With the courtship of LeBron officially over, the Nets are doing the same thing they’ve done the past few days: wait for an answer. With reports from Dave D’Alessandro that Mikhail Prokhorov’s Gulfstream V jet has left New Jersey, the story remains – the Nets are waiting out LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Sources close to Mikhail Prokhorov say that LeBron is 50-50 on coming to the Nets. Only after those three give their answers will they turn to a Plan B, which is a bit more complicated. According to Fred Kerber, the team is not looking to spend money just to spend money, and given some of the contracts that have been handed out already in free agency, that could be hard. They may still try and make a run to acquire a SF via trade, but not at the expense of Derrick Favors, Kerber writes. They could make a run at David Lee or Carlos Boozer to play PF, or they might seek a shorter-term stopgap like Udonis Haslem or Luis Scola. It’s possible that if the “big three” spurn them, the Nets could sit on their cap space another summer and wait out Carmelo Anthony. Despite rumors that he’s ready to sign with the Knicks, the Nets, and other teams, apparently have meetings set-up with Amare Stoudemire for later this week, according to Sam Amick and NBA Fanhouse.
Meanwhile, those still figuring out if the Nets are in on “Plan A,” Chris Broussard, in an ESPN video doesn’t dismiss it. He weighs out the three possible options for Chris Bosh and where he will follow LeBron and/or Wade.
Remember how funny it was when the Knicks powerpoint presentation to LeBron James was leaked to the press on Friday? Well, while digging around for possible leads on Cleveland’s pitch to LeBron today, I stumbled upon this. I mean, how could King James say no to this?:
As we enter day three of free agency, the news with the Nets seems to be that they’re keeping their focus on the “Big Three” of free agency, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. According to a report this morning from Al Iannazzone, no other free agent meetings have been scheduled this weekend, and with reports yesterday that Amare Stoudemire was New York-bound and Paul Pierce was returning to Boston, more names are coming off the board for the Nets.
One player the Nets do seem certain to keep, if you believe a report from Dave D’Alessandro, is Derrick Favors. Rumors that the Nets are looking to package him and Devin Harris to Indiana for Danny Granger seem to be false: “Not the way this kid has played the first three days,” said one giddy practice witness, nodding toward Favors. “He competes like hell, and he’s even shooting it well right now. He’s got a chance to be really, really good.”
LeBron meets with Chicago and Cleveland today, considered the co-favorites to land him. He has no deadline to make a decision, but multiple reports the past few days indicate he’s not going to linger too much on a decision, especially with the other big names being impacted by where he ultimately goes.
For the past few days, I’ve been using that word to the point where I’m severely annoying everyone. Well, more than usual. In fact, I’m fairly certain my NAS colleagues, or as I like to call them – John, Paul, and George (I don’t mind being the ugly one that still tours, didn’t lose his money to a pegleg, and doesn’t look like Angela Lansbury) – have read many emails that contained the word, “baller” when it comes to that unavoidable image across from Madison Square Garden along Eighth Avenue.
It’s an image that’s panties in a bunch inducing (not the sexy type)…. gets one all hot and bothered… puts a burr under one’s saddle… and has someone ask, “Would you like some cheese with that whine?” All of this happens if you just got your face rocked by…
Matt Moore basically owns the internet right now. He writes basically everywhere, and his new gig is a blogger for CBSSports. Over there, Moore breaks down the Knicks’ presentation to LeBron James. Moore touches on why the Knicks left out the Nets during their presentation;
Interbrand examined four teams for the study, based on estimated market impact: the Knicks, the Bulls, the Heat, and the Cavs. Notice who’s missing there? The Nets. There is no mention of the Nets throughout the entire presentation, despite the very frontal attack the Nets have laid on the Knicks as the key to the New York market.
This is real interesting stuff and I seriously recommend you guys check it out.
What to Like About Carlos Boozer: Firstly, Boozer is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro. He was the second-best player (the best on some nights) on a team that won 53 games and finished first in a Western Conference division this year. He’s a solid, versatile scorer who can hurt you from everywhere inside the three-point line. He shot 49.2% on shots under ten feet, 43.6% on 10-15 footers, and 44% on shots from 16-23 – all well above league averages. Absolutely tenacious rebounder – inhaled nearly 30 percent of defensive rebounds this past year, which put him 4th in the league. He is 6th all-time in defensive rebounding percentage and 12th all-time in total rebounding percentage. The Nets, who were the 3rd-worst defensive rebounding team in the league, could certainly use someone with his skillset. Outside of basketball, Boozer has said that he is fond of New Jersey and believed he was going to the Nets last year.
We probably aren’t going have a recap post after every day of free agency, but after the first one I thought it would be nice to have a little spot where you can talk about the news of the day. So here is what happened today:
The Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson signings are important to New Jersey because both guys seemed to be a part of plan B for the Nets. I am alright with the signings, because it prevents the Nets for overpaying for both guys (I thought that Gay would be a good signing if you could get him at a non-max level). Some more Nets news:
