Nets Are Scorching

NAS Programming Update: I’ll be on 1280 The Zone in Salt Lake City talking about this at 5:30 PM EST. Tune in.

Welcome to the Nets, Deron Williams.

Deron Williams is coming east.

According to multiple sources, the Nets will send Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, their 2011 first-round draft pick (unprotected), the protected Golden State first-round pick, and $3 million in cash to Utah in exchange for Deron Williams.

In a separate deal, the Nets will also send Troy Murphy to Golden State, receiving Dan Gadzuric and Brandan Wright from the Warriors in return.

This has literally come out of nowhere and I’m going to take a little while before putting up a reaction. My reaction now: I love it. More thoughts to come later.

Consider this your open thread.

Stats: 57 G, 27 GS, 8.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, .9 bpg, .526 FG%, .679 FT%, 17.89 PER

Preseason expectations: While there are certainly a lot worse players out there getting minutes off the bench in the NBA, I’m hard pressed to figure where Kris Humphries fits into this Nets rotation. Troy Murphy and Derrick Favors appear to be the de facto one and two on the depth chart, while Johan Petro figures to get the bulk of minutes backing up Brook Lopez. When you consider that Humphries is only on this roster because of a player option clause in his contract, I can’t imagine him fitting into the Nets long-term plans, and his expiring contract will certainly be trade bait.

The Good: Here’s my official mea culpa. Without Kris Humphries this year, who knows how bad this team would be. He’s taken a golden opportunity, the banishment of  Troy Murphy and the rookie jitters of Derrick Favors, and has turned it into a highly productive NBA season.  He’s been a rebounding monster, with the 4^th best rebounding rate in the entire NBA. He’s put up 16 double-doubles this season. His shot selection has gotten better, and as a result, his field goal percentage. Last year, nearly 58 percent of his field goal attempts were jumpers. That number is down to 49 percent this season.  He also hasn’t missed a bit since being symbolically replaced in the starting line-up by Favors. Hump has been consistent, he’s been a hard worker, and he has one of the hottest girlfriends in the world. What’s not to love?

The Bad: Hump is still a bit of a liability on defense. The team has a better defensive efficiency (108.4 points per 100 possessions) when he’s off the floor compared to when he’s on the floor (112.7 points per 100 possessions). And while he’s taking smarter shots compared to last year, he’s still taking 1.1 18-23 footers every game and only connecting on 34 percent of them. It would be nice for Hump to take that shot totally out of his repertoire.

The Extra: Considering the Nets were forced to keep Humphries this past season due to a player option, there’s been a total reversal of fortune. Nets coach Avery Johnson recently told the media he would like to keep Humphries beyond this season. Given that he’s currently making $3.5 million this season, Hump should probably expect a hefty raise.  Meanwhile, Hump’s star off the court is on the rise. He started dating reality-show starlet Kim Kardashian, and as a result, has hired a Hollywood publicist to habndle the Kardashian-related questions thrown his way. Who says the Nets don’t have star power?

Final Grade: Humphries may be the biggest surprise on the roster this season, and despite the hard time I’ve given Avery Johnson, Hump is his biggest success story to claim on this roster. Avery has Hump playing intelligently and with desire and grit. He’s evolving into exactly the kind of player Nets fans optimistically envisioned when they shipped out Eduardo Najera to Dallas last season.  He has his flaws as a player, and I’d like to see Derrick Favors finish some games on the floor instead of Hump, but that’s picking nits. Grade: B+

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets are close to sending Troy Murphy and a second round pick to Golden State for Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric. There’s also talk that this trade could evolve into a three-team trade with Devin Harris going to either Portland or Dallas.

I wouldn’t get excited by either of these deals as they seem to be more about acquiring expiring contracts than getting anyone to build around. But hey, that’s what happens when your front office completely devalues your entire roster in pursuit of one player for the last five months. On the plus side, it looks like the Nets haven’t learned a thing and are trying to have a ton of financial flexibility to sign the next Travis Outlaw in 2012.

Stats: 31 G, 0 GS, 11.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.1 bpg, 40.8 FG%, 84.6 FT%, 13.82 PER

Preseason Expectations: N/A.

The Good: Vujacic came over in the Terrence Wiliams trade that was met with some skepticism since many believed that T-Will would evolve into a great player relative to the last two months of last season. Plus, Vujacic hardly played for the Los Angeles Lakers and when he did, he stunk (3.45 PER in 4.9 mpg appearing in 11 games). He was obviously in Phil Jackson’s dog house, so what could seriously be expected from Vujacic in a Nets uniform other than having his fiancee Maria Sharapova gracing us with her presence at The Rock? Firepower off the bench, that’s what! Vujacic has played well in his 29 games and has shown why he’s called The Machine at times and has performed better than what most thought he would. Terrence Williams? He’s languishing on the Houston Rockets bench, re-tweeting his followers’ call for him to start for the team. Pathetic, but also good to see that the Nets had a point about T-Will since he’s not starting for his new team either.

The Bad: Something is getting to Vujacic lately – Carmelo Anthony rumors, Nets being the Nets and not the Lakers, missing the L.A. lifestyle, or maybe he’s just not that good. In his eight games in February, Vujacic is shooting the worst he’s shot since joining the Nets – 37.8 FG%, 33.3 3PT%, 76.5 FT% (he’s an 87.2% lifetime charity stripe shooter). After showing some consistent and looking like he found his groove with the Nets, Vujacic is now streaky. After hitting double-digits in eight of the first nine games in January, he has since only hit the double-digit mark in four of his last 15 games.

The Extra: Vujacic’s contract ends after this season and depending on how the rest of the NBA trading period ends up (3PM ET on Thursday is when the madness ends), Vujacic may become expendable. Will the Nets let him go or re-sign him? I’ve found his demeanor on the court infectious, but sometimes he makes bone-headed plays. However, despite the bad February thus far, Vujacic is a quality shooter and can be used to open up space in the box. Is he a starter? Probably not. Would he be an excellent sixth man? Maybe, but on the lower end. I’d be interested to see how the Nets roster looks after the trading period, but part of me wants the Nets to re-sign him, but the other part thinks he wouldn’t be worth the money.

Final Grade: Vujacic provides a spark off the pine and he’s been good at times, bad at times. However, he’s been playing more than Terrence Williams probably would have and has a better attitude, so that has to be part of the grade. Grade: B

So, in the end, the Nets are back where they started, where they should have been after a trade proposal for Carmelo Anthony first blew up in their faces back in September. Just because the Nets, most notably GM Billy King and owner Mikhail Prokhorov decided to go all in two more times (once more after Prokhorov coyly said the team was “out”) doesn’t mean the Nets weren’t destined to be back in the same place all over again. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about the current state of the NBA, it’s the players – most notably the “star” players – run the show, and if ‘Melo was dead set on going to the New York Knicks, the same way LeBron James and Chris Bosh were dead set on joining Dwayne Wade in South Beach – there’s no amount of powerpoint, Russian vodka our Jay Zee playa-ship that’s going to change that outcome.

I’ve not been shy about saying that I thought the team’s overtures for Anthony were ridiculous and absurd. Giving up so many picks, assets and financial flexibility for essentially one player – a guy who’s very talented, but hasn’t been a game changer for the first half of his career in Denver, and will likely only make the Knicks marginally better and an early Playoff ouster even paired with Amare Stoudemire. In addition to repeatedly offering the sun and the moon for a player who maybe could have snuck this organization into a bottom playoff seed next year (if there even IS a next year), the front office has once again proven why the Nets will continue to be second-class citizens in the New York area. And assuming all of the main players in the front office and coaching staff remain the same, I don’t know how the stench will be erased. Yes, bravado and risk-taking is a nice change-of-pace from the Bruce Ratner years, but you can only lead with the chin so many teams before you’re left concussed, and needless to say, the 2010-11 New Jersey Nets have been officially knocked out.

What we’ve also learned is as rich as Mikhail Prokhorov is and as charming as he may appear in his 60 Minute interviews and press conferences, the average NBA superstar just does not care. He alone will never sell these players on this organization. The Nets need to stop getting involved in scenarios where the player’s hold all of the leverage. The current framework of this organization is not going to change anyone’s mind. If that’s the Blueprint for Greatness, on merits alone, quite frankly it stinks.

Going back to a simpler time when the Nets were last relevant, the organization built their foundation on a plethora of lottery picks (Kerry Kittles, Keith Van Horn, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins), some solid role players acquired via trade or free agency (Lucious Harris, Todd MacCulloch, Aaron Williams) and then the one big “superstar” to bring it all together (Jason Kidd) who interestingly enough, was acquired at probably his lowest value and had zero leverage to refuse his assignment and play with the Nets. Not saying the Nets need to follow this blueprint point for point again, but it beats a blueprint of unsuccessfully trying charm the pants off today’s petulant NBA superstars who are headed towards a crash course with reality once a lockout occurs and a new CBA is agreed upon sometime later this year, or early next year.

In the meantime, for the sake of what’s left of our collective sanities, let’s just forget about Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Dwight Howard in 2012. Howard is already lustful for LA, Paul has given a toast about joining ‘Melo and Amare in New York, and I’m sure Deron Williams will just as rather go someplace else after being stuck in Salt Lake City since he was a rookie. Let Billy King do what he actually does well, which is draft, not wheel and deal. Let Derrick Favors actually develop without demanding he be some kind of Energizer Bunny he clearly isn’t. And if I’m ownership, I take a long careful look at Avery Johnson and determine if he’s actually the best person to be managing an actual rebuilding effort in New Jersey/Brooklyn, since all he’s proven so far is an ability to bluntly criticize and alienate many of his players.

Stats: 40 G, 31 GS, 12.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.1 bpg, 46.3 FG%, 90.5 FT%, 11.99 PER

Preseason Expectations: “Anthony Morrow will likely be the starting shooting guard for the Nets this year, and while I know some folks will cry Terrence Williams, I actually think it’s a good thing. Morrow’s premier three-point shooting will provide needed spacing around slasher-creator Devin Harris and offensive post wizard Brook Lopez. If guards are forced to stay with Morrow as he traipses the perimeter, it opens up lanes for Harris to dive into as well as lessens the potential of a double-team down low on Lopez. While he’s fairly limited offensively outside of his jumper, that’s really what the Nets need from the shooting guard position: someone who can shoot the lights out. This spacing will prove to have value beyond his own numbers as a result. After witnessing last year’s team brick three-pointer after three-pointer, it’s hard not to be excited about someone with such a sweet stroke.”

The Good: I think it’s safe to say that Anthony Morrow has been one of the Nets best players and biggest surprises this season. I knew he was a good three-point shooter, but I’ve been impressed at how consistent he’s been shooting the ball. Morrow got off to a strong start in November, averaging 13.3 points per game and shooting a scorching 47.7 percent from the field. He played just seven games in January, but shot a ridiculous 54.2 percent from three-point range in those games and personally had his best game of the season in that stretch. In just his third game back from injury, and still coming off the bench, he hit a ton of big shots down the stretch and basically saved the Nets from losing at home to Cleveland on January 24th. To sum it up there has been a lot of good surrounding Anthony Morrow this season.

The Bad: Certainly you have to begin with the injuries that forced him to miss 17 games before the All-Star Break. Morrow injured his hamstring in mid-December, right when he was playing his best basketball of the season. In the Nets first six games in December, he was averaging 16.7 points per game, despite the team losing every one. After playing just a minute against the Sixers on December 14th, Morrow didn’t play again until the Nets went to Detroit on January 21st. The other issue with Morrow’s play this season has been some inconsistency, which has plagued every Net at some point. Just look at his game log and you’ll see a few too many 35-minute, 5-point performances (2/11 at Charlotte). But it’s hard to argue with how well he’s been shooting the ball this season, so finding the bad with Morrow was not the easiest thing.

The Extra: There may not be much to look forward to for the rest of the Nets 2010-11 season (assuming they don’t get Carmelo) but keeping an eye on Anthony Morrow’s career three-point percentage is worth watching. Morrow is currently shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the three-point line in his career, which is the highest percentage in NBA history. Now I realize that’s in less than three full seasons, but we at NAS will be keeping tabs on how Morrow is doing compared to the retired all-time leader, Steve Kerr, for the rest of the season.

Final Grade: It’s hard to give any player on this team an A because let’s face it, 17-40 is still pretty bad. But Anthony Morrow has been a solid contributor for the Nets this season and there is nothing to complain about with his shooting percentage. Through the team’s first 57 games, he’s arguably been the team’s best player, adjusting for preseason expectations, and I hope to see Morrow splashing three’s for the Nets for many years to come. Grade: B+.

Update #3: David Aldridge is reporting that the Nuggets are not attempting to flip recently acquired Knicks players for Nets draft picks.

Update #2: Frank Isola of the Daily News reports that the Carmelo Anthony deal to the Knicks as proposed is “done.” Marc Spears of Yahoo! confirms.

The Timberwolves receive Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph, and $3 million from New York, although Ken Berger is reporting that they were not informed of the completed deal.
The Nuggets receive Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 New York first-round pick, a 2012 second-round pick, and a 2013 second-round pick (both from the Knicks, via Golden State).
The Knicks receive Corey Brewer, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter, Chauncey Billups, and, of course, Carmelo Anthony.

Update: Alan Hahn of Newsday and Marc Spears of Yahoo! are both tweeting that the Knicks-Nuggets deal could be done as early as tonight, and should be finalized by tomorrow.

Adrian Wojnarowski’s sources have told him that the Nets are fielding multiple offers, and that the Portland offer isn’t even in the lead. One of these deals is a three-way between Dallas, New Jersey, and Denver which would land Harris in Dallas and Felton/Mozgov in New Jersey. No word if this is independent of a Gallinari deal, but even so, I don’t think Cuban would take on Harris with Kidd and Terry already in the rotation.

As an aside, Carmelo will be on Conan O’Brien tonight. However, the show was pre-taped. Oops.

Another day of Carmelo Anthony.

Today’s been a pretty wild day regarding the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors, so let’s take a quick look at what’s been going on.

According to Fred Kerber of the New York Post, Carmelo was going to indicate whether or not he would plan to sign an extension with New Jersey today. As of the time of this writing, there is still no word on that, although Chris Mannix has tweeted that the Nets have pulled out of negotiations. I wouldn’t count on this as hard fact, but it seems that the Nets are essentially out of the running.

However, an interesting wrinkle has emerged: multiple sources are reporting that if the New York Knicks end up dealing Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and Timofey Mozgov (with other assets) for ‘Melo, the Nuggets would then flip Mozgov plus one of the other three (likely Gallinari) to – get this – the Nets, for two unconfirmed first-round draft picks. Now, if these picks are of good value, I’ll be a little disappointed – I don’t think those guys are worth giving up multiple lottery picks for. But as a fan of Gallinari, Chandler, and Felton, I think that’d be a great deal to pull off. Plus, it would really stick in James Dolan’s craw.

Also, Al Iannazzone recently reports that the Nets are still trying to find a home for Devin Harris, who appears more and more every day to have played his final game in a New Jersey Nets uniform. While no one is interested in the albatross that is Travis Outlaw’s contract, a deal of Devin Harris and the expiring Troy Murphy for Andre Miller & Joel Przybilla has been discussed. The talks are allegedly “not close,” but since this trade has been floated for months and is now just gaining steam, there’s a good chance there’s fire in the smoke. Troy Murphy has also been rumored for a day or two to potentially be going to Golden State for Brandan Wright, and that deal is still on the table. These deals would only go down if the Nets didn’t acquire ‘Melo, but are independent of the Mozgov combo deal.

I wish I could tell you definitively that this will all be over tomorrow, but I’ve thought that on about 50 different nights since September. However, the trade deadline is looming large, and it should be done by Thursday.

Stay tuned.

Stats: 54 G, 54 GS, 15.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG, .425 FG%, .300 3P%, .840 FT%, 18.05 PER

Preseason expectations: “Harris’ skills on offense are undeniable, and his production is an asset that the team can’t afford to miss out on. Unfortunately, his style of play is directly conducive to drawing contact with big bodies in the paint, so there’s an ever-present fear of injury looming for him. Figure he misses approximately 10 or 15 games this year. That said, with the new cast of players around him, it wouldn’t be unthinkable for his numbers to equal or eclipse the ones from his All-Star season two years ago. And if they do, look out for the Nets. His output is typically a barometer for the team’s success.

“Looming still, though, is the matter of whether he’ll clash with Johnson’s abrasive personality. It was no secret they had their share of tenuous moments in Dallas, and the thinking is that it could carry over to New Jersey. Harris will have to find a way to reconcile their relationship with his play on the basketball court, or the results could be volatile.”

The Good: While not nearly as impressive as he was during his breakout campaign in 2008-2009, Harris hasn’t had too shabby an offensive season. His most notable improvement has come as a distributor, and he has been finding teammates effectively for open shots; he has racked up several double-digit assist games this season, including posting consecutive single-game career highs with 16 and 18 assists at the end of January.

In addition, Harris has been much more durable this season. After playing in only 64 games all of last season, he has already appeared in 54 this year, so he has been able to stay on the court for most of the Nets’ games.

The Bad: Unfortunately, Harris’ game is so beholden to his penetration in the lane and getting to the free-throw line. While he has maintained his health, he is settling for a lot more jumpers and avoiding contact by driving the lane. As such, his shooting percentages are down, his free-throw attempts are down, and he’s just not scoring as much. Harris is one of the few offensive weapons the Nets have, and if he’s roaming around the perimeter, he’s not of much use in the offense.

He’s also averaging the fewest minutes per game since he left Dallas, so he’s not getting as much burn on the court to lead the offense.

The Extra: Despite myriad concerns about Harris’ focus with regard to the rampant trade speculation and potential conflicts with Avery Johnson, he has kept his head in the game and matured to the point that those are not distractions for him. Harris has proven that, for as long as he is around, that he has matured to the point that things like those will not affect him on the basketball court.

Final Grade: Harris hasn’t been the offensive force the Nets needed this season, but he hasn’t been terrible either. In fact, his advancement in the passing game is a good sign for the future as is his ability to stay healthy. Grade: B