Nets on the Net: 1/25/10 Edition
Jan 25, 2010 Advanced Statistics, Al Iannazzone, Dave D'Alessandro, Nets on the Net
Dave D’Alessandro always has a way of cutting through it all and asking the obvious but important questions: Which raises the question: If they spent nearly four hours practicing defense on Tuesday and another 90 minutes reviewing their principles on Thursday, what was the emphasis exactly?
Al Iannazzone talks about how the Nets are actually getting worse: But here’s looking at a small sample of games before we go big picture. Over the four-game trip, the Nets allowed the opposition to shoot 55.4 percent and average 112.8 points per game. They were beaten by an average of 25 points, prompting one of most honest answers a player ever uttered.
The always super Hardowood Paroxysm looks at PER and usage rate midway through the season for every team – including the Nets, who contrary to popular belief, are still part of the NBA.
Should The Nets Send Terrence Williams Down To The D-League?
Jan 22, 2010 D-League, Dave D'Alessandro, Dee Brown, Springfield Armor, Terrence Williams
In Dave D’s latest article, he briefly glosses over something that I find really interesting:
For starters, we’d consider sending Terrence Williams to Springfield for a few weeks. He’s not getting much out of being here, and everyone can see that. He doesn’t play much anymore — 8.4 mpg this month, with no discernible contribution across the board — and maybe a short vacation convinces him to start playing a team game again, which he hasn’t shown much interest in doing lately.
The D-League is there for a reason. And as long as there’s roster space for a call-up who will bust his tail for a chance to play a few weeks in the NBA, you might as well use it.
At the beginning of the year, I would have scoffed at this. Not only because I was (still am) one of his biggest supporters, but also because I saw him playing a very big role on the team at this point in the year. Instead Terrence Williams has logged just 78 minutes in 9 games this month. Let’s look at the pros and cons of sending Terrence down:
Nets on the Net: 11/23/09 Edition
Nov 23, 2009 Brooklyn, Bruce Ratner, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Dave D'Alessandro, Devin Harris, Lawrence Frank, Nets on the Net, Rod Thorn
With Devin Harris back, Dave D’Alessandro writes that the team must start winning soon, or Lawrence Frank is not going to survive as head coach.
Meanwhile, Dave D. speculates Frank will probably be gone if the Nets get swept away on their west coast road trip. He also talks about how Rod Thorn likely blames ownership for the Nets woes.
Bloomberg profiles the Atlantic Yards development project.
Chris Douglas-Roberts is still fuming over all the losing.
In a comparison I have tried to avoid making for fear or losing my mind, the New York Post says the Nets are like the 2009 Mets.
In a sign that the Nets are officially a national story, Norman Chad of the Charleston Gazette thinks the Nets could go 0-82 (hardy, har, har).
Atlantic Yards Report analyzes the upcoming authorization of bonds for the Barclays Arena.
Nice profile of former Net Richard Jefferson in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Nets on the Net: 11/17/09 Edition
Nov 17, 2009 Brooklyn, Dave D'Alessandro, Develop Don't Destroy, Devin Harris, Lawrence Frank, LeBron James, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net
On the Brooklyn front, the state is expecting to start marketing tax-exempt bonds to build the arena in the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Daniel Goldstein, Brooklyn resident and lead opponent for the anti-Atlantic Yards movement is not very happy with the offer he’s gotten from the state for his apartment. He’s also written an open letter to Mikhail Prokhorov that’s been published at the Huffington Post.
Milwaukee native Devin Harris got a bunch of phone calls Saturday night from people wanting to know if he saw Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings go off for 55 points.
Lawrence Frank isn’t paying attention to any “10 is enough” marketing efforts by the front office. He just worries about what’s on the basketball court.
Nets beat writer Dave D’Alessandro answers your mail.
Mike Celzic at NBC asks why would LeBron James want to come to the Knicks or Nets?
Over at the Nets Daily, Net Income breaks down some financials to help determine exactly how rich Mikhail Prokhorov is.
Gary Sussman is back with his latest edition of Sussman Sez, recapping the weekend in Florida.
Ben Couch says Courtney Lee was cheerful, though he may not be good to go until Saturday against the Knicks.
NetsAreScorching Podcast – Episode 4
Sep 4, 2009 2009 Offseason, Brook Lopez, Brooklyn, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Courtney Lee, Dave D'Alessandro, Devils, Devin Harris, Jarvis Hayes, Podcast
In the fourth episode of the podcast (2nd with Mark), Mark and I sit down to discuss the guys getting in the gym early, the effects of that, and some Brooklyn/Devils stuff. Definitely worth the listen, and you can listen/download it here or get it on iTunes.
A quick note: Mark and I know the quality on this isn’t the best (Each one of us is only coming through one side of the speakers), but we are going to change up some things for the next one and we should be good. So don’t worry fellas!
Reaction To Dave D’Alessandro’s Interview @ HoopsAddict.com
Jul 15, 2009 2009 Offseason, Analysis, Dave D'Alessandro, Links, Nets In The Media
Hoopsaddict.com is a great basketball blog, and it is a site that I make sure I read everyday. So when I got an e-mail from the site telling me about an interview that they did with Dave D’Alessandro (Who was kind enough to answer a few questions for me), I hurried over to read it. Dave talks Nets, NBA, what it is like to be a beat writer, and the state of newspapers so you definitely want to check it out. I am pulling a few quotes from the interview that I wanted to comment on:
HA: What’s your thoughts on the direction the Nets are taking? Everyone heard the whispers of Carter being moved, and now he is finally no longer with the team. Did you think it was a smart trade for the team? Thoughts on the selection of Terrence Williams?
DD: It may not be a smart trade for the Nets, but it probably was the only move they had. It was obvious back in December that Vince’s departure was inevitable, and you had to get expiring contracts and a promising young talent in the deal. So with the aims being pretty narrow, mission accomplished. I don’t know much about Terrence’s game yet, but I like the kid personally, and I hope fans give him a chance to grow into his job. But I can already hear the moans when he goes 6-for-29 his first three games.
I know I am in the minority with this one, but I think that the Vince Carter trade was a smart one for the Nets and not just a salary dump. Sure getting rid of Vince’s salary was an effect of the deal, but we got huge value with this deal, more than we would get in any trade we make next season before the trade deadline. Now a lot of Nets fans are a little worried about Courtney Lee’s reactions to being traded, but can we blame him really? He went from going to the finals to being on a team that will challenge for the number 1 pick. That had to hit him hard, especially when he was such a big factor in the team’s playoff run. Another critisim of the trade that I have been hearing is that if we really wanted Lee, why didn’t we just draft him? Well, with Vince Carter in the mix, we didn’t need a player like Lee. The trade of Carter opens the floor up for Lee’s style of play. I know it sucks giving up Ryan Anderson, but I think it was worth it.
Also, I know that I for one won’t be moaning or groaning if Terrence starts the year going 6-29. Why? Well, he is young and this team isn’t going anywhere. We just need him to develop and gain experience, he shooting will come around, and while it does, Terrence Williams will be able to contribute in other ways.
HA: On the topic of the Cavs, what’s your stance on 2010? Do the Nets have a shot at one of the big three (Wade, LeBron and Bosh)?
DD: Not likely. Guys at that level want to win now and win often, and all things being equal ($$$$), they’ll go where they can win.
Despite Dave’s opinions, I think the Nets have a big-time shot at one of the big three (if not two – or one of these guys and a guy like Dirk). For one, we have the money…tons of money. Two, I can’t think of a team that has a better younger core that will be in position to get one of these guys. The Knicks? No. The Grizz? No. The Thunder? Maybe. But I don’t think (Key word here is think) they have the cap space. Those are the young teams positioning themselves for one of the big three off of the top of my head.
Now with all this being said, I don’t want everyone to think I am bashing Dave. He is the best Nets’ beat writer around, and I usually find myself agreeing with what he says. We just have two differing opinions in this case, and I feel like I should state mine. What do you guys think? Leave your opinions in the comments!
Brandon Jennings’ Pre-Workout Festivities
Jun 23, 2009 2009 Draft, Brandon Jennings, Dave D'Alessandro
Brandon Jennings is working out with the Nets tomorrow morning, where he will be competing with Jonny Flynn and Terrence Williams to see who can impress the Nets brass the most. Last week, Jennings wasn’t even going to work-out with the Nets as he was looking to be a top ten pick. So what changed? Well, nobody is really saying why, but one has to assume that Jennings is starting to worry about his stock slipping. Even one executive told an agent on Friday (As posted by Dave D’Alessandro):
As one team exec told an agent Friday that Brandon is “sliding like a five-year-old in the park.”
So why is Jennings slipping? It certainly not due to his skill, Jennings is one of the biggest pure talents in the draft. Sure he is raw, but his potential is through the roof. His skill without question worthy of a top 10 pick. So the reason for Jennings slipping has to be his attitude and his maturity.
People who may disagree with me will say that Jennings’ year in Europe has seasoned him and made him mature. I tend to disagree with that train of thought. First, he wasn’t out on his own in Italy (his mother and brother lived with him – not saying that is a bad thing). Second, he didn’t play too much over in Italy. Finally, Jennings is still only 19. To further strengthen my point, I want to direct you guys to one of Brendon’s tweets (As you may already know, I am kind of a twitter expert) that he put out tonight (It was posted around 11ish):
Now I am not one to be questioning people’s late night activities (I have done some silly things myself), but one has to wonder why Jennings is out at 11 o’clock when he has a work-out with the Nets tomorrow. Especially with free-falling down the draft boards. This doesn’t really look like maturity to me.
More Moving Down Rumors
Jun 19, 2009 2009 Draft, Dave D'Alessandro, Rumors
This time we aren’t talking moving down for Casspi. Just moving down in general. This is from the great Dave D’Alessandro:
And yes, they’re still mulling whether they can get as good a player at 18 to 25 (such as Williams) as they could at 11, which would create some trade opportunities.
Toward that end, they’re talking to teams with multiples — Minnesota and Chicago — more than anyone else, with the occasional call to Portland, which wants to move its (24th) pick.We also know this much: They’re not likely to move up for Jordan Hill or Jonny Flynn, whom they like well enough. . . . just not well enough to move up for them.
Now moving down to take your guy makes sense. It means that you are going to get to pay your pick less money (this is something that the Nets are really focusing on), plus we may be able to get more picks out of it (and with Rod Thorn that is always a good thing).
I just hope that we aren’t trading down while Earl Clark, James Johnson, or DeJuan Blair is still available. I like moving down as a second option, but not as a first.
Terrence Williams is working out with us today, and “Physco T” is working out with us on Monday. I will have some sort of update up on Monday (I am going down to AC this weekend to celebrate the 10,000 hits).
Nets Not “Shopping” Yi, Having Conversations About Him
May 20, 2009 2009 Offseason, Dave D'Alessandro, Rod Thorn, Yi
In Dave D’Alessandro’s article about the draft, there is an interesting tidbit about Yi’s situation. He interviewed Rod Thorn, who said we aren’t shopping “Yi”:
“Shop is not the right term with what we do with a lot of our players. We have conversations — about almost everybody. Shopping is when you tell everyone in the league, ‘Anyone want this guy?’ We’re not doing that. So that’s not true.”
I like what Thorn is doing. It is obvious that we are trying to trade Yi, but while he is still on the team, we have to look like we have his back. Also, this could be true, maybe Thorn isn’t shopping him. Maybe other teams are calling for him, if that is the case, we have to listen. Try to get something for Yi.
Following The Mocks
May 20, 2009 2009 Draft, Brook Lopez, Dave D'Alessandro, Following The Mocks 2009
Every Wednesday I will go through some of the Mock Drafts that can be found on the web and tell you who they say the Nets will be picking. Here are what the mocks say this week (If there is a mock draft I am missing, or one that you think should be taken off the list, let me know via e-mail or in the comments):
- Chad Ford – ESPN – James Johnson/PF/Wake Forest
- Dime Mag – DeMar DeRozan/SG-SF/USC
- FanHouse – Earl Clark/SF-PF/Louisville
- DraftExpress – Ty Lawson/PG/UNC
- NBC Sports – Earl Clark/SF-PF/Louisville
- NBADraft.net - Chase Budinger(Really?)/SF/Arizona
- InsideHoops – Ty Lawson/PG/UNC
- MyNBADraft.com – DeJuan Blair/PF/Pitt
- HoopsHype – Ty Lawson
So that is 9 mock drafts, here are the totals:
- Ty Lawson – 3
- Earl Clark – 2
- DeMar DeRozen – 1
- DeJuan Blair – 1
- James Johnson – 1
- Chase Budinger (REALLY?) – 1
I guess I am not really surprised with the wide range of players the experts say we are taking, mainly because there have been no work-outs and teams haven’t really began to show their hands in terms of who they are interested in. The thing that does surpise me is that there are only two true PFs listed. This surprises me because Rod Thorn has been on the record as saying he wants a “moose”. Maybe the guys in the media haven’t seen that interview yet.
Equally surprising is seeing James Johnson’s name listed only once. Especially since the awesome blogger Tommy Dee at TheKnicksBlog.com is reporting that the Nets are VERY interested in Johnson. I know it’s a Knicks (blah!) blog, but this is the man who first reported that the Nets were keeping Lawrence Frank, so he has to know his stuff. Oh and he must be on to something, especially if the New York Post is following up his report with a report of their own, saying basically the same thing.