. 

As things stand now, Brooklyn is fighting tooth and nail with Atlanta just to be in the play-in and that's with Mikal Bridges, Cam Thomas and the rest of the supporting cast.

Where do the Nets turn from here? 

Big game hunting in the form of Zach LeVine or Dejounte Murray are possible scenarios with the latter being a more feasible option and better fit. 

Do the Nets lurk in the weeds and wait for the next disgruntled superstar to ask out or be traded and make a play for him?

If that's the case, Marks will need to resupply his draft stock in a hurry to make it happen. The reality is, the more the losses pile up, the worse things look in Brooklyn and for Jacque Vaughn. 

It's never easy trading away not one, not two, but three superstar players, but that's the situation that Brooklyn is in, searching for a direction, hope and positive vibes. 

After a 13-10 start, punctuated by a win over Kevin Durant and the Suns, the Nets looked to be a fun, selfless team that could surprise a lot of people this season. 

From that point on, everything that could have gone wrong, has gone wrong. 

Mired in a brutal stretch of basketball, the Nets are looking for leadership. Vaughn's words seem to fall of deaf ears and the roster is filled with too many nice guys. Bridges, Thomas or the rest aren't the alpha-type of personalities that will get in guy's faces to challenge them.

The results are what they are and until the Nets find their footing and get things right, the pressure cooker is going to be piping hot for Vaughn, Sean Marks and Joe Tsai to get things right before they go from bad to worse in the borough of Brooklyn. 





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. 

 

Fireable offense: Jacque Vaughn, Nets blow another late lead in loss to Knicks



Watching the Brooklyn Nets is like the movie Groundhog Day: different day, same ending.

Replace Billy Murray's funny moments with head scratching Jacque Vaughn coaching decisions and frustration from Nets fans.  

The Nets were outscored 32-18 in the fourth quarter against the Knicks at Barclays after blowing an 18-point lead on Sunday against the Clippers and ending that game being outgunned 22-0. 

On Tuesday, Mikal Bridges carried the day offensively with 36 points, Cam Johnson added 19 and Nic Claxton had 8 points and 17 rebounds.

Johnson started the first quarter strong, but he missed a potential game tying three inside of ten seconds and faded in the second half.

Spencer Dinwiddie played 19 minutes, dealt out three assists and grabbed zero rebounds and produced no points.

Julis Randle and Jalen Brunson poured in 30 apiece to help New York grind out a victory. 

The Nets have now blown double digit fourth quarter leads against the Heat, Blazers, Clippers and Knicks over the last week.

Vaughn's team has gone through offensive dry spell after dry spell and his lineup combinations are not producing desirable results. 

The type of loss the Nets suffered on Tuesday night: a nationally televised against a bitter area rival with another late collapse is grounds to make a coaching change. 

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 are officially in tailspin mode after last second loss to Blazers

 


If the regular season ended today, the Brooklyn Nets would not only be out of the playoffs, but out of the play-in game all together. 

That's how far this team has fallen after a promising 13-10 start to the season, rife with surprise performances and team-centric basketball. Since that point, Brooklyn is 3-14 with bad loss after bad loss piling up, none worse than Wednesday night's near buzzer beater by Anfernee Simons in Portland. Jeremi Grant led the way for the Trailblazers with 30, while Mikal Bridges was the lone Net to top the 20-point plateau with 21. 

The Nets led 83-74 entering the fourth quarter before the Blazers went on a late-game run to take the lead. Cam Johnson tied the game inside of five seconds remaining, but Simons floater over Nic Claxton with just .02 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winner. 

Brooklyn has now last back-to-back games it should have won due to offensive and defensive breakdowns in clutch moments. 

Jacque Vaughn relegating Cam Thomas to the bench over the last ten games has produced a 1-9 record over that span. Spencer Dinwiddie bounced back with 19 points and seven assists in Portland following a tough outing against Miami on Monday. 

Even Dinwiddie, a veteran leader for the squad, has looked disinterested at times, sitting on the bench during clutch times, possibly contemplating his future with the squad. 

 The Nets are now sinking down the NBA standings and without a first round pick to call their own (Cleveland owns it) they don't benefit by selling off assets and becoming a lottery team. 

General manager Sean Marks will now be tasked with picking up the pieces and trying to salvage what has become a lost season for Brooklyn. There are some big superstar names rumored to be available at the deadline, but the Nets front office will need to evaluate age, contract status and fit on the club in order to turn around what has been a disastrous last 3-weeks in Nets World. 

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. 


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