Nets Are Scorching

Yi sucks and is a knuckle head, he'll be out of the league as soon as his contract runs out or play for peanuts. If DLee goes to the Warriors then DLee is full of crap and everything he said is BS. He does not have to do a sign and trade, if he okay's it then he's only about stats and money. I don't know about West and Lebron's mom, all I know is what I saw, they gave up. If the team fell apart because of that then LeBron is NOT the leader he makes out, like I said. And Mike how can you say you have been watching the Nets longer, I've watched them since they were first on TV!!!!!!!!!! AND Yi SUCKS!!!!!!!! LOL.....he does. A few summer league games and now Favors is a bust at 18 years old....ha ha ha ha.....send him to the D league...LOL..come on be real please. Some times emotion gets the best of every fan. But the idea that the Cavs fell apart because West was banging Bron Bron's mommy is crazy. If they did then West would have been traded already because they would want LeBron back. They want to trade West because he's a nut job. Lebron quit on his team because the team quit on him first and he was badly injured, much more so then he let on. That elbow was bad and his team just gave up.

Build slow and true. As a Penguins fan (sorry, grew up in Jersey, but could NOT root for the clutch and grab Devils) I know that when you have young talented players, you should count on them improving enough each year to make it seem like you signed a few free agents.

Some of you guys miss the point. If signing Amare or Boozer means getting LeBron, the Nets will look like fools. The Bulls outbid the Nets by 5 million. That's 1 million per year over 5 years. The Nets did not want it bad enough or are just plain stupid. As for Favors, he has no motor. For a guy his size he just disappears on the court. Even the analysts and announcers seems embarrassed for him. "Nice kid though". When the Nets start playing hardball wake me up. Favors is just another softee to go along with Brook and Harris. Yi looks like a beast compared to Favors. Plus nobody is mentioning how we gave Yi away for nothing. I been watching the Nets longer then anybody on these Nets blogs and this year is one of the worst ever, and that's saying a lot.

Joe Alexander is a guy I'd like to see us sign. It would be a low risk (i.e. low $ contract) high reward signing, even though he was a mid lotto pick the guy has never really gotten a chance to play in the League - but we have minutes on the wing available. I believe he is a UFA after his rookie deal expired.

I agree with a lot of what JDOC said except the part about Singler. Really that guy is AWEFUL! I would hate to see him in a Nets uniform. he can't defend and is about as tough as a 5th grade school girl. I still think Lee is a great fit, but I wouldn't give him $15M. 5yr/$12-13M is about where I would draw the line. Stern lowballed Boozer who wanted $85M with a $75M offer probably figuring they would settle in the middle. Hopefully that game didnt cost us LeBron.

I believe the Nets were better than there record last year. We showed that at the end of the season. There were 3 things that really hurt us last year...

1- Coaching: Frank and Kiki were not experienced enough or tough enough to get those young guys to play and play hard. They had no cohesiveness on the offense or defense end. Avery Johnson will teach them how to play the right way on both ends of the court. And having Sam Mitchell as his top assistant is great as well. They are both former coach of the years and they dont take any mess fromm players.

2- Injuries: Harris was hurt most of the season, Lee got injured, Yi got injured, along with others. If we can stay healthy most of the season, our talent will have time to gel together. Especially under Avery.

3- Youth and Inexperience: The Nets started the season with 3 sophmores in the starting line-up (Lopez, Lee, CDR). Lopez and Lee will be a year older and more experienced. Terrence Williams will be a year older to. Harris is entering the prime of his career. I believe they are ready to really soar this year. And I'm really excited about Terrence Williams. Did you se his stats the last 20 games of the season?

Trust me when I tell you. The Nets are going to be better than a lot of people think.

I agree with you JDoc. All your points are valid..but there is still disappointment..Like I stated earlier Proky should not have made promises..As to impatient..I've been a fan over 30 yrs..it's always wait till next year. I guess another 4-5 yrs can't hurt (too much) well off to work...let's hope for the best...GO NETS

Whoever said that Wade and Lebron were the only real 2 prizes in this whole free agent saga is absolutely right. I dont want to spend a bunch of our cap space on second rate talent. I would rather go into the season with the young talent we have and add a few pieces for cheap. We have great talent. Has anyone been watching us in the summer league. Eric Snow said on NBA TV that Terrence Williams has been the best player in summer league. Damion James is playing great and looking like a steal. Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee are going into his 3rd year in the league meaning that they will be a year older, more experienced and better. Devin Harris will be healthy. And we FINALLY have a great coach in Avery Johnson who is going to get the most out of thiese young guys. Instead of overspending on Amare, Boozer, Lee, Joe Johnson, or Bosh, give Avery Johnson a chance to coach these young talented players...

@ NJINME....

The Nets are not between a Rock and a Hard Place.

The Bulls signed Boozer to entice LeBron. They paid him 16 million per year. LeBron they're going to pay 16.6 million/per.

The Knicks are paying Amare 20 million per.

The Wizards are paying Gilbert Arenas and insane amount of money.

Neither Boozer or Amare play defense. Defense wins championships. Did you see the Lakers D and the Celtics D? Last year the Magic have the defensive player of the year.

Signing Lee isn't going to make us a title contender which is the overall goal. He's a good player. Other teams are overpaying right now, because of this crazy market and competition.

The Nets aren't being cheap. They also aren't in a panic. They know that D-Lee isn't the centerpiece of a championship team. He's a second banana at best. Same goes for Bosh. LeBron and Wade were the two true prizes of this FA class.

The same thing has been true all off season. We're all in on LeBron James. We made the best sales pitch for him. The Heat and Bulls made the playoffs last year. We didn't. Big disadvantage. We don't play in MSG. The fact is our team is about promise of the future. The other teams still in the hunt on this have more substance.

For LeBron this is kind of like Favors or Cousins. Do you take the high upside exciting team? Or do you take the team that has shown it can compete already?

We went high upside in the draft, and we're going sure thing in FA. That's the way it should be. No Lebron, no need for Lee/Boozer/Bosh etc. We'll let Favors develop, get another great player next year, and look to use our cap space where it counts.

Say we are in the lottery next season. Favors has a year like T-Will, and we start to believe in him the way we believe in T-Will. Say T-Will continues to develop. Say Courtney Lee and Harris bounces back nicely. Say Damion James keeps knocking down shots and shows that he is a solid player for us, the way Carl Landry proved to be a solid player for Houston.

Suddenly we have an All-star center in Lopez. An all-star PG in Harris. A future all-star PF in Favors. A potential future all-star in T-Will that can create offense. Damion James ready to play a versatile 6th man role for us. Courtney Lee, as a lock down perimeter defender, with a shooting touch.

30 million in cap space and a lottery pick.

We go into the draft and add Kyle Singler at the 3, who can shoot the 3-ball and spread the floor. Or Harrison Barnes who is another big time athlete who can create offense and defend. Or we add Enes Kanter, and we have a bigger and better front court than Gasol, Bynum, and Odom.

Instead of being a 12 win team, we move to Newark and win 40 games, thanks to Avery Johnson, and a strong finish to the season, and as our young team grows.

Then consider we have 30 million in cap space to go after whatever hole is left out there.

Melo hasn't re-upped with Denver yet. He has a year to sign. If Denver gets bumped by the Lakers in the 1st round. Melo might decide winning is more important and he's going to see what is out there in FA.

Proky, who made the best pitch to Lebron, makes the same pitch to Melo. Melo considers being a global icon, as the best player on a championship team, and the extra off the court money he's going to make off that.

The next thing you know we have this line up.

All Star PG - Devin Harris
Lock Down SG - Courtney Lee
Mega Star SF - Carmelo Anthony
Twin Tower 1 - D-Favors
Twin Tower 2 - Brook Lopez

Off the Bench:

Versatile PG/SF/SG Terrence Williams, rotating in and out with Harris, Lee, and Melo, shifting his role between scorer and distributor.

Versatile SF/SG Damion James, giving quality offensive production.

Add to it another lesser FA, and big time rookie (Barnes/Singler/Kanter) filling the role of shooter, swing etc.

We are as good as anybody in the league then and there.

Then factor in we'll still have plenty of cap room to re-sign Lopez.

We'll still have Harris/Favors/whomever to deal for a guy like Chris Paul.

In 2011 or 2012 our line up could look like this.

PG - Chris Paul
SG - T-Will
SF - Melo
PF - Kanter
C - Lopez

Success is where preparation meets oppotunity. We are more prepared than any other team out there right now. We are only continuing in our preparation. We need one final piece of the puzzle. All we need is for that opportunity to present itself, in Chris Paul, Carmelo, or Lebron, or something that nobody has even thought about yet.

We are making all the right moves, and we need to continue to do so. Not get impatient on a wrong move that sets this thing back.

Stop being so pessimistic. You gotta believe in it, if it's going to happen.

I hear we are targeting T Thomas, T Outlaw and K Korver. OK players but nice fits for a team going for it all, not rebuilding, which is what we are. Any thought to D Favors going to the D League for a spell. He is incredibly raw and looks lost in Summer League play, at least thus far. He needs to play a lot of minutes.

If nets want Dlee most I would give is 5 year 42 million. But i think they should just hold off on that and suck for another year or two and build a real team without trying to buy a championship like the Heat are doing. Best move for them is to bring in KP.

NJINME, why are you mad at "Porky", he did not dismantle the team, if you were such a fan, you would know it was the last tool owner that dismantled the team. And he wasnt cheap, he lied about how much money he had when he bought the team and did not have any money to spend. Porky offered Lebron the max contract what else do you want him to do? And yes he does have deep pockets, he is only the richest NBA owner in the league right now. And dont worry he will get a big name, via trade.

Well they said we would work with our cap space to get trades. Basically, we have tons of room to absorb bad contracts in order to take on a good player.

Well I guess we just sit and wait.. Lebron isn't out of the equation yet, but I'm not holding my breath. Every FA out there knows the Nets are between a rock and a hard place, so the reality is we will probably overpay anyway, for lesser talent. We can build through the draft and hope we get a rare talent. Hope, wishes, maybes..that's what it comes down to. Whoever gets the GM job will have quite a lot to do. Also Proky shouldn't make any more promises.

Big Daddy. LeBron and the Cavs quit because of major personal issues in the locker room. In short, Delonte West had an affair with Lebron's mother.

It is not being reported to the extent it could, because frankly, it is a very ugly story, and Lebron has enough status that you're not going get people to go on the record about it, and face the consequences. It is also impossible to prove, unless Lebron's mother and Delonte West both come out and say it happened.

But the fact is, it has been confirmed anonymously by some very credible people. Colin Cowherd is not one to spread rumor. He has been a nationally syndicated broadcaster for ESPN for over a decade. Legally ESPN is not comfortable reporting on the story, but on todays show, without getting into specifics, Cowherd touched on the subject. Due to the networks stance he was reluctant to spell out the details, but he stated that two reliable sources within that locker room had confirmed with him that the story is true.

With that kind of atmosphere, it's very easy to understand Lebron's emotions getting the better of him, and him quitting on his team. If one of my teammates had an affair with my mother it'd probably take me out of my game too.

Look at Lebron's previous playoff track record. He lit up a triple double in that same series with a balky elbow. The guy is a gamer, and a man. I'm not worried about him quitting on the Nets and think he's poised to win wherever he signs. I hope it's with us.

That said. I agree with you on everything else. Avery Johnson is going to make a big difference. The young team is going to take a solid step forward, and the money we have available should not be burning a hole in our pocket. We need a shooter to spread the floor, we need an athletic swing man to attack the rim, and we need reliable 4 to compliment Brook.

Lee could fit into that equation, but so will Al Horford next year. If Lee comes with Lebron, than it's completely worth it. If Lee comes with Lebron and Mike Miller, than we're title favorites for the next 6 years.

jj reddick isn't leaving the magic. the magic wants to keep him and it looks like they will match most offers

I learned this from when Pacman Jones was in college, players like Cousins can say what he wants to. The truth is the truth no matter how ex coaches and others try to cover it up Cousins is a problem child. We drafted the correct player. Even if Favors turns out to be a bust I still say we drafted the right player. It's a crap-shoot with the draft, period, end of story. Nobody knew Jordan would be Jordan and look were some of the great talent in the NBA were drafted like Kobe and Wade. Nobody knew Kobe would be the player he is, period. As for free agents, I have a saying: free agents fill in they don't win. With his 60 win team LeBron went dog in the playoffs and his team gave up and then so did he. Or was I watching another team? So lets keep the ship right and not over pay for free agents and regret it when we have NO flexibility when it comes to resigning our own stars. Like I have said this is a team of the future not today. But we'll see a different Net team then we ever saw before because of Avery Johnson. They will play hard and they will play defense and that will get you a lot of wins during the season. I hope we do get some veterans though, this team is so young it just needs some older players that will be an extension of the coach. Not mercenaries who undermine Johnson. DLee can still be signed, I don't believe he wants to or would go to the west coast unless it was the Lakers, certainly NOT the Warriors, please. He was already with the Knicks for 5 years and does not want to repeat that experience, he's not stupid and not about only money. I have listened to him talk and he's a pretty down to earth, realistic person. He wants to be on a winning team and stay in this area. The Nets will be a winning team next season and get better every year. If LeBron does not play for the Nets that means he's afraid to be the man. I like LeBron but this whole Prima Donna routine has left basketball fans weary, me included. If he had guts and cojones he would sign with the Nets. Avery Johnson and Proky would demand that he be what he says he is and not what he showed this past season's playoffs. With other teams he could get away with a lot because of who he is. With the Nets I don't think they would allow that. That is one reason he will NOT sign with the Bulls and Heat. The Bulls already laid down the law about his pals and Riley would not let anybody undermine his authority. It's the Knicks or back to the Cavs so he can be the best player who never won a championship because he refuses to do what needs to be done to win one. Be the man, be the leader and demand excellence from his teammates like Jordan and Kobe have done. he has NOT done that so far and he still needs work on his game there are holes in it. Just because you score 30 points a game does not make you a winner, T Mac used to average 30 points a game and he is a complete loser. LeBron has yet to become the MAN on the court and demand better play from his teammates. And Cousins and Lopez would be like oil and water.

I don't think there was a guy out there aside from the big three that was worth the money. So keep the cap and lose some more. I don't mind -- I actually kind of enjoy watching a young team learn. I'd like to see J.J. Reddick sign with the Nets and re-find his college shooting touch. My only real disappointment with the Nets summer so far is Thorn leaving and Favors over Cousins. I think Cousins would have looked real good this season playing with Lopez... Favors is too much of a project, I fear.

I posted this the other day, but any thoughts?

How about the Nets take a out there move and pick up Kirk Penney. Former Wisconson standout with Devin Harris. Dominated the D-league at the end of the season and won the Australian NBL MVP award just a year ago.
Would be super cheap, have played with Harris and shoot sweet sweet jumpers!

I think we should just go for the lottery and say thanks, because were not signing lebron or lee. Lets see how this team holds up and maybe take unwanted salaries and cash or draft picks. One more year can't really be worse and tons of teams can improve through draft why not the Nets. Heck with the new CBA coming in next year (maybe),we'll even get more bang for our buck.

I never understood the whole turnover their fan base thing. What's the big deal with the move to Brooklyn. I'm thrilled for it. We never sell out. East Rutherford always sucked, and who else are you going to root for in NJ?

Are you going to switch to the Sixers or Knicks? It's not like when the NY Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Cali. It's not like Art Modell and the Browns or the Colts leaving Baltimore.

They're moving 30 minutes north to a more lucrative venue that will allow them to be much more competitive.

I will remain a fan.

And D-Lee is not worth the max. If he can sign for 5 years, 14 million the Nets will get him. This report is from a local paper. It is not unlikely the Nets get Lee. It just means the pot is thinner, and there is now more competition for him. It's not like we're overpaying for Amir Johnson.

We can get Al Horford next year. D-Lee only makes sense if we get Lebron. Wait to hear what Lebron says.

D-Lee knows we're interested. Proky isn't cheap. He just knows what a good risk is and a bad risk.

Rod Thorn checked out of this thing a long time ago. That really hurt the Nets chances of landing LeBron in two significant ways: (1) lack of effort in creating a winning strategy (lets face it, the Knicks moved ahead of us by being aggressive) and (2) creating uncertainty with who is calling the shots on personnel. Way to stick it to the Nets. BTW, Favors looks real weak in summer league...stromile swift, folks

Any opinions on what we should do with $32 million in cap space if we strike out with lebron and lee?

After striking out on Carlos Boozer, it now appears that David Lee won't be available either. Unless LeBron James chooses the Knicks, he'll likely be dealt in a sign-and-trade to the Warriors as early as Friday.

Just read this!

KNICKS: Losers
GRIZZLIES: Losers
HAWKS: Losers

Nets are not losers here. They struck out, but at least they didn't shit the bed, and the future is still wide open.

If Lebron is as good as he claims he is he would come to the Nets where he could not only be in the NYC area but be on a team which he can turn around and put on the map like MJ did for the Bulls.

JohnF DLee's agent isn't stpid he knows the Nets have money and he will demand a max contract or go elsewhere. Which means 5 years.

no sleep...till brooklyn.

This year with the current team and no new additions I predict 20 -30wins but they will be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NBA and they will enter the lottery again and in the 2011 -2012 season they will make the playoffs.

If we want to reach playoffs THIS SEASON like proky promised,there need to be some FA signed. Favors is not NBA ready he needs a couple of years so we sign DLee to a 3 year contract and by them Favors will be ready.

The nets don't care if they don't land a big free agent... They are about to turnover their fan base in two years and don't need to appeal to Brooklynites until 2012. Till then they can develop in house. I expect 2 horrific years and their hopes at winning the lottery pick two years in a row. Then have a young core of players that will be hitting their prime when they move.

Also NJINME stop being down about Favors he is going to be great which is why they brought in Sam Mitchell who oh BTW coached both Bosh and Garnett.

I have been a fan since the Drazen Petrovic days before that I was a Magic Johnson fan so I followed the Lakers. I think this is good for Proky he has learned that it ain't easy being an owner of one of the worst teams in the NBA though there are a handful that are worse. Like Big Daddy said the Nets will be very young and exciting to watch since they have some of the best young athletes in the NBA between TWill, DJames and Favors and they have one of the best young centers in the league and one of the top PGs. If Lebronn doesn't copme to the Nets he will wish he had when he plays against them.

Thanks Mark for telling it like it is. Why did we strip this team? Why parade that garbage of a team out last year? When they were down to 8 players, why did they refuse to get help? Cheap...cheap...cheap..and now we know Proky is more of the same. Deep pockets??? Perhaps some of us don't want to wait while the manchild finds his game. I've been a fan since before they traded away Julius Irving. I was a fan when they were in NY. How many of you? LJ23 where you there? This team made promises. I'll still be a fan, but the rose colored glasses came off a long long time ago.

Even if we don't sign anybody that's OK with me. This team is talented and it will be great watching them learn as they go and grow. This team was built through the draft and trades not with mercenaries looking for a payday. That's the right way. So keep on drafting correctly and making good trades and we'll get there. As soon as a GM blinks and gets scared into over paying playing the team is doomed to mediocrity. Don't over pay and ruin your flexibility in the future. The Nets are about the future. Not frustrated negative fans who think by signing some over priced free agent it will be the answer to being competitive now. It never has been and never will be the answer, good drafting and trades and giving young players time to develop is the way to the promised land.

If they signed Lee it would have to be for the max which means Favors would never really get a chance to be a true starter and it would hurt his development. He has alot more talent than Lee and will develop into an all star if the nets let him. Which means part time this year and next year if he shows improvement he should be a starter.

Give me a break. It gives them flexibility not only this year but next year and the year after. They are already strong at the PF position so going after Lee would be stupid.