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Nets' new coach has absurd goal for Ben Simmons

 


The big bad wolf wouldn't mess with Ben Simmons. He'd huff and puff but couldn't blow down the house of bricks the Nets' PG built with outside jumpers.

So why, dear lord why, would Brooklyn's new head coach Jordi Fernandez include Simmons with a list of bigs he wants shooting at least three long range attempts per game?



The rims at Barclays Center and road arenas might not be able to take that kind of abuse from Simmons clanking jump shots.

Then again, Simmons may not even draw iron. 

Fernandez's goal to create floor spacing is admirable, but unfortunately it's not possible with the offensively challenged Simmons.

After multiple back surgeries and knee issues have diminished his once explosive frame, Simmons has devolved into a decent defender and black hole of offense. 

Fernandez, like many in Nets World, is optimistic at the advent of a new season.

 You can't fault him for that. 

But it would take some serious Black Magic to make Simmons an effective offensive player from the perimeter. 

NFL Opener decided in eerily similar fashion to Nets playoff heartbreaker

 




The Brooklyn Nets had their title hopes dashed when Kevin Durant's toe touched the 3-point line on a potential game winning basket in the 2021 NBA playoffs.

That big three squad fell apart and the Nets championship chances went out the window in a flash. So while an NBA playoff loss at a pivotal moment by millimeters can't stack up to a NFL regular season heartbreaker, the similarities are still uncanny.

 



In a rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game, the Ravens went to Arrowhead aiming to avenge the loss on their own turf in January to the Chiefs. 

Trailing 27-20, Lamar Jackson danced in the pocket as the final seconds slipped away and miraculously found an open Isaiah Likely for an apparent touchdown.

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh signaled for his team to go for the two point conversion and the win. Before the Ravens could do that, the booth reviewed the play and upon closer examination, Likely's toe appeared to just touch the out of bounds line in the back of the end zone.

Just like that, a potential win was turned into a devastating loss. Sound familiar Nets fans?

Nets should be wary of veteran All-Star putting Brooklyn atop 2025 FA wish list

 


According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Jimmy Butler has Brooklyn near the top of his wish list during free agency next off-season. 

The veteran shooting guard will turn 35 before next summer and with the Nets fielding a team of players all under 25 outside of Ben Simmons, he doesn't seem to fit the organizational timeline. 

Butler was instrumental in the Heat clinching a finals berth during the 2019-2020 COVID Bubble season as well as the 2022-23 NBA season. Miami lost both trips to the Lakers and Nuggets, respectively.

Sean Marks is going to take a measured approach to free agency, the draft and trade market and bringing Butler into the fold wins disrupt that plan.

Butler's talent is undeniable. He has an ability to lead a team and grind through tough playoff runs. He has worn out his welcome in places where winning didn't pan out like his quick stop in Minnesota. 

Bringing Butler to Brooklyn would be a disaster for all parties involved and should be avoided at all costs. 

This Nets player will wear KD's sacred No. 7

 


If Nets fans haven't turned the page from Kevin Durant's unceremonious exit from Brooklyn, they will be forced to now. 

Shake Milton came over to the Nets from the Knicks in the Mikal Bridges mega blockbuster this offseason.

The shooting guard will take Durant's number 7. 

 This is the first time since Durant's departure that a Nets player will wear that number. 

Clearly Milton won't fill the void left behind from Durant, but seeing another player wear
that number might help the healing process in Brooklyn. 

Nash reflects on disastrous Bklyn tenure, NBA player empowerment




 Things didn't exactly go as planned for Steve Nash in Brooklyn. He'd be the first one to admit that.

With a plethora of injuries, side stories, distractions, COVID interruptions, infighting and constant power struggles, the locker room wasn't exactly a picture perfect place. 

Speaking at former NBA star Goran Dragic's retirement event in Slovenia, Nash revealed to Eurohoops that many obstacles he faced during his first opportunity as an NBA coach in Brooklyn were not basketball related. 

“I was surprised when I coached, you’re not in the team that much, Nash told Eurohoops. You have five minutes with players before the game, at halftime, and after the game. Those are the only times when you address the team. I wanted to connect with every player individually. It’s important to build a culture and an environment where people believe and see them be their best. You need to feel that you want them to become the best version of themselves”, Steve Nash continued.

Managing the egos of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden became untenable for the neophyte head coach. 

"Coaching was a great experience, I didn’t want to be a career coach, admitted Nash to Eurohoops. "I don’t think coaching was about to be my career. I’m coaching my kids, teaching them life. I earned the opportunity to choose, and that’s rewarding, There are always projects, affiliates, and partnerships. I always have something going on, I’m focused on my family."

While Nash did interview for the Toronto opening and didn't get the gig, the two-time MVP had a very difficult situation to navigate in Brooklyn and failed to deliver on the lofty title or bust expectations. 

Bogdanovic, Croatian National team to play game honoring Petrovic


Bojan Bogdanovic, Dario Saric and Ivan Suban will be among the Croatian-born NBA players to play a game honoring the late-great Dražen Petrovic's 60th birthday. 

The former Net passed away tragically in a car crash on the rain soaked Autobahn on June 3, 1993 , in the middle of his brilliant NBA career.

The game with feature the trio of NBA players born in Croatia, along with members of the Croatian National team taking on a selection of European players on September 5 at Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia. 

Former Croatian NBA players are expected to be in attendance and it will be a touching tribute honoring one of the game's great European-born stars that was gone too soon. 

Nets tied for worst NBA championship odds

 


According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Brooklyn Nets are tied with the worst odds to win the 2024 Larry O' Brien trophy.

The Nets are among eight teams with +100,000 to take the title.

Three years ago the Nets were listed as title favorites by many odds makers. How far the mighty have fallen. 

This shouldn't come as a shock to Nets fans as they are fully retooling the roster and almost setting themselves up for an NBA draft lottery that is rich with generational talent. 

So while another season may pass without the Nets winning a championship, player development and NBA draft lottery positioning may set up exceptionally well for the future. 

Did Brooklyn Nets social team troll Durant?



 Kevin Durant and Dennis Schröder have been trading barbs on X/Twitter since Team USA captured the Gold Medal in France. 

Durant hinted that U.S. born NBA players exude both skill and entertainment on the court to take a shot at Schröder intimating that NBA basketball is just entertainment and European basketball is more team oriented. 

Now, the Brooklyn Nets social team is promoting its current point guard but is it taking a subtle shot at its former franchise cornerstone? 


 Now at first glance the tweet may seem innocent enough, but if you read between the lines, the troll job perhaps becomes a bit more obvious.

Durant's signature style featured a beanie hat that he wore on the streets, during pre and post game interviews, practices and I'm sure if the NBA allowed he'd wear it in games, too!

So with Schröder and Durant embroiled in a public feud, it seems curious in the least, but perhaps intentional, to stir up a little drama. 

The Nets are expected to be a lottery team this year, so in the dog days of the NBA off-season, it looks like the social team is doing just about anything for engagement. 

KD's feud with current Nets' PG gets uglier



 There's no love lost between Brooklyn Nets fans and Kevin Durant. Now that the organization's current point guard, Dennis Schröder is taking aim at the former Nets superstar, it's must watch drama.  

Schröder stated that European teams play higher IQ basketball while the NBA is entertainment. After Team USA won the gold following a scare versus Serbia in the semifinals as well as France in the finals, Durant took to Twitter to fire back at Schröder.



In response, Schröder alluded to Durant's thin skin and taking things the wrong way. 


 


 As if Nets fans need another reason to root against the Phoenix Suns and Durant, now the feud with Schröder will take things to the next level. 

Brunson-Kyrie swap was possible for Bklyn according to one basketball pundit



Jalen Brunson is currently the New York Knicks savior. 

 But according to  ESPN basketball expert and Mavericks reporter Tim MacMahon, Brunson was close to playing across the East River. 

During the summer of 2022 when Brunson became a free agent, his intentions were clear to sign with his father's former club in the Knicks. 

 Before he became a free agent, the Mavericks failed to lock down Brunson on a four-year, $55 million extension during his final season there. Speaking on the Knicks Film School Podcast, MacMahon indicates that there was a 'strong likelihood' that Brunson is part of a Kyrie Irving trade with Brooklyn if an extension is signed in Dallas.

 We'll never know what the pairing of Brunson and Kevin Durant would look like, but things would have likely ended better than they did with the Nets the last two seasons. 

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