Nets on the Net: 9/15/09 Edition
Sep 15, 2009 Ben Couch, Brooklyn, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Devin Harris, Nets on the Net, Terrence Williams, Tony Battie
Rory from Slippery When Nets talks bobbleheads. I was nearly blinded by a sea of white when it came time for the photo of the Keith Van Horn figure, and the headless Stephon Marbury bobblehead should be marketed to Knicks fans.
Liked those renderings of the new Barclays arena? Well, expect them to change a few more times, according to the Brooklyn Paper. The architecture team behind the Atlantic Yards designs gave a presentation to the public Monday night in Brooklyn, and presenters said the current rendering would likely be redrafted to make room for the development’s towers.
The Hoop Doctors have their preseason Rookie of the Year rankings up with Terrence Williams ranked #4. The report says “Williams has a chance to come in and produce right away.”
John Hollinger and Ric Bucher have a report up on the Nets for ESPN Insider members. The report says expect Chris Douglas-Roberts to play more of a role as a sixth man scoring option while Devin Harris’ player efficiency rating (PER) will likely trend down from last year as more defenses target him after the departure of Vince Carter.
A familiar theme for preseason predictions, the Orland Sentinel praises the young talent of the Nets but still pegs them to finish 29th overall in the league.
It’s been 12 years since Tony Battie majored in communications at Texas Tech, but now thanks to an NBA Players Association program, the newly acquired F/C is refining his skills, according to Ben Couch.
Scouting Report: Eduardo Najera
Sep 15, 2009 Eduardo Najera, Scouting Reports
Name: Eduardo Najera
Position: F/PF
Height: 6′8″
Weight: 240
Birth Date: July 11, 1976 (33 years old)
Birth Place: Meoqui, Mexico
Number: 14
College: University of Oklahoma
Drafted: 2000, 2nd round, 38th overall by Houston
Experience: 9 seasons
Contract: $3 million in 2009-10
On offense:
An injury-plagued season limited Najera to only 27 games and 319 total minutes in 2008-09. Despite having a reputation as a physical defender and rebounder, Najera has become more of a jump-shooter in recent seasons. Last season, 53 percent of Najera’s shot attempts were jumpers with a 32 effective field goal (eFG) percentage. The year before with Denver, 54 percent of Najera’s field goal attempts were jumpers, with a 46 eFG percentage.
With such a small sample season due to injury (he was shut down for hernia surgery in March), it’s tough to judge Najera strictly on last season. Still, in his limited appearances, Najera had a pretty miserable offensive season last year. His true shooting percentage of 47 ranked him 87th of 108 power forwards. He was a decent passer for his position with a 14.7 assist percentage, ranking him 14th for power forwards, but he was also very careless with the ball. His turnover percentage of 14.9 ranked him all the way down at 92nd among power forwards.