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, Evan, and myself will answer questions regarding the L.

1) The much anticipated debut of the three-headed monster in Miami went down earlier this week. However, after Dwyane Wade hurt his hamstring and LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and the rest of the Heat gained a big lead, the crowd was gone by halftime.  Is Miami deserving of this collection of superstars?  What city without an NBA team deserves a shot at having a franchise?

MARK: Well, I think Wojnarowski said it best when he compared LeBron’s “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” line to something along the lines of a high school kid picking a party school for college. Whereas when Boston put their superteam together before 2008, the city seemed to embrace that team and talked about how “special” that championship was, I get the sense that Miami fans will only pay attention to this team when they have to. Courtside for Heat games will be a “scene.” Expect more obnoxious behavior from the city before this is all over.

As for a city without a team deserving – I’m hard pressed to name one. The NBA is not necessarily at the peak of popularity and good college hoops cities don’t always translate to pro hoops (see Charlotte, NC). However, I would find it fascinating to see a “superteam” set up shop in a place like Indiana, where those fans are hardcore and awesome – especially when the team was on their run in the early 2000s.

EVAN: Let me say this first; Miami absolutely does not deserve to have the trio of D-Wade, LeBron and Bosh. The fans are so fair-weather and couldn’t be less interested in the actual game action. All they care about is going out in South Beach and seeing celebrities. Here is the perfect example that sums up Miami fans: After a brutal last-second Dolphins loss to the Jets on Sunday Night a few weeks ago, all of the late-night clubs at Sun Life Stadium were packed with people partying. Any fan that cared would have left the stadium immediately, far too depressed to go out and party after a tough loss. That is a Miami sports fan in a nutshell.

However, Pittsburgh is a city that should get an NBA franchise. The steel city has a very loyal fan base, as the Penguins and Steelers are always at the top of their respective leagues in attendance. Sure the Pirates are dreadful, but that has nothing to do with the fans. Pittsburgh is hockey-crazy during the winter, but if they had an NBA team I think the fans would show up in full force. The team would also have two natural rivals in the cross-state 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who would be less than 150 miles away in Ohio. So I say give the steel city a shot; their fans couldn’t possibly be worse than Miami’s.

DV: Miami definitely does not deserve to see this trio on the regular.  It was amazing to me watching the game versus the Pistons earlier this week and seeing how indifferent the crowd seemed during the early part of the game.  And when a batch of the good courtside seats were empty, I was screaming at the love of my life like a madman!  Oh, by the way, that would be my 46″ HDTV.  In any case, I expect regular season games to have patches of people missing, but come playoff time, every single seat will be packed with every celebrity and wannabe celebrity in South Beach… until the third quarter.

Seattle needs a team again because they were some die-hard fans when the SuperSonics played there.  Also, a lot of really good players are from around the area – Terrence Williams, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson – to name a few.  They definitely got short-changed when the Sonics left to Oklahoma City.

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Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

Celtics Hub – Celtics Blog

None of the Boston Celtics starters played more than 18 minutes, but the New Jersey Nets still couldn’t find a way to beat the C’s, as they fell 96-92 at The Rock last night. There were bright spots and rough patches in the Nets third preseason game and there is plenty for Avery Johnson to focus upon. But it comes down to the fact that the team couldn’t make the plays in the last minute when the game was on the line, and it cost them a victory.

The game couldn’t have started out better for New Jersey. A nice offensive set led to a Travis Outlaw jumper from the top of the key just 15 seconds into it. Outlaw only took 9 shots in 27 minutes, and while he made just 3 of them, 2 were three-pointers. Shooting the ball is going to be a key for him now that Avery Johnson wants Travis to play the small forward position, instead of the 4. With the 5 starters in the game the Nets offense looked pretty crisp, aside from a turnover just 2 minutes in when Devin Harris threw the ball out of bounds on a clear miscommunication between him and Anthony Morrow. The Nets were featuring Brook Lopez in the early going and I liked what I saw from him on the offensive end. He had 13 points in the 1st quarter and was able to capitalize from the free throw line, making 13 out of 15 in the game. Brook was clearly a bit agitated that his car got banged up in a fender bender before the game, and he showed his aggression in the 1st quarter. It was a great sign for Nets fans that Lopez wasn’t scared at all to go at Shaq but I didn’t like what I saw from him on the defensive end. The Big Shamrock aka The Big Diesel aka A Million other Nicknames was able to back down Lopez on a few occasions and overpower him. Now I know that there is nobody in the League that can stop Shaq once he gets going, but I would have liked to have seen a little more resistance applied by Lopez. His lack of conditioning over the summer because of mono was certainly a factor on the defensive end.

One piece of this team that I continue to love is Terrence Williams. He came off the bench in the 1st quarter and immediately had a great slashing layup to the basket and was able to draw the foul on Ray Allen. He needs to cut down on the turnovers (he had 5 last night) but a stat line of 17 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds is something that Nets fans should get used to from T-Will. After holding a 9-point lead at the end of the 1st, the Celtics were able to quickly battle back and tie the game towards the end of the second quarter. Glen Davis was a key reason Boston was able to get back into the game so quickly. The Nets didn’t seem to have an answer for him all night, as Big Baby went for 20 points on 6 of 11 shooting. One reason that Davis had such a good game was that he was matched up against Nets rookie Derrick Favors at times, which brings me to my next point…

It was unfortunately another rough night for the rook out of Georgia Tech. After struggling on Tuesday against the Sixers, Favors went through some more growing pains against the Celtics. On defense he had trouble holding down KG and Big Baby and while his quickness allowed him to easily get to the basket on offense, he was unable to finish. Fouls also continues to be a major issue for Favors. He fouled out in just 23 minutes and needs to work harder on learning how to play defense in the NBA without fouling. Look, it’s only the guy’s third preseason game and he has shown flashes that he will be a stud in this league, but it won’t necessarily be an easy process. The best thing for Favors and his development will be for Troy Murphy to come back healthy and allow Favors to develop while not being burdened with starting for this team.

This game turned in the second and third quarters and it involved both the Nets offense and defense. In the second, it was on the defensive end where the team struggled as they allowed a ridiculous 37 points to the Celtics. Unfortunately I had visions of last season while watching this, as Boston was seemingly getting anything they wanted. In the third quarter it was the Nets offense that went to sleep. Unlike in the first quarter, the offense seemed very stagnant and they went nearly 3 minutes without scoring, while the Celtics built their lead up to 11. One defensive play in the third quarter specifically got me annoyed. Paul Pierce is a tremendous player and made a great spin move to get to the rim, but NOBODY on the Nets had the gumption to step in and take a charge, or at the very least make Pierce earn it from the line. Not what I like to see.

Let’s fast forward to the final minute, which is what this game came down to. The Nets were down 90-82 but after a typical T-Will And-1 and a big three by newcomer Jordan Farmar, the game was tied. These were the type of games the Nets couldn’t win last season, and even though none of the Celtics starters were playing and Williams and Morrow were the only possible Nets starters in the game, I wanted to see them show some toughness and get the W. But largely because of the aforementioned Morrow, that didn’t happen. I don’t want to blame the loss on one player, but the Nets new shooting guard had a rough last minute to say the least. First he completely lost Marquis Daniels on the baseline to give up the eventual game-winning three pointer. So after the teams trade free throws, the Nets are down 3 with 15 seconds left. They run an inbounds play to get Morrow an open three but unlike Sean Elliot in the 1999 Playoffs, Morrow can’t keep his heel in bounds and he steps on the sideline. Just an inexcusable turnover when you’re down 3 in the final seconds. Nate Robinson hit a free throw and the Nets fall by 4.

To sum up last night’s action, I’ll put some of the key Nets players in a GOOD, BAD or IRRELEVANT category. The GOOD were clearly Lopez, Williams, Farmar and Joe Smith (who was great and showed a ton of energy that was pleasantly surprising). The BAD goes to Derrick Favors and Anthony Morrow and the IRRELEVANT will be Devin Harris (though I don’t blame him at all since he’s recovering from an injury, and he actually did have a nice, typical D-Harris drive in the 1st quarter), Travis Outlaw (needs to take more shots) and Johan Petro (Can this guy please block a shot?). All in all it was a pretty exciting game that just under 8,500 saw in Newark. The Nets weren’t able to test their skills against the Celts starters for an extended period of time (as Avery Johnson had hoped) but there were still some positives to be taken out of the game and certainly plenty of teaching points. It’s home for the Sixers Saturday afternoon before flying across the world for a couple games in China.

After his 23 point performance against the Celtics, Shaquille O’Neal had high praise for Brook Lopez: “Reminds me of … I’m going to go with Tim Duncan,” O’Neal said. “Classy guy. You’ll never hear about him getting in trouble. Great moves, great composure, and you’re really not going to faze him. A couple guys will probably try to rough him up, but that’s not going to faze him. Good player. Good player.”

It was a rough night for Derrick Favors.

Many of the Nets said they missed Lawrence Frank after he was fired last season: “I think the team appreciated him more when he left as you can see,” Terrence Williams said before Thursday’s 96-92 exhibition loss to the Celtics. “We didn’t really like the changes that were going on. We missed him. The team definitely missed him as the season continued.”

Ray Allen is impressed with Anthony Morrow: “The way they played in Golden State, they got the ball up quick, fast and they had a green light to launch the ball,” Allen explained. “He was getting good looks, great looks, and he can shoot the ball. I’ll be (more) impressed when you do it over a career. That stat (leading the league in 3P% as a rookie) will always be there, but over a career, as you change systems a little bit – that’ll be interesting to see.”

Hey guys – thanks again for the strong response for our search for new writers. We have a ton of applicants to sift through and we hope to make some announcements around here early next week.

With that in mind, we’re going to stop taking applications. Thanks, as always for your support of Nets Are Scorching. We all look forward to hearing from you via e-mail and the comments section.

The Nets make their television debut tonight on the YES Network as they take on the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. The Nets have a two game win-streak going into their third preseason game and have scored over 100 points in both their games so far. Some interesting side stories developing as the game marks a homecoming for Newark native Shaquille O’Neal and a reunion of sorts for former head coach Lawrence Frank, now an assistant in Beantown.

Three things to watch out for:

• Can the rookie rebound? After an impressive debut on Sunday, Derrick Favors showed his greeness in fouling out in just 12 minutes of play against Philly. No one thought it was going to come overnight for Favors, but let’s see if the foul issues are a recurring theme against NBA players for the rookie.
• High-octane offense. It’s been night and day offensively for the Nets compared to last year. In their first two games, they’re shooting at a 50 percent clip overall and they’ve been impressive from downtown, including going 8-12 from beyond the arc on Tuesday against the Sixers. Now they face a tough defense in Boston. Can this offense continue?
• Point Guard play. Devin Harris said he’s playing tonight, but how much? Otherwise, Jordan Farmar will get the bulk of the minutes at PG as he’s facing a familiar foe in the Celtics. While I understand why Harris should sit if he’s banged in the preseason, this was a familiar theme early for the Nets last year and Rafer Alston never rose to the occasion. Let’s see how Farmar fares in the back-up to the oft-injured star role. He’ll also have his hands full with Rajon Rondo.

Use this as your open thread guys. Remember the commenting constitution.

Name: Kris Humphries
Position: PF/C
Height: 6’9”
Weight: 235 lbs
Birth Date: February 6, 1985 (age 25)
Birth Place: Chaska, MN
Number: 43
Drafted: 14th pick of the First Round in 2004 by the Utah Jazz
Experience: 6 years
Contract: $3.2 million

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Lawrence Frank, an assistant for Boston, returns to New Jersey tonight.

Newark native Shaquille O’Neal: “I would have liked to see the new owner get with the guy who built the arena and keep the Nets there,” O’Neal said during an exclusive phone interview. “I don’t want to see the team go to Brooklyn. Maybe the two heads can get together, they can do that and I can come down there and become general manager.

Terrence Williams is buying into Mikhail Prokhorov: “Our owner [Mikhail Prokhorov] said he’s gonna make Knicks fans become Nets fans, so I’m riding with him until the wheels fall off,” Williams said. “I kind of see us being in the shadow because they’re more established, but the way we’re going and how we’re playing, as far as getting better and the coach we got, we’ll be out of that shadow.

TWill also took the train from Penn Station to the Rock.

The Nets have waived Eddie Gill. Their roster is now down to 16.

Are the Nuggets still asking for too much for Carmelo Anthony?

By Evan Kaplan

Name: Johan Petro
Position: C
Height: 7’0’’
Weight: 247 lbs.
Birth Date: January 27, 1986 (age 24)
Birth Place: Paris, France
Number: 27
Drafted: 25th pick of the First Round in 2005 by the Seattle Supersonics
Experience: 5 years
Contract: $3.25 million

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