Nets Are Scorching

This free agency period has indeed been a disaster for the Nets, but it's not like their game plan wasn't well thought out or well-executed. Given the opportunities for a lucky franchise to make a quantum leap in this free agency period, the Nets had to go all in, or, to mix metaphors, swing for the fences. And well, so they whiffed. It happens. I still love the Blueprint billboard--it was a bold, baller move when unveiled--even though it will now look humiliating in the final analysis. Nonetheless, I do hope the Nets stay bold, particularly when working the trade route. Desperately wasting money on overrated, overpriced, no-defense free agents who can't bring them closer to a championship, e.g. David Lee, is no solution. If anything they should try to see if they can snag a couple of the intriguing restricted free agents (Luis Scola, J.J. Reddick, Anthony Morrow, Linas Kleiza, Wesley Matthews) with some agressive, front-loaded offers. With so much cap space, a large market, a deep-pocketed owner, a couple solid building blocks, a battle-tested coach, two upcoming moves into new arenas, and the general belt-tightening M.O. for most other (smaller market) teams in the NBA, the Nets are still in a position of strength for the future. Personally, I would love to see them use their cap space and work the phones like Sam Presti and the Thunder have done, to go after a couple of the players who are always mentioned in trade rumors, like, say, Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, Anthony Randolph and, of course, Chris Paul. (That's a no-brainer, if New Orleans really ever makes him available.) If LeBron bolts Cleveland, who knows? -- perhaps try to bring on the pricy Antawn Jamison for two years as Derrick Favors' mentor. In my opinion, a team of Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, Terrence Williams, Derrick Favors and a newcomer like Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson or Anthony Randolph, would make the Nets a really good, playoff-bound team that's at least on the level of the Atlanta Hawks. The most urgent thing they need to do is to just find a solid GM (Kevin Pritchard?) who won't squander the opportunities that loom.

NJINME, you have not said one positive thing yet, but yet you are trying to stay "positive" in "negative times" Do us all a favor and become a Knicks fan. The Nets have an all start PG, one of the best big men in league. Oh and sorry Favors wasnt a "factor" in tonights summer league game, he is 18 years old, Kobe was not a factor in his first few summer games. Get a life kid.

It'd be pretty interesting if we did poorly...and got Harrison Barnes next year. An unbelievably athletic SF talent who can spread the floor and has great length. Him + Favors + Brook in 3 NBA years would be extremely formidable.

I argue the Nets drafted the right person at the pick they had. I also argue that the best offseason move was to pick a coach such as Avery Johnson who knows how to play the point guard position and may be able to spark a light under D. Harris as he did his rookie year. I also argue that much like my job which I hate from time to time you feel sick alot when you don't want to come to work. D. Harris will not miss that many games next year. B Lopez will be better and getting rid of all those people that didn't want to be here for the reasons of money, talent, or whatever was a good move. I like the Nets next year and the good thing about them lossing all those games is i'm sure they will be better than that. :)

i agree with you fro which is why the nets should hold off on signing Lee unless they somehow are able to sign lebron which is a small chance of happening. They had a better chance of landing Wall.

I say better to be the Nets (not sign anyone) than to be the 2000s Knicks (panicking and giving out absolutely atrocious contracts). Great patience shown by Rod Thorn and co. for 2011 at least. If this team really is about the future in 5 years, the worst thing we can do is throw money any which way.

Favors wasn't even a factor in tonites game ( I'm not getting on him we know he is a project) but demonstrates the need for a quality PF, and the only one left is D Lee. Haslem, Scola, THomas, whoever would be ok coming off the bench. I don't want them as starters. You will have many empty seats at the Rock if they don't make the improvements. If I were D Lee though, since he was no more than an afterthought and Plan C for the Nets, I would go elswhere and tell Proky to eat borscht...

My advice to the Nets is not to make any more moves if they don't sign Lebron until they bring KP aboard. KP is a must for the Nets. I can't say it enough.

Nevermind about Boozer i just saw he is going to the Bulls. Sucks. Nets luck...Like I said now the best move they can make is if Pritchard signs with them who has proven he can build a team from scratch.

@Mike...

Drop it on Favors already. He's a project. He's compared to Dwight Howard who averaged 12 ppg as a rookie and 2 blocks and 10 boards.

He may not score like Cousins. But he can be a much better defender, which may be more important. If he turns out to be even close to the defender Dwight Howard is, how many players are going to score in the paint on him and Lopez?

The Celtics made the finals 2 out of 3 years with a defensive minded team. Courtney Lee is a fantastic perimeter defender. Avery Johnson is a defensive minded coach.

This all makes sense and fits. We add a Carmelo to that mix next year who can score at will. Lopez and Harris still contributing. And factor in Favors continued development, and we'll win a lot of games.

Or if we trade Favors and Harris for CP3. Then what? I've read these boards. We all know you wanted Cousins. So either become a Kings fan or get over it. Because we drafted Favors.

No i disagree with you sebastian the Nets will probably win 20 -30 games with the team they have and a good coach.

Boozer would be a better signing than Lee who I think is overrated and will cost the same as Boozer who can also play center when Lopez rests.

My sources now tell me that Lebron will be signing with the Knicks. Pritchard would be great for the Nets, better than signing Lebron.

Yea, I'm still working, I just saw the Boozer spot. Either way, him and Lee are the same player to me.

As far as Yao. I'm just saying he's available. I live in Houston now. I don't necessarily want him, and we have Lopez.

Either way. I'm saying the posters on here are way too negative, just because Bosh agreed to team up with Wade in Miami. The management didn't drop the ball. We won 12 games last year. We play in Newark, and we didn't have James or Wade to begin with. We had an uphill climb from the get go, and they made us a player in all of this.

Don't trash them just because we didn't land 2 of the guys every team in the league was trying to get.

If the Nets agree to terms with Mike Miller and David Lee tonight, I'll like our team. If LeBron comes along with those two, we are actually the Eastern conference FAVORITES in my opinion. If he doesn't. Maybe we add Melo next year. Maybe we trade for CP3. Either way, this team isn't doomed. LeBron may still decide to come to NJ. Our pitch wasn't dependant on Bosh.

@Big Daddy I like Ray Allen, a younger Ray Allen..I live in NE(hard to be a fan of any NY team here)..It was Allens streakiness that cost them the series.. One game he was there then he would disappear for the next. Sorry need younger players.

@JDoc You didn't hear? Boozer to Bulls 5yr $80mil Yao??? For 10 games a year....HAHA

Boozer is gone, to the Bulls. Lets get Lee and another lower tier free agent that will help the team yet not impede the development of the younger players. DLee is perfect and so would a player like Ray Allen who would give a real veteran presence who has won and will really help the young players. He will NOT expect a lot of minutes. Even less as the seasons go on.

Wow!

You're all making me ashamed to be a Nets fan. Way to get behind the team, fellas.

Look, Proky said it. Bosh and Wade were tied at the hip and he believed they would end up in Miami. Bosh seriously considered NJ. Bosh wanted to play with a superstar. LeBron wanted Bosh in Cleveland. Wade was between Miami and Chicago. Bosh wasn't going to Cleveland, so this made it between us Chicago and Miami.

Wade wasn't considering NJ. And LeBron wants to stay in Cleveland, but was weighing his options. Bosh made the move, and picked Miami, where the possibility of all 3 coming was still open, but the promise of playing with at least Wade was assured.

This isn't the management's fault. There was a lot of competition and they did a great job selling the franchise. Maybe if we as Nets fans would go to games and support the team, you could gripe. We still have an exciting young team. LeBron is still considering NJ with a Boozer or Lee, based on the current roster, and the personal aspirations.

Stop whining because we didn't get Bosh or Wade, and LeBron is on the fence. It was never a guarantee. The Nets are moving in the right direction. T-Will is a dynamic young player. Harris is a solid PG. Lopez is a solid centerpiece. Favors has a mountain of potential and can shine with the proper development. We have a fantastic coach.

Adding Boozer or Lee absolutely makes sense. Because it does give us a better shot at LeBron. Next year there are Restricted FA's like Horford, Noah, Green, and Yi. There are unrestricted guys like Melo, AK-47, Parker, Duncan, Randolph, Yao, and Butler.

Boozer and Lee stack up well with those names, and we'll still have cap space to sign a Max guy to go along. No it isn't LeBron (who we still may get), but we can build a solid team by continue to move forward towards a title contender.

Why sit on cap space for Al Horford when you can have Boozer today? The management team put us in great position. The things to keep in mind is we're still playing in Newark. We have low attendance. We are still the Nets who have never won in the NBA (ABA aside). We have the good years of Jason Kidd, but before that we had the miserable years of Derrick Coleman.

If we get LeBron we are launched forward. Without him, we're still in a great position. Yi and CDR, are not the reason we were going to win it all. Keep your eye on the prize and continue to make smart moves. Boozer still makes sense, and it gives us a shot at LeBron. Worst case, we get a 20-10 machine at the 4, while Favors develops. We keep developing, and we stay flexible for that final piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

Oh and if this is any indication how Proky and whoever run this team, don't worry about saving the money for our own FA's down the road. They will be running out of here as fast as they can..who can blame them.

Favors has 4 pts. He's playing against D-leaguers..James looks really good.. Twill has come back to earth. Still in 1st half. Did Proky say something about 2 five year plans Soviet Style? We lost Boozer because we tried to get him cheap. How many 20 and 10 guys we got on this team...I didn't think so. This is a total disgrace. Well we have till 9:55 tomorrow nite to see if there is any saving grace....i'll be asleep

So at this point the only players of any value on this team are Lopez, Twill and Favors, and maybe James. Missed out on every big free agent who can actually create his own shot (D Lee can't really). Gonna be another long year! I just hope we hold onto that cap space and don't sell it out for middling 30 - 40 talent. Get ready for some more lottery balls!

I don't think lebron is going to anyone who doesn't manage to sign a number 2 big FA behind him, leaving the Heat Bulls (if Boozer rumor is true) and Knicks as his only potential destinations? Maybe back to Cleveland?

@Sam
I just typed that out to my cousin in the exact same format. The same disappointment lol.

Now, if the Nets are smart we make a hard push for David Lee to lure Lebron.

Boozer to the Bulls..

Man that would be an extremely disappointing turn of events for the Nyets. The Knicks has no core of young players and Amare could break down at any moment. Jay Z cant be happy about this. It's like a slap in his face.

CNBC is reporting that Lebron is going to hold his news conference tomorrow from Greenwich CT to announce his intention. Apparently it was leaked that he is going to the Knicks.

If Kerbers's blog is correct, the Nets screwed up real bad. Very troubling if the Nets screwed up this bad. First the draft, then this. Maybe the Russian is not as smart as we thought.

Boozer sucks! Nets need to go to plan C:

Sign Louis Scola/Udonis Haslem, let Favors come off the bench.
Sign a veteran SF to start, let DJ come off the bench.

Dear NJ Nets, you will need cap space further down the road once Brook Lopez and Terrence Williams need big fat contracts of their own. Do not make a stupid decision over a prima-donna like Lebron James. Yes, he is the best player in the league, but even the best player in the league can't deliver a championship by himself.

@Callingalltoasters:

Pritchard lied about how much his offer from the T-Wolves was, in conjunction with Tom Penn. Instead of petitioning Allen (or waiting for a really good season to be rewarded), he blatantly tried to deceive the guy he's working for, which of course is a major no-no if you've ever worked at a business, where team work is the name of the game.

Sounds like the train has already left the station. What where the Nets waiting for? This is getting nuttier by the moment. Lets hope for the best.

Well, now there are reports that Nets, Bulls, and Cavs are all trying to get Boozer for around 80 mil/5 years in a last ditch effort to entice LeBron to come. If that means LeBron coming over, great. If not, not so great. I'd be fine if our offseason included us only signing one top FA, like Boozer, but I'd only want to pay him 12 mil a year max.

@Gabe; sounds like a plan, but maybe we hold on to our cap space or a good chunk of it, try to develop the youngsters, get another high draft pick and wait for a stud player some team is looking to move later on next year. Remember, in the past, players like Kidd, Carter and Garnett became available.

In my opinion Amare is only worth it if he lands them LeBron. If not, they are going to have another Eddie Curry in a few years. Wonder how Amare reacts to losing especially if his pg is struggling to get him the ball in the right spots? The Suns were pretty good. My guess is he will become an injured malcontent. No question Lee will be expensive but relative to the production that you get and the contract that you have to offer, you are actually getting a bargain in my opinion.

Fisher is crap. He is only good in the triangle. He is old and slow. He has the wrong type of confidence. He has nothing to teach young player other than how to flop. He is an ok 3 point shooter but I would rather have either a player who can play point guard or a 3 point shooter. Fisher is somewhere in between and not worth 10 mil.
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Instead, the Nets can go after Kyle Lowry, JJ Reddick, and David Lee. That would be great!

@Mike R.
My point was if signing Amare got you LeBron would it been worth it. I like D. Lee but he will cost a bundle. So will Boozer. If LeBron chooses the Knicks tomorrow because they have Amare, the Nets will look silly. I'm still hoping we havea chance but I got very disappointed once a few weeks ago and I don't want to have it happen again. Some of us take the Nets seriously, maybe to seriously, but sorry, that's the way I'm built.

Fisher is looking for 2 yrs and $10M. I would give it to him. Could provide a winners mentality and leadership for a young team, He is also pretty darn good at crunch time. Nets wouldn't miss a beat if Harris went down to an injury.

Carlos, I think that team could make the playoffs next yr if they stay healthy.

The team badly badly needs a back up PG. Devin Harris games played by year...

04/05 - 76
05/06 - 56
06/07 - 80
07/08 - 61
08/09 - 69
09/10 - 64

So when you ask if a "starting 5" of whatever can make the playoffs, its not unlikely that 25% of the regular season games WON'T include Harris in that starting 5.

At least we didn't sign Amare for $100M. If we can get Lee for say 5/$60M which I think we will (very soon), Nets fans should be very happy. The Nets will have saved $40M that they can use elsewhere to get a back up pg and a shooter (Mike Miller or Reddick). The difference in production between Amare and Lee is not worth $40M and that's before you consider Amare's injury risks. Adding Lee would also not force the Nets to over play Favors and give him time to develop.

I wonder if the Nets had made a run at Amare like the Knicks did would LeBron of taken them more seriously. It will be interesting to find out what was going on behind the scenes with Nets management. Where they getting any input from LeBrons camp on what it would take or just sitting around waiting. If they were just sitting around waiting, that would be sad and stupid.

They have already indicated he could be trade bait..

Does anybody think that a team of Harris, Lee, Williams, Lee/Boozer, Lopez could be a potential playoff team next yr?

How would you know right now man? The kid is so young, and he seems like a very hard worker - he doesn't seem like he has that natural scorer's touch around the basket - but neither does Dwight Howard and that hasn't stopped him from being a great player. I wouldn't bet against him making multiple all star games just yet.

Antoine Wright, Jason Collins, Josh Boone...so many others...Yeah They never, ever, ever, lay an egg.

Ok mike I'm sure you know better than professional scouts and the entire nets organization

I was just saying that Favors does not have superstar potential. He is very weak offensively and does not seem to have the hard, tough, aggressive nature of a stud defensive PF. He said his role model was Amare. I would of drafted two other players ahead of him or would of traded the pick.

too funny...forget LBJ or Boozer or D Lee. How is the GM search going? That's what we all want to know. I hope Shoprite and Pathmark have lots of paper bags.

#1indahoody-- Damn. I was really hoping to stop the discussion of you-know-who vs. you-know-who. We've all been warned by Sebastian.

Nets definitely got right player in Favors. It was the smart pick, the safe pick, the upside pick and because of that; the right pick. He is raw, yes, but he has as much upside as anyone in this draft and he has a top-notch staff to reach that upside. Is Cousins going to be awesome, definitely, but we had a center and that just didn't make sense. Give the Nets credit for at least entertaining him. The Nets had a very good draft... and likely will get a shot at another next year. =)

@Mike

You cant say the Nets didnt use their draft pick wisely. What, based on two summer league games of evaluating Derrick Favors???@negative
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All you can say is that its not likely Favors will dominate the NBA this year or next. But who knows, he could very easily become a Dwight like presence for the Nets. His body is huge and he has a 37 inch vertical jump. He has a nose for the ball and boxes out better than anyone his age.
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He has a workers mentality so I would think he can develop. As long as his body continues to grow and he gets stronger, at worst case he is a great defensive presence, best case he is a monster.
Have faith Nets fans.
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fans, This team is going to be better than 36 wins no matter who we add. There is so much gained in good coaching and able smart athletic defenders. If the Nets focus on defense they will be much much better than you are all suggesting. Their overall improvements are centered on defense.
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Defensive will even improve the offense for baskets will come easier with more fast break opportunities. When I think of the teams that made the playoffs they all could play defense. Yes the Nets are far from OK Thunder but they are just as capable defensively and offensively as the Bobcats or Bucks. I would say the Nets have a better team than either of those clubs. But only if they can utilize their upper tier athleticism for defense. And Avery Johnson is exactly the right man to get this done.

@Mike-- "We end up drafting the wrong player"
"We might be better off losing 65 games next yearand getting the chance a great draft pick. We got one this year but didn’t use it wisely."

Here ya go: http://www.sactownroyalty.com/
Enjoy your new team. It's been real.