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Nets grab top spot in ESPN's NBA preseason power rankings

The Brooklyn Nets didn't set the world on fire during free agency, but despite not making any splashy moves to the league's most talented roster, ESPN has the team that calls Barclays Center home its top ranked franchise heading into the 2021-2022 campaign. Extending Kevin Durant, and with likely extensions for James Harden along Kyrie Irving are major factors for why Brooklyn's bunch is above the rest of the pack. Signing Patti Mills, James Johnson, drafting the 2021 rookie class' premier scorer in Cam Thomas, and re-signing Blake Griffin add to Sean Marks already sterling resume.
The health of the Nets big three will be the major storyline throughout the year and ultimately determine if they'll remain on top at season's end. Depth in the front court with DeAndre Jordan's future with the club murky at best is another hole Marks will have to fill. As far talent, continuity, and overall lethal scoring capability, the Nets are head and shoulders above the rest of the league. With a full off-season to recoup from a playoff run derailed by injuries, Durant, Irving, Harden and company will be extra motivated to claim what they believe should have been theirs if they were healthy last season.

NBA 2K22 disrespects Kevin Durant with 96 overall rating

What did Kevin Durant do wrong? He showed the world he could come back from an Achilles tear and regain his status as arguably the league's best player.

The Nets star was within centimeters of sending his shorthanded squad without Kyrie Irving and a hobbled James Harden to the conference finals before being outlasted by the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.

Brooklyn's main attraction is on a short list of the NBA's all-time most lethal scorers. The 6-foot-12 forward has a point guard's handles, a shooting guard's soft touch from the perimeter and the tenacious rebounding and defense of the league's top big men.

So why did the developers keep the man's rating at the same 96 from 2K21, when he proved to be the same player and perhaps even better than before his injury?


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“In my opinion, they f--ked it up” 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/Money23Green?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Money23Green</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/KDTrey5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KDTrey5</a> call out Bob Myers and Steve Kerr for how the Warriors handled their infamous argument vs. the Clippers in 2018<br><br>Watch the full interview NOW <a href="https://t.co/iG2bXZC859">https://t.co/iG2bXZC859</a> <a href="https://t.co/rGQTr0F9A2">pic.twitter.com/rGQTr0F9A2</a></p>&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1428008796119461890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That remains a mystery, but as if Durant needed another chip on his shoulder to provide added motivation, the team at 2K has done just that.

Player ratings change throughout the season depending on a player's progress, development and injuries, so don't expect any changes before opening night, October 19, but you can bet Durant will do his part to inch his ranking up to a near perfect 99.

Nets face likely ECF opponent in Bucks opening night, potential finals preview at Lakers on Christmas Day

 The NBA released its marquee matchups ahead of the 2021-2022 season and the Brooklyn Nets will travel to Milwaukee on the league's opening night, October 19, while Brooklyn will head to Staples Center Christmas Day to take on the Lakers.




Both clubs will likely pose obstacles on the Nets path to a championship. The defending champs, Milwaukee, bested a shorthanded Brooklyn squad in seven games in the second round of the 2021 playoffs, while Los Angeles bowed out to the eventual Western Conference champion Suns.

Assuming injuries don't ravaged the three best teams on paper in the league, it's likely that each of the franchises has a major say in who hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy at the end of the season.

Cam Thomas' emergence in Vegas Summer league will help Nets withstand loss of Spencer Dinwiddie

 After a sign and trade that saw the Brooklyn Nets send Spencer Dinwiddie to Washington as part of a sign and trade deal where Sean Marks' diamond in the rough inked a three-year, $54 million deal, the Nets had a gaping hole in their bench.

Free agent signing Patti Mills will help fill some of the scoring void left by the recently departed Dinwiddie, but a 19-year old rookie may have an unaccounted for impact this upcoming year.

Cam Thomas out of LSU has been tearing up the NBA's Vegas Summer League and remarkably fell into Marks' lap at No. 27 overall in the 2021 NBA draft.




Thomas led all freshmen in scoring with the Tigers at 23 points per game, but pro scouts poked holes in his game and doubted his ability to score at the same level against NBA level players.

So far, Thomas is making his doubters look foolish as he's led all scorers in Vegas including dropping 36 points on Sunday night against San Antonio.

The Nets had a historic offense last season, despite their big three playing in a total of nine games together, and adding a dynamic, yet inexperienced raw scorer like Thomas to the fold could take the team to unprecedented heights. Brooklyn won't be short on offense, but defense and rebounding remain the team's most glaring weaknesses heading into the regular season.


Jason Kidd's son reveals distant relationship with his father in emotional post

Jason Kidd's son, T.J., took to Instagram to open up to the world about the troubling relationship he has with his father.


Since Kidd divorced from Joumana back in 2008, T.J. opened up about the difficulties of being the son of a famous star in the aftermath of his parents separating.
Hopefully whatever chasm has developed between the father and son can be filled soon.

Extensions looming for Harden and Irving means scary hours in Brooklyn is here to stay

General manager Sean Marks is normally cold and calculated in his personnel moves and equally guarded when making these machinations public. So, when Marks met with reporters this week and not so subtly hinted that James Harden and Kyrie Irving are engaged in extension talks, and to take it one step f urther, on the verge of agreeing to long-term deals should excite Nets fans.
With the trio of stars in the fold for the foreseeable future, Brooklyn maintains its status as an Eastern Conference powerhouse. Harden and Irving are fully recovered from injuries suffered during the Milwaukee playoff and have revenge on their minds with the regular season two months away.

Report: Kevin Durant to sign four-year, $198 million extension, Irving, Harden extensions up next?

Sean Marks looks to have an important extension for a key player in the offing as Kevin Durant's agent, Rich Kleiman, expects his client to sign a four-year, $198 million contract, when he is eligible Saturday.




There have been very few reports that the Nets' big three were actively involved in extension talks. Now with the Durant deal likely in the books, Marks and the rest of Brooklyn's front office and team owner Joe Tsai, can turn their attention to Kyrie Irving and James Harden. 

Durant, 32, Harden, 31, and Irving, 29, are in the prime of their careers and more than willing to sacrifice their personal accolades for the betterment of the team. 

The Nets long-term commitment to Durant gives him assurance of a long-standing future with the club and eliminates any type of media-driven distraction speculating about his future.

With a major centerpiece staying with the Nets through the end of his prime years, it's clear the current regime is all-in to deliver a title.


Nets' GM Sean Marks needs to keep his eyes on the prize by inking Irving, Durant and Harden to long term extensions

 The Nets are notorious for keeping contract talks and injury updates under wraps, but the fact that not even a single report has surfaced that Sean Marks is actively involved in discussions to extend Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden is mildly alarming.




All three players hold player options following the upcoming NBA season and while fans fully expect them to be back in Brooklyn on long term extensions, having that loose end hanging out there throughout the 2021-2022 campaign is less than ideal. It would be the backdrop to the team's championship pursuit and force three players who aren't exactly media darlings into answer questions time and time again about their futures.

While Durant is pursuing a Gold Medal with Team USA in Tokyo, Irving and a svelte Harden are in the lab and making use of a full off-season, Marks will need to get their ears and find a mutually beneficial deal to agree to.

Owner Joe Tsai has shown a willingness to spend into the luxury tax and that will be a reality if the Big Three remain in the borough for the foreseeable future.

The Nets have a championship window with three of the top 7 players in the NBA and need to capitalize on the situation as much as possible. Marks can't take his eye off the eight ball now as inking his top playmakers needs to be a top priority before the season starts.



Mike D'Antoni stepping away from Nets coaching staff leaves pressure squarely on Steve Nash's shoulders

 Last year it was the rash of untimely injuries coupled with a pandemic-shortened and disrupted season that contributed to a Nets' second round playoff exit.

Now with a year of coaching under his belt, but without his former coach and top assistant Mike D'Antoni, Steve Nash will have the weight of the world on his shoulders to deliver on the Brooklyn Nets title expectations.

With a hobbled James Harden and Kyrie Irving sidelined in the playoffs, the Nets offense was Kevin Durant centric, without the ball movement and pace of a typical D'Antoni system.

Brooklyn looked stagnant offensively and had it not been for the heroics of Durant to force Milwaukee to the brink of elimination, the Nets may have been ousted even earlier in the series.




Dantoni's signature switching defense was preyed on by a more physically dominating Bucks team and Nash's unwillingness to expand his bench rotation left the offense riding and dying on the broad shoulders of Durant.

D'Antoni is a highly respected coach in the league and is one of the pioneers on the modern day 3-point happy, up-tempo most teams employ.  The long time NBA coach is deserving of another chance to lead a team and garnered a considerable amount of interest from several teams.

Now Nash won't have a sounding board or mentor at his side and will need to do everything on his own, with limited coaching experience and little room for error.

The second-year coach needs to maximize the effectiveness of the league's most talented roster because falling short of a title will put his job in jeopardy.





Forget Spencer Dinwiddie, Extension for Nets' Big-Three needs to be top off-season priority

The Brooklyn Nets top three All-Stars could potentially be gone after the 2021-2022 season. That, and that alone should scare Sean Marks and Joe Tsai enough in to keeping Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden in Brooklyn for the forseeable future priority number one. The status of the Nets trio is undoubtedly the most pressing need facing the team.
Without the Big-three together, the Nets were ousted by Milwaukee in seven games in the second round of the playoffs despite Durant's heroics that fell a hair short, or in his case a shoe size too big. At full strength, Brooklyn is the odds-on favorite to take the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2022, but the last thing Marks and company want is for potential opt-out/free agent status hanging over their dynamic weapons all season-long.

 If Durant, Irving and Harden are extended long-term, it will calm the anxiety and question marks surrounding how big the Nets champsionship window realy is. In a pandemic impacted year, the Nets fell short of championship expectations as injuries ravaged the team along with much of the NBA's upper echelon teams. 

The Bucks and Suns were simply, the last teams left standing after a shortened off-season and shortage of practice time and training impacted the health and longevity of many players. Heading into the 2021-2022 season, the Nets will have zero excuses. It's championship or bust. Milwaukee took advanatage of a beaten down Nets team to squeak by and capture its first title in 50 years. 

Now, the Nets have a decades-long championship drought they're aiming to snap, so this offseason is the critical time in which Marks, Tsai, and the rest of the team's braintrust need to secure its top talent by extending the Big-three.
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