Nets Insider Videos


Nets Sign Caris LeVert to Contract Extension


The Brooklyn Nets locked up another member of their young core by signing forward Caris LeVert to a three-year contract extension worth $52.5 million. 
LeVert, 25, will have the extension kick in beginning the 2021 season where he will make $16.2 million, $17.5 in 2022, and $18.8 million during the final year of the extension. 
The Nets look primed to be one of the best teams in the eastern conference over the next couple of years with players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jodan, and now LeVert looking to usher in a new era for Brooklyn. 
LeVert entered the league in 2016 when he was drafted in the first round by the Nets out of the University of Michigan. Even though he played only 42 games last season due to an ankle injury, he showed promise for the Nets in limited action. 
LeVert was averaging a tick under 13 points-per-game before he was sidelined for the rest of the 2018-2019 season. 
The contract extension shows that General Manager Sean Marks, and the rest of the Nets brass, believes LeVert can be a crucial cog for the team going forward. The team also believes LeVert will be able to recover fully from his ankle injury, and build on what was his best season in the NBA up until his injury. 
The extension LeVert received was a well-deserved one because he improved during all three years of his career. With the ballooning of salaries in the NBA, getting LeVert for an average salary of slightly over $17 million/year will seem like a bargain when it kicks in beginning the 2021 season. 
The extension also gives LeVert a sense of security and will allow him to focus on recovering fully from his injury, and trying to help lead the Nets to their first NBA Championship in franchise history. 
LeVert should also see an increased role this season for head coach Kenny Atkinson’s squad with marquee free agent Kevin Durant being unable to play for the majority of the year, if he is even able to play at all. Durant suffered a torn Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals which put his 2019-2020 season in serious doubt. 
If LeVert is able to build off last season, and fill in admirably during the absence of Durant, he will more than outplay the salary the Nets will be paying him this season and going forward. 
During the 2019-2020 season, LeVert will make just over $2.6 million. 
The Nets rewarded LeVert for his steady improvement all throughout his NBA career, and he will be staying in Brooklyn for the foreseeable future. 

Alibaba co-founder purchases full Nets ownership for record 2.35B







The Brooklyn Nets are going to be under new ownership once again as founder of the site Alibaba Joseph Tsai  is poised to purchase the team.

The inkling by Tsai to purchase the team is  not anything new, Tsai purchased a 49-percent share of the Nets from current owner Mikhail Prokhorov to the tune of $1 billion in 2017.
Now, with Tsai looking to purchase the remaining 51-percent of the team for $1.3 billion, the total price Tsai will have paid for the Nets will be a whopping $2.3 billion.

If this deal ends up going through the $2.3 billion will be the most ever paid for an American professional sports team.

This historic figure comes at a time where values for professional sporting teams are skyrocketing. Eight teams in the NBA are valued at over $1 billion.
Earlier this summer, Forbes valued the Nets at $2.3 billion, which makes them the sixth-most valuable team in the National Basketball Association.

According to the stipulations of the agreement when Tsai purchased 49-percent stake of the Nets in 2017, he reserved the right to purchase the remaining 51 percent before the 2021-2022 season.
For one reason or another, Tsai had decided to exercise his option two years early and add the Nets to his portfolio.

Tsai is purchasing what should be one of the most interesting teams in basketball over the next handful of years. Coming off a summer that saw the Nets sign the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and DeAndre Jordan, in addition to a young core from last season, the Nets look to be a threat in the league for years to come.

Prokhorov purchased the Nets for under $400 million in 2009, and his imminent departure as team owner will be met with a sense of joy from Nets fans everywhere.

Prokhorov’s ten-year ownership stint will not be remembered positively in the annals of NBA history. 

Prokhorov only presided over three winning seasons during his stewardship, and the Nets had the third-worst record in the league over the past decade at 300-504.

Also, the Nets only were only able to win one playoff series under Prokhorov, which was in 2014 when they upended the Raptors in seven.

The Prokhorov tenure was rife with dysfunction from the sidelines all the way up to the front office. With signings of aging veterans like Gerald Wallace, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett in addition to five coaches there are not many positive things to remember from Prokhorov’s time.
With the big news of the Brooklyn Nets being purchased by an individual that is excitied to do so, Nets fans hope to see the dysfunction of the last decade washed away as they ride the coattails of their dynamic duo of Durant and Irving to NBA supremacy for years to come.

What to Make of Nets 2019-2020 Schedule

The 2019-20 schedule was just released for the Brooklyn Nets, and along with its release comes a sense of optimism, excitement, and uncertainty for head coach Kenny Atkinson’s squad.
The Nets had a successful offseason by all accounts as they were able to sign three marquee free agents: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and DeAndre Jordan.
Durant was poached from the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors, Irving comes to Brooklyn from the Boston Celtics, and Jordan spurned the cross-town rival Knicks to come to Brooklyn.
The Nets enter the 2019-2020 with higher expectations than they have had in years and are looking to build off last season that saw them notch the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 42-40.
The Nets play 20 games on national television during the 2019-2020 season and begin their season against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Barclays Center on Oct. 23, 2019.
Irving’s return to his former team, the Boston Celtics, will come on Nov. 27, 2019. Just two days later on Nov. 29, 2019 the Celtics will come to Brooklyn and Irving will have a home-and-home with the team he left just a few months ago.
Other marquee names for the Nets include:
Nov.1: vs. Houston
Jan. 15: @Philadelphia
Jan. 18: vs. Milwaukee
Jan. 23: vs. Lakers
Feb.5:  vs. Warriors
March 12: @Golden State
March 25: vs. Clippers
The biggest single day of the NBA year, Christmas Day, will not see the Nets in action. This is probably due to the unsure return of Durant, a former MVP and Finals MVP. The Nets instead play the Knicks at home on Dec. 26. 2019. With just a one day difference the game loses quite a bit of luster even though it is a battle for New York basketball supremacy. 
The question in the mind of Nets fans everywhere is when the Nets should expect to see Kevin Durant back on the floor and paired with Irving, Jordan, Caris LeVert, and the rest of the young core the Nets have.
Durant suffered a torn Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Durant had surgery on June 12, 2019. The timetable for this sort of injury is 9-12 months, which means the best case scenario for Durant is mid-March, which means he will have approximately 15 games left to go in the regular season before the Nets would presumably begin the NBA Playoffs.
 An interesting nugget that coincides with a nine-month recovery is the Nets face off with the Warriors on March 12, 2019 on the road. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Durant has circled this game on his calendar as when he would like to make his return to the court.
The Nets training staff cannot let Durant step on the court until he is 100 percent physically able to do so. Nobody quite knows if Durant will ever return to his pre-injury form, but Nets fans are hoping he could show the league he is just as good as he ever was. 
The precedent for NBA players returning from Achilles injuries is not a positive one with players like Kobe Bryant, Brandon Jennings and Isaiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons) all either retiring or not able to regain their form post-injury.
Durant, and the Nets training staff, must be very smart in how they deal with Durant. Durant, who will be 31 this September, is still in his athletic prime and should not sacrifice the remaining years of his career for a 20 game cameo at the end of this season.
Durant tried to return early, and help his team win a third consecutive NBA Finals, and now he finds himself watching on the sidelines with a debilitating injury. 
A more plausible return for Durant is April 1, 2019, at home against Detroit. This will give him almost the entirety of the season to recover, and eight games to get his feet under him before the NBA Playoffs begin.
If Durant has any sort of setbacks, or uncertainty, the Brooklyn Nets will have to wait until October of 2020 before they will see Durant suit up for the Nets.




Kyrie's revenge game and Kevin Durant's possible return date highlight Nets schedule release




The 2019-20 schedule was just released for the Brooklyn Nets, and along with its release comes a sense of optimism, excitement, and uncertainty for head coach Kenny Atkinson’s squad.
The Nets had a successful offseason by all accounts as they were able to sign three marquee free agents: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and DeAndre Jordan.
Durant was poached from the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors, Irving comes to Brooklyn from the Boston Celtics, and Jordan spurned the cross-town rival Knicks to come to Brooklyn.
The Nets enter the 2019-2020 with higher expectations than they have had in years and are looking to build off last season that saw them notch the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 42-40.
The Nets play 20 games on national television during the 2019-2020 season and begin their season against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Barclays Center on Oct. 23, 2019.
Irving’s return to his former team, the Boston Celtics, will come on Nov. 27, 2019. Just two days later on Nov. 29, 2019 the Celtics will come to Brooklyn and Irving will have a home-and-home with the team he left just a few months ago.
Other marquee names for the Nets include:
Nov.1: vs. Houston
Jan. 15: @Philadelphia
Jan. 18: vs. Milwaukee
Jan. 23: vs. Lakers
Feb.5:  vs. Warriors
March 12: @Golden State
March 25: vs. Clippers
The biggest single day of the NBA year, Christmas Day, will not see the Nets in action. This is probably due to the unsure return of Durant, a former MVP and Finals MVP. The Nets instead play the Knicks at home on Dec. 26. 2019. With just a one day difference the game loses quite a bit of luster even though it is a battle for New York basketball supremacy. 
The question in the mind of Nets fans everywhere is when the Nets should expect to see Kevin Durant back on the floor and paired with Irving, Jordan, Caris LeVert, and the rest of the young core the Nets have.
Durant suffered a torn Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Durant had surgery on June 12, 2019. The timetable for this sort of injury is 9-12 months, which means the best case scenario for Durant is mid-March, which means he will have approximately 15 games left to go in the regular season before the Nets would presumably begin the NBA Playoffs.
 An interesting nugget that coincides with a nine-month recovery is the Nets face off with the Warriors on March 12, 2019 on the road. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Durant has circled this game on his calendar as when he would like to make his return to the court.
The Nets training staff cannot let Durant step on the court until he is 100 percent physically able to do so. Nobody quite knows if Durant will ever return to his pre-injury form, but Nets fans are hoping he could show the league he is just as good as he ever was. 
The precedent for NBA players returning from Achilles injuries is not a positive one with players like Kobe Bryant, Brandon Jennings and Isaiah Thomas (Detroit Pistons) all either retiring or not able to regain their form post-injury.
Durant, and the Nets training staff, must be very smart in how they deal with Durant. Durant, who will be 31 this September, is still in his athletic prime and should not sacrifice the remaining years of his career for a 20 game cameo at the end of this season.
Durant tried to return early, and help his team win a third consecutive NBA Finals, and now he finds himself watching on the sidelines with a debilitating injury. 
A more plausible return for Durant is April 1, 2019, at home against Detroit. This will give him almost the entirety of the season to recover, and eight games to get his feet under him before the NBA Playoffs begin.
If Durant has any sort of setbacks, or uncertainty, the Brooklyn Nets will have to wait until October of 2020 before they will see Durant suit up for the Nets.

Kevin Durant says 'hell no' to blaming Warriors for Achilles injury


It was Kevin Durant's decision and his alone to come back for Game 5 of the NBA finals after injuring his calf just a few weeks earlier in the semifinal round against the Houston Rockets. Durant told Yahoo! Sports that the Warriors medical staff shouldn't be blamed in the least for him returning prematurely to try and rescue Golden State from a 3-1 series deficit to the Toronto Raptors.

“Hell, no. How can you blame [the Warriors]? Hell, no,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “I heard the Warriors pressured me into getting back. Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back. It was only me and [director of sports medicine and performance] Rick [Celebrini] working out every day. Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5. Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball. S--- happens. Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game. We just need to move on from that s--- because I’m going to be back playing.”

 If you take Durant at his word, it vindicates his former team from some of the blame, but the question still remains how was he medically cleared to play when many believe the Achilles ruptured he suffered was likely connected to his injured calf that hadn't fully healed? 

 Regardless of how he felt, Durant admitted that the plan all along was for him to play in Game 5. 
“No matter what the series was, I was aiming for Game 5,” he said. “That’s why I played when it was 3-1. No matter what, I just wanted to play in the Finals. I just wanted to hoop, especially if I could be out there. I was feeling good leading up to it. I was working out every day. I was gradually getting back to myself doing the two-a-days. I was really locked in on my game and trying to get back. I really wanted to play in that series.”
Before concluding the interview, Durant couldn't help but take a parting shot at the Raptors, whose fans initially cheered his injury when he went down. 
“It will probably be the last time they will be in the Finals,” Durant noted. 
This will make for a very intriguing Atlantic Division rivalry when Durant return to the court. 


Kevin Durant: 'If I was leaving the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets'



The Nets newly acquired superstar spoke to Yahoo! Sports about setting the recod straight on where he ultimately wanted to land this offseason.

“If I was leaving the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets,” Durant said. “They got the pieces and a creative front office. I just like what they were building.”

Clearly the superstar had his sights set on Brooklyn due to the culture that was built by Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson and of course the fact the Nets signed Kyrie Irving to play alongside him. As far as when he ultimately decided to choose the Nets over the Warriors, Durant hinted that he kept his focus on chasing another title with Golden State, but once free agency was underway, the choice was clear.

“June 30," Durant told Yahoo! Sports. "That morning. I never wanted to disrespect the game by putting my focus on the future. It was always about that day, focusing on that day and what was most important that day. And throughout the season, basketball is the No. 1 thing.”

Many critics have questioned Durant's decision to forgo New York's most popular basketball team, the Knicks, and sign with the up and coming Nets. Durant, speaking frankly, didn't waste anytime in suggesting the move was something he felt compelled to do.

“Because I wanted to,” Durant said. “The basketball was appealing.”

It's not even worth arguing what franchise has been better over the past decade-plus between the Knicks and the Nets. While Madison Square Garden is alluring and has history on its side over  the Barclays Center, the Nets are clearly the better run organization. Durant can't be faulted for his decision to close the book on the Warriors and try to write a new legacy in Brooklyn.




EXCLUSIVE: Renowned surgeon ‘wouldn’t change Durant’s injury timetable based on Nets fan's anecdotal theory’





Earlier this week a Nets fan concocted a thought-provoking theory that has no scientific backing to prove it, just anecdotal evidence to support it. The fan suggests that Kevin Durant could return to the court sooner than most expect since the Achilles injury he suffered impacted his non-dominant leg. In this "theory," the fan surmises that the right-handed Durant will face an easier road to recovery since he relies more on is left foot than his right foot for jumping as well as his explosive first step off the dribble.



Despite the rather lengthly list of right-handed players with injured left Achilles who failed to return to pre-injury form, the fan is far from an expert in the medical field. Dr. Weinfeld, Chief of Foot and Ankle surgery at The Mount Sinai Health System, has the medical background and credentials to effectively test this theory, and let's just say the renowned surgeon isn't as convinced of Durant's expedited injury timetable as the overly optimistic Nets fan is.

"I think it’s an interesting finding," admitted Weinfeld of the Nets fan's theory. "It sounds anecdotal meaning people have gone back and looked at who’s who and what has happened to them, but no one has really studied it in an objective way. That would be great if that‘s the case, but I just don’t know if there’s any science to support what they’re saying. You think about a right-handed player, their first step would be pushing off the opposite side, but the doctors that are taking care of these players want to make sure that the strength of the operated limb is there before they go back and play. They still have to rehab whether it be the left or right side. They still have to strengthen that area enough to support the demands of a professional athlete. That’s really what the doctors are thinking before they clear the player to go back. I don’t think they’re considering right versus left, I think they’re considering the strength of the limb that’s been injured."


Part of the theorgy cites how the right and left hemisphere of the brain control the opposite sides of the body as a basis for why Durant's rehab will go smoother than many critics anticipate. According to Dr. Weinfeld, there are still missing pieces to that puzzle.

"I think it’s something that’s interesting to study," admitted Dr. Weinfeld. "The right brain controls the left side of the body and vice versa. There are dominant parts of the brain, but I don’t know if that would affect somebody’s rehabilitation."

Essentially there doesn't appear a causal link between dominant areas of the brain and increase rehabilitation and recovery. As with everything in the medical field, more research needs to be conducted to prove or disprove this assertion.


"Looking at statistics, there may be some truth to it, but I don’t see the scientific evidence to back it up," noted Mount Sinai's surgeron. "It would probably require some study before you could say that was accurate."

As far as moving up Durant's expected recovery, Dr. Weinfeld isn't putting the cart in front of the horse just yet, and believes more research needs to be done on the topic.

"I would not," noted Dr. Weinfeld of adjusting Durant's injury timetable. "I would say based on when his right leg is strong enough to do what he needs to do as a professional NBA player. I would not change my timetable based on some anecdotal Information."

T.J. Kidd: 'Kyrie doesn’t have to come in and be the next Jason Kidd for the Nets'



Comparisons between Jason Kidd's arrival with the Nets franchise and Kyrie Irving landing with Brooklyn are aplenty, but don't tell T.J. Kidd, son of the former Nets great that. Speaking with Nets Insider, T.J. Kidd weighed in on what intangibles Irving will bring both on and off the court at Barclays Center and how his circumstances are much different than his father's when the Nets made a blockbuster trade to acquire him back in 2001.

"Kyrie Irving is a top tier point guard in the league as my dad was when he came from the Suns," said the son of the first ballot Hall of Famer. "Both had all-star seasons before joining the Nets. When my dad came it was via trade. Kyrie joined via free agency after playing for the Celtics last season. So I wouldn’t compare their arrivals. Two incredibly talented basketball players for their times. Kyrie doesn’t have to come in and be the next Jason Kidd for the Nets. He’s won a championship already with the Cavs. He’s a championship caliber player. He just has to come in and be the same Kyrie Irving he’s always been. I think he’s going to be great for the Nets. When my dad came the year before they won 26 games. Kyrie is coming to a team fresh off a playoff appearance. I wish Kyrie the same and even more success my dad has and I look forward to seeing him in a Nets uniform."

Prior to Kidd joining the Nets, the team was mired in medicority and destined yet again to be another lottery-bound squad. The man they called "The Captain" transformed the culture of the team, while bringing a winning attitude and much-needed change in leadership to the Meadowlands. As T.J. Kidd noted, the Nets won just 26 games prior to trading for Kidd, and in his first season with the team he doubled its win total and at the time completed the best single-season turnaround in NBA history.

On the contrary, the 2019 Brooklyn Nets won 42 games--good enough for the sixth seed in the East--and bowed out in five games to Philadelphia 76ers. Not only are the comparisons between Kidd and Irving off, this version of Nets basketball is far different from the one fans experienced in the early-2000s, according to T.J. Kidd.

"I was very young when the Nets acquired my dad," admitted T.J. Kidd. "I wouldn’t really compare the two off-seasons because I don’t like to compare two different eras of basketball. Also we haven’t seen this new Nets team play yet. Back then the pace of the game was more physical than it is today. The Nets of that time was a different team. That team was extremely lethal on the fast break. They played with a different type of physicality on the defensive side of the ball. My dad was a walking triple double. I wouldn’t necessarily say that they can dominate the east just yet. At full strength this new Nets team on paper I believe will be very tough to beat. I’m not sure if they’ll dominate the east like that team did. That’s for them to prove. I think we all are going to have to wait and see on what they can do. I think that this with this Nets team at full strength the sky is the limit."

T.J. Kidd is a lot more hopeful than some skeptics who believe that Irving is not cut-out for a leadership role in Brooklyn, while Kevin Durant's Achilles injury will likely sideline him for the entire 2019-2020 season and criticscontend that he won't be the same player he was before the injury when he returns to the court. From a leadership standpoint, Irving and Kidd aren't even in the same stratosphere, but the former Cav and Celtic has championship pedigree and can forged a heck of a dynamic duo alongside Durant when he returns healthy. Beyond just Durant and Irving, T.J. Kidd took special notice to the rest of the roster that helped carry the team to a playoff berth last year.


"I believe the Nets had a fantastic offseason," offered T.J. Kidd. "They went out and got two max superstar free agents in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. I love them signing Deandre Jordan as well. I think that having a big man that plays his style of game and he does it well. I think he’s going to be huge on how they develop Jared Allen going forward, who I believe is going to be a great big man in the league down the line, learning from a big man like Deandre Jordan will only benefit him. I like how deep they are as well. Joe Harris can shoot the lights out. I think Caris LeVert is going to have a great year and I’m excited to see what he’s going to do. I like their bench a lot. Solid role players that complement the guys I’ve already mentioned. The Nets are cooking up something special. I believe that their front office did a tremendous job at building a strong basketball culture and that’s why I believe they’ll have a lot of success going forward and that they had such great success this past offseason. At full strength I believe they’ll be a very tough team to beat. I’m excited to watch them next season and going forward. Nets fans have a lot to be excited about."

Former NBA Scout says ‘Kyrie Irving’s next step is to model game after James Harden’



Former NBA Scout Bryan Oringher spent four years full-time traveling with the Washington Wizards as Head Video Coordinator and the 17-18 season conducting regional advanced scouting for the Raptors and Hawks. If there’s anyone who has a keen eye for talent and understands X’s and O’s as well as film breakdown, it’s Oringher.

 A University of Maryland graduate, Oringher spent his first two years at school working under head coach Gary Williams before joining the Wizards as an intern for his final two undergraduate years.

Nets Insider sat down with Oringher to discuss Kyrie Irving’s transition to the Nets culture as well as Kenny Atkinson’s system. The key for Irving’s success, according to Oringher, will be the former Celtics’ ability to check his ego at the door and make some simple adjustments to his game.

“Until KD is back, I think it’s very similar to what Boston had last year: Kyrie surrounded with a pretty good supporting cast,” said Oringher of Irving’s situation in Brooklyn. "They had Brad Stevens who’s regarded as one of the best X’s and O’s coaches in the league. He’s a guy who’s not afraid to jump on guys at times and Kyrie didn’t appear to respond really well to that type of coaching.It seemed like they really weren’t on the same page for most of the season. I think Kyrie needs to be held accountable and he needs to allow himself to be held accountable. I think Kenny Atkinson has done a great job, but it’s kind of a whole different ball game when you have to coach a guy with a big ego, a proven star, who comes in there as a max guy. I hope he’s willing to take the coaching and accept that Kenny has to help him become a little more efficient, become like Harden a little more who shoots threes and drives to the rim; to simplify his game a little bit. Focus on playing defense and that end of the floor for sure. He’s a fiery coach at times and tries to be demanding with guys, but is Kyrie going to fully respect him and buy in and allow him to coach that way? It’s ultimately up to Kyrie.”

The Nets have had All-Star point guards over the years: Kenny Anderson, Jason Kidd, Devin Harris, and Deron Williams to name a few, but none have been an interesting mix of championship experience to go along with his fair share of baggage. Irving has yet to prove that he can “the guy” to command a huddle and lead his team. Things didn’t exactly pan out for him in Boston after he allegedly forced the Cavaliers hand to trade him prior to the start of the 2017-2018 campaign.




The track record isn’t pretty, but Irving is stepping into a solid culture with the Nets, his childhood team by the way, so if there was ever a place for it to work, it would be in Brooklyn. Again though, skeptics, including Orinhger, point to Irving’s lack of fire last year with the Celtics as an indication that history could repeat itself with the Nets.

“At least the public perception seems to be that you know Kyrie had a few issues last season with his competitiveness and leadership, and the intangible side of things,” noted Oringher. “You don’t really know for sure unless you’re on the inside, but I definitely have some question marks about his ability to lead and I think D-Lo seemed a pretty great job with that team last year and keeping everybody together and on the same page. You know it remains to be seen especially without KD for that first season, how good of a job Kyrie can do having his own team. It’s basically what he had in Boston and that team blew up around him. He’s an intriguing personality and it’s going to be interesting to see how it comes together.”

One interesting scouting comparison that Oringher drew was between former Net DeAngelo Russell and Irving. While Nets fans were split on the team’s decision to move Russell to sign Irving, the fact that Kevin Durant was part of a package deal, it put fans’ minds at ease. The former NBA Scout shared his thoughts on comparing Russell’s basketball talents to that or Irving’s, and found more resemblances than differences in their respective games.

“There are definitely some similarities between the players,” said Oringher. ‘”Both have a pretty unique skillset of being able to hit deep threes off the dribble on pick and rolls. There’s not a huge list of guys-the [Damian] Lillliard’s, the Steph’s [Curry] obviously—beyond that there’s not a ton of guys that can hit threes off the dribble.”

“D-Lo is a little bit of a better pick and roll passer and playmaker, Kyrie is a little better in terms of mid-range, being able to get his own shot, having a little post-up game, a little more creativity in that way. Defensively they're both kind of a mixed bag.”

Training camp is nearly upon us, and it will be fascinating to see whether Irving shows a willingness to learn and evolve in Atkinson’s system while mentoring others in Durant’s absence.

Jason Kidd’s ex-teammate suggests Kyrie Irving will evolve into leader with Nets



The Nets know a thing or two about acquiring a superstar point guard with somewhat of a checkered past. Back in June of 2001, the then-New Jersey organization sent floor general Stephon Marbury packing for Phoenix in exchange for All-Star Jason Kidd. A former Co-Rookie of the Year, alongside Grant Hill, Kidd was regarded as one of the top point guards of his generation.

In his first season in New Jersey he completed the greatest turnaround in league history as the Nets went from 26 wins before he came to town to 52-wins and a berth in the NBA finals. Kidd was arrested in January of 2001 for hitting his now ex-wife Joumana and the Suns subsequently shipped him out that offseason. The former Cal star brought leadership, toughness, but his share of baggage to the Garden State.

Flashforward 18-years, and while Kyrie Irving has no arrests or misdemeanors on his record, his leadership and team-first attitude have been challenged by critics that point to his selfishness as a reason the Celtics team came apart at the seams this past season.





One former Nets player who’s been following Brooklyn’s offseason closey is Kidd’s former backcourt running mate Kerry Kittles. The starting shooting guard on the Nets back-to-back NBA finals teams, Kittles suggested in an interview on CBS Sports Radio, that Irving will have a similar transition to what Kidd experienced in New Jersey, while Durant’s injury could even been a blessing in disguise for the former disgruntled Celtic.

“So there’s always unknowns, right --when you’re a player and going to a new organization,” admitted Kittles. “Even though you’re a superstar player, I can remember when the Nets brought in Jason Kidd, and he was already an All-Star and a well-established superstar in the NBA, but he came to a new organization with a bunch of new faces, and new coaches, and new system. It’s going to take some time for those guys. I think Kevin Durant sitting out most of this year, if not the entire season, will give Kyrie a chance to grow and to learn how to play the style of play that Coach Atkinson has and how to lead. I think will be his first real chance of leading and grow in that role.”

The Nets offseason makeover is indicative of the new-NBA with superstars pairing up to creating dynamic duos to take the league by storm. While many former players resent the power current players have over their free agency plans, Kittle was open-minded to the “Super-team Era” in the NBA.

“How can you stop it, right?,” asked Kittles. “You can’t stop guys from communicating. It’s going to happen. I’m ok with it now. I think a lot of old school purists would probably say: ‘no, just do your thing and put your head down'. ‘If it happens on its own organically then it’s probably fine'. “I’m okay with these guys now talking and creating their own path; I think it’s good for players now to be able to carve out where they want to go and who they want to play with and see if it works out. They’re not guaranteed it’s going to work out, even though they’re buddies, it’s not guaranteed to work out. It could be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few years with guys partnering up with other guys and seeing if they can win together"

The Irving and Durant experiment in Brooklyn, the Paul George and Kawhi Leonard duo with the Clippers, the James Harden and Russell Westbrook pairing in Houston, and the Lebron James and Anthony Davis combo with the Lakers are all compelling super-teams fans will keep a close eye on. As Kittles suggests, the formation of the super teams doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s hard to argue that the free agency period has never been more exciting than the one fans witnessed this year.

Kevin Durant's and Kyrie Irving's arrival spells Nets shedding label of 'Little Engine that Could'


You can't call the Brooklyn Nets The Little Engine that Could anymore.

Signing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving has a way transforming a franchise that before the free agent frenzy was quietly minding its own business and ascending the rankings in the Eastern conference step by step.

A franchise that has had a nomadic existence to say the least.

From Teackneck New Jersey, to Commack, Long Island to West Hempstead, New York to Uniondale, New York to Piscataway, New Jersey to East Rutherford, New Jersey to Brooklyn, New York, the Nets are well traveled to say the least.






LIST OF NETS HOME ARENAS
Teaneck Armory Teaneck, New Jersey 1967–1968
Long Island Arena Commack, New York 1968–1969
Island Garden West Hempstead, New York 1969–1972
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Uniondale, New York 1972–1977
Rutgers Athletic Center Piscataway, New Jersey 1977–1981
Brendan Byrne Arena (1981–1996),
renamed Continental Airlines Arena (1996–2007),
renamed Izod Center (2007–2010) East Rutherford, New Jersey 1981–2010
Prudential Center Newark, New Jersey 2010–2012
Barclays Center2012-present


The Nets have played in ten different arenas in their 52-year existence and have always been the second act to their Manhattan counterparts playing at Madison Square Garden. Both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were heavily rumored to be interested in joining the Knicks only to ultimately sprurn James Dolan and the clown show at the "World's Most Famous Arena" and join the up and coming Brooklyn squad.

The Nets have always been an afterthought in their own city. Hardly talked about on the local radiowaves, television or online. Whether the Knicks are good, bad, or ugly, they're always frontpage material, while the Nets are most times not even backcover worthy. Even during the Jason Kidd era with the then-New Jersey Nets; making consecutive finals appearances, the franchise struggled to draw fans and sellout its home arena on the NBA's grandest stage.

Now, the Nets, not the Knicks, will be the hottest ticket in town with ticket prices and demand for season ticket packages expected to be at an all-time high at Barclays Center. According to Vegas Insider, the Nets are currently listed at 40/1 odds to win the NBA title and 12/1 to win the Eastern Conference. Not too shabby for a franchise that was simply hoping and praying to reach the 30-win plateau just two seasons ago.

Those title odds are based on the increasing likelihood that Kevin Durant won't return this season. While there's an outside chance that Durant could return for a playoff run, the Nets championsip window likely starts in 2020. General manager Sean Marks brilliantly assembled a roster that, at the very least, can be in the mix to come out of the East.

In the short-term, the Nets want the dynamic duo of Irving and Durant to deliver the Larry O'Brien trophy that has eluded them for over five decades. Bigger picture, the Netslanding two of the game's premier players changes the entire perception of the franchise from the outside looking in.

Brooklyn is now considered a free agent destination, which was never the case in the first few years at the Barclays Center and certainly during the 35 years in the Garden State. For once, the Nets are the bigger brother; they're Goliath with some big guns to deal some damage to the rest of the league. It's not a position the organization has often been in and it's not one that Nets fans are accustomed to dealing with. So while expectations will be riding high and the Brooklyn squad will have lofty goals for the first time in a long time, this offseason marks a changing of the organization's complexion and a complete revitalization of the Nets for years to come.




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