Mexico vs. Uruguay Basketbrawl
Aug 26, 2009 Basketbrawls, Eduardo Najera, Sillyness, Videos
So maybe this was the deciding factor for the Nets when they were contemplating whether or not to let Eduardo Najera play?
You guys may have already seen this since it happened the 22nd (the Nets decided on Najera’s National Team fate the 24th), but if you haven’t this is wild stuff. A ticky tack foul (one that wouldn’t even warrant a flagrant foul in the playoffs) lead to some jawing, which lead to some pushing, which lead to some…chair throwing? The crazy thing is that this was just a scrimmage to prepare for the FIBA tournament that started today. They play for real on Sunday (you can pay to watch over at the FIBA site, but if you have ESPN360 you can watch it for free) and things could get real interesting.
It’s a good thing Najera wasn’t there. He would have thrown a punch (you know he’d get involved) and broke his wrist and dislocated his shoulder or something.
Nets on the Net 8/26/09 Edition
Aug 26, 2009 Nets on the Net
A roundup of Nets-related news from the past day or so.
- Devin Harris is a coach at the Haier Academy Camps in China through Sunday. Follow Devin on Twitter as he writes about the experience in 140 characters or less.
- On the Atlantic Yards front, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg tells the Brooklyn Paper that he wants Nets owner Bruce Ratner to bring back world-renown architect Frank Gehry, the original architect for the development that would be the future home of the Nets.
- The New York Daily News talks with filmmaker Michael Galinsky about the documentary he’s working on, “The Battle for Brooklyn” about the Atlantic Yards Development.
- Former Net Vince Carter is simultaneously the “Third Best Newcomer” and the “Sixth Worst Newcomer” in an ESPN poll. Meanwhile, Nets lottery pick Terrence Williams was able to snag a vote as a best newcomer.
Does Rafer Alston Fit?
Aug 26, 2009 Advanced Statistics, Devin Harris, Keyon Dooling, Rafer Alston
In my opinion, Rafer Alston is the least talked about piece the Nets received from the Vince Carter trade. The blogs and sportswriters really have been concentrating on Courtney Lee’s emotions and Tony Battie’s contract, all the while Rafer Alston just its there unnoticed and unmentioned. This is strange, because Rafer has the potential to make the biggest impact, out of the three, for the Nets this upcoming season (please note THIS SEASON). It all depends on whether or not Rafer’s game fits the Nets, and their roster.
Now going in Rafer should know that he is going to be the back-up. This shouldn’t cause any problems, and based on all the reports that claim Alston can’t wait to play for the Nets, it doesn’t seem like it will. So when we look at Alston, we need to keep in mind that he is going to be the back-up.
When evaluating back-up point guards, I like to look at two things. Does his style match the starting point’s? Also, how does his game mesh with the second string? You want your backup point guard to have a similar game to the starter because if the starter gets hurt, you want your back-up to just to be able to get in there and have the offense not miss a beat. With that being said, you also want to see the back-up’s game work with the second string. This one should be pretty self-explanatory, the back-up is going to spend the most minutes playing with the second string.