Nets on the Net: 2/26/10 Edition
Feb 26, 2010 Brook Lopez, Coaching, Nets on the Net
Basketbawful, which, believe it or not, is not a nickname for njnets.com, designed a new logo for the Nets.
Kiki Vandeweghe reminds reporters that the organization is still giddy to have Brook Lopez: “We had him somewhere in the top three in the draft, and we thought there was going to be a 99 percent chance he wasn’t going to be there [at No. 10],” Vandeweghe said. “It was a very easy decision. If he’s there at No. 10, you take him.
NBA.com ranks the Nets as having one of the most interesting coaching vacancies this summer.
So Apparently I Can Tell The Future
Feb 17, 2010 Analysis, Coaching, Kiki, Opinion, Terrence Williams
I am being dead serious. Need proof? Well, there is a post that I did 16 days ago entitled “The Nets Are Learning How To Win.” I was pretty confident that the Nets were ready to turn the corner after coming off a close loss against the 76ers. Turns out the post was a little premature because after the Sixers’ game the Nets went on to lose 6 more games. 5 of these losses were close losses where the team just didn’t play well late.
But that doesn’t mean my post was wrong. The Nets were learning out how to win, but in true Nets fashion, it took a little longer than it should have. The result? A win 15 days later. I thought it would be fun to look at my old post and match it up to the game today to prove that the Nets are learning how to win (everything in block quotes was created 15 days ago):
Nets on the Net: 2/17/10 Edition
Feb 17, 2010 Coaching, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net, Rod Thorn, Terrence Williams
Mike Krzyzewski sounded pretty definitive on the Michael Kay show yesterday when asked if he would consider leaving Duke to coach the Nets: I would not. I was asked over the weekend about that after the game. First of all, I have a lot of respect for them. I think it’s a good job, it’s just not a good job for me, and the Nets haven’t offered that. I hate to comment and make it appear that the Nets have done something that they haven’t done. They haven’t done that.
And Rod Thorn sounded pretty definitive about the chances for activity before tomorrow’s trade deadline: “I’d say probably nothing,” Thorn said when asked what the Nets would do. “But you never know. Somebody could call looking for an expiring contract and then we’d be in business. But right now, I don’t see anything of any importance that we have out there.”
Dave D’Alessandro shares his conversation with Mikhail Prokhorov while the two were in Vancouver. Prokhorov still can’t talks basketball until he is officially approved by the NBA.
Is his annual trade deadline list, ESPN’s Bill Simmons lists Brook Lopez as the 14th most untouchable guy in the NBA.
Terrence Williams should have been in this year’s Slam Dunk competition, but when asked about his participation next year by Al Iannazzone, he sounded unsure if he would do it.
The Nets are getting into the pizza delivery business.
TrueHoop’s old friend Kurt Helin talks about the Rod Thorn situation over at his Pro Basketball Talk blog with NBC Sports.
Nets on the Net: 2/16/10 Edition
Feb 16, 2010 Coaching, Kiki, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net, Rod Thorn
A Dave D’Alessandro report makes it sound pretty convincing that Rod Thorn will keep his job in the Mikhail Prokhorov regime.
Al Iannazzone examines how the Nets can get six more wins to avoid all-time infamy: The breakdown is: they have 30 games and 17 are at home; nine are against West teams, four of which are at home; 13 are against teams below .500 at the break and six are at home.
Kkii Vandeweghe throws cold water on the idea that the Nets will make a trade before this week’s trade deadline.
Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News advises John Calipari to steer clear of the Nets.
Fox Sports includes the Nets as part of their all-star break round-up, “six teams with questions” down the stretch.
Who Can Coach the Nets?
Feb 15, 2010 Coaching, Opinion
While Sebastian breaks down some potential members of the Nets core after this summer’s draft, the next thing that must be considered when discussing the rebuilding of this organization is who’s going to be the person to coach this team back to respectability. With some of the rumors that have been flying around the past week, it’s clear that Mikhail Prokhorov is going to look to make a big splash with his head coach. But while some of the names that are being tossed around are splashy, are they really the answer? I’m going to go through some of the early, big name candidates, and give you my initial impressions:
Mike Krzyzewski – Coach “K” is a college coaching legend with 28 seasons at Duke University, which include three National Championships, 10 Final Fours and scores of ACC conference championships and NCAA tournament victories. Adding to his cachet was his role as head coach go the 2008 U.S. National team, aka the “Redeem Team” which won gold in Beijing Olympics. Given that some of the top players on the Olympic Team (cough, LeBron, cough) will be free agents this summer, Coach K could help lure these guys to the swamp. The problem is, Krzyzewski has played this game with NBA teams before. He’s been previously offered coaching jobs in Boston and Los Angeles, and rejected both. You also have to remember his leave of absence in the 1990s due to health reasons. Would Coach K put his health at risk with the high-stress schedule of the NBA, and if so, why would he make the leap to the Nets after turning down offers from much more ballyhooed organizations?
Rick Pitino – Great college coach, sure, but his stint in the late 90s with the Boston Celtics makes me question his abilities to coach again in the NBA. His now famous “Larry Bird is not walking through that door” speech has come to symbolize his inability to handle the Boston media during his stint there. How would he handle the New York City media, as the Nets make their transition to Brooklyn, attempt to lure top free agents, and bring along one of the top picks in the draft?
John Calipari – On a personal level, I probably wouldn’t be able to handle Coach Cal again, but there are legit reasons to look elsewhere beyond my own personal feelings for the guy. Calipari was unmitigated disaster in New Jersey in the 1990s. As demonstrated by his college coaching career, he’s constantly seeking greener pastures, jumping to better college programs when he has the chance, which would bring instability to the position if the Nets brought him back to the NBA. While some guys have loved playing for Calipari, they’ve been notably labeled as “his” guys, while players like Jayson Williams and Kendall Gill, talented players in their own regard, have been thrown under the bus by Calipari because he didn’t like how they didn’t buy into his schtick. Some analysts are throwing the John Wall card out there because Calipari currently coaches the assumed No. 1 pick at Kentucky. But if the Nets don’t win the lottery, that point is moot, and besides, if Wall is such a special talent, I’m sure he can play for a coach other than Calipari if he does end up with the Nets. Please, please, please don’t consider this guy.
Jeff Van Gundy – Unlike some of the other big names being tossed around, JVG is the only one whose positive coaching achievements have been built up over the long-term in the NBA. It’s true that with the Knicks and the Houston Rockets, he never won the big one, and you can even argue that his Rockets teams underachieved, but his team’s have always been known for their toughness and defense, two things this current Nets bunch sorely lacks. His resignation from the Knicks in 2001 was sudden, and that always creates doubts about the franchise’s stability with a guy like that at the top, but if JVG is indeed interested in getting back to coaching in the NBA, I really hope the Nets consider this guy.
Nets on the Net: 2/13/10 Edition
Feb 13, 2010 Coaching, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net, Rod Thorn
Al Iannazzone writes that Rod Thorn’s future hinges on his meeting with the new incoming owner, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. During the meeting, the two could discuss the firing of Kiki Vandeweghe after the trade deadline in February.
Newsday reports that Jerry Colangelo is apparently very interested in Thorn’s job.
Meanwhile, Fred Kerber reports that Thorn is likely to keep his job: “(Prokhorov) knows what he has in Rod,” said one rival team executive.
John Calipari addresses the coaching rumors: “For all of our fans: My name will be bandied about for every job that opens, including AAU jobs,” Calipari said. “High school jobs, supposedly I’ll be taking my son with me. Different college jobs, pro — it’s happened. I just say, ‘Whatever.’”
How about Patrick Ewing for head coach?
Nets on the Net: 2/12/10 Edition
Feb 12, 2010 Chris Douglas-Roberts, Coaching, Nets on the Net
The dissection of Chris Douglas-Roberts continues. In a team-by-team outlook report by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, he says the Nets could potentially buyout CDR’s next-to-nothing contract because his attitude is “horrible.” CDR obviously reacted strongly to the report via Twitter: All this because I take losing badly. I’m starting to think other things now…fa real. It’s deeper than how it looks. Fa real.
Add “Coach K” to the growing list of potential coaching candidates for the Nets next season. A report in the Daily News also throws our old friend John Calipari into the mix – which might actually make my head explode, though wouldn’t an awesome reality show be a setup where Coach Cal was back with the Nets, but he HAD to take Jayson Williams as his assistant coach?
Of all the hang-wringing and debate regarding the Nets awful season, leave it to Anthony Marcri of Basketball Prospectus to hit the nail on the head with his assessment: The central issue with this Nets team is, quite simply, they are less than the sum of their parts. They have a few pieces who could be starters on championship-caliber teams (Brook Lopez and Courtney Lee). They have guys who could be solid contributors for a playoff team (Devin Harris and Yi Jianlian come to mind). Finally, they have some role players who on the right team could be integral to a team’s success (Chris Douglas-Roberts, Kris Humphries, Terrence Williams, and Keyon Dooling, to name a few). However, this group does not fit together on the court.
Bleacher Report tries to fix the Nets, suggesting to trade for Caron Butler, draft Evan Turner, and hire Mike Fratello as coach, among other things.
Nets on the Net 2/11/10 Edition
Feb 11, 2010 Brook Lopez, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Coaching, Kiki Vandeweghe, Kris Humphries, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net
First a programming note. I understand I missed “Hump Day” yesterday. My brain is still a little scrambled from basically moving from one end of New York City to the other. Hopefully, next week I’ll remember it’s Wednesday and you’ll be able to start in Hump’s dreamy eyes again.
Over at ESPN’s Daily Dime, our boy Sebastian writes about Brook Lopez’s selection to the 2010-2012 Men’s National Basketball Team.
With the arena all but empty last night, Al Iannazzone captures some color from the fans: There were chants of “CD-R,” who didn’t play until garbage time, and one fan screamed, “Kiki, fire yourself.” In this setting, Vandeweghe had to have heard it. You could hear everything the fans were saying.
Meanwhile, on the agenda this weekend in Dallas, Rod Thorn will meet with Mikhail Prokhorov over dinner to discuss how those two can turn the Nets around.
So the shameless endless marketing of the Nets continues as the newest promotion is courtesy of Zappo’s: enter to win to be coach of the Nets for the day alongside Kiki Vandeweghe. Of course, the contest doesn’t explain what happens if Kiki gets canned in the next couple of weeks. Maybe if you win, they’ll just let you be the coach without a proper assistant.
For those of you with ESPN Insider, David Thorpe does his usual rookie/sophomore rankings but combines them this week in advance of All-Star Weekend. Thorpe determines that Brook Lopez is the No. 1 rookie/soph in the NBA currently.
Rick Pitino is apparently lobbying the Nets for their head coaching job. Rod Thorn is denying it.
Tom Robinson of the Virginian-Pilot writes about the Nets being on pace for all-time futility and includes the line of the day in his column: I’m not a Nets hater. Trying to think, but I can’t remember a time when I was more than vaguely aware there was a Nets.
Come to think of it, what’s the Virgnian-Pilot and how do they have a columnist dedicated to the general NBA in this world of shrinking print media?
Needs to Play, Coach, to Win
Jan 29, 2010 Coaching, Rotation
After watching the Nets get pulverized into a pile of jelly during their West Coast road trip last week, Wednesday’s night victory against the Clippers has made me a bit greedy.
The next three games for the Nets are all against struggling Eastern Conference teams –Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons. Unless this organization really doesn’t give a hoot if they set the record for most losses in a season – and they should, because as a fan, I want nothing to do with this record, and the players clearly don’t either – than Kiki Vandeweghe needs to coach these games to win.
By “coaching to win,” I mean Kiki needs to follow the successful blueprint carried out on Wednesday night, when the Nets played five guys for the last half of the fourth who were basically, the “hot hands.” Their age, experience and contract value was irrelevant.
Switching The Lineup Around
Jan 26, 2010 Advanced Statistics, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Coaching, Jarvis Hayes, Kris Humphries, Roster, Yi
Since the return of Yi, the Nets have had a stable starting lineup (with the exception of the last game – Devin’s wrist injury), but let’s face it. The lineup we have on the court isn’t working right now, and I think that a switch in the starting lineup is well overdue. In my opinion, there are two players you can consider moving to the bench and have them be the new sixth man. Those two players are Yi and Chris Douglas-Roberts. This is because these are the two guys that are “struggling” the most right now. So how are we going to analyze this? Well, in the book Mathletics (a book I highly recommend), Wayne Winston dedicates an entire chapter to analyzing lineups, and we are going to use some of the techniques he uses to see which lineup the Nets should start with.