Nets Are Scorching

Obviously, this is a New Jersey Nets blog, however, the NAS crew absolutely love the NBA in general. So, every week, Sebastian, Mark, Devin, and myself will answer questions regarding the L.

1) How much do you think Tom Izzo not taking the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching had to do with LeBron James?  Is this a sign that LeBron is bolting Cleveland?

Sebastian:
I don’t think the actual non-signing has anything to do with LeBron.  Although, I think a big indicator that he might be leaving is the fact that he refused to meet with Izzo when he was in Cleveland.  If he is staying, doesn’t he want to talk to the new coach and get things figured out?

Mark:
LeBron, LeBron, LeBron. I’m really starting to feel like Jan Brady here. Obviously, the uncertainty of the LeBron situation is connected to Izzo’s decision to stay at Michigan State, though I don’t think anyone can say with any certainty that this now tips LeBron’s hand and he’s going to leave.   Regardless of LeBron, I thought Izzo risked ruining his legacy by jumping to the NBA to coach the Cavs. And maybe, when it’s all said and done, Izzo was much happier being the best college coach rather than another guy who came over to the NBA and failed. It’s not like Pitino, Calipari and Carlesimo haven’t set a precedent here.

Devin:
It’s probably not specifically a sign, but do think LeBron is gone. Tom loves Michigan State (clearly) and obviously has a ton of allegiances to the university. While it would have been interesting to see him manning the sidelines at Cleveland,  I think it’s probably best for him to stay in college, since most coaches have difficulties making the transition and Izzo’s got a huge following at MSU. All in all, I don’t think Izzo turning down the job had to do with LeBron’s potential departure, but LeBron will most likely only play in Cleveland on the road next year.

DV:
I think the uncertainty of LeBron re-signing led to the uncertainty and eventually rejection of Izzo.  If there was any clue that LeBron was going to re-sign, Izzo would have been all over that job because who wouldn’t want to coach LeBron besides Mike Brown who seemed like he never really did anyway.  I still believe that James will come back to Cleveland, but the coaching shambles did make me rethink that.  However, after a few minutes, I came back to think that Cleveland will continue to be witnesses. Read more…

During the regular season, when Chris Bosh was asked if he’d consider playing for the Nets when he became a free agent this summer, he gave a pretty definitive “no” answer. Today, the New York Post talks to Bosh again where he seems to be softening to the idea of playing in New Jersey. While the headline naturally only mentions the Knicks, Bosh actually seems to be even more complimentary of the Nets in his comments:

“I think each team has its own advantages over the other,” Bosh said. “New Jersey has a young core, so does New York. The coaching styles are a bit different. A lot of people are excited about the new (Nets) owner. It’s interesting. Everybody is pretty much excited about the makeup of the team and the direction the Nets are headed.

Interesting… after his comments earlier this year, I had more or less ruled out the possibility of Bosh. He and Brook would be a monster tandem in the frontcourt, and IF the Nets can get Evan Turner in the draft, a definite possibility now that Philadelphia is making some roster moves, a starting five of Harris-Williams-Turner-Bosh-Lopez kinda makes me drool.