Nets Are Scorching

Al Iannazzone explains why he (and we) should be thankful.

Lawrence Frank is trying to resist playing Devin Harris and Courtney Lee big minutes as they come back from injury.

Meanwhile, the whispers about Frank’s future continue. If Frank gets fired, his replacement will likely come from in-house as the organization continues to pinch pennies.

Another article that gathers some reaction from the 88-89 Miami Heat and the 99-00 LA Clippers, aka, the two teams the Nets could soon be challenging for infamy.

Brett Yormark on WFAN yesterday.

There are still many steps that have to take place before Mikhail Prokhorov can take over as owner of the Nets.

The Atlantic Yards Report has some reaction from yesterday’s press conference by Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn regarding the Nets planned move to Brooklyn. Here’s some video as well:

You can’t ask for much more than that from the Nets when they play a team like the Blazers.  The real difference was the second unit.  The Blazers were bringing in guys like Rudy Fernandez, Andre Miller, and Jarred Bayless.  The Nets were bringing in guys like Bobby Simmons.  Good effort though, and if the Nets play like that, they have a chance against the Kings.

• Alston/Harris/Lee combined for 10 points tonight.
• The Nets were down 12 at one point in the 2nd quarter, and got it to 5 at the half.  In the second half, the Blazers went on a 8-0 run and the Nets responded with a run of their own, tying the game.  They responded a couple times (which was real good to see), just ran out of gas.
• CDR and Brook both bounced back from their poor games which was really good to see.  Brook put up a career high 32 and CDR finished with 18.
• Speaking of Brook’s 32, it was great to see him playing with that fire against a big center.  He struggled against Haywood, Dwight, and Hibbert but tonight he was really going.  Only took a few outside jumpers, and he did man-work in the post.
• At one point in the third Brook got a repost.  That is the first time I have seen it all year, and it should happen more then once every 15 games.
• The Nets held the Blazers to 13 points in the third quarter, but they only got 12 themselves.
• Rudy Fernandez was 4-7 (4-5 from 3).  Man, why can’t the Nets have someone like that on their team…oh wait, we got Bobby Simmons I’m sorry, I can’t even joke about that.
• Speaking of Bobby Simmons, he is officially useless.  Teams are giving him open threes and he can’t make them.
• Sean Williams and Brook Lopez played together and they played well together.  Looking at Sacramento’s roster, that could be successful again Friday.

Getting this one up pretty early because of some family obligations…

Last night sucked.  The Nets were in that game for approximately 5 minutes, and after taking a 9-2 lead, it looked like the Nuggets decided to start trying and just pulled away.  I am not going to talk about that game much, just because I want to forget about it.  The Nets did not show any effort, but you know what?  With so many guys playing 40 minutes early in the season, it was bound to happen once, so don’t look at yesterday and say Lawrence Frank has “lost” his team.  Look to see what happens tonight, that is going to be the key.

As for tonight the Blazers are another very deep team, and they have one of the best perimeter players in the league.  Also, don’t look now, Greg Oden seems to have “arrived.”  Here are the matchups:

Steve Blake vs. Rafer Alston:

When the Blazers signed Andre Miller, many thought he was going to be the starter, but Blake simply took the job from him.  Blake has been playing very well.  He isn’t a guy who is going to out-quick you, but he is a smart player who can shoot the 3, and knows where to get his teammates the ball.  Devin Harris isn’t starting tonight, but it looks like this will be his last game coming off the bench.  It is about time, I think I am the last one on the Rafer Alston is doing ok bandwagon, and I am about ready to jump off.

Advantage: Steve Blake

Brandon Roy vs. Chris Douglas-Roberts:

CDR had an off game last night, but like the rest of the Nets you can give him a mulligan here.  CDR was on the bench because of foul trouble and just really never got it going.  He is a young guy though and with his attitude, you know he is itching to get out there and prove everyone wrong again.  I think he will.  Brandon Roy is very good as well, he is probably the Blazers’ best offensive option and he will have a very good game tonight.

Advantage:  Brandon Roy

Martell Webster vs. Trenton Hassell:

Martell Webster is a quick guy with a smooth stroke, if he can get going, you have to watch out.  That being said, with the rest of the lineup the Blazers are putting out there, you want to force Webster to score.  You want to funnel the ball out of Roy or Aldridge’s hands.  If Webster beats the Nets, so be it, I’d rather see that then see Roy and Aldridge put up 20 each.

Advantage:  Martell Webster

LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Josh Boone:

LaMarcus Aldridge is a match-up for every single 4 the Nets have on their roster.  He is an athletic guy who can do some stuff from the outside, but his length really presents a problem in the post.  Josh Boone is going to struggle against him mightily.  It would be interesting to watch Sean Williams play against him, but Lawrence Frank just seems to refuse to play him at the 4, so it isn’t going to happen.

Advantage:  LaMarcus Aldridge

Greg Oden vs. Brook Lopez:

As I alluded to earlier, Greg Oden is having himself a pretty nice year.  If you watch Sportscenter or the highlight shows, you just see him getting dunked on, but very quietly Oden is leading the league in FG% and he is third in the league in BPG (behind Brook).  This is going to be  a real fun matchup, but I do think Brook is going to want to prove himself and post a big game as Devin continues to get more minutes (Brook just looks like a different player when he and Devin are on the court at the same time).

Advantage:  Brook Lopez

Prediction

Current Record 8-6

The Blazers are going to take this one, it is up to the Nets to decide how long this game will be watchable.

Hat tip to Ball Don’t Lie. Finally, the Nets give us something to laugh about.

Victories have been extremely hard to come by for the Nets this season. But after an assist from the New York State Court of Appeals yesterday, the Nets earned a victory that could go a long way towards changing the fortunes of the franchise.

Yesterday’s ruling by New York state’s highest court still does not make the Nets proposed move to Brooklyn a definite – financing for the project is still a necessity for this move to happen, and this ideally must be accomplished before the end of the year, all in a down economy.

But make no mistake. Though opponents of the Atlantic Yards Development and the Barclays Arena will continue to talk about the number of lawsuits they have filed and will continue to file, yesterday’s ruling in favor of the developer’s use of eminent domain to acquire the property they need in Brooklyn to build this project was a critical blow to the opposition. Opponents can try attacking the way state agencies like the Empire State Development Corporation or the Metropolitan Transportation Authority do business, but if Bruce Ratner is able to get the financing his need to qualify for tax exempt bonds, Brooklyn will finally become a reality for the Nets organization.

In our comments section yesterday, one of our readers, calling all toasters, wrote:  “LeBron or no, this is the most important day for the Nets in the last 3 decades. They should have a permeant home, a larger fan base, a wealthy owner, and (for once) some sparkle.”

While there are still a good chunk of Nets fans who would rather the team stay in New Jersey, those who believe that it’s in the organization’s long-term interest to build their future in Brooklyn likely shared this level of enthusiasm. In a season that has already seen its lion-share of frustration, anger and disappointment, the state’s court ruling was the most silver of linings. Brooklyn brings new possibilities to the organization: a state-of-the-art arena that, even without the grandiosity of architect Frank Gehry, should still be impressive. There’s also the ability to promise current players and free agents an opportunity to shine in the world’s biggest media market, in that market’s hippest borough.

Then there’s the promise of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. While there has been some buzz as of late that Prokhorov’s takeover of the team is not totally contingent on Brooklyn, having details of the move finalized by the end of the year, would certainly make the transition to new ownership a lot simpler. With Prokhorov, the Nets will have an owner who has a track record of spending to win – something the organization has sorely lacked during the Ratner era. While I agree with calling all toasters about the magnitude of yesterday’s decision, I think the organization’s most important day will ultimately be decided by NBA owners if and when they approve Prokhorov as the new Nets owner in the near future.

But until then, the focus remains on Brooklyn and the Atlantic Yards. As a resident of New York, it’s certainly disconcerting that there is legal precedent that a private developer can grab someone’s home for the sake of project that may, or may not “improve” the region. But from a basketball perspective, this ruling is as big as it gets. Now it’s up to Ratner and his team to push this project over the finish line – get the financing he needs so this organization can get out of the purgatorial state it has been for the past six years. The ball is now firmly in your court Ratner, and with the season sinking around you, it’s on you to finally deliver on your promises to bring the Nets to a better place.

Chris Douglas-Roberts makes John Hollinger’s all-underrated team.

Ben Couch hosts a Q+A with Trailblazers.com.

Mark Miller of Yahoo blames Bruce Ratner for the poor start.

Marc Stein of True Hoop looks deeper into the bad start for Lawrence Frank.

Courtney Lee’s return was a lone bright spot for the Nets last night.

Despite the bad start, the Nets are doing a lot of charity work, making them winners off the court.

Bergen Record earns the best headline award for “Ratner a winner in court, a loser on one.”

In the aftermath of yesterday’s court victory, the New York Times looks at how the Nets still have their foundation in place with Brook Lopez and Devin Harris.

The Star-Ledger jokes that this could be a loooong good-bye for the Nets and New Jersey.

Daniel Goldstein, head of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, wants NY Governor Patterson to stand by his position as a state senator to put a moratorium on the use of eminent domain.

Kenyon Martin is not a big fan of Bruce Ratner.

HoopsWorld says the Nets compare favorably to the 88-89 Heart and the 99-00 Clippers, the two previous teams that went 0-17 to start a season.

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

GameFlow, Roundball Mining Company, Devin Harris Interview, Brook Lopez Interview, Lawrence Frank Interview

This is where Coach Lawrence Frank loses me.  You are up against a big and physical team with maybe the best SF with his back to the basket on the block, and you go small for a large portion of the game?  That just doesn’t make sense to me, now I understand with Brook Lopez in foul trouble for most of the night, you can’t put Brook and Sean Williams in the game together, but you need to get a bigger body than Trenton Hassell on Kenyon Martin.  Yes, we know Josh Boone is limited, but in this game, you need him out there just because he is a big-body, and with Boone playing Martin, that allows you to put Trenton Hassell on Carmelo Anthony.

Speaking of Carmelo as soon as the Nets went small the Nuggets immediately went to him in the post.  4 possessions in the block resulted in 3 buckets and a trip to the foul line.   Lawrence Frank then called a timeout and switched back to Hassell on Carmelo, and then around 5 minutes later the Nets went small again, and the Nuggets went right to Carmelo on the block.  If the Nuggets can see it, if the announcers can see it, if I can see it, then why can’t Lawrence Frank see it?  With these mismatches the Nuggets had, they scored 60 points in the paint.  60!

Lawrence Frank always talks about match-ups, and he likes to adjust his roster to what the other teams throw out there, so it was interesting to see Lawrence Frank go small when it really made absolutely no sense.

This isn’t all on Lawrence Frank though, nobody came out and played hard, and from the start the game just had the feel of a scrimmage to me for some reason.  Brook Lopez picked up two real silly fouls in the first half, and so did Chris Douglas-Roberts (I believe he got 2 of them trying to cover Carmelo in the post).  Maybe I got spoiled, it is funny to think about an 0-13 team spoiling their fans, but it did happen.  I sat on my couch and flipped on the game not expecting to win, but expecting the team to put up a real good fight.  That is what makes this team fun to watch right now, you see them going hard and fighting, you feel good as a Nets fan.  I do get a little critical from time to time (ok a lot of the time), but as a fan up until last night, the Nets have been fun to watch.  It just seemed like they were just going through the motions most of the game and the last quarter and a half was basically running back and forth and whoever got the first pass after half-court put up a shot.  The Nets got the lead down to 10 at one point in the fourth against the reserves, but Carmelo, J.R. Smith, and Chauncey remained on the bench, the Nuggets reserves turned it on and extended the lead again.  That’s how bad it was, the Nuggets reserves weren’t playing hard against the Nets.  The team has played all year, and I guess they can have one off night, they are in Portland tomorrow, so let’s see if they can get the effort back up.  No key plays today since they pretty much sucked, there were are a few bullets though:

• At one point Sean Williams got a block to start a fast break and Terrence Williams finished it off with a slam.  The Nets showed life on that play, and it might have been the only time the whole game.
• Early in the 4th Carmelo picked up his 5th foul.  George Karl was going to take him out, but Carmelo waived him off and left him in for a little while.  Good to see how serious the Nuggets were taking the Nets.
• 60 points in the paint is a lot.
• Terrence Williams might have been the lone bright spot.  He wasn’t settling for too many jumpers.  Took 11 shots, which is still too much, but he is cutting them down.  He made 5 of them and was attacking the basket.

You know how they say during a blow-out “the score isn’t indicative of the game?”  Well, tonight, it wasn’t as close as the scored said.  The Nets were able to cut the lead down to 10 at one point in the fourth, but that was with the Nuggets backups in the game.  Carmelo sat out the final 10 minutes.  The Nets didn’t really show any fight tonight, and I guess that was the real sad thing.

• Brook Lopez accumulated 3 fouls in 6 minutes during the first half, and CDR had 3 fouls early in the 2nd as well.  Maybe if they get going in the first half, this is a different game.  They finished with 5 and 4 points respectively.
• For some reason Lawrence Frank was determined to play small ball today.  It didn’t work.  With Trenton Hassell playing a lot of minutes at the 4, he was forced to cover the Kenyon while CDR/Lee/T.Williams was on Carmelo.  The Nuggets finished with 60 points in the paint.  Now you could play Sean Williams and Brook together because he wasn’t on the court enough, but Josh Boone has the size to stay with K-Mart.  Yeah, he can’t do anything on the offensive end, but it makes the match-ups easier.
• Carmelo took one shot outside 20 feet.
• Rafer Alston and Devin Harris both lead the Nets with 19 points.
• Terrence Williams quietly had a good game, 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting along with 2 rebounds.
• Trying to be positive, the Nets did a terrific job of getting to the line tonight, getting there 36 times making 26 of them.