Preseason Game 2: Postgame Bullets
Oct 9, 2009 NJ Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Postgame Bullets, Quick Recap
Well that was a fun one wasn’t it? In a game that was close all the way through, the Sixers beat the Nets 93-92. It kinda made me wish it was on TV, not only to see the finish, but to see how bad Devin’s injury was.
- Yeah, Devin got hurt in the beginning of the third quarter and he was held out for the rest of the game. The reports say it was a sprained ankle, the same one he hurt in practice. I have no way of knowing how bad it was (the audio link wasn’t working for me), but my gut tells me that if it was a regular season he could have played through it. For now, I would like to see him get a lot of rest (sort of how like the Nets are handling Lee).
- As for his play, Devin struggled a bit shooting the ball (0-5 from the field), but he was setting up his teammates very nicely (8 assists).
- CDR is really taking advantage of his opportunity. In 34 minutes tonight, CDR was able to put up another 20 points, on 9-15 shooting. I still say CDR should be the 6th man, but he could be earning a starting role.
- Brook Lopez did his usual thing, putting up 18 points. It was nice to see tonight, since he was up against a solid defender in Dalembert.
- Yi was ok shooting the ball tonight (3-7), but he fouled out in only 21 minutes of action. I guess I can see how this happened. He was going up against bigger and more physical big men tonight.
- Terrence Williams is showing that his work in the gym might be paying off. Terrence shot the ball very well today (5-10/2-3 from 3). He also grabbed 5 rebounds and 4 assists. We shouldn’t get too giddy, it is just the preseason after all, but T-Will is showing that he can do a lot of things on the court.
- Najera played very nicely in his return. 9 points in 19 minutes.
- With Najera and Battie back in action tonight, it was interesting to see the DNP list. Josh Boone and Sean Williams. Interesting…
- After the Knicks three point barrage on the Nets last game, it was good to see that the Nets held the Sixers to 2-8 from the three point line. It could have just been the competition though, the Sixers were one of the worst three point shooting teams last year.
Nets on the Net: 10/9/09 Edition
Oct 9, 2009 Barclays Arena, Bobby Simmons, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net, Yi
Fred Kerber of the Post talks about Bobby Simmons and his versatility at the forward spot.
Is his mailbag today, ESPN’s Bill Simmons talks Mikhail Prokhorov. Here’s one comment that makes me giddy (take THAT Daily News): “This completely changes the landscape of the LeBron Sweepstakes. Before, the Clippers and Zombie Sonics were the best basketball situations for him (no way for both); the Lakers were out; the Bulls seemed far-fetched; and the Knicks are such a mess that adding LeBron would have been like reliving Gretzky and the Kings all over again. But Russian Mark Cuban’s deep pockets coupled with Brooklyn and a decent young Nets roster? Intriguing!”
Curbed imagines the Atlantic Yards as a big green pile off the BQE.
NewsOK catches up with old friend Nenad Krstic as he tries to recapture his production from his New Jersey years with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA Fanhouse picks Yi Jianlian as their player to watch for the upcoming season. Fanhouse also has their team preview up.
Tonight is one of the unaired preseason games…you can listen to it though over at Sixers.com
Scouting Report Wrap
Oct 9, 2009 Scouting Reports
For those who lost track, today’s Brook Lopez report marks the end of our preseason scouting report endeavor. We had some fun with it and we hope you all did as well. Stay tuned next week as NAS compares the Nets to the rest of the eastern conference.
In case you missed anyone’s scouting report. Here’s a refresher:
Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian, Jarvis Hayes, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Keyon Dooling, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Tony Battie, Josh Boone, Bobby Simmons, Sean Williams, Trenton Hassell, Eduardo Najera.
Preseason Game 2 Scouting Report
Oct 9, 2009 2009-2010 Preseason, NJ Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Opponent Scouting Reports
Preseason Game 2 @ Philadelphia (2-0)
Projected Starting Lineup
1. Louis Williams | 6′1″ | 175 lbs. | 23.5 MPG | 12.5 PPG | 2.0 APG | 67% FT | 40% 3 | 100% FT
Not a pure PG, but somewhat effective when he is running the point. Learning the position this year. Looks to outquick defenders to get into the lane. Solid albeit streaky shooter. Must be physical with him.
2. Andre Iguodala | 6′6″ | 207 lbs. | 25 MPG | 12.0 PPG | 6.0 APG | 58.3 FG | 42.9 3 | 87.5 FT
Eddie Jordan’s two guard set will allow him to bring the ball up every once in a while, along with Lou Williams. The 6.0 assists per game average this preseason shows he may be embracing that. Super athletic, great finisher when he gets inside the paint. Streaky shooter, if he starts hitting, we need to watch out. Solid defender, gambles a bit…might be susceptible to back-door cuts.
3. Thaddeus Young | 6′8″ | 220 lbs. | 27.5 MPG | 8.5 PPG | 0.00 RPG | 43.8 FG | 33.3% 3 | 100 FT
His size at the 3 spot allows him to be a tough physical banger inside. Good shooter when given time, but if you contest, he is wildly inconsistent. Not the best ballhandler on the team, so you want to close hard on him to make him put it on the floor! Defensively, need to use speed to get by him, probably won’t be able to out-muscle him.
4. Elton Brand | 6′9″ | 254 lbs. | 22 MPG | 8.5 PPG | 5.5 RPG | 46.2 FG | 0.00 3 | 83.3 FT
A PF that likes to bang inside. Must be physical with him and can’t let him catch it deep in the post. Face up game is solid too, and he can hit from 10-15 feet. Good passer, so you must be careful where you bring the double from. Tough rebounder, must box him out!
5. Samuel Dalembert | 6′11″ | 250 lbs. | 21.5 MPG | 10.0 PPG | 6.5 RPG | 53.3 FG | 0.0 3 | 66.7 FT
Not really an offensive threat from outside of 10 feet. Struggles to hit from inside 10 feet as well. Slow feet. Can be taken advantage of in the pick and roll set. Great timing and shot blocking ability though, must pump fake him! Terrific defensive rebounder.
Bench
G. Willie Green | 6′3″ | 200 lbs. | 12 MPG | 5.5 PPG | 2.5 APG | 44.4% FG | 50.o% FG | 50.0% FT
Not a true point either, but the truest point on the Sixers. If they struggle getting into the offense, Green will come in off the bench to try and settle things. Hard worker on defense, but he lacks the quicks to stay in front of his man from time to time.
G/F. Jason Kapono | 6′7″ | 215 lbs. | 12.0 MPG | 7.0 PPG | 3.0 APG | 50% FG | 40% 3 | 100% FT
One of the league’s best 3 point shooters. Has 30-foot range. Need to stick with him and can’t help off of him. Doesn’t do much besides shoot, so close hard and make him put it on the floor.
G. Jrue Holiday | 6′3″ | 180 lbs. | Rookie: No professional stats
Wildcard. Athletic and quick, but is an inconsistent shooter and he sometimes is a little loose with the basketball.
F/C. Marreese Speights | 6′10″ | 245 lbs. | 22.5 MPG | 9 PPG | 9 RPG | 31.6 FG | 0.00 3 | 85.7 FT
We should all be familiar with this guy from summer league. Possesses a great athletic ability for his size, and when he is hitting his shot he is tough to stop. Needs to take a lot of shots to put up his numbers. Good shot blocker, you can pump fake him though. He has shown to be foul-prone.
F. Jason Smith | 7′0″ | 240 lbs. | 20 MPG | 3.5 PPG | 4.5 RPG | 25% FG | 20% 3 | 0% FT
Missed all of last year with a knee injury. Can play either the PF or C spot. Has a nice back to the basket game and a nice touch on his mid-range shot.
G. Royal Ivey | 6′4″ | 215 lbs. | 16.0 MPG | 4.5 PPG | 2.0 APG | 28.6 FG% | 0.0 3% | 83.3 FT
Defensive specialist with no real offensive game to speak of. Quick and athletic. Very aggressive and can be caught on back-door cuts. Tendency to foul a ton.
G. Sean Singletary | 6′0″ | 185 lbs. | 10.0 MPG | 0.0 PPG | 0.0 APG | 0.0 FG% | 0.0 3% | 0.0 FT%
Solid from 3 point range. Does nothing else too special.
G. Dionte Christmas | 6′5″ | 205 lbs. | 9.0 MPG | 3.0 PPG | 1.0 APG | 0.0 FG% | 0.0 3% | 75 FT%
Terrific 3 point shooter who when gets hot can’t miss.
C. Primoz Brezec | 7′1″ | 255 lbs. | 8.0 MPG | 2.0 PPG | 2.0 RPG | 33.3 FG | 0.0 3 | 0.0 FT
Played in the Italian league last year. Nice touch for a big man. Slow and weak on the defensive end.
F. Brandon Bowman | 6′9″ | 225 | 17.0 MPG | 9.0 PPG | 4.0 RPG | 66.7 FG | 0.0 3 | 50.0 FT
D-League call up who is playing well. Maybe well enough to make the roster…
G/F. Rodney Carney | 6′7″ | 205 lbs. | No Preseason Stats
Out.
G. Stromile Swift | 6′10″ | 220 lbs. | No Preseason Stats
Out.
Offensive Tendencies:
One of the worst three point shooting teams last year. Kapono helps, but he is the only 3 point shooting threat. Must keep their 3 front-court off the glass on both sides of the court. Must keep AI from getting hot. Eddie Jordan will be implementing a Princeton-style offense this year. Expect a whole lot of movement.
Defensive Tendencies:
A lot of aggressive athletic players who like to take chances. Need to pump fake on both passes and shots. Backdoor cuts can work against these guys too.
Keys To Victory:
Get Brook touches inside. He can out muscle Dalembert and negate his athleticism. Keep AI from getting hot. Rebound! Don’t let Elton Brand get position inside. Close out on Kapono, make him put the ball on the floor.
Scouting Report: Brook Lopez
Oct 9, 2009 Brook Lopez, Scouting Reports
Name: Brook Lopez
Position: C
Height: 7′0″
Weight: 260 lbs.
Birth Date: April 1, 1988 (age 21)
Birth Place: North Hollywood, California
Number: 11
Drafted: 10th pick of the first round in 2008 by the New Jersey Nets
Experience: 1 year
Contract: 2.25 Million
On offense:
Brook is one of the few young back-to-the basket centers left in the NBA. After an effective rookie season, one in which he finished 3rd in ROY voting, Brook is looking to come back even stronger this year. Lopez showed a nice back to the basket game, and he also showed a nice touch on his shot: