Nets Are Scorching

According to David Pingalore with Click Orlando, Dwight Howard has spent his Memorial Day weekend finalizing the details of a two-year contract extension that would keep the center in Orlando until 2015. If true, this would be a blow to the Nets rebuilding process, as the possibility of Dwight Howard joining the team in Brooklyn has been an enticing one since 2010′s free agency.

It’s important to note that the deal is not “done.” The rumor is unconfirmed by any other source, and a friend in Orlando media has told me that Pingalore is “a joke” and often wrong about things, especially scoops like this.

Still, where there’s smoke, often there’s fire. Stay tuned…

As the Nets sit at home waiting for the offseason, former Net (perhaps the greatest Net ever) Jason Kidd is getting ready to be part of the 2011 NBA Finals. ESPN New York got a chance to sit down with the former Nets’ captain.

Some tidbits from the interview include: Kidd thought that the 2001-2002 Nets team was too intimidated by the Finals to succeed, he felt the Nets weren’t dedicated to winning so he demanded a trade, and he wanted a big man desperately throughout his time in NJ.

I’ve rooted for Kidd all postseason, so hopefully the man gets his elusive title.

After Mikhail Prokorov was named owner of the Nets, it seemed almost inevitable that his time at CSKA Moscow would infiltrate the Nets’ front office. That time has finally come.

Sergei Kushchenko, the former GM of CSKA, was named to the Nets’ board of directors. Kushchenko had plenty of success at the CSKA GM, as he won the Euroleague with the team in the years 2006 and 2008.

I don’t know much about the Euroleague or Sergei Kushchenko. However, the guy did win at that level. Let’s hope that his management skills translate to the NBA.

Obviously, this is a New Jersey Nets blog, however, the NAS crew absolutely love the NBA in general. So, every week, Mark, Devin, Justin, Danny, Vivek, and/or myself will answer questions regarding the L.

1) Has LeBron James turned a corner? He’s had ice water in his veins this postseason, so is this when he becomes legendary? Will he lead the Heat to the promised land?

Mark: How can you turn a corner when you’ve continually been the best for years? What about the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons? I know LeBron’s teams have flamed out spectacularly the past two years, but if there’s been any corner turned it’s tied-in to what people have been saying since July. LeBron has legitimate teammates now in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He can take over a fourth quarter more easily because he’s not the only guy who can kill you. Trust me, I hate this. I hated Superfriends since Day One, though I’m secretly hoping that Nets can replicate it with Dwight Howard and Deron Williams in Brooklyn. But the fact is, anyone who didn’t see a Miami postseason run like this is crazy. LeBron is and will be a beast for years, and now he’s got two other top 10 players (including a top five guy in Wade) standing right next to him.

Devin: I’m with Mark. The guy’s been the best player in the league for years now. Before this year, when everyone decided that hate was worthy and Derrick Rose was God, LeBron James was your two-time reigning MVP and undisputed King. He had hit more than his fair share of clutch shots in the playoffs, though people seem to recall last year’s game 5 over his overall body of work. Those who cry ringless lose track of the team element of this game. I don’t know if Miami will win the championship, but I do know that we’ve been witnessing greatness for a long time.

Justin: I have never been a big believer in the “LeBron’s not clutch” argument. Let’s face it, he’s hit  game-winners in the playoffs against the Washington Wizards and the Orlando Magic. He had his 25 straight points in the win over the Pistons. He’s scored 40 points or more in eight playoff games (Kobe has nine since ’02) including a Game Seven and he’s gone to the NBA Finals once. This is just the best supporting cast he’s had, and yes I do think the Heat will be the champions this year. I predict LeBron wins three of the next five NBA championships.

DV: I never got that feeling about LeBron the way you did about Kobe in the playoffs. That “I’ll do anything and will my team to victory” type of feeling. Kobe over the years has proven that desire and effort, that assassin-type of mentality. You never got that feeling from LeBron… except now. His eyes light up now with excitement and looseness like he knows he’s going to break the other team’s neck, no question. It’s a different feeling nowadays and it will probably land the Heat another NBA title and LeBron’s first.

2) Mike Brown is the Los Angeles Lakers’ choice to replace Phil Jackson as head coach of the team. Is this surprising considering other candidates such as Rick Adelman and Brian Shaw?

Mark: I do not get the fascination with Mike Brown. It’s like “Hey, we’re a storied franchise that just got embarrassed, so let’s bring in the guy who watched his star quit on him last year.” Needless to say, I’m not a fan of Brown’s, nor was I even remotely interested when he was on the Nets’ radar last summer.

Justin:It was somewhat surprising just because I thought they would go with either Rick Adelman or Brian Shaw. Mike Brown, however, is a good choice and maybe his fresh approach will breathe new life into this Lakers squad. I don’t have any doubts about Brown’s ability to construct a game plan, I just wonder what type of relationship he’ll form with Kobe Bryant.

DV: I think Brown will bring in a strong sense of defense from the team because that’s where his strengths as a coach lays. However, offensively, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. The triangle offense has been such a part of the Lakers it will be weird to see them run anything else. I know this much, Brown better win over the veterans and the fans quick because he’ll have a short leash in LA in regards to support. That’s what happens when you replace a legend.

3) How much of an impact will Jerry West make in the front office of the Golden State Warriors?

Mark: Well, the guy is a winner, though how much say will he ultimately have? That’s still not entirely clear. And while I would take either one on my team as a scorer, a backcourt with both Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry is not the cornerstone of a prospective playoff team. One of those guys needs to go for a frontcourt piece.

Devin: You ever play NBA 2K11 and start a franchise with the Timberwolves or the Clippers, just for the hell of it? While the financial incentive is obvious, and his impact is yet unstated, I do think Jerry West loves a challenge. The Warriors have a lot of moves to make, and West is a brilliant basketball mind. Larry Riley would be foolish not to listen to him. I think the direction of the team will be more solidified by draft day: Riley has to make moves to improve that frontcourt and their defense, and the Warriors definitely have the assets. We’ll see if Jerry West helps them turn Golden State into gold.

DV: I think it’s a great PR move and, obviously, West knows how to construct a winning team. However, how deep will his involvement be? Trades will probably go down and perhaps a change in offensively philosophy with more stress on defense. Yes, it actually does exist, Warriors. West has a brilliant basketball mind, but how many brain cells will he actually put into use with the Bay Area squad?

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports has claimed that Jim Buss has put the “untouchable” label on Andrew Bynum. Bynum has been mentioned as a trade piece for Dwight Howard, as Howard seems to like the Lakers as a new destination for his career.

My first reaction to this was, “What is Jim Buss thinking?!” Bynum is by all means a very good player; he can play D, he can rebound, and he can score. He’s arguably a top-five center in the league. However, he gets injured almost every season, the Lakers are reeling after a season-ending sweep, and Dwight Howard is one of the best centers to ever play the game. I don’t understand why Buss would want to keep Bynum over the prospect of obtaining D12.

While I do think their stance may change on that, for now this bodes well for the Nets. One of their main goals is to acquire superstars to surround Deron Williams, and Howard is one of the more realistic options the Nets have at that. If one of their competitors is pulling out of the running, all the better.

According to Stefan Bondy, the Nets will unveil their new name in a few months. With the team moving to Brooklyn, New Jersey Nets isn’t an option in the future. However, Yormark says that he is leaning towards keeping “Nets” and having the team name simply be the “Brooklyn Nets.”

I’m torn on this issue. On one hand, I feel like the name “Nets” could be improved on. The whole “use a part of the game in your name!” shtick has run its course. However, that name has a lot of history behind it and would keep the team rooted in New Jersey to some degree. Personally, I liked Brooklyn Ballers. (ed. note: I’ve always been a fan of the Brooklyn Eagles or Knights. -D.K.)

What do you guys think?

It’s the playoffs. Even though the Nets aren’t involved, we can’t help but think about the postseason. This week, here are our favorite Nets playoff memories.

Boxscore

In 2002, the Nets were transformed from a laughingstock to an Eastern Conference force, all with the help of one acquisition: the addition of Jason Kidd. The pre-Kidd Nets to post-Kidd earned the best “worst to first” mark in NBA history up to that point, doubling their win total from 26 to 52, winning the Atlantic Division, and locking up the number one overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Still, even after that dazzling regular-season performance, the Nets still needed to clear significant hurdles and demonstrate success in the playoffs to really be considered a force. Heck, even Jason Kidd had some demons to exorcise as up to that point: for all his regular season success, Kidd was just 1-5 in the playoffs for his career.

Their opponent in the first round was the Indiana Pacers. That year the Pacers finished 42-40, good enough for the eighth seed, but little did we know as Nets fans that this was no ordinary eighth seed. This same exact core would go on to win 61 games two years later and, if not for the Ron Artest melee, could have been NBA champions.

After the Nets took a 2-1 series lead, Indiana forced the deciding game by thrashing the Nets, 97-74, in game four. Heading into game five, the series turned into a dogfight and could have gone either way.

Game five itself was an electric atmosphere. Up to that point I had been to a lot of Nets games, but I don’t remember a crowd like that (I would know, I was there!) and haven’t heard one since. As the pressure mounted and as the clock went from regulation, to overtime, to the second overtime, the game morphed from a basketball game into a heavyweight championship bout. Each team trading blow after blow.

It was a classic hero vs. villain story.

The antagonist was one the metro region was familiar with. Reggie Miller had long been a thorn in the side of playoff hopefuls around the Hudson River, except normally it was the Knicks he would torture. On this night and in this series, it was the NJ side of the river that felt his powers. His overtime-forcing, hail-mary three-pointer was one of the most dramatic shots I’ve ever experienced firsthand.

The hero? None other than Jason Kidd. He was brought into New Jersey to turn around a struggling franchise. Everyone laughed at him when he declared the Nets could win 40 games in his inaugural season, but Kidd delivered on that and so much more. I think tape of this game should go in Kidd’s career vault, as it showed his true capacity to affect a basketball game. Offensively, the game dictated Kidd to be more aggressive, and the consummate pass-first PG looked to score at the rim and with pull-up jumpers. On defense, Kidd was everywhere; guarding bigs in switches, zigging and zagging around screens as he tried to stay with Miller, and taking charges. It was a truly virtuoso performance.

There was so many ups and downs in this game, so many “moments”, here are just a few:

• Kenyon Martin’s pre-game “crowd pump up” tradition was born in this playoff series. No roar was ever louder than the one on this night.
• Keith Van Horn’s wild run of three-pointers in the third quarter.
• The near-automatic from the free throw line Reggie Miller missed a free throw with a chance to tie the game with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
• Then-rookie Richard Jefferson earned “playoff experience” right before our eyes as his two missed free throws failed to clinch the game and allowed for Reggie’s miracle three-pointer.
• Down a point with 29 seconds left in OT number one and out of a time-out, Jason Kidd sliced through Indiana’s defense before dropping off a pass to K-Mart – who threw down a monster dunk.
• Down by two at the end of the first OT, Reggie again tied the game with a two-handed dunk.
• The Nets finally took over in the second overtime, led as usual by “Captain Kidd”. His feed to Kerry Kittles for a breakout lay-up and the foul was the first time in the entire game I actually felt comfortable and at ease with the proceedings.

After the game, I remember walking through the parking lot with nearly 20,000 Nets fans, all of us realizing what a truly great game we had just witnessed.

As it was, this win was the type of win that catapulted the Nets through the rest of the playoffs, as they advanced to the NBA finals that season. Below is a video I put together of some of my favorite moments of that game as highlighted above:

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I love the draft combine. I know that it tells us practically nothing about a player’s future compared to other measurements, but it’s still fun to look at the results. Over the past week or two, we’ve taken a look at some of the players the Nets might draft on June 23rd. Here’s how some of them fared:

For more draft combine measurements & analysis, check out DraftExpress and The Hoops Report.