In a Ben Couch interview with Derrick Favors, a common recurring theme kept coming back to the rookie’s strength and conditioning. Favors seemed pleased with his summer league performance and progress, but knows where he needs to make improvements:
NJNets.com: What did you take away from your week at Summer League in Orlando?
Derrick Favors: That I need to work a little harder, in the post, on all things. Get a little stronger.
I’m obviously pulling for the kid, but I hope given his rawness that fans cut him a little slack in his rookie season.
In a great write-up on the Chris Paul situation in New Orleans, CBS Sports Ken Berger lists the Nets as among three teams who the New Orleans Hornets are in discussions with regarding a trade. Berger believes talks with the Nets could “advance” in the coming days.:
There are indications that the Hornets believe the Magic, Bobcats and Nets would have equally, if not more attractive assets to offer. The positive spin emanating from Monday’s meeting allows the Hornets to “keep working on it,” and puts them in “a better negotiating position to do so,” said one of the sources
“They don’t want to let CP3 dictate the teams,” the person said. “And they can’t look like they are being held hostage by his trade demands.”
The problem here (ignoring CP3′s potential health problems), is that the Nets were not part of Paul’s wish list of teams, and with the same folks who orchestrated LeBron’s PR trainwreck chirping in his ear about going some place with an established “superstar” to win now, I can’t see a scenario where CP3 comes to New Jersey and is a good soldier about it. My guess is NOLA is probably using teams like the Bobcats and Nets as leverage to get a better deal from a contender like Orlando.
Just for a little bit of fun and positivity this morning, thought I’d direct you to a slideshow at Bleacher Report. The article lists the Nets as one of the five “sleeper” teams to watch in the NBA this season:
With a core of Devin Harris, Brook Lopez, and Derrick Favors, however, the Nets shouldn’t have to worry about having less than 25 wins in a season for at least the next decade.
Hey guys, as disappointing and bizarre as this summer has been, I still think this Nets team is going to be a lot better than it was last year and could surprise people. Not NBA Finals surprise, but let’s be patient here.
What seemed like an obvious choice earlier in the week is now maybe less so. With Brook Lopez coming off mono and having some conditioning issues and Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski looking to go small and athletic in his rotations, Brook looks like he only has an outside shot to make the Team USA roster this summer, according to John Schuhmann and NBA.com.
That’s a little disappointing, but I think my biggest concern is that Lopez be ready and healthy for the 2010-11 regular season. When it was announced that he had mono earlier this summer, I was kinda shocked how nonchalant the organization was about it, especially since Lopez lost so much weight. Just keeping my fingers crossed.
NAS linked to some rumors a few weeks that had the Nets possibly making a play for disgruntled NOLA point guard Chris Paul. Now that he’s openly demanded a trade, thanks in large part to the influence of World Wide Wes and LeFraud, the Nets, in a distant way, are getting linked to CP3 again. ESPN’s Chris Broussard says the Magic are Paul’s “preferred” destination, though the Nets could possibly make a play for him.
Two things:
1. If the Nets have to dump Derrick Favors and take on Emeka Okafor’s contract to make this deal happen, as NetsDaily is speculating, then no thanks.
2. For the sake of the NOLA franchise and the NBA, it would serve Paul right if they either kept him or shipped him to Siberia (Minnesota, I hear Kahn could use a PG). Remember when I said a few weeks ago that “Miami thrice” was going to be bad longterm for the NBA? CP3, who if you believe the Woj report is being heavily influenced by LeBron’s (no)braintrust, appears to be the first bit of fallout. This idea of concentrating all of the elite talent in the NBA into very small focal points, is going to kill whatever parity is left in the NBA. Maybe I’m speaking out of turn, but quite frankly, I’m tired as it is of the last three years of Lakers and Celtics. If I have to watch the Magic and Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals for the next six years, that might be enough for me to lose interest in this game completely. Dynasties, when they’re built through lopsided trades and players holding their teams hostage, are no fun. Sorry to be a buzzkill.
In an interesting piece on ESPN Insider (subscribers only folks), Tom Haberstroh looks at this summer’s best and worst contracts and the Nets make it for one of each. As a bargain, Haberstroh lists Anthony Morrow, who the Nets signed for 3 years/$12 million:
It’s tough to imagine why the Warriors have no interest in retaining a cheap, young commodity such as Morrow, but then again, we are talking about the Warriors. In New Jersey, Morrow joins a crowded perimeter with Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams on the wing, but it would make a lot of sense for the Nets to deal Williams to a team willing to stomach his erratic play.
As for an overpay, as many readers here have posted, Travis Outlaw and his 5 year/$35 million contract are listed, though despite being on a “best” and “worst” list, Haberstroh offers a wishy-washy response for the Outlaw signing:
Paying $35 million for a veteran bench player won’t cripple a franchise’s cap flexibility, but the length and dollars could be particularly dangerous for the rebuilding Nets organization.
And not that I’m personally in love with the money Outlaw got (though I like him as a player), if we’re talking about overpaying for the SF position, how does that absurd contract Rudy Gay got not get a mention?
In their neverending search for a PF, the Houston Chronicle reports that the Nets were prepared to make a pretty significant offer to restricted free agent Luis Scola, forcing the Rockets to make a a five-year, $47 million offer that Scola quickly accepted.
Scola is a nice player, but according to the article, the Nets were going to go 5/$55M for the guy, which sounds steep considering the team is just reportedly looking for someone to hold down the fort until Derrick Favors is ready.
Nets fans for a while have called Brook Lopez one of the NBA’s best big men and he has a shot of proving that on a wider scale this summer as a member of the U.S. FIBA World Championship team. Ben Couch of View from the Couch fame sizes up the competition:
If Brook Lopez again performs well during camp, he should earn a spot among the group reassembling in New York City for the first-ever World Basketball Festival, which tips off August 12 with a special showcase in Times Square before moving uptown to Harlem’s legendary Rucker Park basketball courts on Aug. 13 and 14. A glance at the 2008 Olympic roster shows that USA Basketball carried only a single center, two-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, and two power forwards: Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer. While Lee and Stoudemire can each play the 5, Lopez is the best of the true centers, and will likely beat out Chandler and brother Robin.
