Nets Insider Videos


Kevin Durant: 'I'm a Net for life'

 


Kevin Durant played 129 regular season games with the Brooklyn Nets. 

When the going got tough, the weak got going. Durant initially requested a trade during the summer of 2022 only to rescind that request and watch his compadre Kyrie Irving leave ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.


When Durant had an opportunity to follow Irving and James Harden before him out the door from Brooklyn, he didn't bat an eye. 

Durant's right-hand man, Rich Kleinman, was as instrumental as any party in revisiting an the earlier trade request and bringing the said trade to the finish line between Brooklyn and Phoenix. 

Durant, Irving, and Harden arrived with championship expectations, but left with a whimper. 

Now with Durant facing his former squad, it seems as though the surefire Hall of Famer is buttering up his former franchise. 

Should Durant come back and finish the championship quest he started in Brooklyn later on in his career, he can perhaps be considered a Net for life. 

Until then, Durant's words hold no water in Nets World. 

No Tank you; Nets pull road upset over West's best Warriors

 


The Nets refuse to lose. 

In a back-to-back scenario on the road in the West Coast, the Nets would have every right to mail in Monday night's game in Golden State. 

On top of that, the Nets were playing without Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons, Dorian Finney-Smith, Noah Clowney, Day'Ron Sharpe, Bojan Bogdanovic and Jaylen Martin. 

Playing short-handed was nothing for Jordi Fernandez's crew. 

Trailing by as many as 18 points in the second half, the Nets scratched and fought and clawed their way back to a second consecutive road victory 128-120.

 

For the first time in franchise history, the Nets went 4-0 against the West ,in their first four road games. 

Dennis Schroder was superb with 31 points, while Cam Thomas added 23 but sat down the stretch due to Fernandez protecting his injured  back. 

Brooklyn wraps up a four-game road trip in Phoenix to take on Kevin Durant and the Suns on Wednesday night. 

Nets earn a 'costly win' with key players injured in Sacramento



Jordi Fernandez wanted to win back in his old stomping grounds in the worst way. Playing back in Sacramento against a former mentor in Mike Brown, you could tell this game meant a little something extra to the Brooklyn Nets head coach. 

The Nets were playing short-handed without Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith due to injury. 

Brooklyn came out scorching hot hitting seven 3-pointers in the first quarter on the way to a 37 to 28 advantage. 

Cam Thomas led the way for the Nets with 34 points, and Noah Clowney added 18 points on 5-9 from long range. Unfortunately, both players left the game due to an injury, with only Thomas returning. 

Thomas took a hard fall in the fourth quarter and landed on his already stiff back. He was able to return and helped close things out for Brooklyn, 108-103.

Clowney, on the other hand, left with an apparent ankle sprain that will likely require imaging. 

The Nets will play a back-to-back on Monday night in Golden State, and while it's questionable whether Thomas will be available, it's unlikely that Clowney will play.

Brooklyn is mixed in with play-in teams in the bottom of the Eastern Conference at 7-10, not an ideal spot for many Nets fans hoping this team will tank for a top draft pick. 

Ben Simmons does the unthinkable in nail biter versus Hornets



You'd have to go back to February 10, 2024, to find the last time Ben Simmons reached double figures in scoring. 

That rare feat was achieved during Tuesday night's NBA Cup  116-115 win over Charlotte. Simmons tallied 10 points and 8 rebounds. 




The moment that perhaps sparked Ben Simmons scoring outburst was a dust-up with Brandon Miller. This lit a competitive fire in Simmons that has been absent all season.

It's unlikely that Simmons' scoring prowess continues against his old club in Philadelphia Friday night, but at least he showed a small sign of life and vigor for one of the few times this season with the Brooklyn Nets. 


Nets survive Hornets 116-115 for first NBA Cup win

 


No matter the outcome of the Brooklyn Nets versus Charlotte Hornets contest on Tuesday night, a team ending in 'E-T-S' was going home happy. 

Brooklyn trailed by as many as 17 points in the first quarter as word came down pregame that Cam Thomas would be out for the game with lower back stiffness. 

Thomas' name was floated around as a possible trade chip for Brooklyn, so it's unclear if his trade status has anything to do with his availability or if this is indeed an injury related matter. 

Only time will tell regarding that, but while Brooklyn looked to be missing their leading scorer early, Jordi Fernandez's squad fought back with a fervor.

Cam Johnson led all scorers with 34 points, while Dennis Schröder's 14 points and 12 assists helped a well-balanced Nets attack dig out of an early hole. 

Even Ben Simmons played well with 10 points and eight rebounds while Trendon Watford had a few clutch baskets down the stretch to avoid the Nets blowing an 11-point 4th quarter lead. 

The Nets will have two days off before taking on the 2-11 fledgling 76ers in the group stage of NBA Cup Play in Philly on Friday. 

Nets leading scorer reportedly available via trade




 The Nets are in true rebuilding mode. With loads of veterans possibly on the move before the trade deadline including: Dennis Schröder, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Bojan Bogdanovic, there's another name that will surprise Nets fans.

 



According to Sam Amick and The Athletic, Cam Thomas is available via trade. 

The Nets leading scorer is reportedly not untouchable.

Thomas and the Nets did not agree to a long-term extension. Thomas was underutilized by Steve Nash and Jacque Vaughn during his young career. 

Moving Cam Thomas would be an extremely unpopular move in Nets World, but it might be something they'll have to deal with since it's open trade season in Brooklyn.

Former All-Star puts up career-worst numbers with Nets

 


The downfall of this former three-time All-Star needs to be studied. He's never had a silky jumper at any point in his career.

His lack of shooting ability never impacted his influence on the outcome of games. 

Now, more than thee-years removed from his last All-Star season, this 28-year-old is leaving a lot to be desired. 

Injuries have taken their toll on this veteran, with multiple back back ailments resulting in surgeries both in season and the offseason. 

So when you look at Ben Simmons and how he's performing in the 2024-25 NBA campaign, it's clear that this pending free agent has fallen off a cliff, as shown by his numbers on Basketball Reference. 


 Simmons looks like a shell of his former athletic self. His turnovers and personal fouls are a problem and he lacks any type of confidence to take the ball to the basket with authority for fear of going to the free-throw line. 

The only value he provides to the team is to help in their mission to tank and get an NBA Draft Lottery pick as well as his expiring contract representing a salary clearing measure.

Most Nets fans are counting down the days until Simmons is out of a Brooklyn Nets uniform, but for the time being, his lackluster play may end up helping the team get to their end goal of finishing outside of the playoff picture. 



 

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)