There isn’t as much of a buzz this year for the NBA Draft as there was last year when the Nets owned the third overall pick. However, with the 27th overall pick, the Nets could possibly draft a player that can contribute off the bench or even develop down on the farm with the Springfield Armor, possibly making some noise later in the season. So, who might be available?
In my first round mock draft on The Basketball Jones, I have the Nets taking Justin Harper of Richmond. However, he’s been fluctuating on other mock drafts and could possibly be gone by the time the Nets pick. What’s great about the draft is all of the speculating and seemingly quick movement, up or down, of players. For example, in the same mock draft, I have Marshon Brooks going to the Chicago Bulls with the 28th overall pick. But if a team likes him better than Alec Burks, the projected top shooting guard in the draft, Brooks could possibly be a lottery pick and likely picked in the teens or early 20s. Read more…
The Nets are losing assistant coaches rapidly and this isn’t boding well going into an uncertain offseason. Peter Vecsey of the New York Post reports that Sam Mitchell will be leaving Avery Johnson’s staff.
It’s possible Mitchell left in order to pursue one of the vacant coaching spots still available in the NBA. After all, Mitchell was named the 2006-07 NBA Coach of the Year. In any case, Avery Johnson has lost his best assistants over the course of this offseason and it will be a tough task ahead for him to replace them.
Deron Williams becomes the second Nets player in as many days to part ways with his agent. After Kris Humphries left Dan Fegan yesterday, Michele Steele of Bloomberg television reports on Twitter that Deron Williams has fired agent Bob McClaren. A look at McClaren Sports shows no trace of Williams, either.
Update: The Salt Lake Tribune has reported that Deron Williams will sign with agent Leon Rose. Rose represents some of the biggest stars in the NBA: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, etc.
I’m not big on conspiracies, and frankly I can’t even envision what this could mean to a conspiracy theorist (Deron Williams to Miami? With what cap space?), but it is somewhat odd that two players on the Nets have left their agencies on successive days.
Trading Travis Outlaw would be no easy task.
Let’s be fair. After a 24-58 season, every player save Deron Williams and arguably Brook Lopez is on the block. There is no way a team that lost more than twice as many games as it won can’t stand to improve – or, at the very least, change – at almost every position.
Of all five positions, none in New Jersey is more maligned than the small forward spot, and no player more maligned than Travis Outlaw. He has been, for all intents and purposes, a bust contract – after signing him for five years at $7 million per year, the Nets expected him to perform. He didn’t.
A few weeks ago, I was chatting with friend and fellow TrueHoop Network writer Timothy Varner. Tim writes for the Network’s San Antonio Spurs blog 48 Minutes of Hell, and by his own admission thinks about trades more often than the average human. This entire idea came from him and was born out of our discussion. The deal he asked me about was very simple, realistic, and in his words, equitable.
Read more…
Big day yesterday for Nets announcers. Marv Albert has been calling Nets games since 2005, but has called his last one for a while as he moves into a contract to call NFL games for CBS. Albert will still call NBA on TNT, as well as the NCAA Tournament, but will no longer have the time to consistently focus on New Jersey.
Another interesting side note: one of Albert’s former partners in the New Jersey Booth is former player Mark Jackson, who was hired yesterday to be the Golden State Warriors coach. Jackson has been calling playoff and primetime games these past few years for ABC and ESPN, but starting next year will be on the sidelines. From an NBA standpoint, that might mean Monta Ellis is more available than ever – Jackson is a big fan of Stephen Curry.
Hey, the Nets still have Ian Eagle. Fine with me.
Late edit: Apparently, the rumors are already starting: Ric Bucher reports that the Warriors are trying to deal Ellis to the Sixers for forward Andre Iguodala. Jackson’s a quick worker.
Ever since Mikhail Prokorov took over the Nets as owner, various staff members, former or current, of CSKA Moscow have been connected to the Nets in some way. Some, like Sergei Kuschenko, have actually become a part of the Nets. Ettore Messina was another one of those names; fans looked at him as an attractive option as an assistant coach, or perhaps even head coach. Messina was the coach of CSKA Moscow during its’ dominance until he took a job for Real Madrid.
That dream has quelled, though. Messina is reportedly heading for the Lakers to help out Mike Brown as an assistant coach. I can’t say I’m surprised, but I am disappointed as a Nets fan. Would have loved to see a guy with his success here.
In addition to building their roster through free agency and trades, the Nets also have to consider bringing back some of their own guys this summer. This week, NAS takes a look at the team’s current crop of free agents and determines who stays and who goes.
You Got to Go: Ben Uzoh didn’t really have any spectacular games with the Nets this season. He had some flashes that showed he could become a good role player, but if you were to ask anyone about their expectations of Uzoh, they would tell you, “Well, he could be a solid back-up point guard in the future.” Deron Williams, the cornerstone of this franchise, wants impact players. Uzoh is not an impact player. The Nets might not want to give a guaranteed contract to a guy who’d be the third string point guard at best.
I Guess You Could Stay: The only scenario in which I envision Uzoh staying is if the Nets manage to move Jordan Farmar over the offseason in a trade. As we have discussed many times, Farmar is a decent backup but also an expendable commodity with Deron Williams as the starting point guard. If Farmar is indeed moved for a draft pick or a wing player, then the Nets could explore the process of keeping Uzoh.
The Final Verdict: He should go. Even though he was just a rookie, Uzoh was a consummate professional and never did anything specifically that drew the ire of myself or most Net fans. However, NBA players aren’t paid for their professionalism, they are paid for their talent; talent doesn’t ooze from Uzoh. Even if Farmar does get traded, there are probably better options for backup point guard.
The Nets are in a position to sign and trade for core pieces. The backup point guard slot is petty to the organization now, and Uzoh should not be in the discussion to begin with. That said, hopefully the Nets can sign Uzoh to a D-League contract to help him refine his skills in Springfield. He was a great success story during training camp when he made the team out of nowhere, and it would be great to see him develop in a Nets uniform.
