Nets Are Scorching

Less than 24 hours after various media outlets were reporting that the Nets were debating breaking their lease at the Izod Center to set up a home base at the Prudential Center in Newark until if/when the team’s new arena in Brooklyn opens, the Bergen Record is reporting that a truce between the two arenas is drawing close.

Well that was quick.

According to the report, Carl Goldberg, chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, and Jerry Zaro, Governor Jon Corzine’s economic czar, have been meeting for months and Nets chief executive Bret Yormark recently joined the discussion to make this deal happen.

The sticking points seems to be how to ensure that both arenas will generate revenue in the wake of the Nets leaving the Izod Center, the report said.  Currently, the Nets would have to pay the sports authority a penalty of about $7.5 million if they break their lease and move anywhere except Brooklyn.

A deal won’t likely be reached until after the gubernatorial elections November 3. The deal should be made regardless of wins the election, according to the report.

Don’t tell that New Jersey State Senator Gerald Cardinale, R-Bergen, who said today he opposed any lease breaking by the Nets – aiming his comments at the Democratic Corzine:

“It would be disturbing if Governor Corzine considers allowing the Nets to move from the Meadowlands to Newark without fulfilling its contractual obligation to the Izod Center. The Nets signed the contract with the Izod Center and should be held to the terms of that contract.”

First off to Gerald Cardinale – oh brother. Stop the presses, a Republican doesn’t like Jon Corzine.

As for the actual news here, I like that both sides are well into discussions on this matter. I’ve never necessarily been in the “Bring them to Newark” camp. I’m in favor of the solution that keeps the Nets competitive, thriving, and in my media market, whether that be in Newark, East Rutherford or Brooklyn. I don’t know how the Nets will sell on a long-term basis in Newark once the city is beyond “audition-mode,” but I do think playing in the Prudential Center next year will help add a touch of legitimacy as the organization tries to lure some free agents. And let me speak as one NYC-based fan that I will absolutely attend more games next season if all I have to do when I get off from work is take the subway to Penn Station and then take a one-seat ride to Newark.

Devin Harris won’t be playing tomorrow and he didn’t fully practice today (participated in non-contact stuff including running and sliding side to side), but he was still in high spirits talking to the media (including yours truly) today.  He expects to be ready to participate fully in practice on Sunday and should be ready to start the season next Wednesday against the Timberwolves.  Now, Devin Harris and his injuries have started to worry fans, leading to some calling for him to change his style of play.  That’s not happening, “I love the contact, I don’t think I’ll ever change…well maybe when I am 30, then I’ll start taking mid-range jumpers,” Devin told us.

The conversation then turned to the preseason play, including the good chunk he hasn’t been a part of.  When asked about the losses Devin said, “I mean, I think a lot of what I bring to the table will cure some of the ills going on out there.  But obviously it is good for those guys to go through it if I happen to sprain an ankle or something like that.”  Don’t take that as Devin bashing his teammates, because that isn’t his intention, in fact he really likes what he sees from most of the guys, in particular CDR, Courtney, and Terrence Williams.  ”You see what kind of fight that we can have.  With the way CDR can attack the basket, Courtney’s understanding of the game and knowing how to get shots, and Terrence’s bulldogish ways.  You see a lot of fight in those guys.”

We then turned our attention to when he gets back, playing with both CDR and Courtney in the lineup.  A lot of fans have been worrying whether or not there is enough basketballs to go around when these three are on the court.  Many have been expecting both CDR and Courtney to get less touches when he returns, but Devin is quick to point out that if they stay aggressive, it makes things easier for him.   “What I have been preaching to Chris is that when he is that aggressive, him and Courtney, it takes more pressure off of me so I can just facilitate and then when I have to pick my spots to be aggressive, we have three guys that they have to worry about stopping, instead of them just loading up on me.”

I guess the overall theme I took away from this interview with Devin is that he “gets it”.   I have never been worried that he didn’t, but it is just comforting to hear, you know?  He understand that his style works and that if he changes it makes him less of a player, but he also understands that if CDR and Courtney can become threats offensively he doesn’t have to go 100 MPH every possession, and being able to “pick my spots” as he calls it will leave him less susceptible to injury.  Also, hearing him talk, any worries of him being able to turn into a “true PG” have been put to rest.  He understands that while he is the one true scorer the Nets got, he the other guys around him to be aggressive.  If that happens both the Nets and Devin Harris will be much more successful.

Team Name: Atlanta Hawks
Last Year’s Record: 47-35 (2nd place, Southeast Division)
Head Coach: Mike Woodson
Comings: Joe Smith, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague (no. 19), Sergiy Gladyr (no. 49) and Jason Collins.
Goings: Flip Murray, Acie Law and Speedy Claxton.
Blogger Thoughts, Bret LaGree, Hoopinion:

I expect the Hawks to be about the same as last year: clearly better than most of the Eastern Conference but nowhere near as good as Orlando, Cleveland, and Boston. The team didn’t make any moves to improve its rebounding and it’s unlikely that everybody on the roster will again better their career 3PTFG%. Jamal Crawford should replace Flip Murray’s offensive production of the bench (albeit at six times the cost but that atypical monetary splurge won’t be an issue until Summer 2010) though Crawford’s defensive limitations may prove playing him alongside Mike Bibby to be unfeasible. If Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, and Al Horford stay healthier than they did last season, the frontcourt might make up for any defensive decline on the perimeter. Joe Smith’s a better insurance policy in the post than was Solomon Jones but that’s more about limiting your downside than boosting your upside.

On the Nets:

I think the Nets have an excellent chance to secure a very high pick in the 2010 Draft. That, combined with controlling Devin Harris and Brook Lopez for several years and having $20-some million in contracts coming off the books, could make the rebuilding period brief. As good as Harris and Lopez are and this being the Eastern Conference the Nets are probably only one player putting up a classic contract-year and either Douglas-Roberts or Terrence Williams blossoming away from contending for the eighth-seed whether that’s in the franchise’s long-term interests or not.

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Whenever Brook Lopez touched the ball Wednesday night against the Knicks, it seemed like he was greeted by the swarming bodies and arms of New York defenders. The result? A difficult night from the field for the center, who was 5-18 and was only able to get to the free throw line three times, as the Knicks doubled him at nearly every opportunity.

While speaking with NAS at practice at the PNY Center today, Lopez said he’s not going to be deterred by the increasing amount of attention he seems to be drawing from opposing defenses.

“Obviously when it comes to the double, there’s going to be another guy open,” Lopez said. “I just got to work on keeping my composure and seeing what I need to see instead of all those arms.’

The good news on Wednesday for Lopez was despite all the doubles, he only turned the ball over twice. On the flip side, he didn’t register a single assist, so he knows it’s a work in progress.

Lopez already has a bigger bulls-eye on his back headed into this season as he’s likely the second scoring option after Devin Harris now that Vince Carter is suiting up for the Orlando Magic. With Devin Harris missing so much time in preseason, it’s unknown how defenses will be able to react to Lopez’s touches once the team is at full-strength.

With Harris expected to miss tomorrow night’s game against the 76ers, Coach Lawrence Frank called the following three practices before the season opener Wednesday in Minnesota “vital” for the club.

“It is what it is,” Frank said of the team’s current injury issues. “I think we’ve had enough time to evaluate. So we started to sit down with individuals … Starting Sunday guys got to know who’s playing and who’s not.”

Added to the injury list for tomorrow night’s preseason finale is possibly Rafer Alston, who is suffering from an allergic reaction, Frank said.

As for Lopez, with offensive options dwindling around him, he said he remains focused on improving his post game and learning from the preseason experience.

“I’m definitely confident in myself as a one-on-one post player,” Lopez said. “As those double teams come it can only benefit me. I have to see it live and play against it in order to learn from it.”

Team: Miami Heat

Last Year’s Record: 43-39 (2nd, Central Division)

Head Coach: Erik Spoelstra

Comings: Patrick Beverley (No. 42), Robert Dozier (No. 60), Quentin Richardson

Goings: Luther Head, Jamario Moon, Mark Blount

Blogger Thoughts -Matthew Bunch Hot Hot Hoops

The Heat this season are like a 20-year old in college. Plenty of things are available to him or her to have a good time, but man, just wait until next year. While no one says it openly, this is a year of transition and waiting. Wait for Beasley and Chalmers to get better, wait for Wade to resign, wait to pick up the second max-contract guy (eyes on Chris Bosh). The Heat are still plenty good, and currently co-occupy the second-plateau spot with Atlanta. I see them grabbing the four seed, beating the Hawks thanks to home-court advantage and losing in the second round. Plenty of fun, sure, but wait until next year.

Thoughts On The Nets:

I’ve got to admit, I like the Nets. The whole reversible jersey debacle doesn’t inspire confidence, and Lawrence Frank still looks like he should be coaching a college Quiz Bowl team, but they’re young. And good young. There needs to be development, and that will test Frank’s worth, but I could see the Nets being better than most people think this year. Not playoff better, but better. And with a crazy-rich Russian who loves parties and prostitutes on the way, everything’s coming up Milhouse in East Rutherford. Read more…

In sports, players or coaches will often tip their hats to an electric home crowd, referring to them as the 10th or 13th man on the field. But how often does an otherwise jilted fanbase come together to send a collective message to ownership about the state of their franchise? And how often does that message get sent in games that don’t actually count in the standings and are played in a city that’s not even technically considered “home field?”

With an estimated crowd of about 16,000 fans at last night’s Nets-Knicks preseason matchup at the Prudential Center in Newark, and about 13,000 fans the week before when the Nets played the Celtics at “The Rock,” fans of the “New Jersey” Nets appeared to be sending a message to those who wish to move the franchise away from the Izod Center in East Rutherford to a brand-new arena in Brooklyn: Consider Newark. And maybe, just maybe, if Brooklyn falls through, there’s a way to find your way back here.

Yes, a large chunk of those tickets against the Celtics were basically giveaways – attempts by the Prudential Center and the pro-Newark crowd to inflate the final numbers. If you take those 5,000-6,000 freebies away, the Nets essentially drew against the Celtics what they had been bringing in at the Izod Center in preseasons past.

Last night was a different story. With the New York Knicks in town, the team arena experienced an unexpected walk-up crowd looking for tickets. Parts of the Prudential Center which had been curtained off last week, were unveiled to make additional room. All those freebie tickets were a much smaller percentage of the total crowd.

And inside the arena?

“I thought it was a very pro-Knick crowd, but as soon as the Nets started getting back into it, I realized that the majority of the fans were pro-Nets,” said Reginald Alberto, a Nets fan who attended the game last night as a recipient of a ticket giveaway from Nets Are Scorching. “The fans were constant with the thunder sticks all night.  Hearing these fans cheer and chant for the Nets all night long was very refreshing as a Nets fan who is used to fans who cant seem to find a voice … The arena had a big time feel to it even though it was just preseason. Even Joe Jackson came to the game. Joe Jackson would not have showed up at the Izod.”

Newark city officials certainly want the Nets at Prudential Center on a more permanent basis.  Newark Mayor Cory Booker is all but playing Johnny Fontane to Mikhail Prokhorov and Bruce Ratner’s Don Corleone. I’m just waiting for someone to yell “act like a man” as Booker continues to plead that Newark already has the arena and a built-in fanbase that would support a New Jersey-based team if someone would just move the Nets there. “I wouldn’t even have to act, just be myself.”

The next question is whether or not the message was received by ownership. The initial prognosis is … maybe. In a report in the Newark Star-Ledger, anonymous team officials said the team is considering setting up a temporary base in Newark as of next season, provided they can break their current lease at the Izod Center without paying a stiff $8 million fine.

As the report also notes, Ratner has always been resistant to keeping the window open in Newark because it could potentially undermine the move to Brooklyn. The proposed Atlantic Yards Development is already under siege from community groups who have filed lawsuit after lawsuit in an attempt to sink the project, or at the very least, delay it long enough for financing to fall through.

So credit must be given to the fanbase for showing up in the numbers they did last night. The Nets have still not given any kind of inclination that Newark or New Jersey in general is in their long-term plans. The game, while played against another local team whose fanbase could reach the Prudential Center easily by transit, was an inconsequential match-up against two teams predicted to be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference this season. By all accounts, the Nets should not have been able to draw 16,000 fans last night. They’ll be lucky to draw 16,000 to a regular season game this season that doesn’t feature LeBron James or Kobe Bryant as part of the visiting team.

There is still love in New Jersey for the Nets – especially in Newark – despite the past six year’s of drama that has seen ownership trade away its star players, dismantle its roster, switch architects to lessen costs, fight lawsuit after lawsuit, and seek help from a Russian oligarch with a checkered past. All in the name in Brooklyn.

As one Brooklyn-based Nets fan put it – there’s just something endearing about keeping the team in New Jersey.

“I would love to see the Nets keep the NJ name even if the thought of them playing 3.5 miles from my house is pretty cool,” said Ralph Nasar, who attended the Nets-Celtics game in Newark courtesy of a free ticket promotion. “It would lose that NJ feel. I was born in New Jersey and love rooting for New Jersey teams.”

Chris Douglas-Roberts is proving the doubters wrong this preseason.

Members of Mikhail Prokhorov’s Onexim Group were in attendance last night.

Meanwhile, Prokhorov apparently made a great impression with the league this week.

After another successful draw to the Prudential Center last night, the Nets are seriously considering setting up a temporary home there starting next season as they wait for Brooklyn to happen. The one caveat is whether or not they can break their lease at the Izod Center without a stiff penalty.

The differences may be small and hardly noticeable, but the Nets believe they are getting better on the defensive end.

State Development officials are drafting a new deal with Bruce Ratner that may give his Brooklyn development plan a loophole out of creating thousands of units of affordable housing, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

The Orlando Magic follow in the path of the Nets and start a practice jersey sponsorship.

Third Quarter Collapse takes umbrage with the idea that the Magic did not improve with the acquisition of Vince Carter and the loss of Hedo Turkaglu.

Blink and you would have missed Courtney Lee almost single-handedly pull off a miraculous comeback for the Nets in their game against the New York Knicks last night. With about 6 seconds left, and the Nets down by 5, Lee sank a free throw, intentionally missed the next, grabbed the loose ball, hit the “and 1″ to cut the score to two, missed the free throw and then came up with another loose ball and a foul, with a chance to tie the game with 1.1 seconds left.

The last time I saw so much offense is such a short amount of time against the Knicks, Reggie Miller was wrapping his hands around his throat – the universal “choke” sign – as superfan Spike Lee writhed in agony courtside. Granted, the circumstances were much, much bigger that time around as the Pacers went on their way to shocking the Knicks in the playoffs, but I think it’s only natural for basketball fans to come back to that game when you see something equally improbable happening before your eyes.

Except last night, in front of about 16,000 fans  at the Prudential Center (talks of a sellout were a wee bit exaggerated, but not by much. And Joe Jackson seemed entertained by the game during the MSG feed) Courtney Lee missed the free throw he needed to sink, and the Nets lost to the Knicks 94-92. The Nets still haven’t won yet this preseason, and they get one more shot on Friday night. Yes, the team is sorely missing Devin Harris, and to a lesser extent, guys like Keyon Dooling and Jarvis Hayes would sure help too, but the Knicks were able to pull away in the fourth playing a lineup of four rookies and Larry Hughes.

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