Nets on the Net: 3/6/10 Edition
Mar 6, 2010 Brett Yormark, Brook Lopez, Brooklyn, Devin Harris, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net, Newark
Colin Stephenson on last night: The Nets held Dwight Howard to 11 points and Vince Carter to 13. And still, they were never really in the game.
Julian Garcia notes that the Nets have all but ensured their worst home record in the franchise’s history: A 97-87 loss to Vince Carter and the Magic Friday night dropped the Nets’ home record to 3-28, meaning they will have to win their remaining 10 home games to avoid setting a record for fewest wins there in one season. The Nets went 13-28 at the Meadowlands in 1989-90 to set the current mark. They also still have shot at the all-time franchise record for fewest home wins at any venue – 10, set in 1976-77 at the Nassau Coliseum.
Devin Harris tells Al Iannazzone that the Nets are still trying out there: “We want to finish strong,” Devin Harris said after the Nets’ 11th consecutive home loss. “We have our minds set on trying to compete each and every game and trying to win every game. All of the other stuff is out of our control anyway so there’s no need for us to really worry about it.”
Fred Kerber uses last night’s performance to poke a hole in the Nets new ad campaign: Meanwhile, back in the present on the Meadowlands court, there was nothing new. Basically, the Nets offered, “It’s The Same Old Stuff — Losing.”
Stan Van Gundy thinks Brook Lopez is an all-star.
Mikhail Prokhorov should be approved next month, according to reports.
Specially-priced season tickets will be offered to Newark residents next season.
The Village Voice has a feature on Freddy’s Bar in Brooklyn, who are being forced to vacate as part of the Barclays Center deal.
Brett Yormark on CNBC yesterday:
Howard Beck of the New York Times on the Knicks and Nets combined futility: The question now is whether the suffering will prove worthwhile. If James lands in Midtown or Amar’e Stoudemire settles in New Jersey, all will be forgiven. Even if the superstars all decline the invitations, the Nets and Knicks will be flush with cash and flexibility to rebuild their rosters.
Nets Newark Press Conference
Mar 6, 2010 Newark
Here’s the feed of yesterday’s press conference about the Nets’ move to the Prudential Center, courtesy of njnets.com:
Nets on the Net: 3/5/10 Edition
Mar 5, 2010 Courtney Lee, John Calipari, LeBron James, Nets on the Net, Nets vs. 72-73 Sixers, Newark, Rod Thorn, Terrence Williams, Vince Carter
Ben Couch gives a nod to us, so let’s nod right back and mention his great piece on Courtney Lee, who was really settling into a groove recently until he injured his ankle: “Once you start getting back to your normal self and playing well, something always pops up. I just look at it as adversity, and I can overcome it: just continue to work on my game and just work myself back into shape and being healthy and go from there.”
However, Kiki lists Lee as “doubtful” for tonight’s game against his former mates.
Make sure you check out njnets.com at 1 p.m. as the live stream their press conference from the Prudential Center.
Rod Thorn, meanwhile, is unsure of the impact Newark will have on this year’s free agent class: “It’s hard to say,” Thorn said when asked if the Nets will have an edge because of their arena situation. “I think Newark will be a good place to play but I don’t know what it means for free agents.”
Kentucky coach, and former Nets coach, John Calipari talks with Al Iannazzone and pays a compliment to the current Nets roster, while naturally saying how bad the roster he took control of was in the 90s: “You got other guys that are legitimate NBA players,” he said. “I go back and look at our team my first year [1996-97], and whew. You look at our roster … when we won our 10th game I had a celebration because I thought we were only going to win nine. The team I had, I couldn’t believe it.”
Terrence Williams has been playing better lately, but as Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger captures, it hasn’t been easy for him this season: “I really didn’t know what to expect,” he said Thursday. “I tried to come here and use the same game that I used in college, but my shot wasn’t falling. I had to re-evaluate myself as a player and change my game to more so going to the hole, but still do the other little things that I do and love to do, as far as, like, passing, playing ‘D’ and rebounding.”
Al Iannazzone looks at whether or the not the Nets miss Vince Carter’s leadership.
Dave Markowitz of the Daytona Beach News Journal assures Nets fans that the 72-73 Philadelphia 76ers were worse. Meanwhile, the Orlando Sentinel looks at the worst team’s in sports history and mentions an NJIT team I believe Sebastian is familiar with.
Another “Buckeye” argues against LeBron bolting for NYC.
Nets on the Net: 3/4/10 Edition
Mar 4, 2010 Brooklyn, Devin Harris, Jay-Z, LeBron James, Nets on the Net, Newark
The Barclays Center web site now has a countdown clock to the groundbreaking on March 11.
The New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority is still in massive debt, but the Nets move to Newark could help them out, according to a Business Week report.
The always kind (to the Nets) Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus notes that with their expected assets this summer (draft picks, cap space), the Nets could very quickly resemble a 50-win team.
Michael Fensom of the Star-Ledger on last night’s game: Don’t be fooled by the Nets logo scrawled at halfcourt, this lame duck NBA arena belonged to James on this night. Fans jostled during pregame warm-ups near the Cavaliers’ end of the floor for a glimpse of No. 23. On the Nets’ end, Chris Quinn’s autograph didn’t seem as appealing to young fans.
In the New York Post recap, LeBron paid a compliment to the Nets again: “It’s a really good franchise, though. It’s not a franchise that’s lived long, but they’ve got a bright future. We’ll see what goes on in the future for this team. It’s really good, though.”
George Willis of the Post talks with sports marketing experts about LeBron’s financial potential if he came to the Knicks or Nets.
Julian Garcia of the Daily News asked LeBron about Jay-Z: Asked how Jay-Z is dealing with the season, James said, “He’s on tour, promoting (an album). So he has a lot of things going on. But he stays focused; he stays a member of this team. But I don’t ask him about the Nets. I’ve got my own team to worry about.”
Howard Beck of the New York Times has some fan response to Lebron: Desperation was in the air Wednesday night. Two minutes into the game, a fan bellowed, “Please come, LeBron!” — a plea that was easily heard across the morgue-like arena. Another wore a Knicks jersey stitched with “King James” and the No. 23. He held a sign reading: “119 days left. Please help us!”
Mitch Lawrence heard differently: Unlike Knicks fans, Net fans last night didn’t plead for James to sign this summer with the worst team in the NBA. They booed him. They taunted him. For all that, they deserve a round of applause.
Al Iannazzone talks to Devin Harris about LeBron: “Who wouldn’t want to play with this guy?” Devin Harris said before the game. “He’s a great player. But right now he’s on the other side of the court so we look to challenge him on the other end and the summer will take care of itself.”
Nets Moving To Newark Eventually
Feb 18, 2010 Brooklyn, Izod Center, Newark, Prudential Center
As the trade deadline passed, there were no trades announced by the Nets. There was a pretty big move announced today though, as the Nets have made it known that they reached an agreement and will be playing their games in the Prudential Center soon. The Star-Ledger has the details:
After months of speculation over whether the struggling NBA team would leave Izod Center in the Meadowlands for a two-year stay at the new Prudential Center in Newark, a deal was struck today to allow the Nets to break their lease for $4 million and move to Newark, according to officials involved in the negotiations.
The early termination fees could be offset in part by advertising, suite revenue and other credits.
The agreement came after the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority voted in secret to approve the deal at a special meeting this morning. A formal announcement is expected later today by Gov. Chris Christie.
This is a great move for the Nets. While there is no word on when the games are going to start being played in Newark, I am guessing it will be next year. I know the move is only temporary, but you know that Free Agents would rather play anywhere other than the Izod Center. I have also been in the Prudential Center (not as a fan), and I can say the locker-rooms and facilities are very very nice. This is a good place to play while waiting for Brooklyn to get done. I am not saying that the Prudential Center will draw fans on it’s own, but it is much more attractive than the Izod.
Plus, this is better for the fans. The Prudential Center is just blocks away from a train station. This means that there is finally a way to get to Nets’ games using mass transit, something that wasn’t all that possible for the Meadowlands. In the article, there was one final interesting note:
Additionally, the Nets agreed that it would not stand in the way of another NBA coming to New Jersey in the future — which leaves the door open to another team coming to the Prudential Center should the Nets finally move to Brooklyn.
Not sure that it would actually ever happen (in my opinion it all depends on how the Nets draw in the Prudential Center), but can you imagine having two New York teams and a team in New Jersey? That could be interesting as a fan…
Nets on the Net: 2/4/10 Edition
Feb 4, 2010 Del Harris, Devin Harris, Nets on the Net, Newark
Al Iannazzone writes that one of the reasons Del Harris left the organization Tuesday was because the players weren’t relating to him. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo seconds that take speaking about the Nets maturity issues.
It’s like a vicious cycle for Devin Harris and the Nets, according to John Schumann: The Nets are as bad as they are because Harris hasn’t been playing well, and Harris hasn’t been playing well because the Nets are as bad as they are.
NJ Gov. Chris Christie is not talking about whether or not the state would enforce a $7.5 million penalty if the Nets jumped the Izod Center for the Prudential Center in Newark.
And…. holy crap that’s Vanilla Ice performing at halftime last night:
Nets on the Net: 2/2/10 Edition
Feb 2, 2010 Brooklyn, Devin Harris, Keyon Dooling, Nets on the Net, Newark
In the latest offering from Ben Couch, Devin Harris is looking to get back out there, but is still questionable for tonight’s game against the Pistons: “We’ve increased our halfcourt defense tremendously, but we’re still struggling in transition,” Harris said. “Offensively – and defensively – I don’t think we’ve pushed the ball as much as I think that we could. But those are things I think that I can affect personally, especially on the offensive end, pushing the tempo a little bit.
If you want reasons for why the Nets have been more competitive the past week, you should probably check out Keyon Dooling’s defensive effort, according to Dave D’Alessandro: Dooling is dueling the other team’s chief handler and playmaker, and treating his defensive challenge as if it’s a personal affront. Indeed, in his last three starts, the backup point guard has removed his primary matchup from the equation entirely.
Expect a formal announcement this week regarding the Nets temporary move to the Prudential Center in Newark, according to the Daily News.
Matt Moore at Hardwood Paroxysm is enamored by the potential turnaround of the Nets organization, looking at their cap space, draft picks, move to Brooklyn, marketability of Yi, and other factors.
Check out this “Keep the News in New Jersey” shirt.
Nets on the Net: 12/24/09 Edition
Dec 24, 2009 Nets on the Net, Newark
Despite some reports earlier this month that a deal was practically dead, hope is still alive that the Nets can negotiate a way to play at the Prudential Center in Newark next season.
In leaguewide news that’s relevant to the Nets, Yahoo reports that a drastic drop in the NBA salary cap is not expected at the end of the season.
Deadspin chimes in on last night’s game.
Nets on the Net: 12/18/09 Edition
Dec 18, 2009 Chris Douglas-Roberts, Kiki Vandeweghe, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net, Newark, Rod Thorn, Yi
Newark Mayor Cory Booker on the chances of the Nets playing at the Prudential Center: “From the perspective of the Prudential Center, we are in a very strong position,” Booker said. “I’m very confident. I actually believe the Nets will be playing here very soon.”
Mikhail Prokhorov passed step one of his background check and now awaits approvals by the NBA’s owners so he can take a controlling stake in the Nets. Here’s NBA Commissioner David Stern: “There were multiple investigations of him by interested parties and there was nothing that was disclosed that would cause us not to move forward with his application.”
Speaking of which, it sounds like Prokhorov might stick with Rod Thorn, according to Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News: But Prokhorov might be inclined to stay with Thorn, who built the Nets into a championship contender with his signature trade for Jason Kidd. Thorn also has the strong support of league executives, starting with his former boss, commissioner David Stern.
An opinion piece from the Star-Ledger about Newark and the Prudential Center.
Yi Jianlian is still expecting to return next week.
Kiki Vandeweghe is learning on the job: “Right now, we’re in a real tough spot, and the way you get out of it is, just like you get out of when a team has made a huge run on you and you’re trying to come back: it’s one basket, it’s one small step. So, again, develop the winning habits, and over time, those will translate into wins.’’
The always charming Jaclyn Sabol sat down with Chris Douglas-Roberts recently in a getting to know you session. We’ve embedded part one, but you can check parts two and three by clicking the links:
Nets on the Net: 12/17/09 Edition
Dec 17, 2009 Brooklyn, Devin Harris, Josh Boone, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets on the Net, Newark
Despite the team’s struggles, Devin Harris told reporters that he’s standing by the Nets, unlike what happened with the organization’s last point guard: “Right now I’m the leader on this team,” Harris said. “My job is getting guys to come out and compete every night. That’s my job at the moment. Everything else will take care of itself.”
Jazz forward, and Russian native, Andrei Kirilenko continues his praise of prospective Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who was formally approved yesterday by Bruce Ratner and now awaits NBA league approval before he can take control of the team: “He’s really going to turn around the team,’’ Kirilenko said. “It’s not like he’s going to get the team and they’ll play a little better. They’re not playing that well right now.
John Brennan of The Record writes, if the Nets still want to move to Newark, they are going to have to pony up the $7.5 million fine for breaking their lease at the Izod Center.
Dave D’Alessandro of The Star-Ledger sees an improvement in Josh Boone’s numbers: He’s averaging only 5.0 points (.509 shooting from the field), 6.0 rebounds, and 0.84 blocks in 20.7 minutes this year as a token starter who rarely gets to finish. But over the last 11 games, with just a short increase in minutes (23.4), Boone has hiked his numbers in every area: 6.3 ppg (.529), 6.8 rpg. He has also had 11 blocks in the last seven games.
Another lawsuit by opponents of the Nets’ Brooklyn move was dismissed by the courts.