Nets Are Scorching

It has been just over a month since the Vince Carter trade and now that the emotion of losing Vince is gone, I think it is a good time to look at the trade from a statistical point of view.  By using a couple different formulas, we are going to be able to see if the Vince Carter trade benefits us, hurts us, or if it just comes out a wash.

How are we going to do this?  Well, I have been reading through the great book Basketball On Paper (A must read if you are even remotely interested about advanced statistics in basketball), and the stuff I am learning makes me just want to learn more.  During a Google search, I came across this case by the books’ author Dean Oliver (who now does this kind of stuff working for the Denver Nuggets).  The case discusses whether or not the Hornets should trade away Rex Chapman to the Cavs.  The end decision in the case is yes, and I am going to go through the case using the pieces of the Vince Carter/Ryan Anderson for Courtney Lee/Tony Battie/Rafer Alston trade.

Read more…

The guys over at Netsdaily.com have done a great job following Yi’s games over in China as he replaces Yao on the Chinese National Team.  Two games in, Yi has really been impressing.  Both games, warm-ups for the FIBA Asia Tournament, were against a group of all-stars from the Australia’s National Basketball League.  In game 1 Yi dropped 30 on the All-Stars but only had 3 rebounds.  In game 2, the scoring went down a bit, but the rebounds went up a ton.  Yi dropped 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in Team China’s 1 point win.  He is not only grabbing boards (which is something he wasn’t doing at all last year), but Yi apparently is being very aggresive attacking the basket.

Now with the rumors of a Big Baby for Yi deal simmering down, it is looking like we will be keeping him.  If that is the case, it is good to see him playing well.  Especially with him coming off an injury that really hurt his development last year.  I know he isn’t playing against the greatest competition right now (In my opinion it would have been a bigger story if he didn’t play well), but he is under a lot of pressure to perform with Yao not playing next year at all.  Maybe realizing that he is going to be the most recognizable Chinese-born player playing in the NBA was the kick in the butt that he needed to get everything to click?

Sorry about all of these site-related posts so far today, but I wanted to get the readers’ opinion on this one (mainly because you are the guys who will be using the forums if they are implemented).  I have a forum all locked-and-loaded, all I need to do is make it public right now.  Before I do that, I want to see if the readers want a forum, because if not, it will look empty and stupid.  Anyway vote away!

If you want to vote for something not in the list, leave it in the comments.  Thanks guys!

I love the theme that I am using for this site, but the biggest problem has been linking to other sites.  Whenever I would put a link in one of my posts, you couldn’t really tell, because the hyperlink color was practically the same as my regular font.

Well today I decided to fix that.  From now on, any link in my posts will be bold.  So if you see bold, it is fair game and you should probably give it a click because I only link to real good stuff.

I made a post about this because I want to get your opinions.  Does it look/work better this way?  Should I change it back?  Let me know in the comments.

Remember Antoine Wright?  Well, he became a Raptor over the summer, and the guys over at Raptors Republic asked me to write a little something about him.  So I gladly did.  You can find what I wrote over there.   Also included in the post is a Mavericks’ take.

Oh and if you guys feel like it, head on over and leave your thoughts of Antoine in the comments.  Just no spammy stuff like “Wright Suxxx!!!111!!,” keep the comment quality high like they are over here.

It is becoming more and more obvious that the Nets want Glen “Big Baby” Davis.  First there was word that they were going to attempt to acquire him by signing him to an offer sheet, but word got out that the C’s were going to match any reasonable offer.  Then there were rumors that the Nets were interested in a sign and trade, but looking at it, it wouldn’t really work out because we stuck with 15 guaranteed contracts right now.  Now, we are hearing that the Nets are looking for a third team to work out a trade for Big Baby:

The Celtics’ proposed sign-and-trade to land free agent Marquis Daniels from the Pacers has run into complications and could lead to the need of a three-team deal. Enter the Nets, with their legitimate interest in Davis, who averaged 15.8 points and 6.0 rebounds during the playoffs last season. The Celtics have indicated they will match any reasonable offer for Davis.

“We have not made any offers to anybody,” Nets team president Rod Thorn said.

The Nets have made their inquiries and repeatedly have said they need to create a roster space before making a move. A report that surfaced yesterday about a sign-and-trade involving Davis and Nets forward Yi Jianlian was shot down by both sides about 30 seconds after it sought traction.

Maybe an inventive deal could be devised involving three teams. The Nets have a couple of trade exceptions from the Vince Carter deal that could come into play. The Celtics likely want a big man in return, the Pacers want a wing.

Despite what Rod Thorn says, this looks more than just “inquiring” about Glen Davis to me.  Why?  Well, Rod Thorn keeps looking for a way to get Davis in a Nets uniform.  Despite being unconventional, this three-way deal could work (especially with the Trade Exceptions we have).  We send Indiana a guard (Dooling/Simmons/Rafer), Boston Yi, and we get Big Baby in return with an extra roster spot.

Now is this smart?  In my opinion it would all depend what we do with that extra roster spot.  Now if we go ahead and sign Leon Powe or Ike Diogu, I would be all about it.  Just like that we get a nice little inside/outside platoon at our 4 spot and we also clear up some of the glut we got at the wing position.

Not sure if this will happen or if this means there will be another rumor tomorrow.  At least it is giving me something to write about…

SI.com’s NBA writer Chris Mannix has just posted his write-up from USA’s Las Vegas minicamp, and like John Schuhmann, his piece included praise for both Devin Harris and Brook Lopez:

Devin Harris: Harris was the most vocal player in camp and showed flashes of the skills that made him an elite defender in Dallas. Harris is ultra quick on offense but the lack of range on his jump shot may inevitably hurt him.

Brook Lopez: The most offensively-skilled center in Vegas, Lopez was impressive in the scrimmage, scoring 18 points on an economical 7-8 shooting. Lopez didn’t get a lot of touches in practices; but if he takes another step forward next season (Lawrence Frank said he plans to make Lopez a big part of the offense in ’09-10), he could emerge as a dark horse candidate.

Devin Harris playing defense?  I know most Nets fans will be surprised to see that, but if Devin can get back to playing defense like he did in Dallas, he will become a complete player.  Also, I have been reading everywhere that Devin was very vocal during this minicamp.  It looks like the Nets found their new leader, and that Devin has already embraced the role.  Oh and reading that Brook will be featured more in the offense (it makes sense, there are going to be a lot more shots avalible to other players now VC is gone) makes me smile.

It is real good to see some Nets get praise in the media.  Mannix still has both Nets listed in his “The possibilities” category, and I agree with Mannix when he says that this upcoming season will be key for both players when it comes to making the US Team.  If they both play well, it is quite possible that the Nets will have two members on the National Team.

Update: Fred Kerber is reporting that both sides are denying the rumor:

There are reports that the Nets and Celtics are working on a sign and trade for Glen “Big Baby” Davis and that it could happen real soon with the Nets surrendering Yi Jianlian.

That’s news to both sides.

People in Boston and New Jersey both squashed the notion. Nets insiders confirm that there have been inquiries about Davis “to see what’s up and what they’re looking for,” one source said. Both sides insist they have not been working on a sign and trade.

The on again off again Glen “Big Baby” Davis rumors are once again heating up, but this one is a little different.  There are many reports coming out of Boston (nothing out of NJ papers/blogs yet) saying that the Nets are thinking about moving a player for Big Baby in a sign and trade.  Justin Poulin who runs CelticStuffLive, says that the move is “close to a done deal.”  There is no word on who the player the Nets would be shipping to Boston is, but Tom Halzack from the CT Post says gives us three names he thinks it is narrowed down to; Yi Jianlian, Eduardo Najera, and Sean Williams:

It could be Yi Jianlian for Baby straight up, as Alex suggests. The Nets have been hot and cold on him since they got him. They know he needs playing time to develop, but even on a rebuilding team, he wasn’t getting consistent minutes. While many will debate who is the better player, it will be swapping a lottery pick for a second rounder.

Before everyone thinks it’s a complete coup, remember the rumors were Yi would be a Celtic now, if the Celtics didn’t trade the pick as part of getting Ray Allen. But getting him back with a second round pick is savvy on Danny’s part anyway – unless you think that Davis will be the better player over his career.

Davis has better inside numbers, though Yi is a better outside shot. Yi has shown some ability to be a passer, and is athletic, but has zero post game (.465 eFG% inside).

The other option would be hard working, but oft injured energy guy, Eduardo Najera, possibly straight up, or possibly with a second rounder throw in. Even more remote, Sean Williams and Eddie together. Their salaries are $4.7 combined. Eddie’s recovered from sports hernia surgery on March 13, and is playing ball for Mexico in the FIBA Americ’a Cup.

I like Najera. With limited skills, he plays a nice game around the hoop, is a team guy, and will try to do anything you ask of him. A bad jump shooter (.321 eFG%), he’s strong around the hoop (.657 eFG%) and offensive rebounds very well - 17.5% of all possibilities in last year’s injury abbreviated season (27 games).

Sean Williams – If the Cs get Sean and Marbury to go with Rasheed, I hope that Doc Rivers has a blood pressure machine near by. I’d love to be a fly on the wall at those practices. Williams has been considered an attitude problem. A terrific shot blocker, he has to learn to play the game. Kind of a 6? 10? Gerald Green, I’d guess. He is reported to not be more than 6? 9? either. After some D-league time and tough love with the Nets, maybe he’s going to mature. Maybe.

Saying that, he does bring a nice skill to a second unit. It is one skill that this Big Three version of the Celtics hasn’t had. A shot blocker on the second unit.  But he could be POB all over again, if he doesn’t play team defense and so far…. he doesn’t.

If it’s Williams, there is either another player involved or a first rounder thrown in, I’d say.

There has been no mention of a third team involved. It’s straight Nets/Celtics deal.

In conclusion, I’d take any of the players mentioned in a fair deal. Yi is a project in my opinion. Najera would be a good Celtic right now. Williams – who knows.

I find it funny that Celtics fans are already trying to put a positive spin on a Big Baby/Yi deal saying that it is a lottery pick for a second rounder.  While this is true, Big Baby in my opinion has shown that he could be a very solid player, and he has been consistent for the Celtics.  Consistency is a word that has never been used for Yi, but if he eventually “gets it,” he still has a chance at becoming a great player.

Another name that could be in this deal that Tom didn’t mention is Keyon Dooling.  He said the reason being that the C’s are probably going to end up re-signing Stephon Marbury.  However, if the C’s want a real solid back-up point they should look up Dooling.  With the addition of Rafer Alston to our roster, he has become expendable, and while he played great last year, he is coming off of surgery and he is getting up there in years.  Now would be a perfect chance to get a high return for him.  Plus if we get Big Baby for Dooling, we can have a pretty solid Big Baby/Yi split at the 4 spot, with Big Baby starting.  Big Baby tends to get in to foul trouble a lot, so it would be nice to have Yi ready to go in for him if that does happen.

I wouldn’t understand why the C’s would trade for Eduardo or Sean Williams straight up (Eduardo is coming off of major surgery and Sean Williams has been a mental problem ever since he became at Net), so if we can get Big Baby for either of those guys, I would do it in a heartbeat.  That being said, if I would have to guess right now, the deal would be Yi/Big Baby.  Yi has been someone the Celtics have been looking at for a little while now, and it is a deal that both teams are in favor of.