Lawrence Frank Will Start Next Year As The Nets Coach
Apr 29, 2009 2009 Offseason, Front Office, Lawrence Frank, Opinion, Rod Thorn, Sucks
Rod Thorn announced Wednesday that he will keep Frank and have him return for the final year of his contract at $4.5 million. Here is what Thorn said about it:
“We are very happy to have him, and as far as we’re concerned, we’re very lucky to have him.”
But why did you take so long Rod if you were so confident?
“We wanted to look at whole operation and see where we were going and see ways we could improve it. There are ways to improve, but changing the coach, in my mind, was not one of the ways to improve it He’s a good coach. He’s done a good job here. This past year we weren’t expected to do very well but we did better than many expected us to. Our young players got better. I believe we’re on the right road.”
But what about his contract status? Lame duck coaches usually don’t work out (Except for Doc Rivers):
“He’ll handle it as he handles most things: with equanimity and class. He’s concerned with how well he can coach the team and how well he can be doing that, and any of those ancillary things he doesn’t care about.”
Well thanks for clearing all that up Rod. I am going to go right out and say it, this sucks. I mean don’t get me wrong Lawrence Frank is somewhat a decent coach (he’d have to be to last over 5 years now), but I would just have loved to see someone new coaching this team…someone who can run a play and just doesn’t go ISO for Vince when the game is on the line. I understand that you can’t run plays every possession, but coming out of timeouts and during late game possessions, plays should be run and we never seem to run any.
It just seems to me that this decision was made by the owner because they didn’t want to spend money on two coaches (If they would have fired Frank, they would have had to pay his salary as well as the new coach’s salary). Even though Ratner claims otherwise, I don’t believe him. Especially because you have the President claiming he is unsure that Frank’s voice is being heard, you have your All-Star PG agreeing with him, but you still don’t fire him. It is all about the money folks…
Who knows. Maybe Lawrence Frank will coach his ass off next year. Maybe we get the #1 pick, make the playoffs, and everyone forgets about this whole offseason “situation.” I am going to say it one more time though, if Lawrence Frank gets fired midseason and we are stuck with an interim head coach (instead of being able to hire our own this offseason), I will be pissed.
Prospect Videos – Small Forwards (And A Shooting Guard)
Apr 29, 2009 2009 Draft, Videos
Now that the deadline to put your name into the draft has passed, we now know who will be in the draft. Before I drive myself crazy and breakdown all the strengths and weaknesses of every prospect the Nets might take (I will definitely do that after the lottery), I am going to post some videos of some guys I would want to see the Nets take. I am pretty sure the Nets will be taking either a SF or a PF (Pretty pretty pretty please!). In this post, we are going to look at some SFs.
Steph Curry (6′3″/185/Junior from Davidson)- I know what you are thinking, he isn’t a SF, it has been reported that we are interested him so I figured I would include him here since he is the only SG I would see us taking.
Demar DeRozan (6′6″/200/Freshman from USC)-
Chase Budinger (6′7″/218/Junior from Arizona)-
Sam Young (6′6″/210/Senior from Pitt) -
DaJuan Summers (6′8″/240/Junior from Georgetown) -
Danny Green (6′6″/210/Senior from UNC) -
—
Like I said earlier, I am not going to break these guys down yet until we get past the draft lottery, that way I can narrow down the guys who the Nets will be looking at.
Is Lawrence Frank Staying?
Apr 28, 2009 2009 Offseason, Coaching, Front Office, Lawrence Frank, Nets In The Media, Nets vs. Knicks, Rod Thorn
A quick sidenote. Looking up “Lawrence Frank Funny” on Google Image Search is probably the funniest thing ever. I mean just look at the results.
Anyway, a source familiar with the Nets told Knicksblog.com (There is a serious problem here. How come this source is going to a Knicks blog rather than going to a Nets blog – me. Pssst… e-mail sebastian.pruiti@netsarescorching.com if you feel like sending me some inside information) has said that the Nets are planning to stay with Frank for the start of the year:
A source familiar with the Nets has informed TKB that Lawrence Frank will remain as head coach of the team to start the 2009-10 season.
Upon hearing these rumors, Thorn came out with a statement:
“There nothing going on other than I’m just thinking it through, examining all aspects.”
Bruce Ratner also talked to reporters about the topic, saying that he would have no problem paying two salaries next year if the decision to fire Frank is made.
I was very confident yesterday that Frank would be fired, but now, I don’t really know. I will say this though, Frank comes back, gets fired mid-season and we are stuck with an interim head coach, I am going to be pissed mainly because if we fire Frank right now, we can have our pick of head coaches.
Nets Are Scorching Podcast Now Available On iTunes
Apr 28, 2009 Updates
Just a quick update about the podcast. Yesterday I had mentioned that the podcast was on iTunes, but it wasn’t because it had to be approved. Well it has been approved and you can download/subscribe/and listen to the podcast on iTunes.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=314211673
You can click that link, or you can just search “Nets Are Scorching” in the iTunes store.
Josh Boone Interviewed By NJNets.com
Apr 28, 2009 2009 Offseason, Interviews, Josh Boone
Ben Couch of NJNets.com interviewed Josh Boone yesterday, and while I am not the biggest Josh Boone fan, I still found it pretty interesting. Here are a couple excerpts (the full interview can be found here):
NJNets.com: Your minutes were inconsistent this year, but picked up toward the end of the season. Where do you think you stand now?
Josh Boone: At the beginning of the year I was starting and playing a lot of minutes. Obviously, it’s a little bit of a different situation, but that’s how it goes in this league sometimes. Things can change very drastically, whether it be from an injury or a guy not performing. Things can change very quickly.
and
NJNets.com: So what are you looking to work on this offseason?
Boone: Just mainly offensive stuff: I need to get the jump shot a little bit better, and I need to be able to put the ball on the floor and do some things off the dribble. There’s a guy in New York that I’m going to be working with for most of the year.
I have two opinions on how Boone answered these two questions. First, I think Josh Boone handled the first question about his minutes with class. He didn’t blame the coaches or the front offices, he seemed to blame himself and that is the right attitude to have when a player is in the position that Boone is in. You also get the sense that he is willing to work hard in the offseason.
That is why I have the second quote brought up. Working on his offense isn’t what he should be doing. He isn’t going to be on the court for his scoring, no matter how much it improves this offseason (mainly because we already have three big time scorers in VC, Devin, and Brook). As Ron Thorn put it, we need “a moose” at the 4 spot. Josh Boone should be lifting every day and getting stronger. Boone is in a great position for next year in my opinion, with Yi playing as poorly as he did last year he still has a chance to be a starter next year (even if we pick up a 4 in the draft), but he needs to be able to bang and rebound. That is all we need from our 4 spot, not offense. Now don’t get me wrong, if he was a great rebounder already and then he was working on his shot, that would be fine, but right now Boone is a weak rebounder and imroving on that should be his top priority.
Nets Are Scorching Podcast – Episode 1
Apr 27, 2009 2009 Draft, 2009 Offseason, Front Office, Lawrence Frank, Podcast
Well, it’s here. The Podcast is complete and it is ready to go. In this episode I introduce myself, I explain the podcast, then I get to the meat and potatoes. I talk about the Lawrence Frank situation, get into the draft a little bit, and then I discuss the stadium situation. You can play it here, download it, or find it on iTunes. The Nets Are Scorching Podcast – It’s like a blog post, except with sound:
Hardwood Paroxysm’s Polite Request
Apr 27, 2009 Links
I don’t usually talk about non-Nets stuff here, but this is about NBA-team blogs, so it is sorta related. The great (and I seriously mean GREAT!) NBA blog Hardwood Paroxysm just put up a request to team blogs. I am going to repost a quick blurb, but you seriously need to check it out:
Immediately preface with “I’m not saying we lost because of the officiating.’ Proceed to blame the officiating almost entirely with the loss. Specifically point out how frustrating it is that your team GOT HIT and FELL DOWN and yet there was no call. Mention how you accept it’s a physical game, then proceed to rail against any facet of physical play by the other team. Conversely, be sure to mention how the refs should let your team be more physical on defense. Blame the NBA’s conspiracy for certain teams to concede.
In my recaps I try to stay true to what HP (Can I call you HP?) mentions, but I know I have blamed the refs for some losses in the past (or at least part of losses, everyone who watches the Nets can agree that most of the losses are their own faults), and I am going to work on improving on this so I can bring the Nets fans who read this blog a better quality blog. I just wanted to post this and pass it along to the readers because I think this is a message that needs to get out.
Podcast Coming Monday – Send Me Stuff To Talk About
OK, so I know I announced the podcast a little while ago, but I didn’t give a definite starting date. Well, now I have one…this Monday.
Now that you guys know a definite starting date, you guys probably should send me some questions or stuff you want me to talk about. The e-mail is podcast@netsarescorching.com. I have had this e-mail for a little while, but nobody has sent me anything yet…well if you don’t count that guy from Nigeria who is offering me a great deal that will somehow net me a ton of money.
Sorry, I got a little sidetracked. See what happens when I don’t have anyone telling me what to talk about.
Where Should The Nets Play Their Home Games?
Apr 24, 2009 Brooklyn, Front Office, Izod Center, Opinion, Prudential Center
The Nets were supposed to move to Brooklyn after the 2004 season, however they have yet to break ground on an area. Nets’ front-office officials are confident that they will be playing in Brooklyn for the 2011-2012 season.
So why haven’t they broken ground yet? Brett Yormark said the Bruce Ratner-owned team is awaiting resolution of an eminent-domain lawsuit before breaking ground on the Barclays Center. This hasn’t shook Yormark’s confidence though:
“It will happen. We’ll be there for the ‘11-12 season. We’ve pre-sold 20 percent of our suites. We’ve got eight of our 14 founding partnerships already completely signed. Next week, we’ll announce our ninth.”
This is all well and good, but if this economy doesn’t get any better soon, building of the stadium will probably be delayed again. This post isn’t about the Brooklyn move though, it’s about where the Nets should be playing their home games while they are in New Jersey. The Prudential Center (The Rock) or the Izod Center?
All of this stuff has come to light recently due to comments made by Newark mayor Cory Booker where he said that the Medowlands and the Izod Center should be ruled out as a long-term home for the Nets. Mayor Booker is pushing for the Nets to play in Newark. Check out what he said to Gov. Corzine in a strongly worded letter:
“Should the Nets not build their project in Brooklyn, the Nets’ long-term home in New Jersey cannot be Izod. It must be Newark.”
Yesterday, eight Democratic lawmakers yesterday backed the idea of a “modernized Izod Center” in a letter to Gov. Jon Corzine. State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) said if the National Basketball League team is unable to achieve a planned move to Brooklyn, it would be a “no-brainer” for the franchise to remain in the Meadowlands. He said the National Hockey League Devils’ status as chief tenant at the Prudential Center would lead the NBA to frown on a Nets shift to Newark.
So what do I think? I think the Nets should be playing their home games at the Prudential Center. Why? Well lets look at this from the Nets’ perspective, the Prudential Center would be fuller than the Izod Center, and that isn’t even considering the rise in attendance that you would get because you can…you know…get to the Prudential Center. A fuller arena leads to a better atmosphere at home and that in turn leads to a better homecourt advantage.
I know the NBA wouldn’t be happy seeing one of their teams playing in a 18,500 person arena, but lets be honest, the Nets aren’t drawing people anyway in their 20,049 person arena. Looking at the attendence numbers for this year the Nets were 25th in attendence averaging 15,147 fans a game (their biggest draw was their home game against the Lakers – 19,990 – the only game that would overflow the Prudential Center). Is this because they are losing? Nope, their 2002-2003 season (where they made the NBA finals) they averaged 15,184 fans.
So why don’t the fans go to the Izod center? I can tell you from personal experience that it is just too far away. It is about a hour and a half from my house (I live in central Jersey) and there is no public transportation to take you there. It is a poor location for a professional team stadium. Lets say you finally make it to the arena though…then you walk in. The facility is just as poor as the location is (In a 2005 poll, USA Today rated it the worst arena in the NBA). Maybe this is why the Nets can’t get any real big free agents…
2008-2009 Season Review: The Rookies – Chris Douglas-Roberts
Apr 24, 2009 2008-2009 Season Review, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rookies
Welcome to the season review series. Here we will be taking a look back at a few themes of the season and evaluate them. In our final edition of the rookie reviews, we are going to be taking a look at Chris Douglas Roberts.
The Nets drafted CDR with the 40th pick of the night (10 pick in the second round), while many had him as a first rounder, he dropped all the way into the second round and the Nets snatched him up.
Despite not playing too much (he only appeared in 44 games averaging 13.3 MPG), I think CDR showed great promise during his rookie season. We aren’t going to look at his stats, because he didn’t really play enough for them to show us anything.
The two things that I noticed is he is very unorthodox and he can play some serious D. When I say unothodox, I mean that when he is out there playing he is all herky-jerky and just doesn’t really look smooth (For example, how he prefers jumpers off the dribble leaning in rather than catch and shot opportunities). Many people will watch him play and think that he doesn’t know what he is doing out there, but everyone around the Nets praise CDR for this basketball IQ (You can also tell that it is high just by watching him play). All of this factors into why I compared him to Shawn Marion before the season started, and I still think that comparison fits him.
As for his defense, the last couple games showed that CDR can match up with other teams best players and stop them. The best example of this was the Nets’ game against the Pistons (Who were still trying to clinch a playoff birth, so they had their starters in the whole night) late in the year. CDR got the start and he was matched up against Rip Hamilton. Rip Hamilton is one of the toughest covers in the NBA because he runs off of so many screens it’s silly, but CDR stuck with him and forced Rip into an off night. Hamilton only scored 10 points (3 from the line and 1 three on a brilliantly executed play) on 3-9 shooting.
As for what CDR needs to work on, it is tough to say because he saw so little action no team really went out there to exploit his weaknesses. I would say he needs to bulk up a tad this offseason. People don’t really seem to notice that he is a big kid (6-6) and putting some muscle on that frame would make him a scary player. He could also work on his shooting, as he plays more and more in the league, he is going to need to find other ways to score rather than lay-ups and lean in jumpers.
Depending on how the offseason pans out, I can see CDR competing with Ryan Anderson for the starting 3-spot (This is if Vince Carter moves to the 2). At the start of the season, I see CDR being our 2nd man off the bench right behind Keyon Dooling.