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Showing posts with label gaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gaming. Show all posts

Nets wasting prime KD due to unvaxxed Kyrie, injured Simmons

 



None of us are getting any younger. The same can be said for superstar Kevin Durant who will turn 34 at the start of next season. Kyrie Irving, who is still unable to play, but can spectate at Barclays Center, is only available for road games not in Toronto or at MSG. 

Ben Simmons, who it was revealed this week has a herniated disc in his injured back, will need everything to go right in order to make a return in time for the playoffs.

Irving, 29, and Simmons, 25, are still approaching the prime of their respective careers. Durant, 33, is at the apex of his prime, arguably the league's best player and in dire need of his runningmates to be available and healthy for a championship pursuit.

While Durant signed with the club for five years, his commitment to Brooklyn is unwavering, but how long can he maintain his status as the NBA's premier player as he gets up into his mid-to-late 30's?

It's a question not enough people are asking and frankly, one Nets fans may wish to avoid addressing.

It's the 1,000 pound gorilla in the room, but any way you slice it, if the 2021-2022 campaign falls short of a title, it will be an utter disappointment and a lost season for the Nets and Durant.

Injuries have ravaged the Nets' current trio of stars and even impacted former Net James Harden throughout the regular season and last year's playoffs.

Harden's unofficial trade demand was a combination of factors including philosophical differences with Steve Nash, Irving's refusal to get vaccinated, and Durant being option 1 in the offense.

 Harden is ultimately in the place he wanted to be, Philadelphia, reunited with former GM Daryl Morey and teamed up with MVP candidate Joel Embid.

He left Durant and the Nets for greener pastures, but Brooklyn ultimately won the trade in perhaps the short term and long-term with a knockdown 3-point specialist in Seth Curry, a rebounding giant in Drummond and a budding star who became disenfranchised with his teammates and fans in Philadelphia in Simmons.

If the Nets ever put all the pieces together, the rest of the league will be put on notice, but with a part-time Irving and Simmons yet to practice, this could ultimately wind up being a lost season with prime Durant for the franchise.

Former Nets castoff could be starting option at center for Lakers

DeAndre Jordan and the Brooklyn Nets had an amicable break-up this month. Jordan, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden still maintain a brotherhood off the court despite no longer being able to call each other teammates.

 Merely days after joining Los Angeles, a situation in which Jordan was blocked from significant minutes by the presence of Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard, the former has been shipped to Memphis. Howard is the frontrunner to grab the starting spot with the Lakers, a team he's now in his third stint with, but with Gasol gone, Jordan has a chance to complete for that starting spot, but at the very least it has opened up some possible minutes for him to play an integral role in a championship push. 

 The Nets castoff was a poor fit in Steve Nash's switch heavy schemes, and brings athleticism to a Lakers squad evidently looked to move on from the powerful, but lumbering Gasol. 

 The Nets are the bettor's favorites to win the title and the Lakers are right behind them in that conversation. 

If the East's Giant meets the Western juggernaut in June, adding an ex-Net to the opposing side will only add more intrigue to a potentially compelling NBA Finals matchup.

Kyrie Irving admits to past mistakes, points critics to personal growth

Kyrie Irving is a polarizing athlete. Whether it's his thoughts on the shape of the earth, unpopular opinions in the political or social realm, or most importantly to Nets fans, the disappearing act he pulled in Brooklyn this past season. 

 Give the man credit for admitting he may have been misguided in his decisions and world views, but he's a man that marches to the beat of his own drum.

 In a team sport and under the media microscope in the New York market, along with being in the national spotlight, this can lead to a lot of scrutiny and criticism. When healthy and on the court, Irving has proven to be an All-NBA caliber talent. Unfortunately for the Nets and their fans, the starting point guard was in and out of the lineup for a multitude of reasons. 

 Irving went social media silent for thee majority of the past coupleb of years, but in recent weeks has responded to news-mostly negative-about him. 

 If Brooklyn is hoping to achieve greatness and raise a banner in Brooklyn, they're going to need a physically, mentally and spiritually healthy Irving.
 
If his growth and maturation off the court can translate to  better focus and more consistent time on the court, that's a good thing for the Nets and bad news for the rest of the league.

NBA2K22 Gameplay leak: Nets demolish Bucks in opening night matchup

 

NBA 2K22 is set to launch Friday September 10, 2021. Nets Insider has an exclusive look at the newest release for Xbox Series X.
The battle of the Eastern heavyweights wasn't even a contest. As evidenced by the 86-50 romping by Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden and the rest of the Brooklyn Nets over the Milwaukee Bucks, it appears the shot meter issues are a thing of the past. Smoother shooting mechanics and more fluid gameplay make this year's version a less clunky version of those in year's past. The Bucks and Nets are set to do battle in Milwaukee on opening night October 19, so if this simulation is any indication of how that game will go, Brooklyn Nets fans will be restarts with the results.

LaMarcus Aldridge's unfinished business in Brooklyn too tempting to pass up if medically cleared for NBA return

 The Brooklyn Nets are among the top teams on LaMarcus Aldridge's short list of clubs he'd likely sign with if doctors give him the greenlight to return to the professional hardwood this upcoming season.

The 36-year-old shut things down after a heart condition he was diagnosed during his college days at Texas resurfaced following Brooklyn's 2021 regular season loss to the Lakers.



The Nets sorely missed the big man's rebounding and shooting touch with the team's offensive output dried up against Milwaukee in the playoffs outside of Kevin Durant's heroics and flashes from Jeff Green and Blake Griffin with Kyrie Irving injured and James Harden out.

In 16 seasons as a pro, nine with Portland, six with San Antonio and last year with Brooklyn, the seasoned vet has never been to or won an NBA Finals.

A second go around with Brooklyn could arguably his last best chance to complete his quest for a ring and cement is legacy as one of the best big men of his era.

Clearly Aldridge isn't the same player he was when he was still in his prime, but his rebounding, mid-range shooting and basketball savvy would serve the franchise well particularly in a razor thin front court that is reportedly soon to be without DeAndre Jordan after a likely buyout.

Aldridge has a few more hurdles to clear with doctors before finalizing a return, but the power forward was sorely missed during last year's playoff run that ended with a second round elimination and could be the missing piece to the Nets championship puzzle this year.



Kyrie Irving, James Harden extension cliffhangers could rock Nets' World

As it stands now, both Kyrie Irving and James Harden could choose to play outside of Brooklyn after the upcoming NBA season. Those are the facts and the reality facing Nets general manager Sean Marks.
The media distraction alone with reporters and fans speculating on the future of Brooklyn's Big Three together would be a nightmare to deal with. Off the court, Irving, Harden, and Kevin Durant are as close as it comes, but business is business.

 Brooklyn's front office needs to complete this off-season by inking the team's starting backcourt to an extension. With Irving out and Harden injured during the past playoff run, Brooklyn couldn't get out of the second round despite Durant's heroics.

 On paper, the Nets are the odds-on favorites to win the Larry O'Brien, but beyond this season, Harden and Irving need to be part of the equation for the franchise to remain top tier status in the league.

Nets' Gaming Crew to play in 2K League's ECF, Kevin Durant amped for playoff matchup

The Brooklyn Nets may have fallen one game short of the Eastern Conference Finals, but Nets'Gaming Crew locked up a berth after knocking off Philadelphia on Friday night. The NBA's official e-gaming league doesn't exactly showcase a matchup of the real league's top heavyweights, but 2K fans, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving may draw inspiration from this playoff run.

Durant is one of the game's cover athletes alongside legends Dirk Norwitzki and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

With steaming services Twitch and YouTube broadcasting live streams of the playoff matchup, it will be fascinating to see if Brooklyn's joystick masters can come out on top.

Nets' NBA2K League Player Suspended for Violating Code of Conduct

 The Official Nets Gaming Crew's small forward Dante "Dante" Colache has been suspended one playoff game for violating the player Code of Conduct, announced NBA 2K League President Brendan Donahue on Friday. 

Dante's suspension begins on Friday, August 27, in the Nets' Gaming Crew's first game of a three-game playoff series against the Hornets' Venom GT.

In May of 2020, the Nets' GC issued a 1-year ban within the NBA's 2K league to guard Randolph "Rando" Moreno for a player code of conduct violation. 

In June of 2020, a 2K  league investigation revealed that Nets' GC small forward Marquis "Randomz" Gill quit with 4:13 left to play trailing Piston's 71-39. Gill was suspended one-game.


 Nets' GC has been proactive in handing down suspensions for players in violation of the conduct policy as maintaining the integrity of the competition appears to be paramount. 

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